Self-destruction as an objection to materialism and capitalism in the awakening
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Date
2017
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university of Oum-El-Bouaghi
Abstract
The following research investigates the relation between Materialism, Capitalism and Self-destructive behavior in Herman Melville's short story "Bartleby the scrivener" (1853) and Kate Chopin's The Awakening (1899). More specifically, it examines the diverse facets of materialism and the sociological and psychological phenomena allied to them. Our study centers on the theme of objection which has always been a prominent theme in literature. Dwelling on the insights of Psychoanalytic-Marxism, our study argues that self-destruction is a form of objection to materialism and capitalism. Our thesis is based on a number of assumptions. The first assumption is that the social factors affect the protagonists' escalating inner conflicts leading to a deep sense of alienation. The second assumption is that the workings of the characters' mind as alienated individuals in a materialist society lead to their self-destructive actions as protest against these living conditions. In brief, the purpose of this study is to provide a deep understanding of the reality of alienation and suicide in a social and psychological context, also, to develop a different perspective of viewing the individual's behavior.
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Keywords
Materialism, Self-destruction, Capitalism