Marxist Criticism Essay

Marxism In 1984, By George Orwell's 1984
The dystopian novel 1984, written by George Orwell, depicts the life of Winston Smith as he lived
it in the year nineteen eighty four. Winston is a low–ranking member of an entity called the Party,
the governing body of the city of London. The Party is represented by a single figure known as Big
Brother, an all–knowing and an omnipresent factor in the lives of those that follow the Party.
Although no one knows who he truly is, Big Brother still holds tremendous weight in the lives of
Party members. The structure of the government in the novel mirrors the principles of Marxism, an
economic system that focuses on the means of production and class struggle within a given society
(Jakse ).In 1984, George Orwell uses key principles of Marxism to convey the Party's ability to
naturalize its dominance over the inhabitants of Oceania. The Party naturalizes the dominance that it
has in the way that it constantly conducts surveillance on its members. Through the use of devices
called telescreens, the government is able to observe every movement and sound made in the homes
of members, on the streets of Oceania, and in the workplace. These telescreens act as modern day
webcams and make the government privy to all things going on in the city. The footage transmitted
from these screens is monitored by the Thought Police, and it is this government body that
determines whether or not one is guilty of a crime. Since the members of the Party are so
accustomed to being constantly
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throughout the course of revolution. Marxists think that only they have the diagnostic aids to grasp
the development of historical revolution, also the means to catch a glimpse of what's coming later
on. As Karl Marx phrased it, "Communism is the riddle of history solved." Marxist Literary Theory
was built on the theories and beliefs of Karl Marx. This idea explores a text founded on who profits
from it – concerning class, culture, and social matters.
In Marxism and Literature (1977) Raymond Williams – a critic as well as a writer – argues 'cultural
materialism' in a Marxist context by stating is "a theory of the specificities of material cultural and
literary production within historical materialism." In his rewriting of Marxist theory and criticism,
Williams points out the interaction between concepts that had, so far, been treated as dichotomies. In
addition, cultural materialism focuses primarily on cultural and literary "production" rather than on
"consumption."
There are basically two concepts to Marxism – materialism and class struggle. What keeps the
society afloat is the economy. Karl Marx...show more content...
Examples of what is regarded as 'organized religion' are Hinduism and Christianity. Karl Marx
believed that religion was practiced to manipulate society and that the government utilized it as a
ploy to claim authority of society. This wouldn't let society be able to pick their own religion.
Marxism also had the idea that private establishments as well as private property should be taken
away; this is so it would make it difficult for people to be above one another, therefore coming to the
conclusion that there would be no incentive for putting more work in than another person. Private
establishments present the people with the chance at accomplishments and drive to shoulder other

Marxist Criticism In Animal Farm By George Orwell
Marxist Criticism is grounded in the economic and cultural theories of Karl Marx. Rather than
viewing a text as the product of an individual consciousness, Marxist critics examine a work as the
product of an ideology particular to a specific historical period (Eagleton 551). Such critics judge
a text on the basis of its portrayal of social actions and institutions as well as on its representation
of class struggle. This school of critical theory focuses on power and money in works of literature:
Who has the power and money? Who does not? What happens as a result? This essay seeks to
validate the claim that the novel Animal farm by George Orwell supports a Marxist agenda, as it
reveals, then invites us to condemn the oppressive socioeconomic forces including the repressive
ideologies associated with capitalism (Tyson 68)....show more content...
One of the first repressive ideologies associated with capitalism that is revealed to us in Animal
Farm is that of commodification. According to Tyson, "A commodities value lies not in what it can
do (use value) but in the money or other commodities for which it can be traded (exchange value) or
in the social status it confers on its owners (sign–exchange value) (62). Boxer serves as the greatest
example because he was the most loyal to the ideas of the revolution and in the end was proven to
be unnecessary to its existence or survival (Prawesti 16). Despite his personal mantra of "I will
work harder", when his use value got less than his exchange value, he was sold by Napoleon to a
company that would put him to sleep (Orwell 47). Animal Farm is expressing the view that there
must be a class of workers who are useful only when producing what the higher class of society

