The Golden Spiders Movie and a Recurring Theme of Marxism

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Nero Wolfe novels are remarkably known for their theme of good versus evil, rich versus poor, and powerful versus weak. The Golden Spiders by Rex Stout was remade into made for television movie, the plot of the movie very closely follows that of the novel. Wealth, inequity, and mistreatment of migrants are central themes within the novel and it is also prevalent in other Nero Wolfe novels. It is the very typical proletariat versus the bourgeois, the primary argument for Marxist thought. The oppressed poor being manipulated by the rich upper class. It is undoubtedly evident that Wolfe had a soft spot for other immigrants and it would be essential to question if this was because Wolfe was an immigrant himself. This essay will discuss how the movie plot adheres closely to Marxist thesis, how the movie compares to the novel, and if Nero Wolfe’s status as a immigrant affected how he treated other immigrants within the storyline.

Archie Goodwin sets the tone for the movie The Golden Spiders, the novel written by Rex Stout and the movie screenplay by Paul Monash. He establishes Nero Wolfe as the eccentric, unsightly, and odd fellow that he is. If you consider the mannerisms and lifestyle of Wolfe you might be lead to believe that he is part of the bourgeois. It doesn’t take long to realize that he isn’t exactly how he appears. Initially it is difficult to discern whether his softness is truly for those in real need and genuine charity, or his curiosity for mystery is what leads him into cases. Nero and Archie are visited by a young boy claiming to have knowledge of a crime. Peter Drossos states that a woman inside a car was being held captive by a man with a gun. He had managed to get the license plate number of the car....

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...mount of working poor in the United States and our economy is slowly dwindling. The actual U.S. crime rate is steadily increasing and immigrants are again facing insurmountable odds. Marxism is almost as evident in present day society as it is in The Golden Spiders.

Works Cited

Macionis, John J. Society: The Basics. 10th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2009. Print.

Stout, Rex. The Golden Spiders; a Nero Wolfe Novel. New York: Viking, 1953. Print.

Stout, Rex, and Paul Monash. "The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Novel." The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Novel. Dir. Bill Duke. Prod. Michael Jaffe and Howard Braunstein. A&E Television Network. 5 Mar. 2000. Television.

Weitzer, Ronald. "Crimes of the Powerful: Marxism, Crime, And Deviance (Book)." Contemporary Sociology 8.2 (1979): 251. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 14 April. 2011.

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