Enclosed. Encyclopedic. Endured: The Mall of America
In the essay, Guterson emphasizes how the mall is just a tourist attraction but not a market place. It therefore does not create a sense of community. To make his description strong and distinct, he uses action and a plenty of sensual details. He distinctively describes the appearance and the interior of the mall that makes the audience have a feeling of having visited the mall. Through his description, one can have a picture of the mall and the activities that go on.
For example, as Guterson, 1993 describes the design of the mall as of polished stone, terrazzo floors, glass-enclosed elevators, one can picture this appearance in their mind. In writing about its appearance, Guterson claims that the mall of America can not be easily distinguished from other malls in its shape and design. This creates a space for the audience about the architecture of the building. He critically interprets the mall and makes judgments for example of fantasy and also uses irony when he calls shoppers ‘pilgrims.’
Guterson writes that the quality and impressiveness of the mall is not comparable to any other. The mall is “the best of the best” (Guterson, 1993) and people visit it because of its modernity. This is shown by features like an arcade, the gardens, trees and flowers. The argument of the essay is reasonable in the way people go to spend in the mall. It is true that people are sometimes materialistic. Guterson describes the way people go to the mall for entertainment and the way shoppers are addicted to shopping at the mall. Therefore, the Mall of America is a representation of the American society and the behaviors.
References
Guterson, D. (1993). Harpers magazine: Enclosed. Encyclopedic. Endured. One week at the Mall of America. Retrieved from: http://www.harpers.org/archive/1993/08/0001368. Accessed November 16, 2010.
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