Marxist Prxist Criticism In The Life Of Pi
Marxist criticism is one of the literary lenses that are used when analyzing a work. Through this
criticism, I will be able to examine The Life of Pi to understand how class differences, struggle,
economics and politics influence the events that take place in the story. Marxist criticism focuses
on the economic structure of society as it believes that it has an influence on everything in life
and the lives of the characters are determined by social structure. It was developed by Marx and
Engels after Marx perceived that human history has consisted of a series of struggles between
classes. It also identifies the conflicts between classes, which the characters are part of and how
the quest for wealth defines them. This idea of classes, seeking wealth and escaping political
situations all take place in The Life of Pi, as Pi starts his life in India living an upper–middle–class
lifestyle then losing everything and having to work his way up again to regain his wealth in a new
country. The book starts with Pi recounting his youth and where he grew up along with the many
things that shaped his character. He tells stories of his teachers, insults that made him change his
name, and his faith in three religions. I made the assumption that Pi was living an
upper–middle–class lifestyle in India because Pi attends a good school as he says, "After St.
Joseph's, I went to Petit Seminaire, the best private English–medium secondary school in
Pondicherry." (Martel 21) and the quality of

THE CONTRIBUTION OF MARXISM TO THE STUDY OF LITERARY CRITICISM
It is evident that Marxism has made great contribution in the study and criticism of Literature, there
is need to explain a little bit on Marxism before we discuss its contribution.
Marxism is a social and political theory based on the works of Karl Marx and his followers,
associated with the socialist and communist movements, these works mainly are Manifesto of the
Communist Party and the German Ideology.
It should be understood that Marx never formulated a complete literary or aesthetic theory, but he
laid down the foundation to the emergence of Marxist literary critics, to mention only few ideas
which we think are very important in the study and criticism of literature...show more content...
Due to this emphasis, those who are considered as good writers tend to recast the historical record
in an artistic way, without reducing a literary text into a history book, this has even made possible
to trace the history of a particular society through the use of literary text, for example in Tanzania
you can use a novel or a play to trace the history of Tanzania from pre colonial period to post
independence era.
This also can be seen through Ngugi's novels whereby he begins from the history of his people as
the starting point: from Kikuyu and Mum–bi, the Father and Mother of the tribe; the prophesies of
ancient seers like Mugo wa Kibiro; the coming of European colonialists; the colonial encounter with
Africans; the maumau struggle for independence and the post independence scene in Kenya
Emergence of the view that, Literature should aim at a truthful reflection of reality, this means it
must demonstrate both concrete and abstract potentialities of human being, the literary
representation of this kind, implies a description of actual person's inhabiting a palpable,
identifiable world. This is put clearly by Lukas as he says ..... Am interested in what is typical, in
what one might call the ghostly aspect of reality ..... ( pp.112).

Marxist Criticism And Feminist Criticism
When one reads literature, can it make a difference in his views? Can it change the way she thinks
about various topics? Can it draw attention to situations going in today's society? Before one
answers this question, she should define and research what exactly is literature. According to a
dictionary, "Literature is writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of
permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history,
biography, and essays" ("Literature"). Those writings can tell individuals what is going on in the
world today, but does that mean that people will change what is going on? Literature can also tell
individuals ways in which they can change or adapt to the...show more content...
Is really possible that literature could really do as much as these two or any other critics say?
After research and various discussions, literature does have the power and opportunity to change
individuals' views, but that does not necessarily mean that it will actually make them change
their views. There are several general examples that one could look at in order to answer this
question. Those examples are as followed: kneeling on the knee for the National Anthem,
Beyonce's feminist music, social media posts, and sexism with the presidential election. Before
digging deeper into those examples, one should make an important note that writers are
equivalent to entertainers. Writers are a bit more formal, but both play an important role in the
views of society. First, look at the kneeling on the knee for the National Anthem. The National
Football League (NFL) has been taking part in the action as a way of making a peaceful protest
against social injustice. Anybody who watches NFL has seen this and it has caught their attention,
most likely, but has it changed their views on social injustice? Has it made them take a stand to
the situation or are they just aware of what is going on? What about Beyonce's recent feminist
music? Beyonce placed a lot of her feminist views on her 2013 album known as Beyonce. In her
song "Pretty Hurts," she speaks about how women obsessing their looks could be destructive. In
"Blow," she

