Commodity Fetishism in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence
Commodity fetishism is a term first coined by Karl Marx in his 1867 economic treatise, Das Kapital. It takes two words, one with a historically economic bent and another with a historically religious bent, and combines them to form a critical term describing post-industrial revolution, capitalist economies. Specifically, this term was used to describe the application of special powers or ideas to products that carried no such inherent value.
In Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, old New York society is dissected as if the book were a study in cultural anthropology. One of the critical elements of this society is its emphasis on material items. From Parisian dresses to brand name cigars, this society is particularly interested in what a member owns. A brief examination of how commodities affect the creation an identity and social order in Wharton’s New York will be endeavored. But first, commodity fetishism will be defined more specifically before we can apply Marx’s ideas to the novel. The comprising elements of this term will be examined to create a general understanding of the economic and social ideas that went into its creation.
The term “commodity” is often considered to be synonymous with a “good,” any produced item, such as refined sugar or textiles (Spickard). Although this seems a decent, basic definition, a commodity actually refers to something useful that can be turned to commercial or other advantage. The key point here is that a good fails to be a commodity when it no longer has a commercial advantage. A pile of gold is only a commodity if someone agrees to buy it.
The term “fetish”, despite the prevalent sexual connotations of today, actually has a religious origin. A fetish is any object that is believed to have special or magical powers, often associated with animistic or shamanistic religions. Thus, to make something a fetish is to infuse an inanimate or material object with special powers above and beyond that of its physical self. The concept of commodity fetishism, then, was used by Marx to describe the over-appraisal of commodities in a capitalist economy.
What is Marx saying? How can something be “worth” more than it’s worth? This occurs when the “use value,” the natural capacity to satisfy a human want, of something is of different worth than its “exchange value,” the social capacity to be exchangeable for other commodities (Wenning).
I realized the need of purchasing an iPad, when one of my friends showed me his new device and gave me his positive opinion about the features and characteristics of the tablet. He also “advertised” the benefits of having the specific model these days.
Exploitation of workers is when someone purchases a good for a certain price that is just enough to reproduce the commodity, but not enough to compensate the amount of labor power or stress that the worker must undergo in order to create the product. Marx states
Though it is arguably true that tremendous strides have been made for women’s rights, I firmly believe that there is still a discriminatory glass ceiling beyond which women cannot advance due to gender. Women possessing the skills and abilities of their male counterparts are blocked from the innermost circles of power and influence, and promotions to top-level managerial positions achieved by women lag behind the actual increase of women in the workforce. Ann Morrison, who describes the glass ceiling as subtle and transparent, yet strong enough to prevent women from moving up the corporate hierarchy, notes that it “is not simply a barrier for an individual, based on the person’s inability to handle a higher-level job. Rather, the glass ceiling applies to women as a group who are kept from advancing higher because they are women” (Breaking the Glass Ceiling, pp. 13).
Einstein was born March 14, 1879, in Ulm, Germany to Hermann Einstein and Pauline Koch, almost immediately the Einstein relocated to Munich, Germany where they started an electrotechnical business (Lewis). He began school in the Luitpold Gymnasium but due to their family’s business competitive market they moved to Milan, Italy for better opportunities. During His time in Milan Einstein studied in preparation to attend The Swiss Federal Polytechnic school in Zurich who admitted students through an exam. Once Einstein took the exam he came to learn that he had failed, although he was no admitted he did not give up on attending The Swiss Polytechnic. He eventually attended the Polytechnic school, having to first graduate from Aarau that guaranteed admittance. Although he had succeeded in being admitted and graduating from The Swiss Polytechnic many
Albert Einstein, perhaps the greatest mind ever to have walked the face of the earth, was born on March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Germany. As a boy, he hated school, and felt that the regimented and repetitive nature of schooling in Germany at that time had any promise of helping his future. He did not do well in school, mainly because he did not care to learn what was being taught to him. While he seemed to be a bright child, his schoolwork did not interest him, but at the same time the simple compass that his father owned fascinated him. Albert constantly harassed his father and his Uncle Jake with questions concerning how the compass worked, and what caused it to work. The answers about gravitation and magnetism kept him up at nights as he attempted to obtain a better grasp of the meaning of these concepts. After hearing of his fascination with these scientific concepts, Max Talmey, a family friend, lent young Einstein books on mathematics and natural science. Upon reading these books, Albert was hooked. From that time on, he was constantly reading about science, geometry, and other areas of math.
The characters in the novel get caught up in a frenzy of hate, scandal, and love. Newland Archer is a wealthy societal man who views his wife, May, as the reason for his unhappiness. In addition, Newland Archer get swept into the scandal and falls in love with Ellen, who he sees as a route to independence. Ellen Olenska, the cousin of May, brings a tornado of scandal to New York and becomes the center of criticism in society. In The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Archer and Ellen describe the desire for freedom in order to portray society as an oppressor.
