A Study Of Consumer Culture In Washington Square

Washington Square is one of the early works of Henry James.It demonstrates James’ in-depth reflection on the consumer culture resulting from the prosperity of the capitalist commodity economy.In the middle to late 19 th century,with the speeding-up of the process of commercialization,the abundance of material goods and the improvement of people’s purchasing ability,people no longer consumed purely in accordance with their life needs.As a result,the traditional concept of consumption based on use value and exchange value was gradually broken and replaced by a newly-born one.Commodities were endowed with new significance and became signs to display one’s social status and identity or to distinguish between social classes.Based on the context of the time,the thesis studies the consumer culture in Washington Square,analyzing the manifestations of consumer culture,revealing its influences on traditional values,and exploring the main cause for the choice of Catherine,the protagonist of the novel,to remain unmarried throughout her life,and thereby,concluding that the novel gives a true portrait of the commercialized American society under the influence of consumer culture.The thesis consists of three parts: the introduction,the body,and the conclusion.The first part is a brief introduction to Henry James and Washington Square and its reviews at home and abroad,the theoretical basis and working frame of the thesis.The second part is the body of the thesis,consisting of three chapters.Chapter one discusses the phenomena of consumer culture,arguing that influenced by consumer culture,people try to gain new identities and social positions through purchasing luxurious residence and furniture.For example,a beautiful body can be regarded as consuming objects.Chapter Two analyses the alienated interpersonal relationships resulting from the influences of consumer culture.It first focuses on the relationship between father and daughter: Dr.Sloper is cold and even brutal to Catherine.He forces his daughter to whatever he wishes regardless of her will,untilhe dies as a devil----paranoia.Then,it explores the relationships between aunt and niece: Mrs.Penniman never shows real concern about Catherine especially when she needs badly care and tenderness.The advice she gives to Catherine is inconsistent,and she only takes Catherine to meet her own fantasies.Finally,it examines the relationship between lovers: for Morris,Catherine is a “present” who would enable him to live at his ease and pursue his pleasures.Chapter Three explores the morbid values of other characters then Catherine and the decline of moral consciousness of the people in the novel under the influence of hedonism of consumer culture.The third part of the thesis is a conclusion,summarizing the main points of the thesis and restating its argument.