Funeral Drama!

Goffman's assertion that a funeral is similar to a play is undoubtedly offensive; the idea that one of humanities' most sacred and somber rituals is nothing but a staged production is definitely upsetting. It's like saying that a marriage is nothing but a game of touch football. But after the initial shock value wears off, the theory truly has merit. Everyone at the funeral plays a part. Mostly, they play the part of a sad person, but nonetheless, no matter what the felt about the deceased, they will be (or pretend to be) sad. Because I wholeheartedly believe in Goffman's contention that the majority of human action and interaction is based upon the desire for positive reactions from others, it makes sense that everyone at the funeral would act as others deem appropriate at a funeral, which is a proper somber attitude. And if everyone is acting a certain way because they are expected to, what makes that acting any different than the acting in a theatrical production? If someone tries to bring up the point that nobody is acting, that everybody IS sad, I would like to invite the objector to research the Irish funeral traditions. A "wake", as they are called, involves its fair share of grieving, but it also involves a huge amount of good ol' Irish merrymaking, including singing, dancing, and of course, drinking.

So, if we examine the two types of funerals, we can agree that the only difference is the expectations of the people attending. In an Irish wake, it is expected of the guest to have a jovial, uproarious time. Because both parties are ACTING in the way that is required by social rules, we can assume that Goffman's theory, however detestable it my be, is indeed correct.