Albert Einstein Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879 in Ulm. He was raised in Munich, where his family owned a small electrical machinery shop. Though he did not even begin to speak until he was three, he showed a great curiosity of nature and even taught himself Euclidean geometry at the age of 12. Albert despised school life, thinking it dull and boring, so when his family decided to move to Milan, Italy, Einstein took the opportunity to drop out of school, only 15 at the time. After a year with his parents in Milan it became clear to him that he would have to make his own way in the world. He finished secondary school in Arrau, Switzerland, and then enrolled at the Swiss National Polytechnic in Zurich. School there was no less exciting for him than it was before, and Einstein often cut classes, using the time to study physics on his own or practice on his violin. He graduated in 1900, but his professors did not think very highly of him and would not recommend him for a university job. Einstein worked for two years as a tutor and substitute teacher until in 1902 he found a position as an examiner in the Swiss patent office in Bern. In 1903 he married a fellow classmate at the polytechnic, Mileva Maric. They later divorced after having two sons, and Einstein remarried. Though Albert had written other papers, the one he became most famous for was called, “On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies,” which explained a theory that became known as the special theory of...
In a capitalist system, once an object emerges as a commodity that has been assigned
Albert Einstein was born March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Germany. Around age 10 or 11, Einstein became curious about the mysteries of science and longed for a greater understanding. As a child, Einstein took music lessons; he learned to play the piano and violin and continued through out is life. As a young child, his parents moved during his school career: once to Italy then a second time to Switzerland where he graduated in 1896. Einstein was educated at the Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich where he learned to teach physics and mathematics. After graduation in 1901, he could not find a job so he decided to take a respectful job at the Swiss Patent Office. While working there, he returned to school to pursue his Doctorate degree which he completed in 1905.
Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany on March 14th, 1879 to Hermann Einstein and Pauline Einstein. For most of his live he lived in Ulm, a small town outside of Munch, Germany. At the age of 1 the Einstein family moved to Zurich, Germany. The Einstein family moved to Zurich so that Hermann, Albert’s father could work with his brother Jakob in his Manufacturing business. Albert’s family consisted of his mother and father, himself, and his younger sister Maja. Albert Einstein’s parents worried about him because he rarely spoke as a child, thus causing them to think that he had a brain development issue.
Albert Einstein was a world renowned scientist that may be considered one of history’s greatest scientist with his creation of the Theory of Relativity or, E=MC^2. He was born in Ulm, Wurttemberg, Germany on March 14, 1897. His father’s name was Hermann Einstein and his mother’s name was Pauline Einstein. (Hasday) Though despite his outstanding success he had very many problems throughout his life that he had to struggle greatly to overcome. Albert Einstein overcame failure by pursuing his intellectual dreams, working hard to make a life for himself, and achieving the nobel prize in physics.
Although, many women can work in today’s society, they still face what is called “the glass ceiling effect, however, other people believe that there is no such thing as the glass ceiling effect.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is similar to an individual’s social responsibility. An individual who is socially responsible is aware of how their decisions affect the environment. Corporate social responsibility can be define as “how well a company meets its economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary responsibilities” (Peter & Sarah, p. 51). Corporate social responsibility holds businesses accountable to stakeholders such as consumers, in areas of concern such as environmental factors, community and society in general. As a result successful CSR initiatives creates a sustainable company in all ways: financially, ethically, environmentally, and socially. The moral problem with CSR is based on the belief that “CSR would be a cost that would be higher than the perceived benefits. By financially supporting “charity” based initiatives, firms are not performing their fiduciary duty to their stockholders” (Peter & Sarah, p. 49).
Albert Einstein was born on March 15, 1879, in the town of Ulm, in Southern Germany. That town was located at the foot of the Swabian Alps. His address was 135 Bahnhofstrasse but that house was later destroyed in a World War II bombing run. His parents were Hermann and Pauline Koch Einstein. Both of them were Jewish, but didn’t strongly practice the religion. Therefore, “Israelitic” was written on the Religion section of Einstein’s birth certificate. Two years after Einstein’s birth, Einstein’s sister, Maria, was born. Einstein could talk in whole sentences at the age of three. Einstein’s mom, Pauline Einstein, loved music so Einstein took Violin lessons from age six to thirteen. Einstein’s father wasn’t a successful businessman. He then started a plumbing/electrical engineering company with his brother in Munich, hoping that would be a success. Albert spent the next 14 years of his life there.
Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany in 1879 to Jewish parents. In the year 1880 the Einsteins moved to Munich so that Albert could attend the school there. Albert's father started a factory there in Munich.