The Symbol Of Materialism In The Rape Of The Lock

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The Symbol of Materialism in “The Rape of the Lock” Materialism involves the importance one attaches to their worldly possessions. For a materialist having various items are essential to his or her life. By having these possessions a materialist becomes more and more satisfied with themselves. Materialism can be good and it can also be bad. Materialism can be good because it shows that one values the things that they have worked hard for. Materialism can be bad because one can become so consumed by the things they have that it overshadows everything in their life and leaves little room for improvement. In Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock” a mock epic poem about a beautiful lady named Belinda whose hair is stolen from her the symbol of materialism is evident. Belinda loved everything about her appearance especially her hair. Her hair was her most prized possession. Not only did she worship her hair but others did as well. The Baron loved her hair so much that he stole a lock of it with the help of Belinda’s friend Clarissa who was in love with him. For some people possessions can become the focus of their life. The possessions tend to become more important than friends, religion, and achievements. What is it that makes us wants something so badly? There are many things that peak our interest for materialistic items. Some of these things may be goods that we buy, things that we inherit, and in this case things that we are born with. For Belinda people have placed her upon a pedestal because of her looks. For this reason her appearance became her top priority. The way she looked overpowered everything around her. When the Baron cut her hair Belinda became outraged and devastated. It was as if her soul had been taken away from her. This devastation was all because of her materialistic obsession with her hair. Plato states that there are

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