A Good Death

by William T. Vollmann

Vollmann's father died recently, and his plans to avail himself of Switzerland's liberal assisted-suicide laws were foiled by happenstance.  This led Vollmann to examine his (and many other peoples') beliefs about death, and the degree to which we should be able to influence when that inevitable event takes place.

In typical Vollmann fashion, he goes about his investigation in an equally exhaustive and scattershot way.  He interviews the local coroner, doctors, and representatives of various religions.  He goes to a funeral home in Mexico, and speaks to old people in poor rural villages.

The answers he receives vary a great deal, and lead to many interesting ruminations on the nature of faith itself, and how different the United States is compared to Europe.  This is a very reserved and subdued version of Vollmann's usual prose, without the free association I've come to expect in his journalism.  The subject matter is something that many of us would rather avoid, but I think reminders like this have their place.

This is both a very personal, and universally relevant article.