Confessions of a Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella

2261 Words5 Pages

UManitoba Confessions of Capitalism
“Confessions of a Shopaholic” by Sophie Kinsella is a quirky take on modern consumption trends. The story address some very important themes faced by capitalist societies today. Whilst maintaining a consistent level of humor accompanied with a discreet romantic plot. This novel is about a 25-year-old girl named Rebecca Bloomwood trying to make it on her own in London, England. However, her addiction to shopping is her tragic flaw that leads to her downfall. The book follows her story as she encounters issue after issue as they escalate in all aspects of her life. Firstly she is thousands of pounds in debt from over spending. Secondly, she is ironically a journalist for a financial advisory magazine, which begins to translate into compulsive lying. Eventually everything crashes down and she must reconstruct her relationships, job, and spending habits.
“Confessions of a Shopaholic” begins with Rebecca Bloomwood, the protagonist, reluctantly reading a visa bill, setting the message of overconsumption as the overarching theme. As she goes down the purchase list, she begins justifying each expense and describing the necessity and superficial utility it has in her life. At first the impression is portrayed that she is a victim of the societal culture and pressures. However, as the novel progresses you quickly learn her unfortunate situation is her own doing, and deep down she has the ability to solve each problem. The author captures how life in a capitalist world is depicted as a consumer. In addition, having such a relatable protagonists develops a sense of empathy and understanding in the readers. Through what seem to be fictitious non-issues, Sophie Kinsella has made her target market...

... middle of paper ...

... Change has to be generational and falls into the hands of children; is a reasonable method to consider? There is the obvious approach of investing in teachers and early childhood education, but what child loves school enough to care. Children love television, movies, and games. From personal experience, many life lessons instilled in me were from the former sitcom Full House. Each episode contained a “moral of the story” and it was demonstrated through real life, relatable examples. I did not have to steal to know it was wrong, I watched Michelle Tanner (character on Full House) do it for me. Perhaps we should invest in generating blockbuster movies and amusing sitcoms to indistinguishably revise cultural norms. Ethics has to be taught and has to be impregnable to carry into the business world and capitalism. Does the future of capitalism rely on Hollywood?

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of But Will It Make You Happy By Stepahnie Rosenblum

    422 Words  | 1 Pages

    Rosenblum begins with Ms. Strobel, a lady who had plenty of stuff, but was not satisfied. She comes to a decision to downsize her belongings and stuffs, so she will be happier and observe her dreams. Moreover, the author refers to some studies and quotations that show focus on experiences rather than purchasing products produces

    Read More

  • My Body, My Closet By Anne Peterson

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    “My Body, My Closet” has detailed evidences that are relevant to her thesis. All her evidences are up-do date and verifiable. However, Peterson has a slight slant when providing her her supporting quotations and statistics.

    Read More

  • Graham Hill Consumerism

    2231 Words  | 5 Pages

    1. The main idea is not only that owning stuff is not the key to happiness, it’s also that consumers today own more than they need to thrive which directly impacts the environment. Hill illustrates the environmental impact by showing statistics of global warming today versus the past century, and how consumerism is leading to a hotter climate. Hill debunks claims of buying happiness by discussing a study where stress hormones spike to their highest when people are managing their personal belongings. Hill’s most prominent example that consumerism is not the answer is himself, as he discusses some of the most stressful times of his life being right after coming into a large sum of money and buying whatever he fancied. When Hill concludes his article, he states that “I have less—and enjoy more. My space is small. My life is big” (213).

    Read More

  • This Is Spinal Sp, A Mockumentary: This Is Spinal Tap

    1142 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...a Rae article that, “moviemakers are in the movie business, not the social change business”. Although they talk about film specifically, any medium of entertainment could still apply to this statement. This cycle of production is unhealthy, but if the process works, why fix it?

    Read More

  • Carrie's Journey: Consumerism and Vanity

    435 Words  | 1 Pages

    “Carrie passed along the busy aisles, much affected by the remarkable displays of trinkets, dress goods, stationery, and jewelry. Each separate counter was a showplace of dazzling interest and attraction. She could not help feeling the claim of each trinket and valuable upon her personally, and yet she did not stop. There was nothing there which she could not have used—nothing which she did not long to own”

    Read More

  • Disney’s Capitalization on American Roots

    1662 Words  | 4 Pages

    Norton, Anne. "The Signs of Shopping." The Signs of ShoppinG in the U.S.A. Sixth ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. 101-06. Print.

    Read More

  • The Giver by Lois Lowry

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    “What happened ten years ago?” Jonas asked. The main character in Lois Lowry novel, The Giver is Jonas, who lives in a Dystopian Society. The problem he forces is that he realizes that the community is hiding many secrets such as what release truly is. During the course of the story Jonas became conscious of what his community is doing to his life. Jonas inherited many different types traits, learning many life lessons and enduring horrible secrets from the community. He thoroughly shows that he was proud of what he is accomplishing such as becoming receiver, sympathetic toward the cruel tactics of releasing the innocent or the guilty, and curious to know how his life is going to change after being presented with his job in the society.

    Read More

  • The Giver by Lois Lowry

    631 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel, The Giver by Lois Lowry, the author makes it clear through the main character Jonas that freedom and safety need to find an equal balance. Lowry shows the importance of deep emotions and family through Jonas. Jonas becomes the new receiver of memory and learns about the past. He also learned about the way it was when people knew what love was. Jonas’ father releases newborn children because they don’t weight the correct amount of weight or they don’t sleep well through the night. Release is a nice way of saying kill; the people of the community don’t know what kill means. They don’t have the freedom to expand their vocabulary. Lois Lowry makes it clear that safety has a negative side and you need that you need freedom to have a high functioning community.

