By Keira McTernan
Identity appears as a theme in many topics; including psychology, philosophy, and sociology to mention a few. The topic of identity in philosophy is best summarised by the well-known thought experiment of The Ship of Theseus. This is a story about a man who has a ship and over time he replaces parts of the ship with new timber until one day the ship is entirely made of new resources. This then raises the question – at what point, if at any point, does this ship not become Theseus’ ship? Is it still Theseus’ ship even though it has no original material? To refer to our identity this can be viewed by reflecting on our childhood. If I see a picture of myself when I am five years old, I will say “That is me” despite being a different height, weight, age, complexion, and personality. Practically every identifiable aspect of myself has changed, except my DNA. However, even with DNA remaining the same, is this the only aspect which constitutes my identity?
I contend that this approach to the concept of identity can be connected to the topic of death. A topic in death studies which is particularly interesting is how we identify ourselves with our connection to other people and what then happens to this aspect of our identity when the inevitable happens and the person dies. For example, I am my grandmother’s granddaughter, this is a part of my identity. I am the only granddaughter out of all the grandchildren. Now that my grandmother has died has this part of my identity died with it? Am I no longer the only granddaughter, am I even a granddaughter at all? If I placed meaning on this connection to my grandmother with being her granddaughter and this added to my sense of identity does that therefore allude that if everyone I know dies so will my sense of self and by extension me?
We may say ‘Of course not’, if somehow everyone you know suddenly dies you will not suddenly lose your identity, you may suffer immense trauma but not lack of self, surely! When grandmothers do die, we may feel a period of loss, but we do not lose our sense of self entirely. However, an important part of a grieving process might be the need to reconstruct our identity in the face of this loss (Neimeyer, 2019).
In the case of Thesus, maybe Theseus’ ship is still his ship, but it is no more than adapted to suit the current environment and reflect the changing interests of Theseus. I am still the identity I was when I was a granddaughter but will perhaps use that title less now as I adapt to this shift in environment and relationship. In this way, we could argue that identity is a fluid transition compared to a fix state or definition.
Another aspect of identity which I find fascinating in death is the concept of maintaining a relationship with the dead. Death is linked to many turbulent emotions for the living as they attempt to process the transition of the loved one going from being to non-being (e.g. Kubler-Ross & Kessler, 1969). The funeral can be a transition that can aid this process because they often reflect the deceased’s identity through things like flowers, colours or songs. However, this is only our perception of what the person likes or would have wanted. Whilst alive, the person may have expressed adoration for the colour yellow in their teen years, whereas when they turn 80 years old their favourite colour may be red therefore red will be at the funeral. Waggoner (2023) refers to this feeling of wanting to leave a legacy. Therefore, representing the deceased identity through the funeral may add to this notion of preserving their life. Waggoner (2023) suggests that leaving a legacy can act as confirmation that the deceased life was meaningful, as well as contributing to the cultivation of a positive reputation even after death.
According to the philosopher Epicurus, once dead you do not experience or feel. The deceased is not aware they are dead and therefore is not affected by the colour of flowers in the funeral. Funerals, thus, I suggest, are for the living. A period which aids the grieving process, saying that grandma likes the colour purple and therefore associating everything purple with grandma is not a direct connection, however, it is nonetheless a perceived connection from the living to the death, a reminder of their identity and legacy.