Let’s Shop!
missrini October 15th, 2007
In his essay, James J. Farrell discusses the ways in which malls encapsulate American culture; he uses the mall as a premier symbol which captures the capitalistic ideals of our society. Though it may seem surprising that of all places Farrell designates the mall to represent our society, his argument makes sense if we consider how the fundamental workings of capitalism are at play in such an everyday place. The pursuit of individualism can be seen as people purchase clothing which reflect their own sense of style and stores are constructed to cater to different types of people. The exchange of value for value, money for clothing, in this case, also underlines the basic notions of capitalism. On another level the mall gives a cultural understanding of our society, providing us with information through ads, mannequins, clothes, logos, and sexuality. Farrell pays homage to the mall as he realizes the complexity of such an institution–”the intricate coordination needed to produce each day’s consumption”. Though Farrel poses a convincing argument, to portray a commercial enterprise as a main representation of America is still a bit of a stretch.
