Marxist Criticism

Now that we've tried out Formalism and Reader Response criticism, it's time to try our hands at a new type of criticism entirely.  So.  This week, we're tackling the Marxists.  Unlike Reader-Response criticism, which considers the story of what was going on inside your head while you were reading a particular story, Marxist critics get obsessed with money and power, or the lack of money and power.  Based on the theories of Karl Marx, this school of criticism looks closely at class differences, economic and otherwise, as well as the implications and complications of the capitalist system.  Marxism attempts to reveal the ways in which our socioeconomic system is the ultimate source of our experiences in life.


Here's a list of typical questions a Marxist might ask:

• Which characters in this story are rich or powerful and which ones are poor or powerless?
•  Is the hero poor or wealthy, educated or uneducated, powerful or helpless?  Is there a victim you feel sorry for?  Is the victim poor or wealthy?  What do you think this says about the work you have read? 
• How do characters from different classes interact or conflict?
• What values does the story champion?
• What values does it subvert?
• What is the social class of the author?
• Whom does it benefit in the real world if the work or effort is accepted/successful/believed, etc.?
• Does the theme encourage the powerless to overthrow the powerful?  How so?

Your assignment: create three paragraphs of Marxist criticism in reaction to one of the  stories you read for the short story unit. 

Your response should be at least 15-20 sentences long.  Remember that other people from the class will be reading and responding to what you write!