ildren, in the act ofconsumption. The children depend on their parents for the funds to purchase items andthe parents make this possible, but “more crucially, approval of their children’s desire toconsume” (Ferraro 23). Children are quick to follow in their parents foot steps when itcomes to consuming. This is shown by DeLillo when Jack and his family are at the mall:Babette and the kids followed me into the elevator, into theshops set along the tiers, through the emporiums anddepartment stores, puzzled but excited by my desire to buy. When I could not decide between two shirts, theyencouraged me to buy both. When I said I was hungry,they fed me pretzels, beer, souvlaki. The two girls scoutedahead, spotting things they thought I might want or need,running back to get me, to clutch my arms, plead with meto follow. They were my guides to endless well-being. (83)Shopping with his family makes Jack feel like he belongs again. When with his familyshopping he feels like he plays an important role in the family and he feels like he is oneof them. “I began to grow in value and self-regard. I filled myself out, found newaspects of myself, located a person I’d forgotten existed” (84). “The shopping spree isless a matter of personal aggrandizement or ego massage than it is a ritual of concertedimage. By shopping with his family, he becomes ‘one’ with his family, which in turnachieves its ‘oneness’ through the activity of shopping” (Ferraro 22). Shoppingconstructs the sense of family by acting as an activity that the family can do togetherwhen really the family is more caught up in what they’re purchasing than appreciatingthe time that they’re spending together. This again shows how consumerism gives a falsesense to the consumer, in this case, the sense of family.With that sense of security and family, Jack continues to spend money withoutmuch considera...
