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Braxton Leavitt

Ms. Jackie Burr, Instructor

English 1010, Section 3

16 October 2018

The Greedy American Society

In the book chapter “The More Factor,” the author explains the background of American

greed in society and how it relates to the modern day world. Laurence Shames, a book author

from Boston, writes this book with the intent to inform the upper class American society of how

the average American rationalizes their social construct. Shames’ book, written in 1989,

influenced by a bumper sticker from the 1980s reads: “Whoever dies with the most toys

wins,”(76) shows the main idea of his chapter on “The More Factor” and how he critiques the

greedy American society. This book chapter starts by showing background to the american

culture and how Americans even in an early age always want and fight for something more.

The way Shames uses a historical and intellectual tone appeals to a more adult audience.

By using historical evidence, Shames is able to get his point across:

What people would do is buy up enormous tracts of parched and vacant land, lay out a

main street, nail together some wooden sidewalks, and start slapping up buildings. One of

these buildings would be called the Grand Hotel and would have a saloon complete with

swinging doors. (76)

By using these historical references, Shames details the factual side of the point he is trying to

target in this portion of the chapter.

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Shames explains further how American speculators dropped empty towns in the middle

of nowhere hoping that the railroad would come through it. As the chapter continues on Shames

introduces two theoretical reasons for why empty towns are being placed. By using logos appeals

he states that, “The first reason was simply that the possible returns were so enormous as to

partake of the surreal, to create a climate in which ordinary logic and prudence did not seem to

apply” (77). He organizes this sentence to say when speculators first looked at western expansion

they saw it as an opportunity to have the railroad come through their towns opening up an

entrance into the world around them.

In the next paragraph Shames uses more theory to explain his main point even further. He

explains that the American speculators concluded that America would “keep on booming,” (77)

allowing more westward expansion to take place. In the next part of the chapter Shames uses

historical theory to articulate the style of American thinking. By using powerful figurative

language like “ ..where nothing grew would flood back in as silver,” he is able to describe the

hopes Americans had when they followed the influence of “The More Factor,” and how the

thought process of Americans has been centered around the want for more. “The key was the

frontier,” Shames explains, he relates the American frontier to the statement Ben Franklin makes

before the revolutionary war has ended, that comment can be summarized into one sentence,

vacant space will always be appealing to the human mind. Shames supports this statement by

taking a quote from Frederick Jackson Turner, a historian who set the tone for 20th century

America, ‘“not the constitution, but free land…[that] made the democratic type of society in

America.”’ (Frederick Jackson Turner, The Frontier in American History). By using this

reference he appeals to the values of the American society through the use of the constitution.
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Shames appeals to the readers ethos through the idea of open space via the frontier. By

taking the idea of the frontier and putting it into perspective of the more factor, Shames directs

the readers viewpoint to their sense of adventure. Being human means that all of us have a sense

of adventure somewhere inside of us; Shames takes this idea and reflects it back on the human

condition of always wanting more appealing ethically to the readers economical standpoint.

Shames says “The frontier, as reality and as a symbol, is what has shaped the American way of

doing things and the American sense of what's worth doing” (78). He hits the reader hard with

this statement showing that Americans’ sense of adventure has always caused our brains to think

of what more we can discover. By using discovery as part of his statement he entices the reader

to really consider this idea of “The More Factor.”

In part two of this chapter Shames goes on to give factual evidence as to how the more

factor has impacted the American economy. Describing the results of aggregate wealth in the

economy, Shames approaches the readers sense of logic to engorge the reader in the evidence he

gives. Shames gives this fact “From 1947 to 1965, productivity in the private sector was

advancing, on average, by an annual 3.3 percent” (79) to show that Americans productivity had

been incrementally increasing over the years, through the idea of “The More Factor.” But while

productivity increased the national hourly wages for workers was “declining at an average

annual rate of 0.3 percent” (80) says Shames. As this passage continues, Shames explains that

rather than the more factor being a helpful, driving force in society its actually hurting us as an

economy and a country.

Shames then takes his writing and transfigures it to criticism against the American

government in the way that wages and inflation were affecting society. Shames next quotes The

New York Times saying “ for millions of breadwinners, the American dream is becoming the
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impossible dream” (The Average Guy) by quoting this Shames approaches the question, “What

happens at that shadowy juncture where economic prospects meld with personal choice?” (80).

By asking this question Shames appeals to the readers questioning mind, physically asking them

of their opinion on the matter, making his writing extremely relatable and understandable.

Shames concludes at the end of the chapter, the contrasting argument between the good

and the bad, the more factor possess. Shames takes the idea of the frontier again and redirects the

readers back to his previous statements but this time, gives reason as to why the frontier has

appealed to us all these years. “But the frontier’s promise has become so much a part of us that

we have not been willing to let the concept die” (81) Shames says, as he uses this quote he once

again brings up the idea of how the frontier has become so enticing to the human mind that

America has decided to keep the concept as a part of its society. Shames then lists the examples

of the frontiers we have chosen to follow and that have impacted us in a good way such as:

psychedelic drugs, fads and fashions, nuclear energy, solar energy, outer space, the oceans, and

lastly the suburbs.

Shames ends his chapter by summarizing what he has detailed so far, he describes that

the so called baby boomers had been born with an addiction they could never quench, the

expanding frontier was becoming a distant memory in the eyes of America as they had began to

look towards the future of building America on what had already been discovered. Shames

cleverly ends his chapter with the question “But who had started the flimsy and pernicious rumor

that it [being the addiction to the American frontier] was normal?” (82) he asks the reader this

final question to invoke a sleeper in the reader's mind that would keep being poked and prodded

until it could finally be answered.

Works Cited
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Shames, Laurence. “The More Factor.” Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular

Culture for Writers. 8th Edition, ed. Sonia Maasik, Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford/St.

Martin’s, 2015, 80-86. Print.