In Episode 3, Six Feet Under, the role of grieving in the funeral process becomes important. The grieving is performed by the family of the deceased and their mourning is intensified because the feeling is overwhelmed by the family as whole. This somehow illustrates vague process and stages of grief before one can truly "move on."
Although there are certainly the emotional aspects of the funeral home industry, Six Feet Under reminds us that we mustn't disregard the industry part of the phrase "funeral home industry." David and Nate make decisions that will determine the fate of their business by refusing to join the big death care corporation in order to appease the fear of losing out on the profitable business. Profit rules motives - especially in the death care industry.
Although there are certainly the emotional aspects of the funeral home industry, Six Feet Under reminds us that we mustn't disregard the industry part of the phrase "funeral home industry." David and Nate make decisions that will determine the fate of their business by refusing to join the big death care corporation in order to appease the fear of losing out on the profitable business. Profit rules motives - especially in the death care industry.
Episode 4: "Familia." Six Feet Under. HBO: 06/24/01. Television. 18 May 2011.
In episode 4, Nate and David, both undertakers in their family funeral home, must arrange a funeral for "Paco," a young gang member who was murdered. Nate and David are faced with their most interesting funeral because the arrangements are either in the hands of Paco's family or his gang leader.
David's character fleshes out through his interaction with "Paco's" dead body and forces him to take a look at his own life by having conversations with the dead. "Familia" embodies how David develops his character through family funeral home business by attempting to understand why his ideals, both in the death-care industry and not, as a human being should be defended.
Although David is in the funeral home industry, his ambiguity towards understanding whether the dead body has a universal meaning is the same compared to if he had not been in the industry. In the midst of family and friend politics and dynamics, David shows us that all people are connected by death because grief will always be ubiquitous in life.
Episode 5:"An Open Book." Six Feet Under. HBO: 07/01/01. Television. 18 May 2011.
In episode 5, David tries to fulfill his father's legacy in the funeral business by not only continuing in his footsteps as an undertake but also a Deacon at the church. His father's death left a moral obligation to fulfill both these roles in even the oddest situations of all - arranging a funeral service for a porn star.
Religion is a sticker undoubtedly tagged onto death care and so, the arranging of a funeral service in a Church for a person who committed adultery was problem. Six Feet Under depicts the quarrels and politics of what is considered morally right and wrong in the death care industry. "An Open Book" illustrates the shame tagged along with caring for the dead.
2-3 paragraph interpretation of how the episodes consolidate, challenge, and/or re-conceptualize dominant social practices around the care of the dead:
Six Feet Under, although a television drama series, depicts and puts the dominant social practices around the care of the dead in perspective. Like in Jokinen's book Curtains, Six Feet Under allows us to view the funeral home industry in the eyes of its workers, instead of the eyes of its consumers. In due part to this fact, we can understand the death care industry's quirks as well as its essential benefits to society. In episode 3 "The Foot," we better understand how the funeral home industry does not always treat its workers well in that some of the workers did not choose to pursue a career in funeral home business but were merely born into it. Society tends to believe the death care industry's workers are used to dealing with death, however, it is quite the opposite. Episode 3 challenges the dominant social practices around the care of the dead because Nate desires to leave business he hates and fears but is also mindful of his gift to help people grieve. In light of the this idea of grief, the funeral home business is essential in that it provides a structure and protocol for people to grieve. This concept of grief is important in life because it embodies how we choose to live our lives when our loved ones have passed. Nate's job of helping people mourn, cope with suffering, and grieve was more a calling than a choice. This comes to question: Why aren't there more people who choose to immerse themselves in the funeral home industry? Although it can mean both physical and emotional connection with the deceased, it can constitute as a way to serve a greater purpose - giving the dead, neglected by most of society, the respect that they deserve.
Like in all industries, the Funeral Home industry has its social dynamics and specific politics. Many people seem to forget this fact because they are persuaded to believe the funeral industry only seeks to help, not profit. This is most certainly not the case. Although it's obvious that the death care industry's efforts are far from altruistic, its workers are similar to us pedestrians in that we all seek meaning and understanding of both life and death. As workers of the industry, such as Nate and David, do their job, they are more readily faced with these meanings and understandings than we are; therefore, they see the deceased as more of an entity as we might. In Episode 4 "Familia," David begins to understand what the deceased body represents and how all people are connected by grief. Death is just as ubiquitous as life is. Six Feet Under consolidates this idea by revealing that death and grief cannot ever be handled as easily as happiness can be and therefore death is not as openly regarded as ubiquitous.
In Episode 5 "An Open Book," demonstrates how the dominant social practices around the care of the dead in our society represents our society's moral and physical obligation to the dead. By moral obligation, I mean the necessity of a grave stone, an epitaph, or a mere memorial service. By physical obligation, I mean our society's growing need to provide the dead the best caskets, floral arrangements, and a place of rest. These obligations must be fulfilled in order for a person who has lost a loved one to "move on." Episode 5 re-conceptualizes the idea that care of the dead practices are not choices but have become something that people are bound to do.
INTERESTING QUOTES FROM SIX FEET UNDER:
- "You can't take a picture of this, it's already gone".
- "I know that if you think life's a vending machine where you put in virtue and take out happiness then you're going to be disappointed."
- "If we live our lives the right way then everything we do can become a work of art."
- "The future is just a f*@!ing concept that we use to avoid living today."
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