The Marxist approach
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Nov 24, 2024
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English Essay
The Marxist approach and new critical theoretical approaches, especially the historical
one, are literary approaches that various writers have used to present their ideologies concerning
the issues affecting society in their literary works. The Marxist literary analysis looks at the
social layout of the society by looking at the structure which classifies members of the
community using their material possessions and the authority they hold. In this case, he argues
such an ideology that it tries to separate the people in the society using such dimensions as
tormented and discrimination. On the other hand, the historical or biographical analysis focuses
on the author's history and the happenings that surrounded them at those times that could
propagate them to write the books. However, new criticism has come upon the theory, claiming
that it is only sometimes authentic to determine the context of writing from the author's original
surroundings, as some might be fiction.
It is in this state that the focus shall be on the Marxist
perspective of the books, A rose for Emily and Everyday Use in the context of the presence of
divisions to social classes through using wealth and level of education and how it has brought
about class divisions in families and disregarding of others.
In "A Rose for Emily," a short tale by Faulkner, Emily, the main character, suffers from
her incapacity to deal with her father's death and her solitude. She struggles to accept that her
only family member is gone and is to spend the rest of her life alone (Faulkner 4). as a result, she
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ultimately dies due to mental illnesses. "Everyday Use" by Walker presents a tale about the
family of Mrs. Johnson, who had two daughters. The children have different personalities, with
Maggie upholding the cultural system of their land while Dee deviates from them due to her
educational acquisition in a foreign land.
The concept of Marxism is well presented in the books through the presentation of the
disparity between social classes. The lower classes are no longer the only ones who experience
class estrangement in the plot of A Rose for Emily. It is reported that she was "a legacy, a
responsibility, and; a sort of generational duty to the community." She had the appearance of a
magnificent woman whose family background and reputation assured tremendous respect
(Faulkner 31). despite her family has long roots in the neighborhood and being given upper-class
positions. As a result, she remained nothing but a regular citizen. The concept is also well
portrayed in Everyday Use, which categorizes members according to their level of education.
Higher education is presented as a determinant to gauge one's success, prosperity, and the wealth
acquisition they opt to receive. In the book, education affects how the family members resonate
and their beliefs concerning status differences (Walker 5). For instance, Mrs. Johnson is
immediately categorized as a low-class individual since she could not finish her education after
the closure of their learning institution. On the contrary, Dee, her daughter, manages to get the
privilege of partaking in her education and is thus presented as a high-class learner who is
respected by her mother, leaving her sister Maggie to get all the scorn since she did not manage
to receive such an education. Due to the social class inequalities, Dee no longer interacts with the
family members. Dee adopts a new name and appears to have forgotten her origins and how
lucky she was to have the chances she got.
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The literary approach is also present in the case whereby there are class differences even
in the family. Emily, in the book, experiences a different perception of class and status, contrary
to her father (Faulkner 5). She acknowledges and loves Homer, despite having a low status for
her. On the contrary, her father drove away all the young people who came to propose through
his whips due to their class differences, as they would have had the perception of improving their
positions through marriage rather than having real care and love for Emily. In the book
"Everyday Use," the concept is presented by how Dee starts looking down upon the family
members and sees them as not of their class after attaining good education (Walker 7). She
despises Maggie and her mother and opts to change and ignore her culture to avoid identifying
with them.
The approach also presents how the concept of class has become an avenue to allow
others to step on others and disregard them. Emily's status as part of an upper-class citizen gave
her a false alarm that she was above the law and could easily evade the charges against her of
evading paying taxes (Faulkner 2). She rudely answers the sheriff and constantly disrupts the
delegates' talks. The same case occurs in "Everyday Use," where Dee disregards the people who
follow their culture with the concept that they are barbaric.
In conclusion, it is evident that the Marxist Theoretical approach greatly impacts the
works of Faulkner and walker through their portrayal of how the division of society through
social classes is a common norm in society. The division has led to a classification of people
using their wealth and education status. In the same case, it has brought disregarding others and
family issues.
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Works Cited
Faulkner A Rose for Emily. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill, 1970. Print.
Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use.”
Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama
.
Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 8
th
ed. New York: Longman, 2002.