The definition of 'morbid' is an unhealthy preoccupation with death. Unfortunately, there's no word to mean the perfectly healthy preoccupation with death, which is what I have.
Caitlin DoughtyRead
In America, burial means an embalmed body in a heavy-duty casket with a vault built over it, so that the ground doesn't settle. That body is encased in many layers of denial.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote critiques the American funeral industry and its practices regarding burial and denial of death.
Caitlin Doughty's quote highlights the complexities and rituals surrounding death in America, where embalming and elaborate burial methods signify a societal denial of mortality. By encasing the body in layers of denial, it suggests that there is a cultural discomfort with confronting death, leading to practices that obscure the natural process of dying.
Themes
DeathBurialDenialCultural PracticesMortality
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about grief and loss, this quote could be used to illustrate societal attitudes toward death.
More from Caitlin Doughty
All quotes →Dying in the sanitary environment of a hospital is a relatively new concept. In the late 19th century, dying at a hospital was reserved for people who had nothing and no one. Given the choice, a person wanted to die at home in their bed, surrounded by friends and family.
Caitlin DoughtyRead
Not only is natural burial by far the most ecologically sound way to perish, it doubles down on the fear of fragmentation and loss of control. Making the choice to be naturally buried says, 'Not only am I aware that I'm a helpless, fragmented mass of organic matter, I celebrate it. Vive la decay!'
Caitlin DoughtyRead
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