Paper 3: Marxist Analysis &“The Last Asset”

     The short story “The Last Asset” by Edith Wharton displays themes that are prevalent to the world we are accustomed to. The amount of wealth we have, sadly, separates us from others and allows us to be classed unfairly. In the quest for this title, the Marxist theory suggests that we absorb a capitalistic ideal that forces us to exploit, to act selfishly as well as other questionable ethics in order to rise to the top. In today’s society the class we are in or the class we strive to be placed in is the crux of what determines the actions we use to move forward or remain in our position. This is why “The Last Asset” is a great example of the negativity of classism and how it pushes us to do questionable things. 

     The Marxist theory concept by Tyson teaches the reader that “the socioeconomic system in which we live does much more than determine who has the most power. It also determines, among other things, how we are educated, and it influences our religious beliefs, which together control to a great degree how we perceive ourselves and our world” (Tyson 53). Every aspect of our lives is essentially affected by our class. This gives too much importance so our socioeconomic placement and leads individuals to make any sacrifice to move up. This is why both Edith Wharton’s “The Last Asset” and Louis Tyson’s “Marxist Theory” are so compatible.

     The protagonist, Mrs. Newell, is placed in the situation of fighting to remain in the upper class where she really has nothing to offer nor any justification to remain in this class anymore. While she understands this, she devises a plan, a crass one at that, to use her daughter, Hermy, as a stepping stone to move higher in the social scale by marrying her to royalty.

     Two important theories associated with “The Last Asset” that help solidify the claim of how the negativity of classism pushes individuals to do questionable things were of course Tyson’s classism along with commodification. Tyson’s classism, in the Marxist theory, “points out that the accumulation of wealth, especially of enormous wealth, isn’t necessarily a sign of merit. All too often it’s a sign of questionable ethics” (Tyson 56). The explanation of classism correlates with the egotistical intentions of Mrs. Newell.  Adding support to the claim, it’s clear that in the story Mrs. Newell is using her daughter as a type of advancement in the aristocratic society. While it’s obvious you will give more credit to commodification for the circumstance it’s more important to highlight Mrs. Newell’s “questionable ethics” and leech-like tendencies that are keeping her afloat. The effect of classism has forced Mrs. Newell to make negative and unethical choices in order to progress higher on the social scale. More importantly it’s wise to know that in this context classim serves as the idea of what the world is and commodification would serves as merely the reaction used to remain in that world.

     As the classism association is fully understood, it now makes it easier to connect Tyson’s commodification theory into the story. Commodification is what “encourages us to relate to things and people as commodities. We commodify something when we relate to it in terms of how much money its worth or, put another way, how much money it can be exchanged for (its exchange value)” (Tyson 58). What this definition finally concludes in relation to “The Last Asset” is in the particular quote, “Mrs. Newell spoke as if her daughter were a piece of furniture acquired without due reflection, and for which no suitable place could be found” (Wharton 218). It’s apparent that Hermy was only a commodity in the eyes of her mother which was thoroughly explained in the following quote, “what was the use of producing and educating a handsome daughter if she did not, in some more positive way, contribute to her parent’s advancement” (Wharton 218). Both of the passages proved that Mrs. Newell’s daughter, Hermy, was simply a commodity and tool for her mother to not become a victim but a beneficiary of the “world” or “classism”.

     This story is all too common of situations where people who are in high in social classes are not there because of merit but more so of a debatable behavior and practice. If the capitalistic idea doesn’t become less distorted and we don’t begin to hold ourselves and each other more accountable; the trend of associating people with wealth and power with dubious practices will get only stronger. A model must be established that discredits exploitation and selfishness when used to promote one’s status.       

                                                               Works Cited
Tyson, Louis. "Using Concepts from Marxist Theory." Learning For A Diverse World. Routledge, 2001. 53-61. Print.
Wharton, Edith. The Last Asset. Kessinger Publishing, 2004. Print.

Paper 2

“Things fall apart” by Chinua Achebe exhibits numerous themes that correlate in the world we live in. Despite the book being published over 50 years ago the themes are still important and relevant to this day. Understanding the importance of these themes, principally fatherhood, allows one to realize the great effect of personal experiences and how they directly or indirectly affect others. The greatest claim to this process derives from the fatherhood theme in the story. Oknokwo’s horrible example of a man, by his father, forced him to become everything he wasn’t. This same goal was then forced on the people closest to him like his son, Nwoye.

