SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 911 Title : Essay on The Loved One Author(s): Rosie Bell Copyright holder(s): Rosie Bell Text The Loved One The humour in "The Loved One" brings out the author's attitude by drawing our attention to the Americans' hypocritical attitude towards death: the false sentimentality, the over-emphasis on ritual, the euphemisms used "Loved Ones", Waiting Ones." All of these draw our attention to the false values of American society where symbolism is substituted for reality. His satire is quite subtle; the use of names such as "Joyboy" and "Thanatogenos" for people employed in an industry which should be sober and solemn; the dressing and painting of the corpses so that they look even more "life-like" to the "Waiting Ones"; the "stage-managing" of the "paying of respects" to the corpse - posed with a favourite book, reclining on a settee, or some other fashionable posture. He offers us two weak main characters - on the one hand, a female who has no personality, who relies on the guidance of a run-down agony-columnist who, when he gets the "push" for being inefficient, advises her to jump off a building as the only answer to her latest problem. On the other hand, we have a man who, after having tried his hand at being a poet and an animal mortician and failed, allows himself to be bought off by the local Cricket Club when he intends setting up as a Lay Preacher. He also turns out to be a cad and a blackmailer. He "helps" Joyboy to dispose of Aimeé's body, for a consideration and, using the money extorted from Joyboy along with the Cricket Club's money, sails off, First Class, into a bright new future. This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document. Information about document and author: Text Text audience Adults (18+): Specialists: Audience size: 1 Writer knew intended audience: Text details Method of composition: Handwritten Year of composition: 1981 Word count: 272 General description: University assignment Text medium Other: N/A Text setting Education: Text type Essay: Author Author details Author id: 866 Forenames: Rosie Surname: Bell Gender: Female Decade of birth: 1940 Educational attainment: University Age left school: 15 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Catholicism/Atheism Occupation: Travel agent Place of birth: Glasgow Region of birth: Glasgow Birthplace CSD dialect area: Gsw Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Glasgow Region of residence: Glasgow Residence CSD dialect area: Gsw Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: Bus Driver Father's place of birth: Glasgow Father's region of birth: Glasgow Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Gsw Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Cleaner Mother's place of birth: Glasgow Mother's region of birth: Glasgow Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Gsw Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: All circumstances Language: Italian Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: