Class Struggle And Class Conflict In Literature

When the phrases “class struggle” and “class conflict” are brought up, the economic battles of struggle are what immediately come into most people’s minds. Authors living in the past centuries would often convey their beliefs through the use of poetry. Famous poets such as William Blake, Billy Bragg, and Walter Crane composed poems that emphasized poverty and the idea that there is such a thing as the upper and lower class. It is imperative for one to note that William Blake wrote his poems before the development of Marxism. Blake's London is an account of brutal exploitation. The labor source of 'London' is personified by the chimney sweepers and soldiers in the poem, which form the superstructure, represented by the buildings in which the upper classes live. It is noteworthy that the structural elements are symbolically charged with the marks of the effort of the working class. Churches darken with the filth of the chimney sweepers, and the Palace, which is a symbol for the government, absorbs the blood trickled by the soldier. ("Blake against Britain" 1). He is familiar the personnel as individual people, while reducing the organizations of power to faceless buildings, which are then instilled with characteristics from the working classes from previous parts in the poem. With an absent working class, the ruling classes could not enable their power, yet remain unemotional while those who support them suffer. The Canterbury Tales are a collection of over 20 stories by Geoffrey Chaucer. They also highlight class struggle in an economic aspect. Stephanie Polukis stated that “The order in which the tales are told is by class” (2). People living in the 18th century began to comprehend a whole new concept; the concept of class conflic...

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...conflict novel within it. I wholeheartedly believe that the monster and the doctor are symbols for the lower class. The Monster's loyalty to the Doctor while the Doctor rejects the Monster at the same time represents the lower class’ loyalty to the wealthy in the hopes of riches while the Doctor disregards it, comparable to how to the upper class fail to accept and recognize that there is such a thing as poverty. Frankenstein has to disprove of the Monster's existence when Justine is about to be put to death. As for modern novels, even Harry Potter has aspects of class and social division. One should note how the Malfoys’ influence over the Weasleys’ is comparable to how the wealthy have authority over the underprivileged people of society. James is described as spoiled and overly loved by his parents while Snape is portrayed as coming from a rough home situation.