I have thought and thought about this, and done research, and so far have come up with nothing. Does anyone have any idea why Death wears a red dress at the Wake?

Isn't red the colour of mourning in some cultures? Or did I imagine that?

Well, I didn't do any research on it, but I'm guessing that since she wears black all the time, she's always (in a sense) in mourning for the end of someone's life - it's part of her job. But for her brother, she chose to celebrate his life, because she wasn't just there in her professional capacity. Or something. Um. No, I have nothing to back that up.

I thought that she says something to the effect of what Jocy just said, that she needed to do something different for her brother because she is always in black.

Sorry if I'm not more help, but I'm too lazy, to go and look it up.

[hijack]Yay!! Packing for the big trip[/hijack]

When! Where are you going?

.... and I just looked, Matthew asks her "I thought you only wear black?" and she says "Not today." So you probably read the same thing into that answer that I did. Which makes me feel like I might be right.

We are going to the States for vacation, at my parents in Kansas mostly, but we will be there for a month so I'm sure we will be seeing some other things as well.

Yes, that is the quote I was thinking of. And your answer is exactly what I read into that quote.

quote:

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Originally posted by Chess:
I have thought and thought about this, and done research, and so far have come up with nothing. Does anyone have any idea why Death wears a red dress at the Wake?

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Not entirely sure, but the symbolism has something in common with the moon turning blood red at the close of WORLD'S END. Remember there was a giant funeral march in the sky, with all of the Endless besides Dream? Besides, if she had just worn her standard black to her brother's funeral, it would have been as if she weren't dressing up at all. Best I can think of.

The moon was red, too! I completely forgot about that!

^_^ Thanks for responding, you guys... I know red is a color for weddings in other cultures, but I hadn't heard funerals...

Do you think it's because no one really died? I mean, they make such a point of mentioning that... Dream was really still alive- well, Daniel/Dream anyway. So how can you wear black to the funeral of someone who didn't really die?

I dunno. Like I say- I have no idea!

Yeah, that's right, maybe by wearing red instead of black she was saying Dream wasn't truly dead. The Endless don't die, but they can be changed. By the way, does your namesake mean you play chess? If so, and if you'd like to play, visit Chessworld.net for a game or two. My name's scotte over there too. See ya.

The thing about that is that Death was wearing black when Morpehus died, and even though the endless don't really die, the aspect of Dream that was Morpheus did die, and Death took him to wherever it is that we go when we die. That was at the end of The Kindly Ones.

Death doesn't usually attend funerals though, I suspect. She is with everyone at their moment of departure, but the funeral is for the living, for those that are left behind. Death is death and therefore wouldn't really attend funerals. But since this was her brother and a member of the Endless, she of course would be there. Therefore she chose red as either a reference to some culture, or simply to distiguish herself from her normal function. She was there as a sister, not as Death, not at the funeral at least.

Could it also be a reference to Morpheus's ruby? Usually the only color on him other than black was red. Also, red seemed to be associated with Morpheus where green was associated with Daniel.

i kind of gathered that seeing as Death's duty is to take peoples lives when its their time to go on to the other side so to speak and she finds it respectable to wear black when doing this because there is no other suitable colour, but on the day of her brothers death it was not she who took him and i guess by wearing the red dress she was only celebrating his life rather then mourning it......

Red is the Teutonic color of death. I don't know whether or not this is Gaiman's reference, but he wouldn't be the first author to use the color that way. There's an awful lot of red in Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice," for example (hair, killer strawberry, etc.).

personally, i think if she was gonna ditch the black garb, she shoulda gone all out. orange jeans and a gaudy Hawaiin shirt!

i'm kidding. don't hurt me.

Hhahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahah

thats awfully funny there about the ogange jeans thingy........

I saw this topic and had to register just so I could reply!

Death wears read because of the poem printed right at the beginning of the book. It's called The Bridge of Fire, by James Elroy Flecker.

The relevent bit reads:

Between the Pedestals of Night and Morning
Between red death and radiant desire
With not one sound of triumph or of warning
Stands the great sentry on the Bridge of Fire.

The whole of Dream's funeral follows the poem.

So, Death wears red because it says she does, and did you notice that Desire seemed happy ('radiant')?

Memory x

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Originally posted by Memory:
I saw this topic and had to register just so I could reply!

Death wears read because of the poem printed right at the beginning of the book. It's called The Bridge of Fire, by James Elroy Flecker.[...]

Memory x

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Lovely answer Memory! I'll be looking into that poem now - thanks so much! Keep posting

~taramis

You know, I'm almost certain that "She was death in a [something] red dress" was a line in a Raymond Chandler novel.

And if not, it really should have been.

Heck, wouldnt it be just too cute if it was from "The Big Sleep"?
[he said, guessing wildly and with a strong lack of reck]

(checks)

No, can't find it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: erkDemon,

quote:

Originally posted by Lady Doom:
i kind of gathered that seeing as Death's duty is to take peoples lives when its their time to go on to the other side so to speak and she finds it respectable to wear black when doing this because there is no other suitable colour, but on the day of her brothers death it was not she who took him and i guess by wearing the red dress she was only celebrating his life rather then mourning it......

hey... thats pretty intelligent. i like that

...
guh
can't believe we all forgot Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Masque of Red Death'. Death wears red at a party...