Grave matters
The care of the dead process can be very expensive depending on what it is the relatives decide to do. A funeral, embalming of the body, and viewing session can cost up to $12,000. This includes the casket, venue, flower arrangements, transportation, and a lot of tiny things that keep adding up. One of the more expensive parts of this is the embalming of the body. This process is a very invasive procedure including stuffing cotton into all open holes, sewing the jaw bone shut, removing all bacteria and fluids from the organs, and inserting the embalming fluid through the arteries near the collar bone. Another, cheaper way of taking care of a body is cremation. This takes up to two and a half hours. It is done by a machine called a Power-Pak. Most of the gases it emits in the process are burned away but it can sometimes leave carbon monoxide and mercury as well as some others from the body. These are directed into an "after-chamber" located directly underneath the cremating chamber.
Quotes:
"The more pleasant and true-to-life the 'picture' the easier it is to acknowledge the death and, perhaps, let go." (18)
"Each thrust works to puncture a separate organ--first Jenny's heart, lungs, and stomach, and then colon, intestines, liver, and bladder." (23)
The first part of this book seemed to be about the cost more than anything else. It seemed to me that all the author was trying to do was play down the idea of having a funeral by representing it in such a negative way. I believe that it is very expensive and while I wouldn't want my own funeral to be that way, if the person is willing to spend that much, I don't see the problem.
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