In this journal, you are asked to write a Marxist critique of your chosen novel.
According to Marxists, literature reflects those social institutions out of which it emerges and is itself a social institution with a particular ideological function. Literature reflects class struggle and materialism: think how often the quest for wealth traditionally defines characters. So Marxists generally view literature "not as works created in accordance with timeless artistic criteria, but as 'products' of the economic and ideological determinants specific to that era" (Abrams 149). Literature reflects an author's own class or analysis of class relations, however piercing or shallow that analysis may be.
According to Marxists, literature reflects those social institutions out of which it emerges and is itself a social institution with a particular ideological function. Literature reflects class struggle and materialism: think how often the quest for wealth traditionally defines characters. So Marxists generally view literature "not as works created in accordance with timeless artistic criteria, but as 'products' of the economic and ideological determinants specific to that era" (Abrams 149). Literature reflects an author's own class or analysis of class relations, however piercing or shallow that analysis may be.
The Marxist critic simply is a careful reader or viewer who keeps in mind issues of power and money, and any of the following kinds of questions:
- What role does class play in the work; what is the author's analysis of class relations?
- How do characters overcome oppression?
- In what ways does the work serve as propaganda for the status quo; or does it try to undermine it?
- What does the work say about oppression; or are social conflicts ignored or blamed elsewhere?
- Does the work propose some form of utopian vision as a solution to the problems encountered in the work?
So, as you respond, apply these strategies to your book.
Looking for an example of Marxist criticism? The article linked here contains a Marxist analysis of Of Mice and Men. Note how the author uses textual evidence to support their analysis, and spends almost no time giving mere summary. Remember to write two paragraphs; each paragraph should be at least eight sentences long.
Hardwigg and Harry are both part of a high social class. They spend money whenever and however they please. They seem quite comfortable in their lifestyle and haven't really shown an understanding of the lower class. Harry and Hardwigg sometimes act like they think they are entitled to their riches. The main characters have not been financially or racially oppressed whatsoever. Unless you count the fact that Harry could not talk to most of the Icelanders because he didn't know the language. I feel that Hans may have been oppressed at some point in his life. Yes he is a physically strong man, but he is extremely dedicated to his masters, which hints at a sorrowful backstory. Harry comments a lot about Hans's dedication and emotional detachment. Hans sacrifices himself for only three rix-dollars a week and does all of the manual labor. Hardwigg was willing to give and Hans was humble to receive; "Neither one of them had any thought about money; one was ready to take all that was offered him, the other ready to offer anything that was asked"(48).
ReplyDeleteAs stated earlier, there isn't any obvious oppression going on. However, if you look closer, the whole book is undermining the scientific laws and theories of that time period. While deep underground, Harry and Hardwigg often argued about the physics of their environment. They contradicted each other because Harry believed the preexisting theories, while Hardwigg stated the newly discovered facts. In "A Journey to the Center of the Earth" all social conflicts are completely ignored. The obvious low standard of life of their hosts, during their journey to the volcano, was passively overlooked. Hardwigg seemed to think nothing of it as long as he threw some money at them on his way out. The only solution proposed to fix the social issues is when Hardwigg gives money, which I do not think is a solution at all, especially because he only gives money in return for something.
I agree that there is oppression going on. The people that are all around Harry and Hardwigg aren't as rich as them. So I agree with you about how Hardwigg thinks money is the soloution to everything. However why do you think Verne's made Hardwigg like that? Was it because of how he was raised that he believes that or the way the economy worked back then? As for the how Harry and Hardwigg arguing so much. Why do you think Harry is so obsessed with the original theories and not the one they are testing right now? Also what exactly do you believe is Han's background? You mentioned it seems he had a sad past.
DeleteI think Verne made Hardwigg that way to represent how the high class acted in his time period. It is a reflection of how Verne perceived them. I do not necessarily think that Verne was raised to believe that the economy worked like that. I think Harry is stuck on the original theories because that is what he knows best. Harry didn't want to go on the journey in the first place; he plainly expressed his distaste. Harry is not the outgoing type, probably more comfortable curled up with a book at home. The new theories are unknown and frightening to him. Though there is a noticeable change in Harry as the book continues on. He seems to be becoming more adventurous. I think that Hans has probably had a master all his life. Maybe he's gone from one to the other, only trying to make a living. Or maybe he's tragically lost loved ones, hence why he's so loyal.
DeleteThe book Shane takes place in the old west, a much better time, for the most part. they have a few economic struggles but most of it is them trying to make a living. The antagonist, Fletcher, is a rich homesteader who wants their land and tries to push them off so that he can expand. you saw a lot of this back then, people where trying to make a living and when they couldn't do it honestly they tried other things.
ReplyDeleteone of the major struggles have been keeping the farm up, with Fletcher trying to push them off and everything that needed to be done. Shane showed a lot of hos character when he told Bob's family that he overcharged the plow. it turned out good sebaceous they saved just over fifty dollars witch went a long way back then.
Marian also was pointing out to Joe that Shane lived way different than the Starrett family. However, Joe does not think that this will effect Shane's effectiveness on the farm. Do you think that it will effect negatively or positively?
Deletei dont quite know yet. we will have to see
DeleteThere aren’t exactly different classes in “Lord of the Flies” but the reader is able to see who has power over others. For example Ralph and Jack are the main guys and people listen to them. Ralph is the overall chief but Jack still has an influence over Ralph. To me it seems that Jack and the choir boys were in the higher class before they crash landed on this island. “Wearily obedient, the choir huddled into the line and stood there swaying in the sun” (Page 20). They seem to be in order, obedient, and move as one. In my opinion they also seem to be snooty and act like they’re better than everyone. From that we can infer that they went to a private school, or something along those lines, which we usually associate with rich people.
ReplyDeleteSo far we aren’t really able to infer anything about the other children on the island. They are young so they act how children would. This causes us to be clueless as to what class they were in. However, on the island there are different classes to some extent. There are the people who are more in charge, and then there are the children who do what they are told. On the island, Ralph, Jack, and Simon would probably be considered in the high class. They are the main characters in this novel and people listen to them. Piggy on the other hand isn’t treated very well by them. He tries to overcome this oppression by speaking at their meetings and giving his input but then Ralph or Jack usually shrugs it off. I personally feel like the split of “classes” on the island will most likely cause a conflict later on between the people.
I would say that there are still different social classes. You don't need money or economics to see the difference between how people treat each other. I think a big part of this was also what class their families were in before the crash took place. Although, I do agree with you in the difference in groups of characters that there are. However, as a kid I see it more as them just picking their friends out which everyone does.
DeleteUsually when you talk about different classes it relates to money and social status though not just how people are treated. I also believe that their classes before the crash are important. Who they were before the crash also defines who they are and how the act on the island currently.
DeleteIn the novel Gone With the Wind, it is very easy to see the book in a Marxist point of view because this book mostly focuses class and how much money each family has. Towards the beginning of the book it focuses on how much power Scarlett has. She shows this by proving to all the other ladies she can have what she wants. Shes taught this by her mother and father who also seem to be pretty wealthy and classy. Although sometimes Scarlett makes poor choices proving her class fouly. This creates other characters around her, in Tara, to talk badly about her and make her out to be a bad person. Everyone talks about Scarlett in a bad way because they are jealous of her. She seems to have more than all the other ladies in this book. She has more money, and better looks, she can have any many she wants in Tara and that makes the other girls mad. The one thing that could be debatable that would change her class would be her personality. She is very selfish and always gets her way but to make up for it she is brave and has courage and strength to pursue anything she wants to.
