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Marxism Scarlet Letter

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Marxist literary criticism is a literary criticism that is based on the socialist theories of the German philosopher, Karl Marx. This criticism involves social class, the struggle between social classes, governments use of religion, and economic relations as a whole. According to Terry Eagleton, however, "Marxist literary criticism is not merely a sociology of literature, concerned with how novels get published and whether they mention the working class. Its aim is to explain the literary work more fully." The Scarlet Letter is a novel about a woman, Hester Prynne, who lives in Puritan Boston during the seventeenth century. Hester is living in America, while her husband, Roger Chillingworth, is still in England. During her husband's absence, Hester commits adultery with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester's crime is revealed, and she is punished by the Puritan leaders by being forced to wear a scarlet letter "A", standing for adultery, on her chest. Marxism is very apparent throughout The Scarlet Letter, and can be identified through the stratification of classes and the presentation of religion. One key …show more content…

He didn't want to lose his social ranking or be ostracized by his community. Dimmesdale also shows the power that the higher class holds over the lower class as he prevents Hester from revealing the secret of who Pearl's father really was. Throughout the novel, there are many quotes that indicate the struggle between social classes. This is showen when Hawthorne says "Even had there been a disposition to turn the matter into ridicule, it must have been repressed and overpowered by the solemn presence of men no less dignified than the Governor, and several of his counsellors, a judge, a general, and the ministers of the town, all of whom sat or stood in a balcony of the meeting house, looking down upon the

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