In Tim Burton's movie, BeetleJuice, death is the main focus of the movie. Since it is in American culture, it is not very well accepted. Other cultures of the world celebrate death, unlike Americans. It is deeply rooted into their traditions and way of life. To them, death should be celebrated. In other religions, there is something to look forward to after death. On the other hand, Americans tend to not look at it so much like that mainly because, in American culture, we are more focused on the fact that the person is not in our presence anymore and, even if we believe in an afterlife, there is always some uncertainty. Americans are generally more focused on "the now" as opposed to other cultures around the world. Also, most other cultures dive deeper into their heritage and beliefs, which can be the reason for a cause of celebration in death. They believe their loved one is now in a better place and they should be happy. At the same time, yes, most Americans believe that when somebody dies, they will go on to a better place, but since we are focused more on what is happening today and our feelings at the moment, we are not as focused on that person moving onto a better life.
In the movie, people don't look for the strange and abnormal things in life, just like reality. In one scene, the ghosts try to scare the people in the house into leaving, but they soon find out that they will not leave. After the family in the house does accept the fact that there is ghosts in there, they just try to sell them. They can't appreciate and respect the dead. They use them against there will in order to make money. The daughter only sees them at first because she looks for the weird and unusual in everyday life, as most people should. Another scene in the movie where death is not accepted is when the parents deny the thought of ghosts in the house. The girl is the only one who can see them and she is fascinated by them. The ghosts are friendly to her because she is friendly to them, unlike her parents. To them, especially her father, it is just a marketing scheme. We should learn to appreciate death and not deny it. Life is much more enjoyable, if death is not denied.
I agree with what you’re saying about the different cultures and American’s not looking further into what’s next. I think that there is a sense of fear that takes over their thoughts when they try to think about something that no one can really explain the feeling to. It’s like whatever they do or wherever they go, they must have an excuse of why death is something to be scared of, and it seems reasonable because history hasn’t really portrayed death as something pleasant. So yes, no one really goes past the thought of afterlife, it’s mostly about the now.
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