Marxist Criticism On The Crucible
An Analysis of the Crucible Arthur Miller was a very public figure in the mid twentieth century
who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, accused of Communist affiliation, and married to Marilyn
Monroe. Yet Miller's works were never about the lives of such dramatic individuals, instead they
described the complex lives led by ordinary people. Miller evoked powerful feelings–love, vanity,
pride, and greed–from the seemingly simple events of the Crucible that allows for diverse gender
based, social, and psychological interpretation. The experiences of Abigail Williams and Elizabeth
Proctor, the social conflict in Salem, and the persistent themes of hysteria and guilt throughout the
Crucible can be analyzed from feminist, Marxist, and psychological...show more content...
According to British literary analyst Christopher Bigsby, on "one hand stands the church, which
provides the defining language within which all social, political and moral debate is
conducted."(85) On the opposite side of the spectrum stood the minorities, slaves, and women.
Because women "belonged" to the man of the household, any property or money they owned
belonged to male. This automatically placed women at the bottom of the social hierarchy, only
slightly above slaves and indentured servants. Even within the ranks of women, distinguished
wives like Elizabeth earned the respect of Salem's population while promiscuous girls like
Abigail were scorned and suspected of witchcraft. As "sexuality was proscribed, the imagination
distrusted, and emotions focused on the stirring of the spirit", rebellion was the only way for
those with the least amount of power to make their voice heard. (Bigsby 84) By inverting the
social spectrum with Abigail at the top, the repressed internal desires of the lower class were
released through a rebellion against the upper class. Yet the judges, the elite even amongst the
upper class, remained immune from the effects of the rebellion because their position was no
different from that of Abigail's. The judges expressed perverse pleasure from witnessing those with
power "stripped"; the idea of taking an individual's freedom and putting a person in bondage was a
twisted manifestation of sexual desire. The emergence of the judges' repressed desires shows that the
self–placed restraints of theocratic society were much more flexible for the elites than they were for
the lower

Marxist Literary Criticism Essay
While literary critics do attempt to elaborate or develop ideas articulated by Karl Marx, it is
important and necessary to make a distinction between Marx's specific socio–economic and political
agenda and the body of literary theory which emerged years later. Marxist literary criticism proceeds
from the fundamental philosophical assumption that "consciousness can never be anything else than
conscious existence...Life is not determined by consciousness, but consciousness by life" (Marx
568–9). Marxist critics use this challenge to the notion of an innate, prefigured, individual human
nature to reexamine the nature of creative or literary authority.
Power seems to reside outside or beyond the bounds of humanity. Rather...show more content...
Though such institutions are capable of reaffirming certain statements of power, hegemony itself is,
as Raymond Williams states, "a whole body of practices and expectations...our ordinary
understanding of the nature of man and his world...a sense of reality...a sense of absolute" (4).
While Marxist critics must admit that they themselves are helpless to avoid the effects of hegemony,
the critical project of Marxist literary criticism remains steadfastly committed to the attempt to
identify and understand the mediating contexts in which the forces of hegemony exert pressure on a
text, its author, and its audience. These contexts manifest themselves within specific historical,
economic, political, cultural, etc... conditions. In order to discover such contexts, a work of art
cannot be uprooted from the specific temporal circumstances in which it is read or created and
regarded as an isolated purely original entity. Literature, for better or worse, is mired in history.
Marxist literary criticism remains a very rational, pragmatic endeavor at its core. "If ideology were
merely some abstract set of notions...society would be very much easier to move and change than
in practice it has ever been or is" (Williams 3). Though aware of their own inability to comment
from outside the bounds of hegemony, Marxist critics seem to express a tacit hope that by providing
knowledge of hegemonic

How convincing was the Marxist critique of the capitalist state?
This next unit of theory is entitled "Ideology and Discourse." The theorists we're
examining––Althusser, Bakhtin, and Foucault––are discussing how ideology works, and how
ideologies construct subjects. All of these theorists are coming from a Marxist perspective, using
ideas and terms developed in Marxist theory, though only Althusser actually claims to be a Marxist.
So to start off, I want to talk a bit about some basic ideas of Marxist theory.
Marxism is a set of theories, or a system of thought and analysis, developed by Karl Marx in the
nineteenth century in response to the Western industrial revolution and the rise of industrial
capitalism as the predominant...show more content...
Marx's view of the idea of "dialectic" comes from Hegel, who thought that no ideas,
social formations, or practices were ever eternal or fixed, but were always in motion or flux
(something like Derrida's "play"). Hegel said that this motion or flux or change happens
in a certain pattern, which he called a "dialectic." Hegel says, change occurs as the result
of a struggle between two opposed forces, which then get resolved into a third entity. Hegel's model
of change looks like this: you start with a proposition or a position, which he calls a
"thesis;" the thesis then stands in opposition to another position, which he calls the
"antithesis" (and thus far it does work like our old friend the binary opposition). But
then the struggle between thesis and antithesis is resolved into a third position, or set of ideas or
practices, which Hegel calls the "synthesis." Then, of course, the synthesis eventually
becomes a thesis, with an antithesis, and the whole process starts over. But that, says Hegel, is how
change happens––by the continual struggle between thesis, antithesis, and synthesis.
In addition to being a kind of philosophy, Marxism is also a way to understand history. In this
sense, Marxism belongs to a kind of historicism called HISTORICAL MATERIALISM, which
shows that history, or social change, occurs