    Read More

  • A Woman's Place by Naomi Wolf

    827 Words  | 2 Pages

    "A Woman’s Place", the name of the commencement speech given by Naomi Wolf at the Scripps College graduation in 1992; contrasts the independent and the dependent woman. In today’s society, there are two different types of women: the woman who has a good head on her shoulders and knows where she is going in the world, and the woman who seeks dependence within the masculine world. Just as they were thirty years ago, women are still not considered to be equal to men. They are more or less looked at as being second to men.

    Read More

  • Happy Endings by Margaret Atwood

    1363 Words  | 3 Pages

    Margaret Atwood’s “Happy Endings” is an Author’s telling of societal beliefs that encompass the stereotypical gender roles and the pursuit of love in the middle class with dreams of romance and marriage. Atwood writes about the predictable ways in which many life stories are concluded for the middle class; talking about the typical everyday existence of the average, ordinary person and how they live their lives. Atwood provides the framework for several possibilities regarding her characters’ lives and how each character eventually completes their life with their respective “happy ending”.

    Read More

  • The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alexander Stowe is a twin, his brother is Aaron Stowe. Alex is an Unwanted, Aaron is a Wanted, and their parents are Necessaries. Alex is creative in a world where you can’t even see the entire sky, and military is the dream job for everyone and anyone. He should have been eliminated, just like all the unwanteds should have been. He instead comes upon Artimè, where he trains as a magical warrior- after a while. When he was still in basic training, and his friends were not, he got upset, he wants to be the leader, the one everyone looks up to.

    Read More

  • Disrespect For Authority And Hyployy, Hummy, By John Updike

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sammy is the cashier at the store, he has been for quite some time now, long enough where he has a memorized “the punches, 4, 9, GROC, TOT” ( 602 ) and has created a song for himself “"Hello (bing) there, you (gung) hap-py pee-pul (splat)"” ( 602 ). Showing his contempt for conformity and consumerism to the everyday life of the store Sammy joins the shoppers or as he calls them the “sheep” ( 600 ) of the store who can never be out of the spell of their daily routines. The location and the layout of the store is also tediously described by Sammy when he is describing the surroundings to the readers where he is located “between the checkouts and the Special bins” ( 599 ). He also does this when he describes the girls going up and down the isles of items “the cat-and-dog-food-breakfast-cereal-macaroni-rice-raisins-seasonings-spreads-spaghetti-soft-drinks-crackers-and-cookies aisle” ( 600 ). With all of these tedious descriptions of details of Sammy’s surrounding we slowly start to see him getting more and more frustrated and appalled at the conformity of the society that he lives in, and the difficulty of breaking the social formalities that he must deal with on a daily basis.

    Read More

  • A & P and Everyday Use Analysis and Comparison

    1679 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although one’s good deeds may often not be acknowledged, the inevitable lesson of maturity can be taught through such experiences. In “A&P”, Sammy is a teenage clerk who is not acknowledged for accomplishing what he thinks is a good deed. During a hot day, three teenage girls walks into the A&P grocery store, wearing only their bathing suits. The image of the girl’s revealing attire provides an absolute contrast to both the simple interior of the store and also of the other conservative customers. Sammy describes the customers as “sheeps” because they look mindless as they follow each other around the aisles in continual, constant motion. However, these three girls conflict with the imagery of “sheeps” by breaking the norms of what the A&P grocery store, and society in general, has proclaimed as acce...

    Read More

  • The Giver by Lois Lowry

    827 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry, the receivers are the only people who have feelings and memories. The elders are the people who choose what the best is for their people in the community and sometimes they go to the receiver for help on making the right decisions. The people from the community do not see color, or have freedom on making a decision for them. There is no love, feelings, and grandparents. Jonas is assigned to be the next receiver of the community; He was trained by the giver, who transfers memories of the pain and pleasures of life, who also shows him the truth and reality that is hidden to the community. Jonas’s community does not represent the ideal of society because there are no choices or distinctions between men and women. This people from the community are assigned to a role in the community, where they do it until they are old and sent to the House of the old and wait for their release.

    Read More

  • Advantages And Disadvantages Of Watching Too Much Tv

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    For example, a good TV show that helps a child become smart and learn a couple things is Sesame’s Street. Sesame’s Street is kid’s show that’s been airing since the 1960’s. The show is consist of humans and puppets, who use comedy and cartoons to teach children educational things; based off songs and games (Sesame Workshop). I’ve seen this show work for children right in front of my face. Ever since I was sixteen I would go to my grandma’s Day Care and help her with the children. At her Day Care, Sesame’s Street was always being played. The kids would learn so many things from the show. There was one episode here Elmo and the Cookie Monster would sing the Alphabet in a song. It wasn’t like the original song, this one was different and catchy. So catchy that I’d find myself singing along the song too. I could definitely see that catchy song working for the kids too because every time I would see them, I would ask them the alphabet and they said to me, perfectly. So I absolutely disagree with Sach, parents shouldn’t keep their in a box and hide them from TV, instead they should search for the appropriate ones and show it to

    Read More

More about Confessions of a Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella

Open Document