Marxism in Literature: Conflict in the Classics Essay

Two short stories exit be female genital organvas using a red lens to investigate unresolved contravene among characters and situations where conflict arises to show single out struggle in society. Both Hills exchangeable fresh Elephants by Hemingway and The man Who Was Almost a Man by Wright show conflict in their characters lives and in larger society. Those who work red ink literary theory to explore the characters and their settings in society physical exertion twain the external and internal conflicts in a characters life.sometimes the inner conflict can mirror external problems in a symbolic way, so redness theorists must ob take care the same literary devices as other critics, such as symbolism, personification, metaphor and so on to comprehend how the conflict can best be draw. In Hills give c atomic number 18 White Elephants, at that place is much symbolism suggesting the war between innate versus unnatural that is both external and internal.In The Man Wh o Was Almost a Man the teenage character illustrates both conscious and subconscious acts of confusion turn living life in poverty and the shame of beatings from his parents and chastising from the innocence members of his community. It is very significant to look at these parts of the stories to find redness themes and modes for thinking in a way that supports Marxist theories.It should be illustrious that Marxism as an political orientation transcends sociological and political realms to support the use of lit by the masses to further the aims of Marxist sight, solely literary critics use the tenets of conflict and class to analyze the works without a motive for their study, and instead a simple lens of viewing social problems that are amplified in literature. Some critics, especially those of the Post-modernism school agree that ideology has no place in these works and their disapproval should be noted. nevertheless the stories that will be used here will be simply canv ass in terms of class and conflict without any ideological preconceptions while ignoring the misconceptions of critics. It is the latter course I pursue here, though in termination I shall raise the question how far the concept of ideology can still be fruitfully applied to literature. I concentrate, furthermore, on criticism within the Marxist tradition, because it is here that the most systematic attempts have been do to think literature in relation to the concept of ideology.Of course, a non-Marxist whitethorn ask somewhat similar questions of the literary text, without using the concept of ideology, to those asked by a Marxist critic whose analysis relies on the concept. Moreover, not yet all Marxist critics repair use of the term (Moriarty, 2006, p 43). Though, Moriarty does make reference to the fact that not all Marxist critics use ideology in their criticisms, it may be a common misconception among other critics that ideology must always be a part of review.Instead confl ict, such as the problem between the equalize in Hills Like White Elephants have nothing to do with ideology and instead conflict and submit and the themes surrounding this. In Hills Like White Elephants a question by the editor of the anthology containing the work is posed, What kind of resolution does the account statement offer (Pickering, 2001, 681)? A Marxist critic would be concerned with this type of answer.A accounting without a resolution means that the central theme still exists in society and cannot be resolved by either the characters of the world at large. The storys main conflict is a choice that the couple has to make between themselves as to if they will chose to have the wo small-arm suffer an abortion. But, the conflict of the two is not the central theme, it is the central conflict however. But underlying this is the theme of the contrast between what is manmade and what is natural.An abortion, obviously, is in the manmade category, making it significant. But , there is no resolution in this story and that would leave a Marxist critic to believe that the issue that cannot be resolved is not with the couple, further with the mechanical nature of life and the flight from the natural state of man (and woman). This analysis can be found in the scenery described by Hemingway, with beautiful natural hills outside of one window and on the other side is a train station, tracks, and so-called civilization.In holding with the idea of the issues surrounding mechanical production and reproduction (especially in literature), it should be noted that the earliest Marxist thinkers did believe that a great hump of good could come from the dissemination of literature to forward a Marxist movement. Walter Benjamin is on Marxist theorist, not a literary critic, but his ideas may have influenced the discourse of other critics into embracing Marxist literary criticism.He believes that no matter how revolutionary ones thoughts, if they were denotative in a conventional, academic writing style, they would be inevitably be swallowed up in the routines of bourgeois ending (Gardner, 2001, 249). This belief meant that the only fancy for works not being swallowed up in the bourgeois culture was to make writing less academic and more creative and to use literary works to further Marxist ideals. This, however, was the root of Marxist ideals aimed to be put in place at least a cytosine ago.So this new lens of Marxist criticism should be quarantined by politics and ideology of more Communistic times roughly the world to today and the struggles that are timeless. The Man Who Was Almost a Man provides a timeless look at teenage insubordination, rebellion against society, poverty, and class struggle. The teenager believes that in buying a gun, he will be free from the constraints that are heavily put on him. The essential them is rebellion and freedom, which is a highly Marxist ideal. But, enkindlely enough it can be said that there is som e closure in this characters life by him choosing to flee his oppressive environment.However, it is a mystery as to where this utopian life he seeks will lead, making this an unresolved conflict. Pickering asks in his Questions for Study after practice the story does Daves decision to ascension aboard the freight train a convincing conclusion to the story (Pickering, 2001, 1447)? It is not, as stated before, as the utopia that Dave seeks is unclear and may very sanitary not exist. Michael Delahoyde in his class website reveals that Marxist critics will ask this questions active the stories they read. All of these questions linger in the stories chosen for analysis.What role does class tactical manoeuvre in the work what is the authors analysis of class transaction? 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 suppose about oppression or are social conflicts ignored o r blamed elsewhere? Does the work propose some form of utopian vision as a solution to the problems encountered in the work? In conclusion, the stories chosen here briefly highlight the questions that Marxist critics ask when reading and analyzing literature.There is obvious discourse in other communities of criticism and ideology, politics, and the aims of Marxists in heated Communistic times should not be confused with Marxist criticisms of today. The works analyzed are viewed in a simple lens, asking simple questions that affect society and class struggle. These stories al pose interesting ways in which personal struggles translate to wider questions and the lack of resolutions require deeper thought as to what those resolutions might be. Works CitedMichael Delahoyde, Class Website for Introduction to Literature, Marxist chiding, Accessible online http//www. wsu. edu/delahoyd/marxist. crit. html. Last accessed 15, November, 2008. Roberta Gardner, Walter Benjamin in Social Theo ry tenacity & Confrontation. (2000), Toronto, Ontario, CA Broadview Press. 249. Michael Moriarty, Ideology and Literature in Journal of Political Ideologies (February 2006), 11(1), 43. jam Pickering, Questions for Study in Fiction 100 An Anthology of Short Stories 9th Ed. (2001), Upper consign River, NJ Prentice Hall. 681 & 1447.