Marxist Criticism Of Hamlet
Derived from opinions and views of the Father of Communism and adapted to fit literature both
modern and classic, the Marxist lens is a particular way to view literature in relation to a powerful
bourgeoisie that abuses a less powerful or economically prevalent proletariat. Upon viewing a text
through this lens, common themes such as said abusement and commonly struggles for power
become commonplace. Through these lens, one can view Shakespeare's Hamlet and find social
classes set in the book and desires for power within and between them. While viewing Hamlet
through the Marxist lens, one could identify the tragedy as a struggle for power and a lesson on
retaliation and violence overall.
The Marxist literary criticism states that "literature reflects class struggle and materialism."
Someone who reads texts through a Marxist lens tries to identify issues that relate to both money
and power, and commonly asks questions about how they deal with the struggles for money and
power, along with the roles they play in the work. These criticisms stem from the beliefs and
perceptions of popular philosopher Karl Marx that human society consists of clashes and conflicts
between the oppressed and oppressing; between the proletariats and the bourgeoisie (Delahoyde).
While examining Hamlet through the Marxist Lens, one could see King Claudius as the powerful
and abusing bourgeoisie and Hamlet as the proletariat trying to overthrow him. Claudius is the best
representative of the wealthy and

Jurisprudence: Marxism
CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY
PROJECT REPORTS FIFTH SEMESTER 2010
JURISPRUDENCE
ON THE TOPIC "MARXIST INTERPRETATION OF LAW"
GUIDANCE AND INSTRUCTIONS BY :
MR. MANORANJAN
FACULTY FOR JURISPRUDENCE
SUBMITTED BY:
TULIKA SINGH
ROLL NO. 278
Acknowledgement:
This is to state that I, (TULIKA SINGH, ROLL–278) completed my fifth semester project work of
JURISPRUDENCE on the topic "MARXIST INETERPRETATION OF LAW". This project would
have not come to an end successfully without the help of many distinguished and undistinguished
personalities. I sincerely acknowledge the help rendered to me by our Faculty for the Jurisprudence.
He has helped me a lot whenever I needed any sort of assistance...show more content...
V. I. Lenin says, "In what sense do we repudiate ethics and morality? . . . In the sense in which it
was preached by the bourgeoisie, who derived ethics from God's commandments. We, of course, say
that we do not believe in God."
Taking the concept of matter,Marxism then sets forth to answer three questions: What is the origin
of energy or motion in nature? What causes galaxies, solar system, planets, animals and all
kingdoms of nature to constantly increase their numerical quantity? What is the origin of life, the
origin of species and the origin of consciousness and mind? Marx and Engels answer all of these
questions with three laws. The law of opposites, the law of negation and the law of transformation.
His theory of law and state might be described crudely as an economic theory of law and state. This
is why Marxist thought proved so attractive of critics of social systems; he saw societies as
inherently unstable systems. Furthermore, he sought the cause of social change in the internal
contradictions and conflicts in social systems.
The early Marx believes that law is a great progressive force. Under the influence of Hegel, the

early writings of Marx identify law as a symbol of a society's thinking and imply that law can be
expressive instrument, enabling a society to lay out central values. In this period Marx adopts a
natural law approach; the test of real law is that it enables freedom to enter into a man's social
existence. By contrast:
The later Marx