ReplyDeleteTowards the middle of the book the civil war happens. This is when Scarlett begins to go downhill just like everyone else. This eventually leads to her overcoming her oppression. The war happens and they lose everything they have money, family, good times. Many people grew weak from disease and couldn't help all the hundreds of hurt soldiers. The Yankees overtook them and they had to leave their home with no food and no money. This made Scarlett become a leader and do the best for everyone and herself. She got them all to safety and to a home. Still poor Scarlett does the unthinkable; She creates her own business, which in that time period was a man's job, but she did this anyway to get enough money to provide her loved ones with food and clothes. She ended up successful in the business and provided money for all the things her and her friends needed to survive in the hard time. This was Scarlett overcoming her oppression.
Classes of the poor and rich are very important in plot of “The Pearl”. This is shown in many places and is especially shown in the main character’s home life. Kino’s life is as a poor man who takes care of his family in a poverty ridden lifestyle. Yet, as Kino and his family of three live in this lifestyle they seem to be the happiest that they could be. But a problem does occur when Kino’s child is stung by a scorpion and he takes him to a doctor. When he does this he is told and knows himself that the doctor is a rich man and will most likely not see to his child’s wounds. It is shown that the doctor would not see the child because he selfishly turned Kino away with his dying child. The rich are shown as more greedy and more evil people than poor and poverty stricken people.
ReplyDeleteLater, Kino finds a solution to solve his poverty lifestyle. Kino finds the “Pearl Of The World” which is described as the largest and wondrous pearl seen by the people. Kino dreams of being a rich man in his new life, and he plans all of the things that he would do with his new found wealth. But as he sees his new possible life, he starts to also see danger and evil around him as he is attacked multiple times. He himself becomes entranced in power of the pearl as he attacks his wife who tries to rid of the pearl because of the danger it has brought to the family. As Kino tries to keep his dream alive he lives a more dangerous life as he kills a man who was after the pearl. John Steinbeck shows that money and wealth will lead you into a less happy and desirable life. Or, Steinbeck could also be trying to demonstrate that someone who is poor should not be able to become rich. These ideas relate closely to Kino’s journey as he goes through the danger to gain what he wants, and although he has good intentions it seems that he will go a dark path to achieve his goal.
DeleteDo you see any similarities between this novel and John Steinbeck's other novel, "Of Mice and Men"? I definitely do. I agree with everything you said about the relationships between the rich and the poor are harsh, and the difference between them seems very big. What do you think Steinbeck is doing? How do you think this relates to the “American Dream”?
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ReplyDeleteClass plays a very large role in "The Light in the Forest". It can obviously be seen between the Indians and the English. To the English the Indians are very savage and lowly race. The English believes this so much that they are willing to murder and take from the Indians. In this book the Englishmen would be the upper class and the Indians the lower class. This is the opposite in the Indian's eyes. The English are weird in their ways and are looked at as savage. Despite this fact, I feel that the English's ways of looking at the class ranks is more important in the books.
ReplyDeleteTrue Son, being the main character of the book, is a very good character for displaying the fight against oppression. The Indian/English children are not treated very well and are marched to the city where many of them will live. They are guarded and treated practically like animals. True Son fights against this by trying to run away but fails each time. When True Son is with his english family he refuses to speak english. He plays dumb and in a way he wins against that type of oppression. He also refuses to wear 'English' clothes but in the end he gives in and wear them. I am not far enough into the book to decide if True Son overcomes all oppression but, so far, things don't look very promising.
Why do you feel that the English ways of looking at the class rank is more important?
DeleteThe two classes that are obvious to me are the Indian and White classes. There are other races in the story such as African Americans but they fall to the "dirt-low" class as Indians. The main character, True Son, views this in exact opposite. He thinks that the Indians are higher than the white men and attempts to have some of this strength by refusing to wear English clothes, in the end he succumbs to oppression because his Aunt steals his clothes leaving him with no choice but to wear white men's clothing.
By not wearing the English men's clothes True Son is saying that they're not good enough for him and he views white men as a weaker race than Indians in which he doesn't want to be apart of. In fact, True Son tries to run to an ancient Indian near by but gets stopped by his "family". True Son's future looks like it'll get worse before it becomes better.
I feel that the English way at looking at society is more important because the English have more power. Sure, the Indians have just as much ability to kill as the English do but the English have guns and more men. The people of power often have the biggest say in the societal rank.
DeleteI agree that the people in power often have the biggest and most important say. How do you think that the English men came to have such power?
DeleteThe English had, for one thing, numbers. When they came to America they brought new diseases that killed my Indians who were not immune to these new illnesses. The English also had weapons, like guns, that Indians had never seen before and the Indians had no way to fight against guns.
DeleteClass plays a very large role in "The Light in the Forest". It can obviously be seen between the Indians and the English. To the English the Indians are very savage and lowly race. The English believes this so much that they are willing to murder and take from the Indians. In this book the Englishmen would be the upper class and the Indians the lower class. This is the opposite in the Indian's eyes. The English are weird in their ways and are looked at as savage. Despite this fact, I feel that the English's ways of looking at the class ranks is more important in the books.
ReplyDeleteTrue Son, being the main character of the book, is a very good character for displaying the fight against oppression. The Indian/English children are not treated very well and are marched to the city where many of them will live. They are guarded and treated practically like animals. True Son fights against this by trying to run away but fails each time. When True Son is with his english family he refuses to speak english. He plays dumb and in a way he wins against that type of oppression. He also refuses to wear 'English' clothes but in the end he gives in and wear them. I am not far enough into the book to decide if True Son overcomes all oppression but, so far, things don't look very promising.
In the book "Dracula", it's a bit hard to see classes among the people, but there is some form of it. First is the Count. When Jonathan entered Dracula's room, he noticed as entire part of the room has been devoted to wealth. There was chalices made of gold and jeweled items. Under that was many forms of currency, all in which of gold. Also, the Castle Dracula has been handed down the family line, so their must be a heavy presence of wealth in the family. Then again, he is part in a royal bloodline.
ReplyDeleteAnother form of the higher classes and the middle classes takes place a few countries away. Lucy, a friend of Mina (Now wife of Jonathan) had a strange encounter and two odd holes, basically pin pricks, appeared in her neck. Eventually, it attracted the attention of two doctors in another country. They traveled to her house and back to their homes almost daily. This shows that they have wealth if they can afford the trips to and from. Mina is a train ride away and can't afford the ticket. This shows that she is in the lower class with not as much money as the doctors in the upper classes.
In "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" the classes are visible but not pointed out. Classes are not really important in this book because it is mainly focused around a ten year old. Tom is what seems to me as middle class. He seems to have what he wants but isn't necessarily rich. He mentioned that there is a lady who is the only person with a mansion in town. The book doesn't really go in enough description to show who is above or below others. The main factor is because its about kids.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest evidence of classes is Tom's best friend Huckleberry Finn. His father was a drunk and left and he has no home. He sleeps on doorsteps and in empty hog heads. He sometimes doesn't get enough food to eat. Another example is Muff Potter. He told his story of how he would fish for money and help people even though he had nothing. He was also very grateful when Tom and Huck would help him.
I agree with you on the fact that the classes are not pointed out but are definitely there. what other examples did you find of classes?
DeleteIn The Red Badge of Courage, there are not classes that are stated. You can make connections with the book as it was during the Civil War - there were poor farmers, rich politicians, and soldiers. There are another type of class you can connect with - the Army rankings. Henry is not very high in the rankings because he is scared of war. If he wants to become higher, he has to stop running and start sacrificing. There is no discrimination in this book of the higher rankings not talking or hanging out with the lower. Stephen Crane did not put social classes into this book and that could be because he is focusing on the war. When you're in the war, you aren't worried about too much other than the war.
