The age old idea of materialism has only gotten worse at the years go by. With all of the new technology, money and physical objects that rule our world, materialism has only become more widespread. It is no longer only a select group of people who are obsessed with materialism, it is everyone. Now, it is time to ask yourself - can anything good come out of materialism? It seems that materialism occupies one’s life so much, that it is the only thing you have time for. Everyone knows materialism exists, yet no one ever seems to change. It might be harder to see the negative effects materialism has on your life, but it is not hard to pick up on the negative connotation that different mediums of social expression give materialism. From television shows that started in the 1980’s to blogs being written at this very moment in time, the adverse effects of materialism have never changed. It essentially destroys everything it comes in contact with. If we ever want to change our materialistic society we first have to recognize its detriments and then its solutions. I have found that the poem Mrs Faust, the television show The Simpsons, and the blog The Minimalist take us on a journey through those steps and bring us out on the other side (a more positive side).

It is evident in the poem Mrs Faust by Carol Ann Duffy that Mrs Faust led a life completely predetermined by materialistic ideals.  Mrs Faust enters a loveless relationship because he has money and provides them with items like houses, cars, boats and the newest gadgets. However, as the poem goes on, the Fausts are only separated more and more as they go on trips around the world and are completely focused on becoming better and richer. As Mr Faust’s dying day finally comes we see that he has sold his soul to the devil to replace all the objects he accumulated in life. Even though her husband it dead, Mrs Faust is not even phased. She continues on with her life and is even happy because all of her husband’s possessions were left to her. She is old, becomes sick, pays for herself to get better and is still alone even with all the things she has. She comes to realize that in the end, her husband didn’t even have a soul. It was replaced by materialistic items. This begs the question, is a life filled with material possessions ever worth it? The relationship that the Fausts had to material objects left no room for other, real relationship in their lives. It may seem nice to be surrounded with superficial things, but we do this to put on a facade that we are important. When in all reality, leaving behind family, positive relationships, and making a difference in the world is what really matters. Nothing is ever worth giving away your soul, which is essentially the most important thing you were ever given.

It might even be worse to become a materialistic person in the middle of your life, because not only do you destroy your future, but your past as well. This is what happened to Marge in The Simpsons episode “Scenes From the Class Struggle in Springfield”. 

Marge is obsessed with the idea of fitting in with an old high school acquaintance who is a member of a prestigious country club. Marge starts out by buying an expensive new dress (even though she worries about its effects on their family budget) and now the members of the club think that the Simpson family has money. Marge is so intent of fitting in with these women that she becomes so focused on herself and her appearance she pushes her family away. She yells at her daughter Lisa when she is trying to get ready, and ignores her family while they are at the country club. Homer says to his kids “Let’s go sit in the car until your mom’s done fitting in” (The Simpsons). The rest of Marge’s family knows that they are not materialistic people, but Marge is so convinced that the upper class is better and therefore her and her family no longer relate. Marge tells Lisa that the rich are better than them, and even says to her family “We can’t afford a single slip up, they need to like us” (The Simpsons). She basically is asking her family to pretend to be people they aren’t to fit in with this upper class crowd. The ironic thing is, is that even though Marge might be convincing herself she wants to be like these people, she still does not relate to them because her life is almost free of materialistic ideals. In the end of the episode Marge tells her family that she does not want them to be themselves so they can become members of the country club. It is almost immediately after this statement that she realizes what the greed for money, friends and possessions has done to her. She knows that she has not always been like this, and her eyes are opened to see that she has a family who loves and cares for her no matter what she wears or who her friends are. This is the perfect example of what materialism does you a person. It can change you from a loving mother and wife to a greedy, fake person who is only concerned with themselves. In a matter of days Marge abandoned who she was to fit in with a greedy upper class crowd, whom she ended up leaving in the end. If only one simple dress left Marge blind to her own personal values, imagine what a life full of material possessions can do to a person.

It is obvious that the negative aspects of a materialistic lifestyle have been expressed through the characters of various poems and television shows, but they are also documented by people just like us living in the real world. Materialism is not some un-researched topic in the minds of academic, it is a real problem that plagues people all over the world in their daily lives. On a website called “The Minimalist” two men write about all things dealing with materialism and minimalism. One specific article they have is about the definition of minimalism, and what outcomes in has for your life. They say that “Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important—so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom” (The Minimalists). Also, that “Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. Real freedom” (The Minimalists). If this is what minimalism is, this is exactly what materialism isn’t. If The Minimalist are saying that minimalism can help you find freedom, they are essentially saying that materialism imprisons you and traps you from ever finding the freedom of a happy life. Materialism holds you back from all the important things in life. Even though people may feel that material possessions give them more access to things, they are not important things. It does not matter if you have the biggest house if you have no one to fill it, it does not matter if you have 10 cars but no where to go.  At the end of this article the author included a list of all of the things minimalism has helped them achieve. They said that minimalism helped them “Eliminate discontent, reclaim time, live in the moment, pursue passions, experience real freedom, create more, consume less, focus on health, grow as individuals, rid themselves of excess stuff and discover a purpose in life” (The Minimalists). These are all of the things that materialism takes away from you. Materialism doesn’t add anything positive to your life. It wastes your time, and it draws the focus away from everything that should be most important to you. If you do not have time, freedom, health or a purpose in life then what do you have?

Again, I cannot not drive home the truth that materialism takes over any positivity in your life and covers it with superficial, tangible things. When you think you essentially have everything, you end up with nothing. Materialism is a hard driving force that exists in everyone’s lives, and until you are able to remove the blinders from your eyes, you will always be shutting out the things in your life that are meant to make you human just like Mrs Faust, or forgetting leaving those things behind just like Marge. Until you can take the advice of people like the minimalists and actually remove the clutter to see past the disposable material goods, you will always leave true happiness in the background.