The Marxist Theory Of Marxist Criticism
The Marxist theory research
What is the marxist criticism?
Marxists believe that all of human history has been divided by socioeconomic classes. They believe
that the progression of history so far has been pushed forward by these class struggles. From these
struggles they say that capitalism was born, but eventually the struggles will reach a breaking point
where the lower and middle classes turn on the wealthy, leading to the implementation of socialism.
Looks at any struggles between different classes in the text.
Interprets the relationship between classes.
The text is viewed as a social institution, and then dominant class struggles are brought to life through
the themes of the text.
The author can put these class struggles into the...show more content...
Key terms:
Class struggle: Conflicts between employers and employees over rights, wages and working
conditions.
Capital: Something that turns a profit (i.e. railroads, factories)
Ideology: System of ideas and ideals that form the basis of economic, social and political policy.
Dialectic: A theory of history, that tells the story of the world as a continual resolution of
contradictions.
Laws of history: Marxists believe that human progression over history will eventually lead us to
socialism where everyone is equal and owns very little.
Socialism: A theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and
control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a
whole.
Communism: A theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in
common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.
Bourgeois: Dominant class who control and own means of production.
Proletariat: Subordinate class: do not own or control the means of production.
Key Assumptions:
Focuses on particular societal issues (culture, race, economical, power, etc.)
Marxists theorists look at literature as a social institution.
Look at ways the literature emerges from current ideologies and institutions.
Can also look at author's background and their societal standpoint.
Politics and

Fahrenheit 451 : A Marxist Criticism
Fahrenheit 451:A Marxist Criticism In Bradbury 's Fahrenheit 451, a dystopian society is depicted
lacking one major aspect; books. Written in the wake of the cultural purge by Nazi Germany, there
are evident parallels of the effects of mass media on culture between the book and the events that
took place in Germany. Bradbury 's intent of the novel is to demonstrate that in the lack of books and
outside forms of culture, information given replaces true, original thought, and the one thing that
makes people human disappears. Without the ability to freely think or successfully communicate,
humanity becomes no different than a machine. In Anthem, by Ayn Rand, Equality 7
–2521 comes to
the realization that the significance of individuality, and that one's own free thoughts, ideas, and
perceptions are what gives the individual purpose, and the world a meaning. Guy Montag comes to
a similar realization when he follows the steps of Equality 7–2521, and takes a step back from
society to gain a lens through Clarisse McKlellan. A lack of culture and literature has visible
effects of Clarisse McKellan, Guy Montag, Mildred, and society as a whole. The ideologies, class
struggles, and methods of control depicted in Fahrenheit 451 shed light upon the oppression of
culture in the absence of books, literature, and a basis for freethought. Marxism is a critical
perspective based off of the ideas of Karl Marx, with Marx's most famous work being the Communist
Manifesto. This book illustrates

Marxist Criticism And Winter Dreams
Marxist Criticism and Winter Dreams The sudden boom of economics in the 1920s brought along
advanced levels of consumerism. New productions that allowed an affordable and easier lifestyle
were marked by booming prosperity and inspired America in both negative and positive ways. It
inspired new products, but it also influenced racism; it made more goods available, but it also
created income disparity. Though there were the positive results, there were also negative results,
and it all affected each social class. Written in 1922, Winter Dreams helps portray the interaction
between the lower and upper classes in this time period through his characters and the conflict they
face.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's Winter Dreams, social classes are at each...show more content...
Dexter starts as a lower class and Judy starts as an upper class when they first interact.
Expectations are assumed, such as the upper class sees the lower class as servants and the lower
class sees upper class as ridiculous. When they meet in the middle, they conflict in their lower
and upper classes. After Dexter leaves for college, Judy stays in the upper class and he slowly
joins the upper class. When he comes back home, he and Judy interact and become friends.
However, when Dexter realizes that Judy misuses him and treats him badly, he leaves her even
though he loves her. Because he's part of the upper class and is able to, Dexter goes to parties and
clubs where he forgets about her and mingles with other high class members, eventually finding a
fiancee named Irene Scheerer. Soon, Judy comes back looking for the Dexter, "I wish you'd
marry me." This is an example of collision between classes. Judy now recognizes how rich Dexter
really is and wants him. After the war, Dexter is talking to a man named Delvin who mentions the
wife of one of his friends, "'Judy Simms,' said Delvin with no particular interest; 'Judy Jones she
was once.'" Delvin mentions how he is sorry for her, which surprises Dexter. He is told Judy
married into the lower class to a man who "drinks and runs around." In Winter Dreams, the lower
and upper class characters interact, meet, conflict, and soon split. Judy Jones and Dexter Green have