ReplyDeleteThe social classes are pretty much ignored in this book. During the Civil War, you were what you were. There wasn't much of a chance to become rich when you were a farmer. Most of the people in the US were low to middle class. This wasn't a good time period for the US and their people. I am thinking that Henry is going through oppression of being in the war. He isn't treated very nicely. I do think that he will come over this because I feel like he is on the Hero's Journey.
I agree with what you are saying but am curious as to why you think Stephen Crane would leave out social classes. Do you think that it was because he wanted the readers to focus more on the war and not on the social struggles?
DeleteI feel like the only possible social classes to put into this book were the rankings in the Army. He could've put in a few other social classes with the farmers and politicians or something, but I think that would've been to hard.
DeleteIn "The Red Badge of Courage" we don't see much of social classes. I say this because we see people in a war not out in every day life living how they normally would. During this time most of the upper class of people did not even step foot on a battle field. With this information I would say it is safe to assume that most of the people in this book are of middle or low class. Henry I assume is a poor low class family from the north. The reasons I assume such things is because his mother does not want him to join the war. She wants him to stay home and help on the farm.
ReplyDeleteWhile social classes are not prominent in this story there is another type of class that can be seen. The other type of classes I'm talking about are the ranks in the Army. Such as how Henry enters into the Army as a private, this could be considered the lower class of Army. Following this the higher ranking a person becomes the higher his "social" class is. Such as Henry's Colonel would be in my mind considered a middle class. While a Captain would be a high class. This is of course theoretical and could not be true.
Do think that all higher class people did not fight at all? If not, do you what do you think they did to help the cause? Do you think Henry will move up the ranks later on?
DeleteI can only assume that some of the higher class fight the war but not all did. I don't think they will show Henry move up because of how he is scared of the war.
DeleteIn Little Women, the main characters, a bunch of young teenage girls are supposed to be classy. During the time period of this story women were supposed to act as perfect as possible. They had to have the most class as possible. The girls are oppressed by the fact that they are poor. They also sometimes have issues staying extremely classy, especially Jo.
ReplyDeleteThe marxist theory contains like the class of the story. The book is split up into the blacks and the whites. The whites hate on the blacks and call them names. The blacks are treated differently. Joe overcome oppression because he is abused as a child and runs away and stands up for himself in the story.
ReplyDeleteSocial problems in the book is ignored for the most part because nobody stand up for the blacks. The only way people defend is when Miss Burden is having sex with Joe and when she is pregnant she tells people and says that she is happy that it is Joe’s. There is many oppression in the story but not a lot is done about it. In the end everyone seems to die off and it just ends.
Do you think his foster dad was abused as a child and that's why he did it to Joe? If you were in Joe's shoes, would you run away, or resist? I did notice that one class separation was skin color. Do you feel Joe's mom was beat because she had a baby with a black man. What do you think about Joe's grandpa?
DeleteNo I think he was just taught as a child to not except blacks or treat them fair. I would run away and try to start a new life in a new town. Yes because she like broke the rules to her father and he didn't like that. Joe's grandpa was rude and unfair i feel but that was just the way he was raised.
DeleteThe marxist theory for Animal farm has a lot of upper and lower class. It is sort of like the working class and non-working class. In Animal Farm, the pigs are the ones who take control of everything. They are like the leaders. The working class is like the sheep, the horses, the hens and then the house pets like the dogs and cats.
ReplyDeleteThere are many social problems in the book. A few come in the working class of the animals. Every animal is too scared to do anything to the pigs because of all the power and all the intelligence the pigs have. Another social problem in the book is that Napoleon has too much power. He is so powerful that he has the other intelligent animals fooled that he's sort of like a god.
I agree with you when you say there are classes in the book. The different classes create problems however, the pigs think they are entitled to everything because they are the smartest. They are corrupting the farm by bringing up ideas and convincing the animals who can't think for themselves to go with it.
DeleteDo you see how Napoleon is creating issues? Do you think it was necessary for him to banish Snowball?
I do think Napoleon is creating issues. I don't it was necessary to banish Snowball. I don't think he did anything wrong.
DeleteIn “The Call of the Wild” social classes are easily visible to the reader. At the start of the book, Buck lives in a very nice home, with a wealthy family. They have everything they could ever need, and more. As Buck is taken from the mansion, you can see what it is like for the lower classes in the book. The gardener who took Buck was a lower class worker who needed money to support his family. He was only trying to survive, and didn’t know what would happen to Buck after he gave him to the other men. When Buck gets off the train and meets the man with the red shirt and the club, you see the middle class. This man isn’t extremely wealthy, but he isn’t struggling to survive either. For the rest of the book Buck is mostly in the lower societal class. It is easy to see that the lower class struggles to make ends meet, both through the way that the men are forced to work, and how hard the dogs work with little rest, and almost no food.
ReplyDeleteI think this book seems to be pushing the point that living as a lower class citizen is really hard, and that the upper class have it made. It is always showing the lower class workers as upset, worried, and really struggling in everything that they do. Nothing is easy for them. None of the lower class people ever seem happy either. It does seem to push the fact that having money will make life easier. In the short amount of time Buck was at his old house in the book, everyone was care-free and there were no worries. It is exactly the opposite when Buck is among the lower class as a worker. Everyone is upset, tense and no one really gets along. They are all just doing their best to survive.
It's sad that the gardener needed the money so badly that he sold Buck. I wonder how many other people were that desperate.
DeleteThe Marxist theory for Light in August, is defined as a low class setting. At the beginning, Lena has to walk to Jefferson because she doesn't have any form of transportation. No one is defined in the book as having a lot of wealth. This book reflects the lower class, as more harmful. Joe Christmas's dad was very abusive, and when he didn't like the idea of saving money. Joe Christmas also didn't have money, and is blamed for the murder. The book puts the image of low class people resulting in violence when they are depressed. "Stealing" is also evident in the book. Joe Christmas would not pay prostitutes afterwards.
ReplyDeleteThe book makes the low class seem scary, and to stay away from that class. Light in August conveys violence as being related to being poor. When oppressed, characters result in stealing to make up for their losses. The government is not blamed for causing the oppression, but is more of the time that people didn't work for luxury, but rather just to make a living.
Do you think the story would change if it wasn't in a low class setting? Like do you think the story would change a lot? A little? Do you think stealing defines Joe? Is that what he is known for or what do you think about him? I think that he is a sex addict and is a very strange man. Do you think if the government stepped in it would change the story? I don't think it would. But yes the book makes the low class seem very scary.
DeleteIf the story was in an upper class setting, I don't think the violence would be apart of this book as much. I think that Joe Christmas is defined as a criminal. I think that Joe might change after he gets out of jail, if he gets out of jail.
DeleteI found it very difficult to find Marxism in White Fang. This was mainly because the book had little to no social classes in it per say, because it was centralized around an animal, and had small amounts of human interaction. An example could be when White Fang gets introduced into the sled team. They have formed a kind of cliche, that is the other dogs dislike him, because he is seen as below them, as a wolf dog instead of just a dog. Another hierarchy formed is in between White Fang and the humans. He often resists them, and tries to do what he wants, instead of their wishes. Every time he does this it ends up poorly for him. Most of the time he gets beat down, some would say oppressed by this upper class of humans.
ReplyDeleteEventually I got really into the idea of the main form of Marxism in White Fang being the relationship between White Fang and the humans. Often times White Fang is oppressed by these mysterious humans. He is separated from his mother, put to work, beat, not fed, the list goes on and on. These humans took White Fang and his mother from the wild, and made them slaves to the humans’ will. White Fang used to be strong and independent, but then the humans came in, and started half taking care of him, half oppressing him, making him become weak and unable to survive on his own. Throughout the first several chapters White Fang grows up with the humans, and tries to grow and learn, and be his own wolf dog. While he does this though, he is prevented from being free by these humans, and forced to be what they want instead of what he wants. So although White Fang may only have named a few humans in the main story, there are still two distinct social classes, White Fang and the humans.
