Consumer society in Mark Ravenhill's Shopping and Fucking Agnieszka Kozub

Ubiquity of products is overwhelming. Some people enjoy it and let themselves be

devoured by the plague of buying just for the sake of possessing. There are also those who
buy just necessary things which are not treated as a replacement of relationship or as
something with which they can fill massive voids in their miserable lives. And, finally, there
are the artists who try to raise awareness that we are all becoming mindless mass of
consumerism.
One great example of such artists may be Mark Ravenhill whose Shopping and
Fucking play represents In-yer-face theatre a trend that aims to shock and shake the
audience in order to provide them with purifying relief at the very end, using provocative
images of extreme violence and vulgar language. It is a play about a group of contemporary
British youth friends who try to find their own way to happiness. As the title suggests, there
are two main themes crucial for the story. Firstly, shopping which obviously is just a
coverage for consumerism. As the urbandictionary.com provides, one if its meaning is:
A seriously over-rated form of modern day cult of commerce, whereby people buy goods. This
has led to a rise in needless temptation as well as popular culture, which in turn results in mindless
youths sinking into the morass of peer pressure and attention-seeking behaviour, all for the name
of cold, hard cash..

The second key-word for the interpretation of the play is fucking, which means, among
others: to procreate, to express disgust, surprise, joy, to imply confusion. Characters of
the play are in a way in-between this shopping and fucking. They are caught in the
vicious circle of unhappiness which leads them to make money, and back to unhappiness
which is caused by consumerism lack of money makes people unhappy.
They are devoured by mindless consumerism. This is firstly visible in the fact that they
always buy ready meals, instead of cooking them. The great irony is that when Lulu stole
ready meals and stuffed them under a jacket, it was more important for her that her act was
revealed, than taking any notice that she was showing her breasts to Brian. Possession of
goods is more important than ones own body. Also, particular foods may symbolise
consumerism itself, exploitation the characters eat chocolate all the time, a perfect idea for a
meal is burger (McDonald maybe?). Later from the shopping story a reader finds out that
people are just objects which can be sold and owned. In fact, the very state of being owned

seems to be the crucial aim in life, at least for Gary, who admits it directly, I want to be
owned. Drug addiction may be compared to shopping addiction. A bloke, who left his money
in other pair of jeans and cannot afford drugs worries, How am I gonna have a good time,
now how am I going to enjoy myself? there is no happiness without money if you cannot
buy this what makes you happy. A person loses oneself and than just buys, or uses. Lulu and
Robby deal with drugs, and it is Mark who tries to break out this circle, because, after all
who owns what? They may buy stuff, buy cocaine, and use it. Or maybe the scag and
material things are in possession of the plays characters? This is a vicious circle, like a snake
which swallows its own tail, they consume and are being consumed.
The same with relationships, Mark is very reluctant to attach to someone, he claims
that it is safer if a company can be bought, then there is no emotional bound. Later on he gets
tricked by Gary who claims he has the upper hand because he does not reciprocate Marks
feeling, and that this gives him power. So in such world, one cannot be dependent on someone
else, you can either consume or be consumed. Mark is miserable because of lack or presence
of money, as he says, And when I made money I was happy, when I lost money I was
unhappy. He is now only happy in presence of Gary, but previously he had rejected him. He
admits, My heads a mess. Im fucked. Cant control anything, guts, mind. Someone has to
sort me out. He does not know for sure what he wants, his identity is fluid, one day he is
kissable, in need of human warmth, the other day he is reserved. He is lost in between his own
emotions, between being weak but having feelings and between being a wealthy drug dealer.
Consumerism also symbolizes denial. Mark and Gary go shopping when they are
stuck in the point when they do not know what to do with their lives. They just put happy
faces and pretend that everything is ok. Everything is all right when there is cash, Were
making money were gonna be all right Robbie says. People who call Lulu and Robbies
sex telephone do it just to buy happiness. As the emotional attachment and physical
intercourse is painful (just as embarrassing Marks erection, or literally painful as anal sex
mentioned abundantly throughout the play) they prefer to catch a glimpse of this imitation of
life. Once again happiness can be bought when Robbie offers help to Gary to get rid of his
emotional luggage, but in exchange for money. Nothing is being done disinterestedly, because
he also needs the money to pay his debts. When Robbie and Lulu finally give back the money
to Brian they are civilized finally the ancient catharsis has fallen upon the heroes, upon
readers.

Consumerism has enormous effect on the characters psyche. They are fucked in many
ways: physically, emotionally lost, they defend themselves by using the magic spell fuck
off. They use it to define happiness which comes from drugs, A great big fuck of
happiness, they use it as powerless attempt to reject the conditions they are in - fuck it all .
It is a word used for emphasizing objection to being humiliated, I fucking hate that (the anal
rape). It stand for cheating, Boys just fuck each other. Fucking functions as a depiction of
frustrations, as a magic word which can be used to describe anything, to undo the wrongs
done by consumerism spell.
To sum up, consumerism in Ravenhills play is a cause of inner decay. People are lost,
miserable, mindless. They lose all moral values and instead of worshipping any spiritual
virtues, a pussy may be worshipped like its God; they go to shopping malls as if they were
churches, as if they could find their answers and harmony there. They misunderstood the
basic values of life, money is the most important as in their Bible it is written: get the money
first. Consumerism is presented as a parasite which eats throughout the persons body and
leaves without any hope for better life. Because, despite the fact that the money had been
returned and the catharsis is provided; it is the money which makes us civilized, not emotions
like compassion, love, etc. We can fight it, we can find our way out of the circle of
consumerism but either way we still have to work and make money.
Thats the future, isnt it? Shopping, Television.

Sources
1. www.urbandictionary.com
2. Kutluk, Asli. Images of violence in Sarah Kane's 4.48 Psychosis and Mark
Ravenhill's Shopping and Fucking". Academia.edu. Web. 28 May 2013.