Vol. 4 No. 2 (2015): A Journal of Anglo-American Studies
Articles

Hidden Bodies, Collective Truths: Memory and Place in Six Feet Under By Alan Ball

José Duarte
Bio

Published 27.12.2024

Keywords

  • identity,
  • time and place,
  • memory,
  • home,
  • death,
  • American culture
  • ...More
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How to Cite

Hidden Bodies, Collective Truths: Memory and Place in Six Feet Under By Alan Ball. (2024). Op. Cit. Journal, 4(2). https://opcit.apeaa.pt/index.php/journal/article/view/13

Abstract

Six Feet Under by Alan Ball is a television series that explores the funeral industry in the United States and, at the same time, questions death, memory, identity and place. This paper analyses some of these issues by commenting on some specific episodes where Ball criticizes the funeral industry, the funeral homes and the business of death. However, Fisher & Sons, the funeral home where most of the episodes are shot, seems to function as a ‘geography of resistance’ towards the normal practices of the funeral industry. Not only are the owners more open to the diverse requests from the different loved ones, but they also understand the deep connection between life and death. Therefore, the Fisher funeral home is much more than just another business. It is a place where the funeral rituals have a deeper meaning, a place that celebrates survival, memory and the identity of the multicultural community that composes the American nation.