Other than White Fang in relation to the humans, are there any other forms of Marxism? I have trouble finding more connections but I am sure there are more. If so, who is involved and how does this affect the novel. What differences would be noticeable, if White Fang was completely raised by the Natives?
DeleteI think that another form of Marxism could be the relationship in between the Natives and the Whites, which I guess are just sub-classes in the whole human category. I think that if White Fang had been completely raised by the Natives he would probably more domesticated, and probably be less rebellious, seeing how he wouldn't know about the freedoms of the wild, and not long for them as much.
DeleteWhile reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen this week, I tried to use the Marxist Theory. I realized that this book has a lot to offer when looking from this point of view. First, overall, this book has a lot to do with the upper-class. But, at the same time, it talks a lot about the Bennets, a family of the middle-class. In a lot of instances, the more money someone has, the more power they have. But, in this book, money has lost a lot of its charm. Now, Jane is in love with Mr. Bingley for him, not just his money. In the beginning it seemed to be the opposite. Money was the power that drove the Bennets, including Jane, to meet Bingley in the first place. It's fortunate that now money doesn't mean much to Jane.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, while reading this week, I learned that Darcy was beginning to fall for Elizabeth. Before, Darcy thought he had too much power and authority to even dance with her. He was much too proud and full of himself, and Elizabeth knew that from listening to him talk with his Bingley. What's funny now is that he's attracted to her, and she is disgusted by him. He even starts eavesdropping on her conversations, yet she still is not amused. At one point, he gets to carry on a conversation with her. But, unfortunately, he brought up the wrong kind of subject, and drew her even further away. It just goes to show that some individuals, like Elizabeth, aren't necessarily into others just for the wealth.
Do you think the upper class was a stereotype in the era? I think they somewhat were. I even think not in a positive way. Why do you think the story revolves around a middle class family? I think it was kind of weird and eye catching. If families were upper class and important what would make the Bennet family equally as important? Did your thoughts change about money into the book more and how wealth effects everything? I think it was shown how characters interact with each other a lot, could you see it as much like me?
DeleteThe upper-class was definitely a little bit stereotypical. Very common, but at the same time it wasn't. I agree, I also find it strange that the story revolves around a middle-class family when the upper-class was such a big deal at the time. In my opinion, both classes are equally important, but that's not how all people see or used to see it. If I were someone in the upper-class back then, I think just knowing someone on a more personal level would make me think they're equally important.
DeleteMy thoughts on money did not change much because the overall views on wealth didn't really change in anyone's eyes other than Jane and Mr. Bingley's in the story. However, they are main characters, so I guess I saw it a little differently for that reason only.
In "The Call of the Wild" there are different social classes. Buck has been passed down through all of them. He started at the top and now he's at the bottom. Instead of laying around in the sun he has to work. Now he has to try to get everything he needs. Before it was all just given to him. It only takes one or two decisions to put someone at the bottom.
ReplyDeleteWhile Buck was living at the top he felt like a king. He could roam where he wanted do what he wanted and everyone seemed to be his friend. That was until the gardener sold him. Now anyone could hurt him even the other dogs. He can't do what he wants anymore either. He has to work or be punished.
I agree that there are different social classes in "The Call of the Wild" and that Buck started at the top of them. Do you think he is really at the very bottom of the classes now, or would you consider what he is now the middle class? I think that because of how everyone was living at the time, Buck might almost be considered the middle class because it was such hard times for everyone.
DeleteIn the book Kidnapped, they are on a boat for a lot of the book. This means that class isn’t showed as much, but power is definitely displayed. The captain has most control on the boat due to him being in charge. David got forced onto the boat so he did not have power over that. David overcame the being lower by when the boat sank he was able to walk across the low river. That then led him to get back on land. When he was on land he did find Alan, one of the guys on the ship so he was not alone.
ReplyDeleteThis shows us that if you pull through the hard things better things come out of it. Like in the book he got back to shore off the boat, with all those people that took him. I think that the author is wanting us to get the vision of that even when he was being controlled he was still fighting his life. He was still controlled when Allan found him that the lower class can also be tough and fighters as well.
Power definitely plays a big role in the book but what about status quo? Does it undermine or or serve as propaganda for it?
DeleteI feel like it serves as a propaganda what do you think?
DeleteI thought the exact opposite because David is completely disrupting the status quo by betraying the captains and sneaking back home with Alan
DeleteIn this literary work, there are 2 kind of classes, the highlanders and the lowlanders. The highlanders lived in northern Scotland and were powerful aristocratic landowners who had families and peasants. These seem to be more of the higher class people as they have horses to travel on and have the upper hand in court. In the book, this is resembled by the Campbells, those hunting for David and Alan. But there is also the lowlanders and these people live in southern Scotland. These people lived in small towns and cities with their own lords, not necessarily paying attention to the highlanders way of life. In kidnapped, this is shown through Alan and David as Alan wanted by the Campbells for murder and David doesn’t know what is going on so he sticks with his companion and fights on his side.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this novel is trying to undermine the status quo because David, being a lowlander and whig, is definitely going against the status quo by working with a Jacobite and traveling with an unwanted person in an unwanted land. He turned against the authority on the ship, being a rebel and standing for what he thought was right. But it didn’t stop there as he also continued his journey with Alan, changed his clothes to look like one of them and is defending him against the Campbells.
In this work, it does not give a clear utopian vision for what the solution is going to be for all of this mess. The main goal for the characters is just to make it to their desired destination alive and they are playing it all by ear. It also doesn’t give any foreshadowing as to what might happen after they reach that destination, whether all will be settled or there will still be conflict with the Campbells wanting justice.
I didn't fully call them classes. I recongnized that there was different levels of power. What do you think the authors point was?
DeleteWell in most books there are different levels of power because the smaller guy is trying to overcome the more powerful guy. I think that is what the author is going for because David, being the less in power, is trying to escape all of the chaos that Alan and the highlanders create. Are you noticing a solution for it all though?
DeleteAlthough the novel "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" takes place on a submarine, the social classes are very easy to see. Captain Nemo would be in the highest class. He has obtained treasures of unfathomable worth and described himself as "infinitely wealthy." Professor Aronnax would also be in the upper class because he is a well know scientist of a museum. Ned Land would be middle working class because he is a fisherman. Conseil would be lower or middle class because he is Aronnax's servant. The social classes, although noticeable, do not mean much to the novel. Captain Nemo has the most power aboard the Nautilus, but despite Aronnax, Ned Land, and Conseil being from different classes, he treats them as equals. They are not permitted to leave the Nautilus, but no part of the ship is kept from them.
ReplyDeleteCaptain Nemo's social class is not the reason he has the most power. He is in charge because he is the captain and owner of the ship. He accumulated his wealth through precious treasures found in the sea, which is where he obtains materials for his every necessity. He does this because life on land is dead to him. Aronnax noticed that of his 12,000 books he did not own a single one about politics. Perhaps politics and social classes were the reason he left life on land and why he treats his guests as equals.
I find your take on the social class arrangements interesting. I can confidently say that I agree with the way you have ordered them. The Idea that politics and social classes are what caused him to retreat from society actually would make a lot of sense. That is why I think despite being a bit of an extremist Captain Nemo is still a likable character. The reader is able to understand his motives
DeleteI think that Captain Nemo is one of the most interesting characters that I have encountered in all of the books I have read. I would like to know how he selected the men in his crew. He said that he educated them himself so I wonder if he created and taught them that peculiar language Aronnax can't figure out.