Marxist Criticism Of Snow White
After a few attempts on Snow White's life, the Queen finally succeeds in her plans and Snow
White falls down on the floor on the third trial of the queen. The last and most successful trick is
giving Snow White a poisonous but beautiful apple. It reminds the story of Adam and Eve in Bible
and other books of Abrahamic religions, where the woman is again portrayed as an evil creature,
beneath the man. In this story of religion, Adam and Eve are the ancestors of human beings who
were placed to live in Heaven by God. They are guarded by angels in the garden of Heaven. They
are clearly ordered not to touch the apple tree there. However, the Satan tempts Eve to eat an apple
from this tree, which depicts that she is the most vulnerable one in the couple to be fooled by Satan.
Then she goes on to tempt Adam and corrupt him the same way Satan did to her. When Adam and
Eve eat the forbidden fruit, they are banished from Heaven and sent to Earth as a...show more
content...
Patriarchal society is a place where women are dehumanized, thus considered as commodities. The
context of Snow White also set in a class–system. The evil mother is the monarch (the King is
absent in the story, but it is assumed that he exists), making Snow White a princess. It is not a
coincidence that the two most beautiful or "fairest" women in the text come from royalty. Snow
White does not betray to her royal ties, getting married to a prince in the end of the story. It is
true that when Snow White and the Queen fall apart, Snow White temporarily lives like a lower
class person. However, her royal ties are still there. This temporary period is when she is most
treated like a commodity, as a lower class person or a blue–collar worker would be in the hands of a
monarch or an employer. In the end of the story, she gets married to the prince, thus assumes her
royalty back. It is then, her turn to control the fate of her

Marxist Criticism Of 1984
Human history is full of hundred and millions of evil deeds, tragedies , wars and disasters. From
the past decades the social and economic problems has a huge impact on human livings ,which
are still existed in our world. Many novels and plays are being made on the social and economic
aspects of life which are based on different literary lenses. The novel 1984 by George Orwell is all
about the man named Hinston smith who lives in the society which is controlled by the political
party leader named big brother. He decided to be a rebellion and to fight against the big brother and
get out from this darkness eventually ended up dying at the end. the novel 1984 demonstrated the
many fundamental themes as a perspective of Marxist theory. The...show more content...
On the other hand ,the novel "1984" is described as a critique on the danger of capitalism, when the
whole society lives under the control of big brother . The society is suffering because of its own
consequences because of the capitalism in which society is ruled by bourgeoises. This reveals in the
novel when Hinston describe about the infrastructure, rules ,telescreens – how people are always
under surveillance , thought crime, face crime and the life of ordinary people who are living
there. This explains the theme because the whole society was under the surveillance of Big
Brother they all are treated as a slaves who are putted into jail in 24 hour surveillance. If the
society members protest against it, they are get executed and being killed. They all are living in a
darkness, for which they are responsible for themselves. This is how capitalism affects in 1984 in
which society have to suffer. Lastly, the element critique of the society is being used to show that
1984 is critique on changes of capitalism ,When Hinston talks about how the government is using
the society for their own benefits and to increase their powers. when he says," the problem turning
without increasing the reel week of the world. Goods must be produced ,but they must not be
distributed. And in the practice the only way of achieving this way by conditions welfare (page
148)" this reveals that the system/society at that time is

