In Scott McCloud’s novel, Understanding Comics, he develops the idea if amplification through simplification. This idea describes abstract images and symbols as being representations of specific, more descriptive, meanings. Within The Simpsons, this theory is often expressed. The artistic make-up of the characters is very simple, where the meaning behind each episode is more complex. The meaning is well understood by viewers because the details within the cartoon are “stripped down” in order to prevent distractions from the essential meaning (McCloud). Like McCloud, I feel that the way a character is presented plays a significant role in the reaction that the audience has to that character. This involves language as well because if the cartoon is presented in a less detailed way, the language can be more straight forward in order to understand exactly what the writers want the audience to get from the episode. More detailed characters, or even the use of humans, create a serious and more immediate connection to reality which tends to not be so straight forward because the complexity of the character has to match the language used.

“Lisa’s Pony” is an episode of The Simpsons that centralizes around consumerism in a parent-to-child aspect. In this episode, Homer, Lisa’s father, is given a task to get a new reed for Lisa’s saxophone, however, he fails to do this, and Lisa is embarrassed at her school talent show. Because of this, Lisa was angry with her father, but Homer saw her anger as a sign that Lisa does not love him anymore. Like many modern parents, Homer tried to fix his mistake with ice cream for his little girl; this did not work. Marge, Homer’s wife, suggested that Homer spend time with Lisa in order to make things better. People in today’s world tend to avoid this solution, much like Homer, because it is easier to give a gift to make someone happy than to work to fix the problem. Nothing seemed to be working in the short time he spent with Lisa, and Homer became mildly concerned with his ego. During the tea party he had with Lisa, Bart and his friend were watching and began to laugh at him. This caused the tables to flip and Homer to run after his son, ruining the tea party. Homer, also, told his wife that doing girly things was causing him to “go fruity”. Similarly to men today, Homer’s “quick fix” to the problem was to buy Lisa a gift that would make her incredibly happy so she would love him again. Men often see gifts as a way of winning over a woman’s happiness, as does this happen profoundly with children, too. It is of the nature of children to want things without reason, and often will they get excited when they receive presents or something they are usually not allowed to have. Parents typically use this when rewarding their children which is a good way for them to realize what is and is not an acceptable way to act. It is not just, however, to use materials to win the love of your child. Homer is guilty of this when he bought Lisa the pony she has always wanted. His wife wanted to get rid of it, but Homer explained that “Lisa loves [him]. The pony stays”. Because horses are expensive, Homer took on a second job that deprived him of sleep. He did not last very long before he was falling asleep at the wheel, sleeping at work, and stealing merchandise because he had no time to eat. How far are people willing to go to win the love of their child? 

The compulsion of the pony distracted Lisa from seeing her father’s suffering until Marge, ultimately, left it up to Lisa to decide if keeping the pony was worth it. Lisa made a big decision by giving up her horse, but she claimed to her father that “there’s a big, dumb animal [she] love[s] even more than that horse”. Love cannot be defined by materials but what one is willing to give up for someone else. 

Unlike The Simpsons, Mr. and Mrs. Faust had plenty of money to be spent. They worked hard, saved money, and “flourished academically” to be the successful people they came to be. (Duffy 6,9). The problem with Mr. and Mrs. Faust, though, is that everything they bought was not enough. They drowned their souls in material goods, and lost sight of the true happiness within their relationship. Because of their successful careers, they were able to buy more things: boats, cars, a second home- the latest toys. The more things they bought, though, the farther away they became as a couple. Mr. Faust dwelled in his success that he “learned to love the kudos, not the wife” (Duffy 20). In contrast to the common argument made about men and how they try and win the happiness of women, Mr. Faust did not care about their marriage. He was bottled up in his own realm of materials and did not concern himself with his wife. He was very egotistical and pushed his wife away by prioritizing fame instead of her. 

This changed Mrs. Faust’s life because she “learned to love the lifestyle, not the life” (Duffy 18/). Mrs. Faust was trapped in her marriage because she fell in love with what the money could by her; she was not truly happy with who she married. Money cannot fulfil the hole of dissatisfaction in your life, but she spent most of her days searching for the happiness her husband did not bring her. She looked to her wallet and found nothing but paper and plastic cards. The plastic surgery and the hair dye did not work (Duffy 74/). Even travelling the world did not bring her happiness. By this point in her life “[she] was as bad” as her husband when it came to spending and being consumed by materials (Duffy 17). When Mr. Faust died she was only concerned with what his will left her: the yacht, multiple houses, all the loot (Duffy 115/). She got sick and simply “bought a kidney with [her] credit card” (Duffy 122/). Mrs. Faust, ultimately, let materials and her wallet control her life because of her unhealthy relationship. Her unhappiness thrived for what can be bought in a store, when in reality, material goods cannot buy happiness. 

Today’s society tends to be spoiled; it is very common to want the new thing and get it, one way or another. It is in our nature, as humans, to use materials in order to bare happiness from others. This is the most common between men and women in relationships, however, this strips away the true meaning of love, which cannot be defined using materials. Many couples fail to realize that they love what money can buy rather than their significant other for who they are. Parents and children are also common to consumerist behavior. Children are often bribed or rewarded with a gift and, overall, become spoiled. In conclusion, it is important to build healthy relationships and refrain from compulsion of materials throughout the relationship. By doing this, stronger bonds between loved ones will be made and love will be dispersed for true purpose.