DeleteThere really is nothing in the book “Journey to the Center of the Earth” for the Marxist Theory. Harry and Hardwigg would be considered high class back then. That was a huge advantage that Harry and Hardwigg had back then. They could almost buy their way anywhere and do almost anything they wanted to. So class played a huge role because without it the story wouldn’t be the way it is. Then, is there any oppression? There hasn’t really been any oppression in the book. Stated before that since Harry and Hardwigg are considered high class they can do most of the stuff they wish to do. So this leads to almost no oppression against them.
ReplyDeleteIn the book there hasn’t been really any social conflicts ether. The only conflicts that really happen in the book are between Harry and Hardwigg. They are constantly fighting each other but it normally gets figured out. Next, does the book propose some form of utopian vision as a solution to the problem? The book itself doesn’t really proses a utopian vision but Hardwigg does. Hardwigg believes that he is constantly right. It is almost to the point of if it hasn’t become a utopian vision. Then at times Hardwigg believes that giving a little more money will fix the problem so there is how their social class affects how they do things and how they act.
I agree that Harry and Hardwigg are considered high class, they certainly have a great amount of money. I do think that there is oppression in the book, but it's passively overlooked. All of the people that hosted them in their homes seemed poor. Thought their living standard wasn't talked about very much in the book. Do you agree with this? Can you find a passage talking about their living conditions? Oppression isn't always against the main characters; here they could almost be considered the oppressors. There hasn't been any social conflicts either. Did you notice how the book is undermining the scientific theories of that time? I also think that Hardwigg seems to believe that throwing money will solve all of the world's problems. That is, if he was actually concerned about them.
DeleteI have noticed how all the people that Harry and Hardwigg have stayed with aren't as rich as them. Like how in Iceland the largest home was only two stories high and had three rooms. This just shows the social difference and the difference in money between them and everyone else. As for social conflict I think there are some conflicts. They are more incidents like the ship captain. He saw how excited Hardwigg was and probably noticed how rich he was. So he doubled the price so he could make more money. Also they aren't really undermining the theories of that time because that was a actual theory back then. As for using money money to solve anything. I believe that that is the way Verne's believed how rich people back then solved everything so he made Hardwigg like that.
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ReplyDeleteIn the novel "Lord Of The Flies"there is a huge difference between the social classes. One of the characters in the lower classes is Piggy. Piggy has great ideas throughout the entire book to get them off the island. However, nobody listens to him because he is not good enough to be the one that saves the day. One of Piggy's ideas is that they should have built the houses down by the water, so they would have easy access to the water. However, nobody would listen to him, so they were left with more problems then there should have been. Another way to show Piggy's in the lower class is that they don't even give him a name. They never say his real name in the book, if he would have been of the higher class nobody would have never called him that.
ReplyDeleteA character of the higher class would be Ralph. Ralph is the one who takes charge of everyone, everyone looks up to him to get them off the island. He is also the one who makes careless decisions and causes more problems for the group. If he wasn't so stubborn he would listen to Piggy and use some of his great ideas. However, he thinks he is better than everyone else and refuses to work with Piggy. He also shows that he thinks he is better than Piggy when he tells all the boys that his name is Piggy, after Piggy said he didn't want to be called that. He is so careless that he doesn't think of Piggy as a person, he thinks of him as dead weight.
Gabie, I wouldn't necessarily say that there are different classes in our book since they don't use any money or have different living conditions etc.. However, there is still a split between the people. Piggy may not be treated well but I would say that's more due to who his character is rather than what his social status was back home. I do agree with you saying Ralph would be in the higher class but he still treats Piggy way better than Jack does. Why do you think Jack is so rude? Do you think he is in the higher class back home and that's what makes him rude?
DeleteWhy would you say that it is because of Piggy's character that he isn't treated well. He didn't even have a chance to be friends with those people, from the very beginning they treated him like crap. You can't treat people like crap and say it is because of their personality when you don't know them at all. I think Jack is rude because he is in the higher class and is used to having things handed to them and not having to work for them.
DeleteIn the novel "Lord Of The Flies"there is a huge difference between the social classes. One of the characters in the lower classes is Piggy. Piggy has great ideas throughout the entire book to get them off the island. However, nobody listens to him because he is not good enough to be the one that saves the day. One of Piggy's ideas is that they should have built the houses down by the water, so they would have easy access to the water. However, nobody would listen to him, so they were left with more problems then there should have been. Another way to show Piggy's in the lower class is that they don't even give him a name. They never say his real name in the book, if he would have been of the higher class nobody would have never called him that.
ReplyDeleteA character of the higher class would be Ralph. Ralph is the one who takes charge of everyone, everyone looks up to him to get them off the island. He is also the one who makes careless decisions and causes more problems for the group. If he wasn't so stubborn he would listen to Piggy and use some of his great ideas. However, he thinks he is better than everyone else and refuses to work with Piggy. He also shows that he thinks he is better than Piggy when he tells all the boys that his name is Piggy, after Piggy said he didn't want to be called that. He is so careless that he doesn't think of Piggy as a person, he thinks of him as dead weight.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is very much based off of social class. Reverend Dimmesdale was afraid to tell the people of the town that he was involved because he didn’t want to lose “his ranking”. It also shows that the upper class people tend to control the lower class people. This is shown in the book whenever Dimmesdale has the power over Hester to keep her from telling everyone that he is the father of Pearl. The actions of Hester and Dimmesdale are shown by their “class ranking”.
ReplyDeleteSince the church has a high power, and adultery was a very bad crime, Hester is forced upon an unfair and terrible punishment. Hester then realizes that she will never get out of the oppression unless she does something about it. The solution was to stand up for herself no matter what happens. Whenever Hester tries to stand up to everywhere, nobody listens to her. This is because she is very far down in the “classes”. In The Scarlet Letter, there is a constant struggle between all the “classes”. Hopefully as I continue to read the book, someone in the upper class helps Hester, so that way the lower class doesn’t continue to become even more suppressed.
Do you think Hester will tell anybody that Dimmesdale is the father? Or do you think that she will keep it secret all thoughout the novel?
DeleteI think that Hester will probably keep it a secret because she's not a bad person. She will maybe guilt Dimmesdale into confessing that he is the father.
DeleteIn the book Shane, there are only a few Marxist views and social classes that are portrayed. However, they are a big part of the story. For example, since the Starrett family is a farmer in the Wild West times, they don't have an abundance of money. Shane, however, is speculated to come from a richer family. He has a few bucks on him as he is constantly buying things that the Starrett family needs with his own personal money. Another social class that is in this book so far are the rich. The rich in this story, like Fletcher the antagonist, are wanting more money, land, and fame. They will do anything to get what they want.
ReplyDeleteIn Shane, some of these conflicts between the two social classes stated above create problems that affect the entire town. One conflict is that Fletcher, a mean land-owner, wants to buy all land from the farmers and ranchers in the area. So, the local farmers and ranchers consult to Joe about what to do. I think that, using the Marxist View, this conflict shows that sometimes, the lower classes can defeat the higher classes in important conflicts.
around this time period the classes really became visible too
DeleteWhile reading Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut with the Marxist Theory lens, I found that class is not a real issue in the novel. There has been moments mentioning that Billy’s wife’s family had more money than other families, including Billy’s. The is no other real issues involving class besides the rankings in the war. The ranking in the war, in my opinion, could possibly be considered an issue of class. The German army, in this novel’s perspective, have a higher class than the American’s. I believe Vonnegut is showing that there is class in the world. There are circumstances that other will be in a high position than you but in daily life, there are not real defined classes.
