Précis: As I met with the Johnson after the premature death of their eighteen year old daughter. They, as nearly all the people who see me regarding business, were devastated. Like all my customers, I handled them delicately being sure not to force them into any potentially rash while still giving them a complete overview of what I had to offer to the care of their dead daughter. Once they made their decisions, I continued to embalm their daughter as I would with any other client.
Quotes:
- “Like most of his clients, the Johnsons don’t think to question Fielding's request to embalm, even though the GPL states that embalming isn’t required by law.” (Harris, 8)
- “Had the Johnsons known enough to ask fielding if he’d instead hold Jenny in a refrigeration unit until the viewing, which also would have slowed her decay (and at a fraction of the cost of embalming), Fielding would have said he doesn’t offer refrigeration because it won’t make Jenny look “nearly as good as she could be” in the casket” (Harris, 8-9)
- “What’s best really depends on personal preference and how one feels about the value of protecting a loved one, Fielding offers. “I’ll leave you now and let you peruse as much as you like. If you have any questions I’ll be just outside the door.” (Harris, 13)
These quotes remind me that although the matter is a very sensitive one, the care of the dead is still a business and that is Fielding’s primary goal here. He wants to make money and keep his customers happy.
Analysis:
One quote that I found very interesting which was on page 25, “he stipples onto her smooth, shaved face the kit’s pinker hues, to raise a blush he believes will complement the rose colors of the casket and her gown; he follows the makeup with light rouge… Using the prom picture as a guide, Feilding proceeds to darken the eyebrows with pencil and, after mixing a bit of cosmetic oil with her lipstick in the palm of his hand, paints the lips with a fine brush.” (Harris, 25) As in the previous birth unit, I find myself taking a serious interest in an aspect that some may say does not really matter. For the birth unit it was the idea of “cravings” and now it is the whole makeup deal with the dead. I suppose I understand the reasoning; however I guess I just do not agree. I think that one should be remember as they were most of the time. Generally people do not wear makeup constantly, so having excess makeup on the dead is wrong to me. Even with Jenny, the unfortunate teenager here a substantial amount of makeup is applied. This happens despite the fact that, “Fielding is not one to use a lot of makeup, and fortunately in this case he doesn’t have to.” (Harris, 25) Given the first quote in this paragraph, it sounds like more than enough makeup is applied. Wonder how much makeup this man puts in cases that are less fortunate and do need a lot of makeup.
The makeup point also challenges what the character Fielding himself said, that he wants Jenny to look like she was merely asleep and “at peace”. On page 18 the author states, “With his arsenal of tools, and techniques, he’s an illusionist who literally changes the face of death, transforming the ashen, lifeless corpses in his care into lifelike bodies at rest.” (Harris, 18) How many people do you know that wear makeup to sleep? Also, how many people have this calm image during their prom night? In society today prom can be one of the biggest events to someone. This being the case, they will want to live it up, not be calm and at rest, as Fielding claims are his goal in the embalmment and decoration of Jenny.
In addition to this, the entire embalming process interested me. The entire time I wondered what would be going through the mind of the operator, as Fielding was. How does doing the embalming differ from time to time, or from the first time doing it to all the others, or maybe even the last? Honestly it grossed me out at times. It just made me feel uncomfortable and I do not know how people with this occupation can stand it. In fact, I do not see what would motivate someone to take up this job. I do not see many pros to it, unless there is a great deal income as a result. I do not think I would ever even consider this as a job. I also wonder how people like Fielding remain emotionally unaffected at all by everything, from meeting the family, to hearing the sad stories, to the embalming, and to making them pay such a great deal of money to care for a dead loved one. In the end, I suppose it is just a business, “The total cost of the embalming, funeral, and burial of Jenny Johnson comes to $12,376.” (Harris, 14)
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