Resting in Peace: The Work of Mourning in Six Feet Under

• Autor(a) principal: Duarte, José
• Data de Publicação: 2012
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10451/39367
• topic: Death; Business; Funerary ritual; Mourning; Cultural studies; Nation

The present study analyses the way in which Six Feet Under (2000-2005) created by Allan Ball is a visual account of the so-called ‘American way of death’. Following some of Mitford’s (1963) ideas concerning the funeral as a non-event, while commenting on the particular evolution of the funerary ritual, as stated in Ariès’ (1981) works, this study tries to illustrate these theories with various scenes taken from Six Feet Under. On the television show Allan Ball criticizes the American funerary industry, depicting it as an example of commercialized death where there is no place for the living to mourn the dead. However, the Fisher & Sons funeral home is a place where rituals have not yet become sterile and empty. Therefore, in Six Feet Under it is still possible to grieve and mourn, which contributes to the healing process not only of the individual, but also of a nation, especially after the 9/11 attacks, as we shall see.