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.
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