     The influence from the poorly set example of Oknokwo’s father directly affected how Okonkwo was molded. In the early section of the book; quotes describing, Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, like “he was in fact a coward and could not bear the sight of blood” (Achebe 6) or “Unoka was never happy when it came to war” (Achebe 6) directly influenced Okonkwo. The influence was so extreme that when Okonkwo is being described the quotes are exactly opposite. Okonkwo “had shown incredible prowess in two inter-tribal wars” (Achebe 8) and “unlike his father he could stand the look of blood” (Achebe 8). These two examples prove the strength of Unoka’s influence and how it made Okonkwo and his father’s attributes poles apart. If the quotes themselves still present direct influential doubt, the quote “Okonkwo’s greatest fear…was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father” (Achebe 13) further proves in the case of fatherhood and how direct the connection between Okonkwo and Unoka is.

     Going deeper, it’s essential to observe other outcomes resulting from an influence and labeling it direct. The quote “he had not patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience with his father” (Achebe 4) is the clearest example of Unoka’s direct influence on Okonkwo. This quote is put into effect during a situation at a kindred meeting when a man, without any titles, contradicts him in front the others. Okonkwo acted swiftly with the absence of patience, and returned the comment “this meeting is for men” (Achebe 26) or in other words calling him “agbala” (Achebe 13) which means women or man without titles, to emphasize he’s unsuccessful. As the influence of his father directly affected Okonkwo, Unoka’s influence indirectly affected Nwoye through Okonkwo. 

     Whether or not the tough parenting was accepted in the Ibo culture; Okonkwo’s verbal and physical abuse continually put strain on his relationship with Nwoye until he left for the missionaries. Okonkwo’s extreme principles of refusing to be his father made him successful and worked very well as it allowed him to not take failure as an option. However, those same extremes were put into other situations like raising his son. Okonkwo most important principle which worked for him personally was “to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved… Gentleness and another was idleness” (Achebe 13). As Okonkwo adopted this for himself he also forced this principle on Nwoye. The quote “Nwoye… was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness and sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating” (Achebe 14) showed that these were the instances where Okonkwo enforced his influence based principles on his Nwoye. 

     This harsh parenting took a toll on Nwoye from an early age with the quote “Nwoye was developing into a sad-faced youth” (Achebe 14). The last example of harsh parenting that resulted from Okonkwo and Unoka’s relationship was when he told  Nwoye during the preparation of yams “ if you spilt another yam of this size, I shall break your jaw” (Achebe 32) this posed as Okonkwo’s way of “stamping out the disquieting signs of laziness” (Achebe 33) which resembled so much of his father. These situations gradually got worse throughout the book and Okonkwo’s fixation of being nothing like his father help sever ties with his own son, as he realized he saw much of his grandfather in him. 

     The ability of major influences possessing the potential to affect us negatively, positively or both is one of the 3 options we have. As poor of an example Unoka was, it pressed Okonkwo to become everything his father wasn’t, and the negative experience gave Okonkwo a positive outcome in regards to gaining many achievements. That personal positive outcome for Okonkwo was then pushed to its extreme and forcefully pressed onto Nwoye. Okonkwo’s goal to be so different from his father is what drove away is son. This relationship between the main character and his son is common within fatherhood and comes with many variations. The influence of a father or lack thereof, plays a crucial role on a son. The influence and experience directly affects the son at which he is forced to make a choice. The boy either becomes his father or completely opposite and however significant the situation is, that boy who has grown into a man, indirectly imposed that on his children. What must be learned is that which Okonkwo didn’t. There must be balance and control in one’s principles regardless of what harrowing or even idyllic experiences formed them.  Being able to find and develop a happy median is beneficial for all.

 



Works Cited
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1994.

Take home Quiz

Bride Price

    The young women in the tribe who marry have a great deal of family involvement. This aspect, early on, portrayed the brides to be women who had no contribution in price or suitor. Even prior to chapter twelve, I viewed the bride price of the young women as simply a way to commodify them. A particular instance was in the end of chapter eight where bride to be, Akueke, is examined by the suitor and his family while they met to settle a price. “Her suitor and his relatives surveyed her young body with expert eyes as if to assure themselves that she was beautiful and ripe” (Achebe 71). The feelings received when I read this passage were in tune with those of the western scholars, for the fact, that the young women were clearly commodified by looks and age, which directly determined their bride price.  As I continued to chapter twelve my thoughts on the bride price didn’t alter to the ideologies of the African scholars. Despite chapter twelve’s presentation of how rich and cultured the wedding ceremonies were; I still saw no evidence that would discredit the commodifcation of the brides. During the wine carrying ceremony Akueke’s father, Obierika, said “I hope our in-laws will bring many pots” (Achebe 116) and how “they ought to know that Akueke is the bride for a king” (Achebe 116). Those two quotes weren’t the problem because as a father giving away his daughter to be married you always want the best. The problem lied in Okonkwo’s comment, “they dare not bring fewer than thirty pots…I shall tell them my mind if they do” (Achebe 116). This comment gave conflict in possibly thinking that the women weren’t commodified in any way. This conversation continued for another page and a half about the amount of wine they should deem fair, which doesn’t dispute that a bride price in no way is purchasing a woman, whether it be cowries or pots of wine. 

