Possession is not a Definition

Desire for an object can consume a person’s life, possibly spiraling it out of control. A person can be overwhelmed by a lustful trance which steers them into a one track plane of thought. In the short story At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers from Salman Rushdie’s East West the main character goes through astronomical lengths in order to attain Dorothy’s ruby slippers from an auction, I first heard about the upcoming auction of the ruby slippers the very next morning, and resolved at once to buy them, whatever the cost” (Rushdie 97). No price is too high for him to pay because he believes that once the slippers are in his possession, “…I might even click the heels together three times, and win back her (Gale’s) heart…” (Rushdie 98). Although thought to be taboo by today’s standards, he is madly in love with his cousin Gale who plays Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Apparently the relationship soured when he found Gale in bed with another man, and in his mind owning the ruby slippers will mend their relationship.

            People from all walks of life come to try their luck in the auction of the ruby slippers. Rich, poor, cultist followers of the Wizard of Oz, doctors, politicians, you name it; has come for the possession of the ruby slippers. Bidders will bid in many ways including; over the phone, video screens, and in person. All bidders are looking for the same thing deep down, to feel at home. Owning Gale’s ruby slippers is the pinnacle of having a home and/or feeling at home, “…There’s no place like home.” (Rushdie 98). Winning the slippers will fulfill an inner fantasy for the possessor by taking them to another place, the land of the Wizard of Oz and the Wicked Witch, the land of rainbows, lions, tin men, an escape. Owning the slippers will fill the gap the bidders have in their lives, not feeling at home, feeling alone, and the fear of an unexciting life. He (the main character) wants the shoes to give him a sense of home, and win back Gale. During his battle against the bidders and the auctioneer, he loses track of the money and stressful environment and becomes mentally detached from reality and space, “There is a loss of gravity, a reduction in weight, a floating in the capsule of the struggle. The ultimate goal crosses a delirious frontier. Its achievement and our own survival become—yes!—fictions.” (Rushdie 102).

            The reason life becomes fictitious to him is because from an altered state of minds perspective (which he is in) nothing is real anymore, it is all fiction. He feels as though people will sell anything they own, even their children and most valuable possessions in order to obtain an object they lust for. During the auction this realization causes him to see the mistake he is making by his willingness to give up everything for a single object. This realization allows him to detach from his obsession with Gale and the ruby slippers. He is then able to leave the auction house relieved, refreshed, and fulfilled knowing that he did not make a terrible mistake. He can now live a life without misery and desire to be with Gale, he will now be able to follow his own route. He views auctions as being capitalistic wars that entail economic anarchy, and where materialistic values are spawned and states, “…most of us nowadays are sick…” (Rushdie 87). Quality of character is not defined by our possessions.