Jessica Mitford
Jessica Mitford’s Question To All Mortals
What do all human beings have in common? Mortality, because everyone will die, everyone’s bodies will be subjected to burial. The question is, do people really want themselves exposed to embalming? Do they really wish for some stranger to tamper with their bodies, pinning their lips together creating angel like expressions? Do people really want their bodies being cut open for vanity purposes? The truth is most people are not aware of what goes behind those peaceful, content expressions on the deceased faces. Jessica Mitford exposes the cold truth in “Mortuary Solaces”. She examines the procedures that go into embalming and shares it with the public. Why? Because everyone will all have to go through this and should start considering if this service is really wished. Jessica Mitford believes this service must be sugar coated by embalmers because in reality embalming disrupts the human body in its moment of “peace”; it consists of painful procedures, phoniness, and cruel employees; truths that push away all costumers.
Most religions if not all contain a peaceful ending, it can be when Christians reach afterlife or when Buddhists finally leave the rebirth cycle, etc. So why should people’s bodies be tormented disrupting their restfulness. According to Mitford and her extensive research the body is exposed to painful procedures. The goal of the embalmer is to fix and eliminate any trace of death or pain on the body. In fact, what the embalmer is doing is subjecting the body to more discomfort. Torturing it to make it acceptable to the deceased friends and families’ eyes. Mitford states: Lip drift can sometimes be remedied by pushing one or two straight pins through their inner margin of the lower lip and then inserting them between the two front upper teeth…Another method to maintain lip closure is to dislocate the lower jaw, which is then held in its new position by a wire run through holes which have been drilled
What do all human beings have in common? Mortality, because everyone will die, everyone’s bodies will be subjected to burial. The question is, do people really want themselves exposed to embalming? Do they really wish for some stranger to tamper with their bodies, pinning their lips together creating angel like expressions? Do people really want their bodies being cut open for vanity purposes? The truth is most people are not aware of what goes behind those peaceful, content expressions on the deceased faces. Jessica Mitford exposes the cold truth in “Mortuary Solaces”. She examines the procedures that go into embalming and shares it with the public. Why? Because everyone will all have to go through this and should start considering if this service is really wished. Jessica Mitford believes this service must be sugar coated by embalmers because in reality embalming disrupts the human body in its moment of “peace”; it consists of painful procedures, phoniness, and cruel employees; truths that push away all costumers.
Most religions if not all contain a peaceful ending, it can be when Christians reach afterlife or when Buddhists finally leave the rebirth cycle, etc. So why should people’s bodies be tormented disrupting their restfulness. According to Mitford and her extensive research the body is exposed to painful procedures. The goal of the embalmer is to fix and eliminate any trace of death or pain on the body. In fact, what the embalmer is doing is subjecting the body to more discomfort. Torturing it to make it acceptable to the deceased friends and families’ eyes. Mitford states: Lip drift can sometimes be remedied by pushing one or two straight pins through their inner margin of the lower lip and then inserting them between the two front upper teeth…Another method to maintain lip closure is to dislocate the lower jaw, which is then held in its new position by a wire run through holes which have been drilled