Mapping Thoughts- “Story of Service” by Jessica Mitford.
In her essay, “The Story of Service”, Jessica Mitford raises many questions about the services provided for a funeral. She asks, why do we subject the bodies of our lost loved ones to the gruesome process of embalming? Why do we know so little about the process? Why is this tradition’s popularity concentrated to North America? These are questions Mitford raises and suggests answers to in her essay.
Claim #1: If Americans knew about the details of the embalming process, it wouldn’t be so popular here. Mitford owes this to the fact that family members aren’t welcome in the room while the process occurs. “Today, family members who might wish to be in attendance would certainly be dissuaded by the funeral director. All others, except apprentices, are usually barred by law from the preparation room” (44).
A.I agree with Mitford. I’m sure if a person was aware to the specifics of the embalming process, they’d be less likely to agree to putting the body of their loved one through it, just because of how gruesome it is to think about.
Claim #2: Many modern funeral services do their best to distract from the idea of death. “He has relieved the family of every detail, he has revamped the corpse to look like a living doll, he has arranged for it to nap for a few days in a slumber room, he has put on a well-oiled performance in which the concept of death has played no part whatsoever” (51).
C. While I agree that the practices in funeral services seem unnatural and perhaps even cold, I do understand that they are performed to ease the pain of those who grieve and allow them to say goodbye. The funeral directors might try to tone down the idea of death to try not to aggravate the idea to the grievers that their loved one is gone. This makes this claim a little complicated.
Claim #3: Embalming and open casket funerals are popular in North America and rare in other parts of the world, the author claims it’s because it had been made into an industry here. “The religious service may be held in a church or in the chapel of the funeral home; the funeral director vastly prefers the latter arrangement, for not only is it more convenient for him, but it affords him the opportunity to show off his beautiful facilities to the gathered mourners” (50).
A. I think I agree with Mitford on this one, funeral services have become a big business, becoming more complicated and more costly. With more of these businesses available, I can see how the services they provide such as embalming would become more popular too.
Claim #4: A funeral director puts on a funeral that is kind of like a show in the way he decides to set up for it, and directs it with little consultation with the family. “His self-imposed duties fall into two main categories: attention to the corpse itself, and the stage-managing of the funeral” (43).
C. I imagine its difficult in some situations for funeral directors to decide how many decisions and how much responsibility to take in planning a funeral for a family. I imagine some families want the services done a specific way, or some might be too full of grief to even think about planning the funeral.