In the short story, The Open Boat, Marxist ideas are evident throughout the entire story. To
understand the text through a Marxist perspective or Marxist lense, let's first briefly summarize
what Marxist critics do. Firstly, they make a distinction between the overt and covert content of
literary pieces. Next, they relate the context of a piece to the social beliefs of the author, in our case,
American poet Stephen Crane. Marxist critics will also explain the nature of the entire literary
genre in terms of the social period from which the work came from, as well as relate the piece to
its readers and their social beliefs. Finally, a Marxist critic looks for symbols which reveal one of
a handful of themes which are seen in the Marxist social system. For our purposes, the covert and
overt pieces of a text can be useful for understanding the piece through a Marxist perspective.
Covert pieces of the text are the battle between men and nature, showing how little they are
relative to the might of the waves and the natural elements they face. Overt pieces are constant
throughout the text, such as the lonely and fearful tones which are evident throughout. At any
moment, all four crew members could be washed overboard and killed, displaying the severity of
the issue and why they are so focused on staying alive on the rough waters. This is seen on page 8
where the fears faced by the members of the crew, who are isolated from land but can see interact
through basic communications with the mob of people on the shore, are left to feel hopeful yet
isolated from a civilization who are seemingly unable to help the stranded sea goers.
The author of The Open Boat, Stephen Crane, was a 19th century poet, novelist, and short story
writer. The American author, Crane, who was considered one of the best authors of his time, is
famous for writing about Naturalism and Impressionism, which are literary methods of observation
and art movement popularized in the 19th century. Throughout Crane's works, common tones and
moods are fear and isolation, which was something he developed early in his writing. The story of
The Open Boat was based on direct experiences Crane faced during his time as a news
correspondent during the Cuban

Marxist Critical Lens
This assessment of turning objects and persons into something of value is a fragmented yet
archetypical manifestation of Marx's greater philosophical works. The literary criticism that
implements Marx's theories of socialism and dialectics is the basis on interpreting literary works.
For the Marxist critic, literature is in of itself a social institution, with a particular ideological
function based on the experience and beliefs of the author, and a material product to be
comprehended in broadly historical terms, emphasizing class and ideology as they are illustrated,
distribute, and contest the social order of the period in which it was written. Terry Eagleton, in his
book Marxism and Literary Criticism, describes Marxist application to literature

Marxism In Hamlet
Marxism in Shakespeare's Hamlet
"Between 1983 and 2010, 74% of the gains in wealth in the United States. went to the richest 5%,
while the bottom 60% suffered a decline, the EPI calculated"(Schuman). German philosopher Karl
Marx believes all historical change comes from class struggles and studies the society. The
Marxist lens deals with the differences of the social classes and their effects on society as a whole.
It has the upper classes fighting to keep their power and the lower classes fighting for power. In
Hamlet through the Marxist lens, the powerful, powerless, and the society it produces from, help
reveal social class issues.
The wealthy and powerful are known as the bourgeoisie.They control the money in the society by
owning the means of production. This allows them to be able to manipulate politics, government,
education, art, and media. The bourgeoisie also show off their possessions which reflects their
wealth. The bourgeoisie uses this to keep the lower classes beneath them. Whenever a person
from the lower classes gain something, the upper class try to find something bigger and better to
keep the oppressed. It seems that it is easy to keep their power since they always put the lower
classes beneath them, however, the bourgeoisie do struggle to obtain it after gaining it. Sometimes
people get jealous of other powerful people and want to take it from them like Claudius does when
he admits "...for which I did the murder–/ My crown, mine own ambition, and my

Niki Barnes
Literature and Film
C Block
January 30, 2018
Critical Theory Writing Assignment
I chose the Marxist Criticism chapter because after reading the piece I believe that the marxist
perspective complements today's world better than ever and it also caught my attention most when
learning about the various theories in the class presentation. In Lois Tyson's marxist chapter, the
quote, "From a marxist perspective, differences in socioeconomic class divide people in ways that
are much more significant than differences in religion, race, ethnicity, or gender"(54) demonstrates
that the marxist view is commonly forgotten in our day to day lives when considering our thought
processes. The common structures of human society revolves around economics,...show more
content...
He repeats his ideals of commodification and adds in some new viewpoints on how capitalism
can have its negatives. Tyson's argument for Gatsby's beloved Daisy relates to his commodity
quote on how people choose dates based on money. For example, Tyson writes how "Tom relates
to the world only through his money; for him, all things and all people are commodities"(70). Tom
uses his relationships with women, especially Daisy to put himself higher on a social scale as well
as developing a higher socioeconomic status. Tyson has to stretch many of his arguments to fit the
marxist theory but he definitely made it match all of his arguments. He even goes so indepth to
explaining how commodification "is a psychological attitude that has invaded every domain of our
existence"(79). Secondly he write how capitalism has some negatives, "an object becomes a
commodity only when it has exchange value or sign–exchange value, and neither form of value is
inherent in any object. Both are forms of social value:they are assigned to objects by human
beings in a given social context."(69) We rely so much on values of the objects we have just like
how Gatsby cares deeply about the socioeconomic status of each and every one of his party

Marxist Criticism Essay

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