John Sayles' Matewan: Forming a Communist Society

John Sayles' Matewan: Forming a Communist Society

John Sayles' movie Matewan offers an alternative to the norm when thinking about the development of class and economic systems in the modern world. Upon first glance, it seems as though the coal miners in the town of Matewan were the subjects of a cruel feudal system, sentenced to spending their lives slaving away for a company

who cared very little for them. A classic example of the type of economy Karl Marx spent his life opposing. However, it becomes apparent that this is not at all the case, for the people of Matewan eventually tired of having the fruits of their labor become more and more a burden on their shoulders. I would like to argue that in the process of unionizing their labor force, the coal miners actually managed to opt out of the feudalist system, skip the free labor market economy, and form a primitive communist system.

In the beginning of the movie, the viewer is promptly made aware of the conditions the coal miners were forced the work under. The Stone Mountain Coal Company exerted a great deal of energy to ensure control of all aspects of the miner's lives. By paying them in company script, the company forces the miners to purchase all goods and services

from the company. The miners begin their work in debt, and because of the low wages and continuance of charges placed on their account, they are unable to work their way out of the hole (no pun intended). Because the Stone Mountain Coal Company was paying the workers by the ton and not by an hourly wage, whether or not the workers were content with their jobs was basically irrelevant. The company also had obtained a monopoly on the employment in the town, forcing the workers to work for them. Most o...

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... did the hunting and fishing.

Socially, the changes that occured within the coal mining community were dramatic. Because solidarity was necessary for them to be successful, everyone regardless of race, gender, and prior socioeconomic status became equal. The interrelationships gained importance because of the lack of economy within the community. The people had to move beyond their various predjudices in order to acheive their common goal. The scene depicting everyone playing baseball together was an example of all people relating to one another on an even playing field, with the end result being a more successful community. Even in the covert attempt to murder Joe Callahan, the men were involved equally in the operation. In the end, the community was able to succeed because they realized that a communist society was the one that would work best for them.