ReplyDeleteI believe Billy Pilgrim overcomes oppression by time traveling throughout different parts of his lifetime. Throughout the novel when Billy is faced with problems in the war, it is then when he seems to travel to a different time in his life. One example includes when Billy was being held captive on a train for days and traveled to before the war began. The novel brings up a lot of social conflicts that could make oppression arise. War and death are included in the social conflicts brought up in Slaughterhouse Five. These social conflicts are not ignored. The war, a main setting in this novel, was not ignored because many people joined in to help try to end it. I do not believe Vonnegut has proposed a form of utopian vision for a solution at this point in the novel. Maybe further into the novel there will be a form of utopian vision.
In my chosen book, Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain I see very defined social statuses. this is prominent in who tom hangs out with and how he reacts to new kids. The author makes it very clear on classes in this book. for example how he explains Tom and his friends as rebels who skip school and fight, and others such as tom's cousin and classmates who are pushed and strive to succeed.
ReplyDeleteI think that Tom Overcomes oppression with the help of his cousin who even though most people think Tom is a lost cause his cousin still pushes him to do good in school. I do not think that there is a lot of oppression based on jobs and the type of work people do although that in this time period I'm sure that there was some classes based on income coming from jobs. But this novel is mostly about the adventures of Tom Sawyer.
I think that "Treasure Island" by Robert Stevenson can be viewed in a Marxist way. Although they aren't a major part of the story, social classes do play a small role. Before Jim got tied in with pirates and treasure, he and his family were a normal middle class family, affecting Jim's character development. Wealth and materialism play a bigger role in this story. Besides Jim's adventure, the story mostly revolves around money and treasure. The whole story happened because the pirates who raided Jim's family's inn were looking for money and Bill's chest. Materialism is a major theme of this book.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there are a few marxist points in this book, Some would say that it can't be viewed through a Marxist lense. Classes don't play a big role like other Marxist books. The characters never really have to go through any major oppressions either. The book does not focus on many economical points. "Treasure Island" can be viewed as both Marxist or non-Marxist. It has a few Marxist points, like the small role of social classes and the need for wealth and material items. Some would argue though that it is Non- Marxist because the social classes don,t matter much, the characters don't have to go through oppressions, and it doesn't focus much on the economy.
There is some evident examples of the classes of people in the novel, “The Scarlet Letter”. Class is an important role in the novel just because of how the puritan views are set up. In their eyes, women are below men and people that sin are below everyone else. Hester had to overcome a ton of oppression because of how others treat her in town because of what she did. No one wants anything to do with her and treats her like trash. But, because she is treated poorly she starts to have self respect and ends up taking pride in what she did wrong. The minister who also created adultery didn’t want the townspeople to know just because he would lose his ranking in the upper class and would lose authority.
ReplyDeleteThere is two main classes in the novel, the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat which is mainly represented by the church. In the novel, the only person that seems to want the oppression to change is Hester. The work somewhat proposes some form of Utopian vision as a solution because the only person that is willing to stand up and wants change is her. Many of the women stay quiet or believe that that is the way they are supposed to be treated.
I completely agree. Do you think that later on in the group the minister will stand up even if he does lose his ranking? Or is he too afraid and stubborn?
DeleteI think he will stand up eventually but I'm guessing it will be hard for him.
DeleteIn the book Catch-22 there aren't very many Marxist views on social classes. The class system in Catch-22 is military based, set up in ranks.This plays a large part in effecting the main characters life, Yossarian, who deals with this system nearly every day. Yossarian is a captain, so he does have some say over certain ranks. He can demand things from certain people, however in the book very little of what he wants from higher ranks is answered. For example, Yossarian wants the doctor to say that he is unfit for combat, however the doctor is the only one there with medical training really, so he is put up higher in the ranks.
ReplyDeleteYossarian being only a captain leads to his biggest struggle. He has no control of how many missions he has to fly, and it drives him insane the number keeps rising. I believe that this class system is set up to show how a lower ranking soldier in the war got screwed simply due to the fact that they were on the lower end. The book does a very good job portraying the struggle lower ranking soldiers faced when dealing with people above them.
I agree that Yossarian is getting screwed because of his rank. What do you think he will do to overcome this?
DeleteI feel that he will do what everyone else does, go insane.
DeleteIn Catch-22 there are one or two obvious Marxist views. The class system is set up in military ranks. There's the generals, the colonels, the majors, and then the regular soldiers. The lower ranks kind of get screwed by all of the people above them for a few reasons. First of all, Colonel Cathcart always raised the number of missions for the soldiers. This made all of them mad because the upper class was having their way with them and there was nothing they could do about it. Also, none of the upper class men have to fly missions or be in violent situations. I believe the soldiers get through this by having fun together.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned above, the military classes are the main class structure in Catch-22. However, the fact that women are somewhat oppressed in the novel isn't touched upon often. There are no women soldiers which shows they're even below them. They are basically treated like the lowest level of society during this war. They overcome this by being nurses or being forms of entertainment for the men. None of the women in the book really complain about it being like this. They actually seem to enjoy their role in this society. Some could view this as a negative that they are so low in class structure, but the people of the time saw it as a positive.
I agree that the upper ranks threw their weight around on the soldiers below them. How do you think the soldiers reacted to this?
DeleteThey were angry and talked to other high ranks to try to get the missions lowered again.
DeleteIn A Farewell to Arms in my opinion doesn't show much of Marxism in it only on the economic portion of the definition. Most talk it on the war going on and the life of Lt. Henry and his love life. Most people who talk to one another are civilized and talk to each other with respect.
ReplyDeleteTo conclude, not a whole lot of Marxism was mention because of everything said is what happens to Lt. Henry and how he lives his life during the war as everyone wishes for it to be over.
How does the novel focus on the economic portion? Also, is there any form of social conflict? Everyone seems to have a common goal-war's end. So if there isn't social conflict, where is the conflict coming from?
DeleteIn the novel "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" Captain Nemo is a hypocrite. He is a perfect representation of how all things work in a cycle of oppression and the oppressed. He rebels against the norms of society forcing an unenlightened lifestyle on land. Yet at the same time he oppresses his passengers on the Nautilus by restraining them to the same life style that follows his ideals.This conflict is withheld in a passive aggressive manor throughout the novel thus far.
ReplyDeleteThe novel is completely undermining the status quo going on adventures in a submarine across the seas and retracting from society on land. It's a progressive idea to simply drop out of society and explore the ocean, for it's truly the great unknown. Everything Captain Nemo uses is provided for him by the sea, the food that he offers to conciel, professor aronnax,and Ned Land,is purely fish or sea plants. It's as though they've traveled to an alien world.
I wouldn't say that Captain Nemo oppresses his passengers because they all seem to be fascinated by his way of life except for Ned Land. Nemo lets Ned, Aronnex, and Conseil do what they want on board. He even gives them the opportunity to leave the Nautilus and go hunting in the forests of the sea. I think he doesn't allow them to go back to land because they know too much about the Nautilus and Nemo wishes to remain unknown.
DeleteI do not think that he oppresses his passengers in a conscious way.I understand that he would want to keep the Nautilus a secret but he gives them no other choice and thus makes them conform to his ideals the same way society would him.
DeleteI do not think that he oppresses his passengers in a conscious way.I understand that he would want to keep the Nautilus a secret but he gives them no other choice and thus makes them conform to his ideals the same way society would him.
DeleteIn the novel "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" Captain Nemo is a hypocrite. He is a perfect representation of how all things work in a cycle of oppression and the oppressed. He rebels against the norms of society forcing an unenlightened lifestyle on land. Yet at the same time he oppresses his passengers on the Nautilus by restraining them to the same life style that follows his ideals.This conflict is withheld in a passive aggressive manor throughout the novel thus far.
