Introduction
The short story “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” by Packer and Madonna’s song “Material Girl” addresses desire through different forms. It is important to note that desires are the driving force that makes people live and achieve goals. Meanwhile, people’s desires are often opposite to those of their natural life.
Depending on their social and cultural context, age, or principles, people have different desires and ways of expressing them (Snitow 41). Thus, it is worthwhile to compare the characters’ desires in Packer’s short story “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” and Madonna’s song “Material Girl” in setting, conflict, imagery, relationship, values, and dialogue.
Setting
The two works clearly understand the characters’ desires as they live in various social environments and form them accordingly. In “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere,” the action occurs primarily in a university town, where the central character, Dina, attends classes and socializes with her contemporaries.
On the contrary, the setting of “Material Girl” is more glamorous and extravagant, where Madonna sings about living in a world of wealth and luxury. The singer often repeats the phrase “we are living in a material world” to emphasize that she is part of the higher class of society (Madonna 7). Instead, Diana has found herself in a new social context, as the phrase “I arrived at Yale from Baltimore” suggests, and she is trying to find a place for herself (Packer 1). Thus, the setting in the two stories is different, but the desire of both characters to adapt to the social environment is similar.
Conflict
The conflict in “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” centers around Dina’s battle to conform to her classmates and find a sense of belonging. Even during the game, a classmate emphasized Dina’s peculiarity: “As a person of color, you shouldn’t have to fit into any white, patriarchal system”(Packer 2). However, Dina was trying to become part of the team, so she continued to play and did not try to avoid focusing on the peculiarities of race.
Meanwhile, the conflict in “Material Girl” is more external; the song contains the phrase “boys may come, and boys may go,” which makes it clear that the protagonist is striving to follow mercantile principles but does not get the desired stability (Madonna 30). In other words, Madonna’s desire for material wealth and status contradicts her willingness to love and emotional connection.
Imagery and Relationship
Both the story and the song use powerful imagery to convey the idea of desire. Packer describes Dina’s desire to accept a “cold and tight” in her chest (Packer 16). Madonna uses images of expensive jewelry and designer clothes to convey the desire for material wealth and status. Relationships are central to the depiction of desire in both texts. In “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere,” Dina’s interactions with her peers emphasize her desire for recognition and socialization.
In other words, Dina wanted to support the game to prove to the girl, described as “her hair was a shade of blond,” that skin color is not a determining factor in communication (Packer 1). In “Material Girl,” Madonna’s relationship with men is portrayed as transactional, emphasizing interaction with males through such images as “kiss, hug” (Madonna 1). Thus, her desire for material goods often drives her relationships with males.
Values and Dialogue
“Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” emphasizes personal growth and self-discovery, with Dina finally rejecting the need to conform to society’s expectations to find a sense of belonging. In contrast, “Material Girl” glorifies material wealth and consumer culture as the ultimate goal (Madonna 2). However, both texts use dialog to convey the desires and motivations of their characters. The discussion between Dina and her peers emphasizes the tension between conformity and individuality (Packer 4). Madonna uses direct and provocative language to express her desire for material wealth and the power it brings.
Conclusion
In summary, although the two works share the main idea of the protagonists based on the theme of desire, they have diverse wishes and use various means to achieve them. While “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” emphasizes personal growth and individuality as keys to happiness, “Material Girl” honors financial prosperity and a culture of consumption as the primary objective. Nevertheless, both texts use vivid imagery, relationships, values, and dialogue to convey the complexity of desire and the multiple forms it manifests.
Works Cited
Madonna. “Material Girl”.Genius. 2023. Web.
Packer, Zuwena. “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere”. The New Yorker, 2000. Web.
Snitow, Ann. Powers of Desire. New York University Press, 2019.