grand materialism of California???
The afternoon I flew into Oakland airport from Hong Kong, I had to take public transportation across the bay because my family was confused by the dateline and thought I was arriving the next day. The doors were locked when I got to the house in Saratoga and no one would be around for hours. With little else to do, I sat outside and waited. It felt odd to be back in the grand materialism of California. Our neighborhood, with its empty streets and perfect lawns, seemed sterile after India. It was a mind-blowing contrast.

For "grand materialism of California", i would like to know whether it can be understood by its literal meaning ? Thanks.

Question

grand materialism of California???
The afternoon I flew into Oakland airport from Hong Kong, I had to take public transportation across the bay because my family was confused by the dateline and thought I was arriving the next day. The doors were locked when I got to the house in Saratoga and no one would be around for hours. With little else to do, I sat outside and waited. It felt odd to be back in the grand materialism of California. Our neighborhood, with its empty streets and perfect lawns, seemed sterile after India. It was a mind-blowing contrast.

For "grand materialism of California", i would like to know whether it can be understood by its literal meaning ? Thanks.

Answer

From Google I learn that this is from "The Bite in the Apple: A Memoir of My Life with Steve Jobs. By Chrisann Brennan." This is helpful because now I know that it is a modern Californian talking about modern California.

I think it can be taken literally. I am not sure how accurate it is, but it is common to regard the United States as very materialistic, and California as being especially and architypically American.

I haven't read the book but I assume she found India to be more spiritual. I think she is expressing ambivalence. "Grand" can mean simply huge, or it can mean marvelous and wonderful. She is saying that after India, California seems good and bad at the same time.

Answer

Your meaning of "grand materialism" is not clear in this context. You speak of empty streets, perfect lawns, and a sterile feeling, which does not evoke the image of materialism. Do you mean "mass conformity"? A place with no character, where everything seems the same?

Answer

Yes, I think here the author is talking about an aspect of American suburban culture ('suburbia') that many people criticize. The author saw the tidy houses and nice cars and he probably felt that the people there focused too much on accumulating objects to give them physical pleasures, but that everything felt sterile and superficial. The author was used to neighborhoods in India that were not as tidy and quiet, but the people there cared more about their human relationships than their physical possessions. This is a very philosophical and interesting topic regarding happiness and how to live your life!