Commodification of the Human Condition in Dennis Kelly’s Love and Money (2006)

The main objective of this paper is to critically examine how the theme of commodification in David Kelly’s Love and Money functions as a lens through which the modern consumer culture in contemporary Britain is critiqued. Within the human context, commodification refers to the modern capitalist culture’s reduction of whatever is human and cultural to its mere economic value. Love, marriage, death, and the human condition at large are conceived as mere commodities whose value is estimated according to their material worth and, hence, lose their inherent human depth and become dehumanized. Throughout the play, the characters are involved in the consumer culture to the utmost either by lusting after buying and possessing and, thus, falling prey to debt or by weighing every human aspect by its monetary value and, hence, suffer emotional emptiness. Through exploring the destructive influence of the consumer culture and commodification on the human condition, this paper argues that Kelly invites his readers to take a critical stance towards their lives, priorities, and values. The first step is by being fully aware of how one’s values and priorities are shaped by the materialistic culture they live in, and then comes the second step: altering one’s values. The play, hence, encourages people to investigate how obsession with owning and the relentless pursuit of material gains erode human relationships and cause spiritual death; therefore, they are encouraged to pay special attention to the choices they make and the priorities they choose.