Goffman’s treatment is disrespectful in comparison to the way my family views funeral services. To compare someone who has just passed as someone who is essentially faking it and if they do not their role properly within the show, have a negative impact on the performance is a disturbing idea.
In my mind, the purpose of a funeral is to pay respect for the one who has died in a respectful manner by sharing the day with others who cared for the person and remembering positive experiences in order to fully celebrate their life. The way that Goffman describes a funeral as a performance in which the deceased is the main performer implies that the event is a much more positive occurrence than it is thought of for most families. This performance implies also that its sole purpose is to entertain the audience, in this example, the guests.
When sitting shiva for my great aunt this past summer, I was reminded of the significance of funerals. I tried to put myself in other people’s places to try to understand the emotions other relatives were experiencing. How her son, her husband, and her sister may have felt. After thinking about this in relation to Goffman’s metaphor I find it insulting because from past experiences and within my family, funerals are taken very seriously because it is one of the last times to formally cherish the deceased’s contributions and life as whole.
However, on the other hand, I was also reminded of Irish traditions in terms of their wakes. Although burials of loved ones are often somber events, the Irish often treat the event more as a party with a lot of food and drinks present. A lot of the guests are usually drunk by the end of the celebration and some families even dress the corpse in formal clothing and find a way to support the body to a standing position to involve them in the party. This cultural example most closely relates to Goffman’s illustration of a funeral being a performance and a predominantly positive gathering.
http://www.yourirish.com/traditional-irish-wakes.htm
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