Section 1, Part 3 Summary and Analysis

"Soap Powders and Detergents" In this essay, the author undertakes an in-depth analysis of various types of cleaning products and the symbolic/mythological meanings of their advertising campaigns. He divides his analysis into several categories, defining bleach-oriented products as being portrayed as "a sort of liquid fire", while abrasives are portrayed as aggressive products that "kill" dirt. He describes soap powders as a kind of separating agent, pushing dirt away from the object, "keeping public order not making war." He then describes the "whiteness" promised by so many of these products as playing to the vanity of consumers, in particular the bourgeois concern with appearances. Finally, he discusses the way in which so many soap products foam, describing in some detail how foam, on almost every level, represents non-productivity and luxury, yet, when juxtaposed with the power of the...