Book Part I

Curtains

By Tom Jokinen

Précis

Their are black holes, gaps found within the process of dealing with a death. A curtain separates the world from the actually process only exposing them for the beginning and the end.

Quotes

"In my head it sounds like a fairy tale: the dead comes from a magical place called the silver doors, from which they are whisked into boxes or made to drink potions that turn them from yellow to greens, then they are painted pink and purple and powered,and some are baked me an oven where they are turned into flour by special death fairies. " P. 19

"We devised taboos to deal with with the former, to take away pits power, and ritual to weaken the chaotic impact of the latter." P.22

"A well-prepared body , as a means to repairing the mental health of the survivors." P.26

"With her size she will be done and sweepable in ninity mintues." P. 46

the behind the scenes of a death is filled with special ways to keept it secret. equppied with vents, air fresheners

Tom Jokinen wrote this book beginning with his personal experience. He writes about the face to face experiences he has had with death, quite literally. From escorting the body from place to place, through the step of decorating. He describes the plain look of caring for a death, a process filled with black holes, and gaps of nothingness and no information. People seem to accept not knowing each step between. The process is purposely kept a secret for the sole reason that people dont want to know. Jokinen was there for the cremation of bodies at one point in this expedition. A process that people are well of without ever having any exposure. The visual smoke produced by the cremation of a body would be to real for people to handle as described in the book. And as a result special vents are installed to contain these fumes away from viewers. People know what is going on, but seeing makes believing so much more real. I know what the process means, however if i were to see smoke rising out of a funeral home I would be comfortable. Why is this the feeling most of us get? we know its happening. Jokinen continues his exploration into death in the decorating stage. Bodies are transported and awaited to be "dressed". Jokinen, unlike others, are unsettled by the raw look of death when faced with the body. With many steps of ripping, manipulating, and coloring the body is beautified for its viewers. Like a "cinema screening" bodies are being decorated and viewed all day long.