Furthermore: Where the Headlines Take You

Death and Politics

Yep, it's elections week (finally) and many of us are waiting with baited breath for the outcome of Tuesday, November 4. I debated about whether to post my own ideas on this crazy election year, but as I was reading an article from OPB about undecided voters, I spied a topic from last week's "Think Out Loud" on Cemetery Life. Perhaps it's because I am eagerly awaiting my hold for Neil Gaiman's newest novel The Graveyard Book, but this story really got me thinking...and about something other than the election, which I think makes it perfect for a blog posting!

I went to school at Lewis and Clark College here in Portland, and if you've ever traveled to or from the Lewis and Clark campus you've probably noticed a large cemetery that butts up right against it. This is the River View Cemetery which has been around since 1882. Back in school, my boyfriend (now husband) and I found the cemetery romantic - lingering teenage angst I suppose - and we would sit amongst the headstones and gaze upon Mt. Hood (they do have a wonderful view). I bring this up because cemeteries can mean different things to different people, romantic to some, scary to many, and a window into the past for cultural historian Marilyn Yalom. Her book The American Resting Place explores America's history as seen through its cemeteries and burial grounds. Most interesting perhaps are the beautiful black and white photographs found in the front of the book, that were taken by the author's son.

For Shannon Applegate, cemeteries mean familial responsibility. Applegate inherited her family's small cemetery in Yoncalla, Oregon back in 1997 and in her book Living Among Headstones: Life in a Country Cemetery she recounts her story of becoming sexton after never having worked in a cemetery before. This includes sorting through decades of small notes written on scraps of paper by caretakers of the past, the stomach wrenching despair of having to bury one's own family and friends, and the day-to-day decisions of what to do with all the dirt you get from digging a burial vault. It all makes for an interesting and poignant memoir. As a side note, in the back of the book Applegate includes an iconography of the most common symbols found on headstones. For instance, corn on the headstone signifies that the dearly departed lived to a ripe old age!

And we mustn't forget that cemeteries aren't just for humans. In what one of my dearest friends describes as the best documentary film ever made, Gates of Heaven explores the world of pet cemeteries. Directed by the famous documentarian Errol Morris, this particular film describes the plight of Floyd "Mac" McClure and his lifelong dream to provide a peaceful place for people to bury their beloved pets. But more than that, it is a brilliant look into the lives of middle-class folks in 1970's America, and the interviews are simply priceless!

But no matter how you view cemeteries, here's hoping the outcome of Tuesday's election is a bit more cheery than your average graveyard!