The Spirit Of Capitalism: Chapter Summary
The reading for today started on Chapter 9 on the day of Paige’s big breast cancer gala. Chloe had came home after being gone the night before and shared the news about her and Chris getting back together. They were still planning on going to California, and were leaving the next morning to start their road trip. Paige was upset because she did not want to see Chloe leave, but she knew Chloe was doing what she wanted and that she would be happy. Spencer came home from his trip to China minutes before they had to leave for the gala and quickly got ready. He told Paige that the trip to China was unsuccessful, and that Redmond and Gwen were going to lose everything. Many individuals working for the company would also lose their jobs and retirement
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A particular concept we focused on was the spirit of capitalism and how things are worth a certain amount because people place these values on them and begin to believe them. I think this can apply to both Paige and Gwen’s lives, because throughout the novel it is said that they are wearing glamorous clothes from brands like Chanel. It can be assumed that the reason they are wearing these things is because these brands are often associated with glamor and wealth. Even money is something both of these women valued, and in Gwen’s situation we can see that it is very hard to give up something you value so much. Gwen and Redmond value their wealthy lifestyle and may be more afraid to lose that than the actual business itself. We also spoke about rationalism, and the idea that people are worried about the future and getting to the next step rather than the present. I feel like this part of Weber’s theory can be very much applied to Paige’s life because she lives such a structured life. She is always worrying about something happening in the future and never really takes time to enjoy the present or even reflect much on the past. The last concept we talked about on Thursday was the iron cage. Weber said that if you base your life on beliefs then you will put yourself in a cage that you cannot get out of. Paige has the belief that appearance is everything and because of that she is not always living a free life. She dresses and acts a certain way based on what she feels society and the people around her expects of
A particular concept we focused on was the spirit of capitalism and how things are worth a certain amount because people place these values on them and begin to believe them. I think this can apply to both Paige and Gwen’s lives, because throughout the novel it is said that they are wearing glamorous clothes from brands like Chanel. It can be assumed that the reason they are wearing these things is because these brands are often associated with glamor and wealth. Even money is something both of these women valued, and in Gwen’s situation we can see that it is very hard to give up something you value so much. Gwen and Redmond value their wealthy lifestyle and may be more afraid to lose that than the actual business itself. We also spoke about rationalism, and the idea that people are worried about the future and getting to the next step rather than the present. I feel like this part of Weber’s theory can be very much applied to Paige’s life because she lives such a structured life. She is always worrying about something happening in the future and never really takes time to enjoy the present or even reflect much on the past. The last concept we talked about on Thursday was the iron cage. Weber said that if you base your life on beliefs then you will put yourself in a cage that you cannot get out of. Paige has the belief that appearance is everything and because of that she is not always living a free life. She dresses and acts a certain way based on what she feels society and the people around her expects of