The Consumer Culture

            Within his newly-released novel, Super Sad True Love Story, Gary Shteyngart conveys a radically embellished portrayal of the consumer culture to demonstrate the world's increasing obsession with manufactured products. Through this depiction, Shteyngart illustrates that as people become more absorbed with consumerism, they begin to lose their own identity and gradually perceive other individuals as mere commercial entities.

            For instance, Lenny begins to experience anxiety-issues about his Credit after returning from Rome and learning about his demotion at work. Through his belief that "money equals life," we can see the extent to which money's role within the world has been magnified (77). Although money has always been a significant factor within a person's life, it has now become the means to which a person can extend his or her life - perhaps even indefinitely; for within the world that Shteyngart creates, even immortality can be achieved by those who have enough money. Despite the wondrous possibility of living forever, the idea that money has become such a valued entity within the world is overwhelming and poses the prospects of many future conflicts between people and different nations.

            Another incident that demonstrates the consequences of a consumer culture is when Lenny first learns how to FAC - form a community. After learning about his incredibly low physical appeal, Lenny is devastated and realizes that "money and credit was about all [he] had" (91). Through his experience at the club, Lenny starts to understand that money is the only reason that girls would be attracted to him. No longer do people really care about personality or individuality, as long as a person is unattractive, money is the only trait that matters.

            Finally, one last example of a consumer culture's effects on society is when Lenny introduces Eunice to his friends. Although Lenny originally believes that Eunice will easily befriend his friends, Grace ends up criticizing Eunice for her complex for money. In response, Lenny argues that "she [only] shops because [the] society is telling Asian people to shop" (162). In addition to revealing Eunice's infatuation with shopping and spending money, this quote also illustrates the depravity of the economy's current state. Due to America's necessary dependence on China, Americans begin to despise Asians for their nation's growing prosperity. As a result, they begin directing their anger at all Asians without even considering the fact that most Asians still live in poverty. Overall, Gary Shteyngart's depiction of the world's consumer culture truly reveals the dangers of materialism and the consequences that can result from an obsession with money.