Cosmopolis by Don DeLillo

This weekend, I read the novel Cosmopolis by Don DeLillo. I got some fragmented information from it. This novel talks about privilege and capitalism. And Eric, who is the protagonist of this book, symbolizes capitalism. As a rich and talented capitalist, he obviously has multiple privileges, such as limousine and private doctors. He wants to get a haircut in his familiar barber shop, regardless the confusion and traffic jam caused by President's arrival in town. And he didn’t give up even though he encounters lots of accidents, such as revolt and broke. Then he leaves after his haircut is only halfway done. It looks like he on the way of his past which can not come back actually.
Eric’s limousine physically and mentally isolates him from real world, just like capitalism. When the revolt happens outside the car, he is talking with his chief of theory in the car and does not be influenced by them. He follows after balance and rational. And he has been broken because of it. He cares if his prostate is asymmetrical. He tries to control and analyze economics, or even everything by rational and balance in his world. But he does not care about any real thing that happens in the real world. That is why he fails.
With the time passing, Eric loses his clothes. Finally, he looks in a tight corner when he arrivs at the barber shop. It also symbolizes capitalism's status to be doomed to perish. In this process, the conversations between him and his subordinate, who came to his car, touches elements such as art and technology, as well as capitalism.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

About Media

Considering about media, I found something about the improvement. From ancient to contemporary society, media had gotten rid of the limited of distance and time gradually by technique’s development. Hysteresis of information begin to disappeared. In this case, the amount and the range of information that people are able to receive improved. In the beginning, human only use their visional, smelling, auditory, tactile sense and gustation to receive information. Then they try to use voice, graphic as media to transfer information such as marks. Another obviously example is cave drawing. After language appeared, they even used words. Then people start to used removable media such as leaves, paper and wood to write or draw information. However, distance limited the speed of information’s diffusion in this period. For example, the transportation of mail may cost several months from one city to another one. Due to the media’s techniques become more and more advantage, people a...
Read more

Secret History of Wonder Woman

I already read part of Jill Lepore’s book, The secret History of Wonder Woman this weekend. Because this book not only a history of Wonder Woman’s appeared, but also a history of feminist movement. After I thinking about the topic that how you would design a Wonder Woman Theme Park, I would like to make 3 parts in this park. Biggest one is history part which introducing by period of history, and other two parts is sculpture part and interact part. In the history part, I want to layout by time, and actors will play history people to reappear every important history events. Also, real video, record, photograph and manuscripts will be showed near the show. In the sculpture part, I would like to have sculptures of key characters. And The biggest one is Wonder Woman’s with 2 introductions. One about her background setting and another about her every cloth, jewelry and weapons such as her Phi Beta Kappa Key and bracelets. In the interact part, I will have several significant scenes o...
Read more

Asterios Polyp

I had read Asterios Polyp at this weekend. This is a unique graphic narrative because of its specific narrative. In this work, author use three skills to enhance contrast and complete the narrative. Firstly, the author showed same details or places with different situation to connect several parts of story and to give audience a contrast. For example, we saw the living room of Asterios’s house several times. And we will receive significant and clear information from author when every time we saw it. We are able to know Asterios’s situation depend on how clear the living room is and the color author use to draw the picture. When the first time we see the room, there are lots of cloth and trash on sofa and flood. Audience are able to realized Asterios’s terrible mood. We can also see the living room other two times, like the period before Asterios met Hana and the period he living with Hana. When those time, his living room is clean and have some romantic things such as flower. ...
Read more