The Curse of Consumerism

Essay # 53667

A discussion on late 20th century consumerism in Caryl Churchill's "Serious Money" and Mark Ravenhill's "Shopping and Fucking".

2,421 words () | 10 sources | MLA | 2004 United Kingdom

Paper Summary:

This paper analyses the moral values (or lack thereof) of consumerism and discusses its impact on personal and social relationships as well as issues of identity in Caryl Churchill's "Serious Money" and Mark Ravenhill's "Shopping and Fucking". It provides an analysis of both plays and makes extensive references to contemporary cultural theory such as those of Jean Baudrillard. It looks at how "Serious Money" is a portrayal of the hedonistic greed of the 1980s and how "Shopping and Fucking" could easily be described as the nasty "morning after" during the 1990s.

From the Paper:

"The world of stock market trading in Caryl Churchill's 1987 play Serious Money is presented as a microcosm where money and the desire to make profit take absolute priority over any other social and moral values. Friendship, loyalty and even family relationships are affected by market movements and if deemed unprofitable, quickly discarded. Compared to money, "matters of life and death c[o]me a poor second" , as illustrated by the reactions of Jake's colleagues to his death, which can be summed up as "The deal is the priority" . Even his sister Scilla who suspects Jake was murdered and starts investigating his death is motivated by greed ("Would either of them be likely to kill Jake? Or more important still could they tell me about his bank account? Which bank is it in? / And what's the total amount?" )"