ReplyDeleteThe novel is completely undermining the status quo going on adventures in a submarine across the seas and retracting from society on land. It's a progressive idea to simply drop out of society and explore the ocean, for it's truly the great unknown. Everything Captain Nemo uses is provided for him by the sea, the food that he offers to conciel, professor aronnax,and Ned Land,is purely fish or sea plants. It's as though they've traveled to an alien world.
In my novel, “The Count of Monte Cristo”, there really hasn’t been many obvious signs of the marxist theory. Reading this book through the marxist lense relatively hard in my opinion for this book. The author, Dumas, really hasn’t labeled any of the characters as either rich, poor, superior, etc. The story so far has just been about the adventure of Dantes and his journey of him escaping jail and finding treasure. If the reader really wanted to find “classes” throughout this book, they could point out that there were the people in the prison, and the people who ran the prison. While Dantes spent his time in jail, he was constantly under the control of the officers who ran the prison. This section of the story was all about him finding his meaning in life and escaping.
ReplyDeleteAfter the part of the story where Dantes was in jail, he escaped to find treasure and became rich. This is the part of the book where you can see the marxist theory. You have this guy who was framed and suffering in jail, who eventually finds this treasure and is now the rich person on the block. The author, Dumas, definitely didn’t make it his goal to incorporate “classes” throughout this story. While a reader might be able to point some out, there really isn’t any major ones throughout the story.
From my point of view, I have found more examples than that of the Marxist theory in this novel. I do agree, they aren't major. I also agree that they don't necessarily make the novel what it is. However, are you sure the author didn't make it his goal to inquire them? I believe they are just hidden under other parts of the story.
DeleteNow that I had time to go over the reading more thoroughly, I believe that, yes, there are more examples of classes. I also agree that Dumas probably meant to put them in there but I still believe that he didn't do that with the intent for them to control the story. I think they are just one of those aspects of a story that work together with other aspects to form an even more deeper and meaningful story.
DeleteIn White Fang, London introduces whites again into his book. In the beginning there were a couple white buddies but only one escapes from the wild. The other is killed by the she-wolf and her clan. She had a pup who ends up being partly raised by Native Americans. These Native Americans are good to him but he tries to run away but realizes that he is a dog and not a wolf now. The classes of Indians and whites are introduced and obviously whites will try to get whatever they want because that’s what happened in this case. The white man takes advantage of the Indian not having or having very little alcohol in his life and gets him drunk basically. The white man gets want he wants which is White Fang. Social conflicts like this must be common because the white man didn’t think twice about it. He was going to get what he wanted which was the dog.
ReplyDeleteWhite Fang is also oppressed in the book. He is treated very poorly for protecting his owners. He even kills a guy because the guy was going to hurt his owner but is still treated poorly. Because of this White Fang goes back to being more wolfish in his ways. He is becomes very vicious to everyone except one owner because he has a club, which means pain. Currently there has not been a solution proposed for these problems and I don’t know if there will be one. This is the society that they live in and that’s how it’s suppose to be. There wouldn’t be a good solution either. People are cruel which is wrong but there isn’t a way to fix that and people will take advantage of others for some reason as well. Some people just don’t understand that being nice will get you a long way in life.
I agree with you on most of your points. Do you think White Fang's oppression has some message or reasoning behind it? Or do you think it is just there for characterization? I think he is oppressed to show that even he, who was once the top of his food chain, can be oppressed.
DeleteI think that it is there for characterization. I think that London has almost put him into the book as White Fang. London at one point was having a good life, almost on top of the food chain if you will, but then he decided to go and hunt for gold. That failed and he faced hardships which he puts into the book. I think the challenges come up in the book like they did in his life.
DeleteGroups of social classes are hard find in White Fang. If you had to categorize the characters, it would be by race. The native Americans raised white fang and treated him well. The other class is the whites. The white man shows dominance by tricking the Indian man. He does this through alcohol. The Indian man gets drunk and the white man takes white fang away. So as of right now, the white men are superior to the native Americans.
ReplyDeleteClass relations might not fit White Fang the best but oppression certainly does. White Fang is still learning about humans. After they beat and starve him, he soon becomes frightened and angry towards the humans. They eventually push him too far and White Fang kills a guy. From here, White Fang is portrayed as the bad guy. He is viewed as the viscous monster that slays men. However, you can not forget what they did to him. As far as a solution goes, the best thing for White Fang to do is to escape the presence of humans and return to the woods. This seems like the most logical solution.
Do you think that the Whites thought the Native Americans were lower on the totem pole, like the Whites were somewhat superior in some way? I think that the Native Americans pushed White Fang to be the way he is, a vicious killer. White Fang was fine and somewhat doggish in his ways. He liked the people and they fed him but they soon hurt him, turning him more wolfish. Do you think that White Fang would've became a dog if the Native Americans treated him with the respect that he deserved or would White Fang's nature keep him a wolf in his ways?
DeleteI think the Whites believed they were above the Natives. They were superior. I do think White Fang would have turned out softer if he stayed with the Natives. He is not naturally vicious.
DeleteIn George Orwell's Animal Farm, It is easy to see the different classes among the animals. The pigs who created the farm's government said that they should be above all the other animals because they are the smartest and they do all the thinking. Therefore, there are two classes of the animals. First class is comprised of the pigs, and the second (working) class is the remaining animals.
ReplyDeleteIf you consider Mr. Jones running the farm oppression, then you might say that the animals responded by rebelling and forming their own way of ruling the farm. However, if you would consider Napoleon's way of running the farm oppression, then you might say the animals responded by joining Snowball's secret league and sabotaging the farm. I now realize oppression is a major theme in the book and it is constantly being dealt with.
I agree with you that oppression is one of the main themes in the book. Why do you think the author made this a big theme? Why did the author make two classes of animals? Why did he make them so easily visible.
DeleteI think oppression is a big theme because it was very common in class systems among Europe's countries. He made the two classes to represent the rich and the poor in society. He made them visible so the reader could interpret it better.
DeleteSo far in A Farewell to Arms, the two main characters have tried to overcome oppression by holding fast to each other, even though it's not really working. The nurses seem to just try and busy themselves with work, and the other soldiers seem to just try and live in the moment. Everybody is doing whatever they can to hold on in the midst of war.
ReplyDeleteClass really doesn't hold any part in the novel, since everybody wants the same thing-war's end. The military priest, the soldiers, and the nurses all interact with little to no feeling of superiority or inferiority. This, however, doesn't mean that there is no conflict between the different groups of people.
I very well noticed that as well. Catherine keeps asking Lt. Henry if he loves her to assure he won't leave as during that era was difficult during the war. Lt. Henry tries to do what he can and keep Catherine well assured and to show his love for her as he discovers she is the first woman he's ever fallen in love for.
DeleteVonnegut made it very difficult to use a Marxist lens on this particular book, Slaughterhouse Five. He writes, "There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick, and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces. One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters." With no real characters that you can get to know, it is hard to find social classes within. However, finding oppression throughout this book is almost simple. Billy deals with prolonged cruel or unjust treatment throughout most of the war when he is captured by the Germans. Looking through a marxist lens you see that Vonnegut did this on purpose, he wants to show that the war is full of cruelty. It feels more like an anti - war book when reading as a marxist.
ReplyDeleteI believe Billy uses ‘time travel’ to overcome this unjust treatment. An example of this is when Billy is hospitalized. He travels to the Veterans hospital in 1948. He also goes back to his wedding night and after going to the bathroom, he walks out and is back in the POW camp. All of this lets Billy escape his oppression until suddenly he is snapped back to reality. All of this goes to show how cruel war is, to the point where Billy is hallucinating to pretend he is not in it.
