The Funeral Industry

The American Way of Death and Remember Me take two very different positions on the funeral industry. The American Way of Death by Jessica Mitford examines death and all of its components; ranging from the frightening description of embalming, to unethical funeral homes and finally the cost of death. Remember Me by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen examines most of the aspects that Mitford does but takes a more lighthearted approach to her examination of the funeral industry. Despite Mitford's and Cullen's difference in attitude, (in regards to the funeral industry) they both adequately assess the state of the funeral industry and their sometimes comparative and sometimes disparate opinions help one form an educated judgment about the business of burial.

One assessment of the funeral industry by both Mitford and Cullen that can be compared is their discussion of burials and the business of selling coffins. Cullen writes, "We want to control if not the when, then the where and the who and the how" (39). This longing for control even after death allows for the involvement of the Federal Trade Commission. Both Mitford and Cullen discuss the role of the FTC and how they help protect the consumer even after they have passed on. Mitford cites that it was not until 1975 that the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Protection Bureau declared that there should be a "trade rule" on the funeral industry. This trade rule had four requirements; "The Consumer's Right to Choose", "Prices must be quoted over the telephone", "Undertakers would be prohibited from misstating the law specifically with reference to embalming", and "The cheapest casket must be displayed with the others" (Mitford, 176).

The most controversial of the aforementioned requirements was the one discussing "the cheapest caskets". Both Mitford and Cullen seem to realize the crooked ways in which funeral homes attempt to get their customers purchase caskets. Mitford delves into the psychology used to persuade families to purchase more expensive coffins by their arrangement in the funeral home (Mitford, 22). One of the psychological casket selling methods mentioned is called the "Keystone Approach" where the caskets are divided into four quartiles, with two of the caskets above the median price, and two priced below. The reasoning behind this method is that the differences in qualities of the caskets are noticeable but the prices are not so low that the buyer will feel shameful (Mitford, 22).

Cullen does not discuss the use of psychology in casket selling but does discuss the dishonest ways that funeral homes have attempted to thwart casket competition. Cullen analyzes the concerns that funeral industries have over consumers wanting to buy their own caskets, outside of the funeral home. In 2004, the wholesale store Costco began to sell caskets at some of their stores in Illinois, but worldwide through its website (Cullen, 108). Cullen makes a interesting analogy comparing the casket selling business to selling cars. She explains that the grieving families pay the funeral home the retail price, and the funeral home in turn pays the casket manufacturer the wholesale price. However, what sets the sales of caskets apart from one purchasing a Toyota is the fact that up until 1984, consumers could only buy caskets from one place and they were charged outrageous markup prices. The FTC helped with this problem by developing the Funeral Rule of 1984 which "insists funeral homes must allow a family to use a casket purchased elsewhere" (Cullen, 109). Cullen and Mitford do discuss different aspects of casket sales but overall compare in their belief that the practice is dishonest.

Another aspect of the funeral industry that Mitford and Cullen assess, and their opinions can be compared is their talk of "funeral jargon". In Mitford's book she writes about the list of proper terminology that was published in 1956 by Victor Landig in his book, Basic Principles of Funeral Service. Landig's book encourages the reader, essentially a funeral home director to avoid using the word "death" at all costs. Consequently a death certificate is referred to as a "vital statistics form". Furthermore words such as "funeral" becomes "service, "body" becomes "remains", "body car" becomes "service car" and the deceased are not interred in a cemetery but rather a "memorial park" (Mitford, 52). Mitford's attention to this specifically designed funeral parlor etiquette does not cause one to think that the industry is compassionate, but rather that its all a façade.

Cullen also discusses the language used in the funeral industry. Remember Me and the its relationship with funeral home language is interesting because Cullen does not seem to question its usage the way Mitford does, but rather accepts it as a sort of language that accompanies the profession. An example of this acceptance can be found in the chapter, "Confessions of a Funeral Planner". It is here that Cullen writes about cremated remains that are dubbed "cremains" in industry-speak (Cullen, 22). Another instance of this guarded language occurs when Cullen is discussing what people want to do with their bodies once they have passed on. "...Plenty of us care about our own disposition (as it's called in funeral lingo -- not disposal, which means the same thing) (Cullen, 39). In this instance it seems as though Cullen still picks up on the ridiculousness of changing words at an attempt to "protect" the grieving from being offended, however the language continues to be used both by the industry and throughout Remember Me.

