Graves Marked Quote by Andy Mulligan
““I met Jose Angelico the way I meet many of my customers. I have a workshop on the cemetery road, just past the coffin makers. I specialize in the small, simple stone. I am very aware that my clients have next to nothing, and renting the grave has often taken most of their money. So I modify and modify and get down to the very lowest cost. The dead, however, must have that stone: the reminder, the eternal reminder, that this man, this woman, this child---existed. On some of the graves the name is marked in paint, or even pen, and everyone knows how sad that is. Make something out of stone, I say, and noone touches the grave.The poor are not buried, you see. There is not enough ground here any more, so in the Naravo they build upwards. The graves of the poor are concrete boxes, each just big enough for the coffin. They go up and up---in some parts twenty boxes high. A funeral here is to slide the coffin in and watch the sealing of the compartment. Part of my service is that I cement the stone that I've made into place, and thus seal the chamber.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Graveyard Book, 2015
He explains his craft of making affordable memorial stones for the poor, emphasizing dignity in death.
In simple terms: He makes cheap stones so the poor can be remembered.
Key Takeaway
Provide dignity through affordable memorials.
Themes
dignity
poverty
craftsmanship
Mood
reflective
somber
Type
social
humanitarian
When to use this quote
- funeral services
- community aid
- artisan work
- urban planning
Key Concepts
social inequality
memorialization
Questions to Reflect On
- How does affordable memorialization impact community grief?
- What alternatives exist when space is scarce?
A Different Perspective
Limited resources may affect quality and longevity of stones.
