The Loved One

Most people view death as the great equalizer: after all, the rich, famous, and powerful face the same mortal fate as everyone else. However, the characters in The Loved One have found a way to cash in on death—by maintaining the same class and racial divisions in death that exist among the living in 1940s Los Angeles.

When the mortuary hostess at Whispering Glades gives Dennis a tour of the cemetery, she explains that the park is divided into zones and that each section is named after a piece of art, adding that the zone pricing varies and that within each zone the prices differ according to a plot’s proximity to the piece of art. Cheap plots are available for only $50, but those poor souls must eternally rest “behind the crematory fuel dump” (38). For those who can afford it, the hostess goes on to explain that the park includes a Lovers’ Nest with Rodin’s statue The Kiss and a poet’s corner with a statue of Homer.

In addition to catering to wealthy, art-minded folks, the cemetery appeals to racists. When Dennis tells the hostess that Sir Francis was English, she replies, “English are purely Caucasian, Mr. Barlow. This is a restricted park.