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How to Live Forever, Even in Death

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How to Live Forever, Even in Death
How to Live Forever, Even in Death: An Analysis of Jessica Mitford’s Rhetorical Creation, “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain” Have you ever wondered what they put inside Mr. Stretch Armstrong? Is what they put inside this abnormally stretchy, elastic toy of the seventies, close to what they put in the bodies of today just before they’re put on display at a funeral? Well it’s not; but Jessica Mitford does know and is perfectly willing to explain in detail the whole process. An analysis, of Mitford’s essay, “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain,” which will dissect and describe the literary elements she utilizes as the chilling and grisly facts are clearly laid out on the table and we bear witness to the almost taboo processes of embalming and restorative artistry. The primary purpose of this essay is to describe, in depth, the gruesome steps of a mortician and beautician as they take a human body and turn it into a canvas for viewing by a most mournful array of critiques. Each of which remains “[…] blissfully ignorant of what it is all about, what it is, [and] how it is done” (Mitford 257). Another purpose would be to expose, or simply bring to light, the somewhat illegal practices of the industry. However, is it really a question of legality or just an ill informed public? Mitford states, “In most states, for instance, the signature of the next of kin must be obtained before an autopsy may be performed, […]. In the case of embalming, no such permission is required nor is it ever sought” (257). She seems to be mocking the system in which the two practices differentiate in protocol. Is not the morticians’ job to cut into a deceased human beings body, the same as a coroner? Yes, the two professions are similar and therefore should follow the same protocol but, for a mortician to achieve the best results, “’The earlier, […] the better [….]’” (259). So, the question isn’t, “Is it legal?” more a question of, “How much time can I (the mortician or


Cited: Mitford, Jessica. “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain.” The Brief Bedford Reader. Ed. X. J. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Jane E. Aaron. 10th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. 256-63
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