Marxist and Feminist Undertones in the Glass Castle (Essay Sample)

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Marxist and Feminist Undertones in the Glass Castle
Introduction
The novel “The Glass Castle” engages in themes that would otherwise not be expected from a female author, especially when the author is writing about a memoir. Jeanette Walls brings into perspective several themes as she engages in a narration that documents various aspects of the life of her family and various unique experiences. The author approaches gender issues from a biased perspective where she treats the male and the female differently. Furthermore, the author also brings into perspective class struggles and how issues pertaining to economic class affect the decisions made by the characters in her book. Feminist undertones are demonstrated when she views the male as superior to the female while Marxist undertones emerge when she observes that class is a significant contributor to the quality of life a person leads.
Marxism
Class conflict is an essential attribute of Marxist theory especially when it comes to literary criticism. According to Dobie (84), the fall of communism did not necessarily mean that Marxism died because various literary artists continue to use the theme in their works. The protagonist in the novel, Jeannette is constantly struggling to raise her social and economic standards due to the realization that belonging to the lower class has certain disadvantages.