und a center court of waterfalls, promenades, and gardens” (83). Itis common to see such things in shopping malls; making them almost fantasy like. Theshopping malls are deliberately planned out to create an image of “elsewherness” (Miles61). The mall lavishes consumerism with almost “religious like qualities” by hiding theflaws that underlie it (Miles 59). Shopping malls are given an illusion of being a differentplace with the plants, palm trees, waterfalls, and fountains when really the mall is apalace of mass consumerism. As Miles states, “the shopping mall seems to provide allthe immediate gratification’s of consumerism but at the same time shelters the consumerfrom the social and prescription that this entails” (Miles 59) The shopping mall can haveimmense impacts on the consumer, both good and bad. In White Noise, GladysTreadwell dies and the doctors say this is because of “lingering dread, a result of the fourdays and nights she and her brother had spent in the Mid-Village Mall, lost andconfused” (98). It is only in a post-modern society that the thought of a mall causing adeath can actually be believed. Jack thought that, “everything was fine, would continue to be fine, wouldeventually even get better as long as the supermarkets did not slip” (162). This shows thesecurity that Jack feels just from a supermarket. Mike Featherstone, a writer onconsumerism, believes that consumerism provides everybody with a sense of some kindof control (qtd. in Miles 24). “The essence of consumerism lies in the feeling that asconsumers we are all gaining some semblance of authority over the everydayconstruction of our lives through consumption” (Featherstone qtd. in Miles 24). Thesense of security and control is gained for many by consumption, especially in apostmodern world. Along with the sense of security and well being, consumerism is a quick fixagainst a...