Women’s Rights

    The situation of women is neither positive nor an equal one. One may go as far to say women are second class citizens, but I feel that could be taking their role in traditional Ibo culture too far. As it is clear that women are commodified in regards to bride price; there isn’t a clear absence of women’s rights and liberties. While throughout the story Okonkwo beats his wives with little consequence; the week of peace differs. Okonkwo committed an offense by beating his wife during this time for “going to plait her hair at her friend’s house and not returning early enough to cook the afternoon meal” (Achebe 29). What’s more is that the offence was not for beating his wife but for the fact he beat her during the time of peace. This only goes to say that the rights and liberties of the women are limited and offending a God is more punishable than abusing a woman. In chapter ten, the situation where the husband was severely abusing his wife proved that, despite how little the consequences were some action was still taken. This was clear by the verdict of the case when the council agreed that the husband should “go to his in-laws with a pot of wine and beg your wife to return to you” (Achebe 93) and for the family of the wife to “let your sister go with him” (Achebe 93) if he begs and brings the wine. The rights of the women in this culture are few and basic, but as mentioned earlier, even if those rights are violated the consequences aren’t as severe as the crime against the woman.

Marriage

    Polygamy in the Ibo culture seems not only normal but also praised. Having multiply wives proves you are successful and shows your prosperity by your household. Just as a man seeks to attain many titles, in the Ibo culture the men seek to have many wives. Having this cultural expectation for men to achieve many titles and become prosperous directly affects the women whom want to marry. The women (or family I should say) prefer men who are successful and possess many titles, which is why Okonkwo has three wives at a relatively young age. “Okonkwo, who risen so suddenly from great poverty and misfortune to be one of the lords of the clan” (Achebe 26) has the credentials that would make any father agree to give his daughter to marriage. There are many advantages of polygamy within the Ibo culture. The wives of the husbands are able to have many children between them. As entire family they all have roles and work together whether it’s preparing meals or harvesting for the new season. This is especially helpful for Okonkwo and the upkeep of his large compound. The advantages are immense and have created favorable interaction and relationships between the wives of Okonkwo. A particular example was during the time of peace where Ojiugo left to plait her hair. When Okonkwo had returned he was clearly upset and wondered if she prepared food for the children before he noticed they were eating with the children of his first wife. Okonkwo then continued to ask “did she ask you to feed them before she went?’’ (Achebe 29). She answered yes knowing it was a lie as she was only “trying to minimize Ojiugo’s thoughtlessness” (Achebe 29). This incident along with others not mentioned showed how close the wives were in supporting each other from the wrath of Okonkwo.

Things Fall Apart Essay 2

The last five chapters in part one gave a sense of balance, unlike the first 7 chapters. The first 7 chapters focused on the main character Okonkwo and how he interacted with his family and people in his village. One wouldn’t go as far to say Okonkwo was demonized but certainly there was a negative trace associated with him. Despite the negative aspect you got from Okonkwo you easily could sympathize or justify why he was this way, and reason being, his father. Okonkwo early in the book had the ability to make the reader indecisive and combative with their opinion on him. Reading the last 5 chapters displayed a positive aspect with both the main character and village as a whole. The reader was deeply submerged in the culture and practices of the village from the way they handled disputes, marriage, funerals and other ceremonial events. All of practices showed the richness and unity within the village. As the balance mentioned earlier is seen, we also saw a different side of Okonkwo. The first instance was when Okonkwo was still being heavily affected by the death of Ikemefuna although he was beginning to get over it in the start of chapter nine. Another example was when Okonkwo acted quickly to come to his daughter’s aid when she was sick. Lastly, what balanced out part one of the story, was when Enzima was taking by the Chielo which caused her mother, Ekwefi, to be scared and forced to go after Enzima to ensure she was safe. During that time Okonkwo also went to search for Enzima not once or even twice but he went four times to find Ekwefi and Enzima to then tell her “go home and sleep” because he will wait at the cave mouth for Enzima. As subtle as those events were it portrayed Okonkwo and the community in a positive light which counteracted with the previous chapters we read. 

