HEROIC DEATH

Authors
Citation
C. Seale, HEROIC DEATH, Sociology, 29(4), 1995, pp. 597-613
Citations number
36
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Sociology
Journal title
ISSN journal
0038-0385
Volume
29
Issue
4
Year of publication
1995
Pages
597 - 613
Database
ISI
SICI code
0038-0385(1995)29:4<597:HD>2.0.ZU;2-P
Abstract
This paper shows how individuals in late modern social conditions seek to imbue dying, and caring for the dying, with meaning. Accounts prov ided in a survey of 250 individuals who knew people who had died in th e UK are examined. The analysis counters the view that the denial of d eath is widespread in conditions where religion no longer offers indiv iduals a meaningful narrative for the dying self. Scripts for proclaim ing heroic self-identity in the face of death are promoted by cultural experts and appropriated by many lay individuals. This involves a str uggle against external and internal enemies to gain knowledge, the opp ortunity to demonstrate courage and a beatific state of emotional acco mpaniment in which 'carers' and dying people participate. Unlike more traditional forms of heroism, this script deviates from celebrating so lely masculine qualities and includes a female heroics of care, concer n and emotional expression. At the same time, some deaths cannot be wr itten into this script, which is particularly well suited to deaths fr om cancer and AIDs. The deaths of the very old, the mentally confused and sudden unexpected deaths are often difficult to interpret in these heroic terms. Additionally, a rival script exists amongst some lay in dividuals that stands in opposition to the professional consensus on t he desirability of open awareness. This emphasises the benefits of con tinuing the everyday project of the self oblivious of oncoming death, with others shouldering the burden of awareness in an attempt to prote ct the dying person against the strain of knowledge. This rival script , however, commands decreasing allegiance in a society where the proje ct of the self is rarely given over to the care of others, and trust i s commonly negotiated in confessional moments.