The Great Gatsby in the Eye of Marxism Is it possible to have many themes within just one work? Among all types of works, literary work is the only one. Critics, even ordinary readers, can analyze one literary work differently through rereading it, again and again, using many lenses or what is known as theories. For example, Marxism, in literature, is a famous theory founded after Karl Marx (1818-1883) which views literature as a reflection of the society in which it is written and aims to create a classless society. However, lots of critics read The Great Gatsby throughout the eye of Marxist. The Great Gatsby is a novel by an American author, Scott Fitzgerald, and its event set after WWl as well as it is written. The novel does not privilege the bright side of the capitalist culture as it appears but clearly highlights its …show more content…
The term is originally economical, but it defines as, from a Marxist perspective, the act of relating persons and things in terms of their exchange values only. In other words," you are what you own". A clear example of commodification could be seen in the wealthiest man in the novel, Tom Buchanan. He considers everything around him as a commodity, even his marriage to Daisy Fay in which he gives money and power and gets her youth and beauty; exchanging values. Looking from that angle, Daisy is also another representation of this term; her acceptance of the pearls is an act of commodification because she is aware and wants Tom's value as he in return wants. Over and above, it seems that Tom is not the only one who looks at Daisy as a commodity but Jay Gatsby, too. Possession of Daisy would give him the great social image that he is always seeking, as in his Gothic library that filled with unread even uncut books, his huge villa, and his photo of himself in