To be or not to be

Betelguese, Betelguese, BETELGUESE!

"Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death"

               Beetlejuice by Tim Burton, is a film where Burton uses his own imagination and the preconceived thoughts that human beings have surrounding death, to create a very intricate and thought out plot incorporating the flaws of both life and death.  In today's world, the typical American will spend 99.99% of their moment to moment attention on life and to making sure life is to a standard they would like.  Very few people live their lives with death or an "afterlife/afterdeath" mentality.  So what?The what, is that people don't consider repercussions of their actions, they don't look at anything larger than themselves, and they certainly don't attempt to make sure their standard of death is where they would hope or imagined.  This leads to regrets and animosity towards the world close to the end, when in reality it should be towards themselves.  When thinking about life, especially as a young person, you see a limitless world with ultimate potential.  When thinking about death, you see time constraints and you cherish opportunities and important moments.

               To start the film, we are introduced to the living Maitland family.  They are the prototypical family from Suburbia, USA and (seemingly) have everything going for them.  To a cynic and skeptic like myself, I argue that they are in a repetitive circle of decay and that even before their death, they were confined to the home they cherished so much, even though it was "too big."  Too big for just a couple with no kids.  

               If you can't bring life to this world can you bring death?

               "Betelguese, Betelguese, Betelguese."  

               To Mr. Burton, the answer is yes.  Death is just as much a reality to Burton as life is, maybe even more so.  The beautiful unknown.  

               

           

               

Garcia-Ruiz, Beetlejuice

Most Americans fear death because they realize that it’s inevitable. Death is something that all living beings come to in the end and the thought about death isn’t pleasant to most people. I think that history partakes in the fear of death because dying is not often portrayed as an elated moment in life. Most see departure from life as menacing or impending and both are prone to anxiety. One can’t tell what it feels like to die, so fear builds up to those who obsess. Americans try to come up with solutions for death; most are illusions such as religion, romance, and other things like medicine. They’re like excuses to take away the conscious and subconscious anxiety that most Americans inhibit. I won’t lie…there are moments when I fear death the most.

In the movie Beetlejuice, the Maitlands have a sudden car crash, the cause of their death. For some time they don’t realize that they are dead until they find a handbook for the deceased and can’t see their reflection in a mirror. Throughout the entire film there are unusual characters that somewhat portray how they died with the way they are costumed. The Maitlands are the only ones who seem to look like normal people when they surround themselves with these characters in a clinic waiting room. For the Maitlands it’s still hard to think that they are dead because they want possession of their house and they look normal and act normal. There’s a scene where the Maitlands try to scare off the Deetzes from living in their house by wearing bed sheets over themselves. To me, this is a part where the Maitlands feel confused as to how one should live the life of the dead or simply be dead, so they resolve by stereotype. Further in the film they try to make themselves look more horrifying by mutilating their faces but that didn’t get far. In the end, there’s also the scene where the Maitlands and the Deetzes are living under the same roof and seem to live the normal average life…TOGETHER…so normal. Mr. Deetzes is also reading some book of the living and dead, which I think is trying to make it all seem like both families get along and while one has been through life and death, the other is living and learning about death. I could say that the Maitlands’ fear is gone but there’s still denial if they go about doing activities that the living do. No one really knows what happens after death, there are only assumptions and ideas that float around thoughts. 

Butler - Beetlejuice

Death is a heavy term for most Americans to think of. This mentality comes from the 1700s with the Declaration of Independence. In the Declaration of Independence, the phrase “…life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” is written, displaying three basic rights belonging to all Americans. The first word in that famous phrase is “life.” Death represents the end of life and the end of consciousness. In death, Americans lose one of the basic rights granted to them in the Declaration of Independence. This causes death anathema to appear in American culture. Life should be filled with fun, adventure, and experiences; with death, all of those ambitions end and disappear. This is why Americans refuse to incorporate the reality of death into their lives. By thinking of death, people immediately think of the end, and they begin to think of all of the things they never did. The finality of death is a very difficult concept to fully understand, and Americans are so incredibly wrapped up in the idea of life that it is impossible for Americans to think of the concept of death.

The film Beetlejuice actually does a fantastic job of having the American mindset of denying death. The film shows death as a place where nothing is ever done in a timely fashion. An example of this is during the scenes in which both the Maitlands and Betelguise spend their respective times in the waiting rooms to meet with their afterlife caseworkers. In both situations, both groups receive a number that is decently far from the current number being called. Constantly waiting around all day in order for his or her number to be called is not an ideal situation to anyone nor would anyone want to live his or her life in this fashion. Death is shown to be this boring wasteland that is devoid of the fun and adventure that is found in life.

Another scene in which death is denied is the scene in which Lydia tells the Maitlands she wants to be dead like they are. However, the Maitlands vehemently reject this idea, telling Lydia that death does not make things easier. This rejection of the idea of death by Maitlands is very typical of the American mindset. The Maitlands have experienced the difficulties of being dead, i.e. not being able to leave their house, having to be stuck in the same building for 125 years, etc. The couple does not want to see Lydia go through the same troubles that they are going through. This shows the mindset of how Americans view death as an inconvenience and not something one should want. People should want to live their lives and enjoy it while it last, not wish for the end so soon.