American culture constantly denies forms of unpleasantness. Americans themselves see death as the ultimate form of discomfort. In movies, books, and other mediums, Americans find a satisfaction in the "happily ever after" message they receive in typical stories because happy endings are reassuring, and death is uncertain and irreversible. Nobody knows what happens in the afterlife, and Americans find this fact disturbing. Consequently, they deny it in their everyday lives and reject the concept of life being permanently terminated. It is for this reason that Beetlejuice adheres to the message different medias constantly give the American people and interprets death as a certain yet positive reality.
Throughout the movie, dead beings are shown as animated and quite alive with the exception of a few rules. The Maitlands, for example, do not even realize they are dead until they could not see themselves in the mirror. They also realize that they are bound to their house when they attempt to go outside and are instead transported to Saturn. Although they cannot go outside their house, they are transported to a waiting room. The waiting room connects customs Americans are used to with death. In real life, many Americans are familiar with waiting rooms. The waiting room in Beetlejuice is relatable and therefore comforting to the audience. It also shows that although the Maitlands may not be able to leave their house, they can still do things average humans do but in a different context. The portrayal of death as a different form of living is thus, a denial of death in the film.
The second instance of the denial of death includes the Maitlands summoning of deceased beings. Betelgeuse is dead before the Maitlands summon him, but after they declare his name three times, he rises. Betelgeuse appears to be one of the most lively dead beings in the movie. This summoning also occurs when Otho performs the séance and the Maitlands- for a short time- live again. Both of these instances of animating the dead demonstrates the absence of a permanent death in Beetlejuice.
Finally, at the conclusion of the film, the Maitlands and the Deetzs live in harmony and continue life as normal. When Lydia returns home, she greets the Maitlands, and they act as her parents. Along those lines, Mrs. Deets uses her experience with the paranormal as inspiration for her art. The entire movie thus denies death through portraying the dead as doing things average living people do.
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First of all, I love the title you chose. I also really liked how you started the post by talking about movie endings, because it is very true- most movies that end with death (ex: Romeo and Juliet) are considered to be tragedies.
ReplyDeleteOne point I completely agree with you on is that the reason American's fear death is because they are afraid of the unknown...
I liked how you talked about the waiting room. I didn't really pay much attention to that similarity, but you're right- it just makes death look like some sort of minor illness - like the common cold.
I also agree with you that Betelgeuse (when freed) is one of the lively beings in the movie. He goes about his afterlife doing the same things he would do in real life - like going to a brothel.
I think your last point was really important as well, because like you said Lydia acts as if the Maitlands are her parents - which means that they are able to be there for her whenever she needs them - thus it makes it seem like there is a very thin between the world of the living and the world of the dead.