Rushdie: The Value of Things

I’m not sure exactly when the change happened. Perhaps it was after I dated a guy that didn’t care about material possessions, life’s little stuff, the things people bought to bring them happiness. He was a person who was only concerned with the “natural” way of living; he listened to reggae, grew marijuana and believed people should let go of material possessions so that we may work together to become self sufficient in the future. He would tell me that way, when we run out of stuff (which he believed to be inevitable); we will not fear or panic because we will have come to adopt a way of life that truly focuses on what is important.

Sometime after I spent time with this person, I started to see things differently. I started to cringe at thought of people who drove the latest Mercedes Beenz but were otherwise unfulfilled. I also began to wonder what the future had in store for my children and my children’s children in a world that seems so dependent on the value of things, rather than the value of people. I began to question what is really important to me- making a lot of money and getting people to buy more things, or touching hearts, changing lives and preparing for future generations.

In the story “At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers” where bidders assemble for the auction of magic red slippers, I think Salmon Rushdie speaks creatively of society’s foolish obsession with material positions. Rushdie’s book “East, West” is broken into three parts: “East,” “West” and “East, West” The story of the ruby slippers is a part of the “West” section of the book, suggesting that Rushdie is perhaps referring specifically to Westernized culture. Therefore the slippers represent all of the things we Americans hold so near and dear to our hearts such as big cars, large houses, jewelry, fancy clothing, the over consumption of stuff that is valuable only because we revere it as such. In the story, sadly enough we are the Bidders, individuals consumed with the idea that certain things in our position will bring us happiness. This held true for the protagonist of the story as he hoped the red slippers would be the one thing that he could use to win back the heart his true love, he describes:

“They are bidding for the slippers now. As the price rises, so does my gorge. Panic clutches at me, pulling me down, drowning me. I think of gale- sweet coz!- and fight back fear and bid.” (pg 99)

This may sound foolish, but how often do we buy things because society tells us that we are not pretty enough, not smart enough,  not skinny enough, not big enough,  not loved enough, that we are simply not enough. As a marketing major we are taught about the concept of “perceived need” that is we are trained to become the auctioneers and our job is to tempt people from their bunkers (pg 87), and instill the thought into the consumers mind that the slippers are not only important, but who whoever buys them will be a person of great value.

The slippers are not the only thing for sale in the “courtroom of demand,” because we are a society that is unfulfilled and in constant search of that something that will bring us self satisfaction, we demand much more. “In the grand saleroom, in recent years, we have witnessed the auction of the Taj Mahal, the statue of liberty, the Alps, the Sphinx.” (Page 98) we live in a world where nothing is sacred and at the right price may be bought by anyone.  

Reading this story reminded me of walking through a fun house at the local fair, in which you look at yourself in strange distorted mirrors. These mirrors show your reflection in weird formations; short, skinny, tall fat making you giggle at the idea that you actually resemble the refection in front of you. In this story you are also sort of thrown into an alternate realm in which you may look at yourself in an equally amusing manner. The story allows the reader, who may fail to recognize their own reflection at first, to stand back and to laugh at their selves while learning to accept such a strange phenomenon.