Gollum and the Ring

Gollum and the Ring

 

“Our economy is based on spending billions to persuade people that happiness is buying things, and then insisting that the only way to have a viable economy is to make things for people to buy so they’ll have jobs and get enough money to buy things.”-Philip Slater

 

                After watching the film “Clueless” as well as reading Min Jin Lee’s, “Free Food for Millionaire’s,” we notice that there are many parallels between the two.  Such parallels include explorations of the lifestyles of the upper echelon, navigating complex relationships, and the obsession of objects.  In this essay we will be focusing on the idea of object obsession and how these objects impact the identities of the individuals.

                We will begin by exploring the positive effects that both the pursuit, as well as the acquisition, of objects has the individual.  One of the more striking parallels that we see between the film and the selected text is the way in which the female protagonists solve their frustrations, shopping.  When Clare is frustrated with her life/job at Kearne Davis she alters her mood by going out and purchasing expensive clothes (Lee).  The “Clueless” protagonist  displays the same reaction when she receives a bad grade in her class and asks her friend to go shopping with her.  Why do these two characters do this?  One possible explanation would be that the women are attempting to build a sense of efficacy.  Efficacy is the beliefs that you possess the ability to change something.  This idea works well for both of the protagonists.  Clare cannot change Ted and Cher cannot change her grade (at the time).  Thus, both women chose to chance something in which they had the power to do, which was their clothing and thereby attaining a sense of empowerment.

                Next we will examine some of the negative effects of object obsession on the protagonists.  While it is important for both women to attain a sense of empowerment over their negative circumstances, attaining empowerment through the use of object acquisition is not without negative effects.  For example, Clare has a variety of problems from living with Ted, having an unfaithful partner, and working at a difficult job.  To gain a sense of empowerment Clare purchases expensive clothing.  However, Clare’s solution to her problems is unsustainable due to her increasingly high debt accumulation which forces her to commit undesirable actions such as having intercourse with a boss at Kearne Davis in order to get a job.  This idea of object obsession holds back Cher as well, which is evidenced in the part of the film when Cher gets held up by gunpoint and her assailant tells her to get on the ground.  Cher informs the man that she cannot due to wearing expensive clothing and her desire to not ruin it.  Though Cher finally succumbs to the robbers demands, for a brief moment Cher valued her clothes more than her life.

                Upon examining both the positive and negative effects of object obsession we can ultimately conclude the matter will remain complex.  While it is easy to pick up extreme examples of object obsession from our protagonist examination, who we should ultimately be conducting is a self-audit.  What are the objects that provide us a sense of empowerment and how can they also be detrimental?  There are many common objects that fall into both of these classifications such as money, clothing, television, etc.  While it is true we all need money, we must also not forget our sense of generosity.  It is through the reading/watching of films and literature that we can examine these characters with their faults which ultimately allows us to examine ourselves as to ensure we avoid their mistakes. 

Marriage:  A Reflection

To My Dear and Loving Husband

If ever two were one, then surely we.

If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;

If ever wife was happy in a man,

Compare with me ye women if you can.

I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold,

Or all the riches that the East doth hold.

My love is such that rivers cannot quench,

Nor ought but love from thee, give recompense.

The heavens reward thee manifold I pray.

Then while we live, in love let’s so persevere,

That when we live no more, we may live ever.

Upon reading this poem, I was struck with the words Anne Bradstreet used to describe her marriage to her husband.  The author clearly enjoyed the time spent with her husband, so much so that she wrote a moving poem describing the fullness of their marriage.  The prudent thing to do would be to analyze this poem and try to uncover what Bradstreet did in order build a successful marriage and try implementing these ideas into our own marriages.  What Bradstreet is sharing with her audience are two required aspects for a marriage to be successful.  That is, for any marriage to reach its fullest potential, passion and perseverance are of the utmost importance.

            First we will explore the aspect of passion.  Having a passion for your spouse is incredibly important to the sustained success in marriage.  All too often I have seen family and friends enter into marriage, without this important aspect, only to watch the union slowly dissolve.  One of the causes for this dissolution is confusing lust with passion.  Anne Bradstreet describes prizing her spouse “more than whole mines of gold,” as well as possessing an “unquenchable” love (153).  Nowhere in this poem does the author describe her husband as possessing a six-pack hard as stone and shining golden hair.  Rather, the author omits these details because she believes that passion for your spouse is not based off surface details.  Being passionate about your husband, or wife, is learning about their interests, taking the time to learn about the others beliefs, helping them to achieve their goals and celebrating with them when they do.

            The second aspect of marriage that we will explore through Bradstreet’s poem is the idea of perseverance.  While Bradstreet claims that she values her husband “more than whole mines of Gold,” it is equally true that in the world of mining, valuable minerals do not simply fall into one’s lap.  Rather, they have to be worked out of the rough.  Towards the end of the poem Bradstreet writes “Then while we live, in love let’s so persevere.”  Why would she choose to end her poem by conveying the idea of perseverance?  Those who are married will tell you that marriage is never easy.  The idea that Bradstreet is trying to convey at the end of her poem is that when you have a disagreement with your spouse, lose your job, or experience the death of a child, will that also bring about the end of your marriage?  What Bradstreet is talking about in these last lines is that marriage is the great act of painting a picture together in life.  Sometimes the paint fails to mix correctly and mistakes are made on the canvas.  However, if the two artists possess the mentality of perseverance, then when the painting is completed the beauty will be great and perhaps, inspire others.

            As I read this poem, I cannot help but contemplate my own marriage.  Rachel and I have been married for almost two years now and it has been two of the greatest years of my life.  Naturally, there are times when we do not agree on everything and unexpected challenges arise.  However, we have both worked to overcome life’s obstacles and have come out better because of it.  Together we are painting on a canvas and it is starting to resemble the art that Bradstreet created in “To My Dear and Loving Husband.”

Works Cited

Bradstreet, Anne.  “To My Dear and Loving Husband”.  The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women Vol. 1. Ed. Gilbert, Sandra M. and Gubar, Susan.  New York:  W.W. Norton & Company, 2007.  152-153. Print.