2.5.2.7 The effects of resurrecting objects

If a finalizer makes an object reachable again, by storing a reference to the object in a variable, slot, or collection, we say it has resurrected it. An object may also be resurrected if it becomes reachable again when some other object is resurrected (because it is directly or indirectly referenced by that other object).

Resurrecting objects has pitfalls, and must be done with great care. Since finalizers typically destructively modify objects when freeing their resources, it is common for finalization to render objects unusable. We do not recommend resurrection if there is any possibility of the object being left in an unusable state, or if the object references any other objects whose transitive closure might include an object left in such a state by another call to finalize.

If you do resurrect objects, note that they will not be finalized again unless you re-register them.

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Common Dylan and Functional Extensions - 31 Mar 00