The Semplica Girl Diaries

Looking back through history, one can find faults with virtually every culture. Whether it’s the ancient cultures that practiced human sacrifice, or Nazi Germany that tried to exterminate the Jewish people, we can always look back and find something that was amiss. What we often fail to realize, however, is that the people living in those societies weren’t aware of their wrongdoings any more than we are.
“The Semplica Girl Diaries”, a short story by George Saunders, illustrates how every culture is oblivious to its own faults, and Saunders is trying to show Americans their own fault, namely, how our fondness of materialism changes the way we look at people.

Saunders, through the treatment of the Semplica girls (SGs), shows how materialism

In the story, the main character sees his wealthy neighbors as people he should aspire to be. When he wins the lottery, he spends his money trying to emulate his neighbors. He heavily modifies his backyard to imitate his neighbors, he buys new clothes to fit in with his wealthier colleagues, and even goes to the extent of have impoverished girls strung up by a wire in his backyard as a status symbol. Although these expenditures have no meaning, they give the main character a sense of joy and contentment because they are items that wealthy people would purchase. In addition, when the rich neighbor’s daughter Leslie becomes jealous of his daughter Lilly because of the newly purchased SGs, the main character can hardly contain his delight. For once, the rich girl is jealous of his not-so-rich daughter. The fact that this situation conjures up such a rush of positive feelings shows how much importance the average American places on material possessions.

Looking at this evidence, I think it's clear that Saunders is trying to show Americans their own fault, namely, how our fondness of materialism changes the way we look at people. One can simply look at court cases and compare the outcome between rich defendants and poor ones. As a culture we have a clear bias towards wealthier people, and I think George Saunders wrote “The Semplica Girl Diaries” as a sort of reflection, so that we might not be condemned to repeat the mistakes