Things Fall Apart

The first 7 chapters in “Things Fall Apart” serve as a great example of how an experience can affect one’s life for better or worse. The main character, Okonkwo, is described as the character with a coarse and gruff temperament who passionately despises his father, and anyone similar for that matter.  Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, is quoted in the book as “lazy and Improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow” (Achebe 4). Unoka, for his entire life didn’t carry a title which was important within these villages. Unoka was a coward who always managed to borrow money he couldn’t repay. These were chiefly the reasons the village laughed at Okonkwo’s father. Unoka’s characterization as a disgrace clearly resonated with his son and is the defining experience that made Okonkwo who he became. Okonkwo could’ve taken two paths as a result what he witnessed with his father. Okonkwo could have accepted a life similar to his father merely because he didn’t know better. Or he could have accepted a life opposite of the life of his father.  This crucial experience would have justified any life Okonkwo chose and would have pulled him to the extreme of that decision.  The community naturally judged according to a man’s worth separately from his father, but if Okonkwo would have followed Unoka’s path they would have had no sympathy for the fact that he had a horrible example to follow. The same goes for if he would’ve accepted the life of a successful man; his father would have equally been a justifiable reason for what he became. Unoka would’ve set such a horrible example Okonkwo had no choice but to succeed. As the story progressed within the 7 chapters, it’s noticeable that Okonkwo is greatly affected by avoiding any comparisons with weakness, failure, disgrace and his father.  

Characterization of Mrs. Newell

In the text, “The Last Asset”, Mrs. Newell is characterized as a woman who is struggling to remain in the upper-class where being financially secure is the main requirement, and to her luck, only possessing the social aspect causes her to become a type of freeloader. Early on, Mrs. Newell understands that her position can change quickly to something less luxurious as her ability to squeeze off the rich runs dry. Hermy, Mrs. Newell’s daughter serves as a new method to remain in the aristocracy by commodification. Hermy is forced to marry into a family of wealth and Mrs. Newell justifies by saying “what’s the use of producing a daughter if she doesn’t contribute to her parent’s financial & social advancement” (Wharton 218).  Mrs. Newell is desperate enough exploit anyone or do anything unethical to attain what she desires.  

Marxist analysis of “The Last Asset”

   In the newly learned concept by Tyson called Marxist theory, we understand that “the socioeconomic system in which we live does much more than determine who has the most power. It also determines, among other things, how we are educated, and it influences our religious beliefs, which together control to a great degree how we perceive ourselves and our world” (Tyson 53). What’s more, is that Edith Wharton’s “The Last Asset” juxtaposed Tyson’s “Marxist theory” proved to have strains of concepts within each other.

   The two most prevalent theories associated with “The Last Asset” were Tyson’s classism and commodification. Tyson’s classism, in the Marxist theory, “points out that the accumulation of wealth, especially of enormous wealth, isn’t necessarily a sign of merit. All too often it’s a sign of questionable ethics” (Tyson 56). This quote, or explanation of classism, correlates with the egotistical intentions of Mrs. Newell. To support this, it’s clear that in the story Mrs. Newell is using her daughter as “advancement” in the aristocratic society by arrangement of the marriage to the French.  Mrs. Newell’s “questionable ethics” and leech like tendencies are what’s keeping her afloat at this time.  What’s also good to note from the text was the quote, “Garnett felt sure she would never willingly relax her hold on her distinguished friends-was it possible that it was they who had somewhat violently let go of her?” (Wharton 214). What the quote verified was that, if she was indeed “let go”; to remain and move up in the wealthy class Mrs. Newell who is so accustomed to, “questionable ethics”, knows that it’s her only option.

   With that association established it makes it that much easier to also connect Tyson’s commodification theory. Commodification is what “encourages us to relate to things and people as commodities. We commodify something when we relate to it in terms of how much money its worth or, put another way, how much money it can be exchanged for (its exchange value)” (Tyson 58). What this definition finally concludes in relation to “The Last Asset” is in a particular quote, “Mrs. Newell spoke as if her daughter were a piece of furniture acquired without due reflection, and for which no suitable place could be found” (Wharton 218). It was apparent that Hermy was only a commodity in the eyes of her mother which was thoroughly explained in another quote, “what was the use of producing and educating a handsome daughter if she did not, in some more positive way, contribute to her parent’s advancement” (Wharton 218). Both of the quotes proved that Mrs. Newell’s daughter, Hermy, was simply a commodity and tool for her mother to remain and position herself higher in the class she struggles to be part of.