decline of the west

A: Decline of the West
Hanif Kureishi´s short story “Decline of the West” was first published in 2010, in London. It deals with the financial crisis in 2007-2008 and about a fired banker and his family.
The capitalistic world was doing well. People where earning, and spending money like there was no tomorrow. The banks where stable, and could lend money to people who wanted to build bigger houses or drive the newest car – just any new and expensive material stuff people couldn’t “live without”. But then the financial economists discovered that these methods weren’t sustainable and started firing, and no money was lent anymore. The main character of this short story Is named Mike, and he´s a banker and trapped in the middle of this mess, like many real life bankers where in the crisis of 2007/2008 – also known as the Global Financial Crisis.
Our main character Mike arrives his home after the most terrible tube ride he ever had. He had just lost his job, and is therefore in a really bad mood. He is really looking forward to get home to his loved family, and tell his wife, Imogen, the bad news. He expects a bit of attention and comfort but instead he ends up fighting with his son Tom about a stupid videogame – and afterwards with Imogen for being too brutal towards Tom. Afterwards the discussion continues. Mikes younger son, Billy, joins in and asked for the promised guitar. Mike is mad about his family because they are so materialistic and that they always need something new and expensive – which he just has to deliver. He tries to tell Imogan about his unemployment but she won’t even listen to him.
This short story deals with the problem when the materialistic values conquer personal relations. Mike works a lot, which makes it hard for him to get a good relationship to his family because he rarely sees them. An expensive upper-class-life is really important for the family; they want to be like the other families. We see that when the sons complain about that their house is too small, and that all their friends live in bigger places. Even though that it is normal for children to compare themselves to their friends, Mike gets really frustrated hearing them complain. But without mikes income they will need to move in something smaller and cheaper. Also Imogen and the children are used to get anything they point at, but they don’t really understand, and never wondered, how their expensive lifestyle is possible. We see that when Tom says that Mike never has done anything for him – even though Mike is actually financing their whole life. But that’s probably just bad, but normal human, behavior. If you got something, you want more. Humans just never can have enough. When suddenly the lights shut down and Mike is on his way down in the basement, he is slips on the stairs. A short moment he is thinking about committing suicide. Just to let himself fall, and die. He cannot stand all the pressure, the expectation, his pampered family got, which he can’t fulfill. But he gathers power, fixes the problem and gets back to his materialistic life and family which is about to fall together.
Imogen, mikes wife, is not that much affected by the capitalistic world than the rest of the family. She does charity work, so she works not for the money but for helping people. She also got a better relationship to their kids. She shows understanding and is in some way on their side. She and the children have their own little family, where Mike is not really a part of because he only focuses on his job. Mike develops throughout the story. He notices Queen Elizabeth 11’s smile on a 20 dollar note. He becomes wiser, and its clearer to him that materialism is a serious problem. It affects him and his family more than he understands. That’s also why he feels so helpless, and considers committing suicide.