I agree it is difficult to use the Marxist lens. Why do you believe Billy had unjust treatment? I believe he time travels due to PTSD. How do you feel about that?
DeleteAlexandre Dumas did a wonderful job of incorporating classes in the novel The Count of Monte Cristo. It all starts at the very beginning of the novel when the captain of the ship dies so the first mate, Dantes, takes over and eventually becomes the actual captain of that ship. This is showing specifically the rise of someone in society but there are other examples. When first meeting the character Villefort, it is shown that he is very rich and doesn’t need much in his life. Also, his betrothed is very rich which is also a label. When Dantes is in prison, there are the guards that “rule over him” per say and the other inmates who are “no better than he is”. This is showing classes in a way that doesn’t just shove them right out there in the open like other novels. Many times in the novel there are classes that the reader must really think about to find.
ReplyDeleteWhen Dantes is out of jail, he finds treasure and becomes rich. This is showing a similar class to the character of Villefort at the beginning of the novel. This is one of the more obvious sections in the novel that show the Marxist theory. Although classes in this story are not major, there are many of them that the author has partially hidden underneath the rest of the story. When you compare the women to the men in this novel, there is also a difference there. This has to do partially with the time period and how women were treated back then. The author did a good job of incorporating the Marxist theory in his novel. Even when they aren’t major, they are still very present.
I feel that classes existed in this book but not the way that we see them today. This book had a lot more classes based on wealth that I see than other areas like gender, race, etc. I don't think that Dumas wrote this story to include clashes between classes but he just wanted to tell a great story. Do you believe that Dumas himself was subjected to different classes in his life?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in that there are not many classes between race and that most of the classes in the novel are based upon wealth. I believe that for most time periods, there were some sort of classes. Since Dumas wrote from some personal experiences, it's very possible that he experienced large gaps between the rich and the poor in his time.
DeleteWhile reading Pride and Prejudice, I tried to use the Marxist Theory in different way, and see if I could interpret the book in a more mature and intelligent way. I realized that this was a book that was easily able to figure out if I really dug deep and interpreted and understood the words. The book so far focuses not so much on the lower class, but the upper class which is obvious the more you read the book. What threw me off though was the fact that the family that the story is revolved around is considered middle class. In many of the situations it was proven that if you had money, you had power and control. But also, money was affecting people's lives not in the most positive was. Jane, one of the main characters is in love with man because it's true love, she's not in love with his money. In the time period of the book, many relationships were built around money. Once I kept getting deeper in I noticed, towards the he beginning it seemed to be the opposite. I did not believe that it was going to end out to be the way it did because I thought right away that Jane just liked him for his money, but to my surprise, I was wrong. It was satisfying for me as a reader to observe true love no matter the circumstances and typical standards and stereotypes of the public.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that Jane and Charles Bingley are eachothers' "true loves"? Do you believe in true love? Personally, I do, and I feel like Jane and Mr. Bingley are in love. I especially feel this way because they both have seemed to quit focusing on money.
DeleteAs you read deeper into the story, what was your opinion on Darcy and Elizabeth? Did you think that Darcy would eventually fall for her, or was that a surprise to you? It was definitely a surprise to me at first, but now it's making sense because of Jane and Mr. Bingley's situation.
I actually do believe that fate brought them together, and I believe true love does exist and it's something rare and beautiful that I wish upon everyone. I think opposites attract though but I think they're perfect for each other. I was surprised by Darcy, and I'm able to see how Darcy are Elizabeth are alike and different. Something about this story is a lot of things are ending up differently than I expected so I'm ready for some more surprises.
DeleteI actually do believe that fate brought them together, and I believe true love does exist and it's something rare and beautiful that I wish upon everyone. I think opposites attract though but I think they're perfect for each other. I was surprised by Darcy, and I'm able to see how Darcy are Elizabeth are alike and different. Something about this story is a lot of things are ending up differently than I expected so I'm ready for some more surprises.
DeleteWhile reading Pride and Prejudice, I tried to use the Marxist Theory in different way, and see if I could interpret the book in a more mature and intelligent way. I realized that this was a book that was easily able to figure out if I really dug deep and interpreted and understood the words. The book so far focuses not so much on the lower class, but the upper class which is obvious the more you read the book. What threw me off though was the fact that the family that the story is revolved around is considered middle class. In many of the situations it was proven that if you had money, you had power and control. But also, money was affecting people's lives not in the most positive was. Jane, one of the main characters is in love with man because it's true love, she's not in love with his money. In the time period of the book, many relationships were built around money. Once I kept getting deeper in I noticed, towards the he beginning it seemed to be the opposite. I did not believe that it was going to end out to be the way it did because I thought right away that Jane just liked him for his money, but to my surprise, I was wrong. It was satisfying for me as a reader to observe true love no matter the circumstances and typical standards and stereotypes of the public.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that Jane and Charles Bingley are eachothers' "true loves"? Do you believe in true love? Personally, I do, and I feel like Jane and Mr. Bingley are in love. I especially feel this way because they both have seemed to quit focusing on money.
DeleteAs you read deeper into the story, what was your opinion on Darcy and Elizabeth? Did you think that Darcy would eventually fall for her, or was that a surprise to you? It was definitely a surprise to me at first, but now it's making sense because of Jane and Mr. Bingley's situation.
So far in John Steinbeck's “The Pearl”, seeing this side of things isn’t new. In this novel, there the rich, and there are the poor. People with money have the power. The people with the power have the money. Simply, these two things seem to go hand in hand, although sometimes that might not be good. This might cause people, such as the doctor, to suffer stress and oppression and not be able to do their job of power. This affects the poor. So, the people with the power and money have to deal carefully, especially in this book.
ReplyDeleteThe town and economy is very fragile, as one major cink can make the whole community suffer. The rich are greedy, leaving the poor only for themselves. Although, Kino has found a way out. He dreams of a new life, a good life. Kino is working so very hard to make this dream come to life, so much that he will go to new extents that he never thought he would. Perhaps killing a man was the way to go? In “The Pearl” many would seem people like Kino going to the extremes to find good life. This reminds me of another novel of John Steinbeck, “Of Mice and Men”.
The two classes that are obvious to me are the Indian and White classes. There are other races in the story such as African Americans but they fall to the "dirt-low" class as Indians. The main character, True Son, views this in exact opposite. He thinks that the Indians are higher than the white men and attempts to have some of this strength by refusing to wear English clothes, in the end he succumbs to oppression because his Aunt steals his clothes leaving him with no choice but to wear white men's clothing.
ReplyDeleteBy not wearing the English men's clothes True Son is saying that they're not good enough for him and he views white men as a weaker race than Indians in which he doesn't want to be apart of. In fact, True Son tries to run to an ancient Indian near by but gets stopped by his "family". True Son's future looks like it'll get worse before it becomes better.
As I read through the book, I found out there is only one way to interpret how Bram describes Dracula. He described him as a normal human with flaws in the beginning. But as he slowly keeps describing Dracula, you notice he isn't very human. I can kind of relate this to now in this era. Because it showed a person, who seemed normal, but in reality they are far from normal. Because in this time, you see a person from their looks, and not by their personality, so once you get to know that person you see more flaws that you didn't see in the beginning because you were focused on their looks, not their personality.
ReplyDeleteAs I read through the book, I found out there is only one way to interpret how Bram describes Dracula. He described him as a normal human with flaws in the beginning. But as he slowly keeps describing Dracula, you notice he isn't very human. I can kind of relate this to now in this era. Because it showed a person, who seemed normal, but in reality they are far from normal. Because in this time, you see a person from their looks, and not by their personality, so once you get to know that person you see more flaws that you didn't see in the beginning because you were focused on their looks, not their personality.
ReplyDelete