During his stay there he pondered the question: How is the Mall of America part of America? The first thing that Guterson notices is the vast, expansive nature of the mall. After having observed some of the shoppers, Guterson concluded that despite the malls expansiveness, it elicited claustrophobia, sensory deprivation, and an unnerving disorientation, (Guterson p. 452). According to Guterson, these feelings lead to a sense of isolation, away from any kind of community that encourages socialization. Guterson believes that the desire to fulfill these communal requirements is intrinsic to human nature and the shopping mall is only a hindrance to this …show more content…
This combination would be Gutersons ideal shopping experience. Guterson explains that in early human history, places of commerce such as the Persian bazaars and the Greek agoras were home to such experiences. They were places where humanity is temporarily in ascendance, a palette for the senses, (Guterson p. 453). Guterson also points out that these Persian bazaars and Greek agoras adhered to certain values that placed some restrictions on the shopping experiences of their customers. One such example that Guterson provides is that religious people were often told to be time efficient with their shopping in order to prevent any pleasurable attachment to the act of shopping itself—people at the time believed shopping for pleasure could erode their purity of spirit, (Guterson p. 453). Guterson says that the Mall of America, for example, was never built with community needs in mind. With all its social amenities, it was intended to bring together people all kinds of people for the sole purpose of liberating them from their working life while deliberately discouraging socialization. This view is enhanced by the malls general managers words: I believe there is a shopper in all of us, (Guterson p. 453) featured in the promotional video, There is a Place for