Both Mitford and Cullen seem to agree on the underhandedness that is associated with casket sales, however their descriptions of funeral directors contrast greatly. Mitford dedicates a lot of The American Way of Death, to discussing the repulsive behaviors of funeral homes. The idea of a funeral service as a status symbol, and the way that funeral directors fuel this idea are perfect examples of such despicable behaviors. Mitford cites the National Funeral Service Journal as saying "The focus of the buyer's interest must be the casket, vault, clothing, funeral cars, etc. - the only tangible evidence of how much has been invested in the funeral" (Cullen, 20). The notion that the more money spent the better the funeral is one that deeply affects those grieving.

Mitford also investigates the instances of law breaking by the funeral industry. She believes that there is such a level of ignorance about the disposal of the dead that it allows for the funeral industry to take advantage of their customers. Some common lies told by funeral homes include that the law requires embalming, and that caskets are required for cremation. Mitford believes that funeral homes are intentionally promote burial ignorance because it is convenient and allows them to make a profit.

Cullen seems to have a very different view on the people who run the funeral industry. Cullen places a very big emphasis on the family aspect of the funeral home. She writes, "there are twenty-two thousand funeral homes in the United States, according to the NFDA, 89 percent of them family-owned, many for generations" (26). Cullen explains how it is becoming difficult for family-run funeral homes to stay in business because of more "high-tech" funeral homes that include event planners and themes. Cullen also softens the image of the funeral director by discussing workshops in which they "learn how to feel" (25). The workshop in particular that Cullen discusses is called "Creating the Ultimate Celebration of Life Experience" and the speaker at this workshop really seems to represent a deeply caring funeral director, and encourages a personal experience for each and every grieving family (Cullen, 26). This depiction of the funeral worker differs greatly from that of Mitford's funeral director who is portrayed as a low life, who wants to trick families into buying overpriced coffins that will simply be used for cremation.

Upon completion of The American Way of Death and Remember Me, it is very apparent that the funeral industry has changed immensely since the publication of Mitford's book. Even though Mitford's book is the "revisited" edition, it does not go into as many of the new traditions such as green burials or some of the more modern funeral ideas such as funeral planners. It is Cullen's book that discusses the aforementioned modern ideas and in regards to the funeral planners she writes, "it was the first time event planning and funeral directing overlapped in the memorials of ordinary people" (Cullen, 30). This is a massive change in the funeral industry, because Cullen goes on to say that caterers, music and giant tents all became a part of the new funeral (30).

However there are some things that Mitford mentions that have changed in the funeral industry. One of the most basic but bearing changes is that coffins can now be purchased privately and not through the funeral home. Another change in the funeral industry is the opinion of cemeteries as places for the dead. While it is not clear if Mitford's chapter entitled "Shroudland Revisited" was included in the original book, she seems to pay special attention to the phenomenon that is Forest Lawn Memorial Park. In 1961, 200,000 deceased were buried in Forest Lawn, since then it has increased at the rate of 6,500 a year, ultimately causing the number of those visiting graves to rise (Mitford, 103). Mitford appears to be greatly impressed with the architecture, gardens and sculptures in the memorial park, possibly because the idea of a cemetery as a resting place, as opposed to a home for the dead has become much more popular since the publication of Mitford's original book in 1963.

By and large, Mitford and Cullen's books would be considered more on opposite ends of the "books on death" spectrum because of their drastically differing tones. Mitford's book while sarcastically humorous appears very dark next to Cullen's light and sometimes sentimental portrayal of the funeral industry. It may be an issue of the differing ages of the authors or even the different life experiences that shaped them, but overall both books give an interesting look into the eventual future for all of us.

Works Cited

Mitford, J. (1998). The American Way of Death: Revisited. New York, NY: Random House. (Original work published 1963) 

Takeuchi Cullen, L. (2006). Remember Me. New York, NY: Harper Collins