Literature is a way that to learn about the rhythms of cycles of life. Fiction with a good plot and interesting characters is entertaining but even in fiction the author is sharing the topics that he or she thinks is important. The ideas that are presented through the characters and settings may be universal such as love is good and hate is bad. But most often literature addresses complex and even controversial issues as one or more of the themes.
The thesis of this paper is that fiction entertains us while giving us an opportunity to explore important issues in life. The focus is on literature which has addresses the issues of capitalism and materialism by studying the work of four different authors. Except for one author from Russia the rest are Americans. The first book was published in 1869, the next two were written in the first two decades of the 20th century. One book, published in 2008, explores the 20th century from start to finish.
More Land and More Riches do not Bring Happiness
Tolstoy (1869) wrote about the overall themes of War and Peace in his novel by the same title. But there are lessons about greed, imperialism and superficiality which form the major themes throughout the novel. The war he wrote about was the Napoleonic War and what could be greedier than wanting to be Emperor of the world like Napoleon did. Napoleon cajoled, pushed and practically dragged his troops into Russia planning an easy victory then out again in defeat. Tolstoy showed how difficult war really is for soldiers. He demonstrates throughout the novel that war is a thrilling, glorious undertaking. Instead it is terrible and dehabilitating. Napoleon thought that by making Russia part of his empire he would be happy but that seems naïve from the reader’s point of view.
Pierre is the main character searching throughout the novel for the meaning of life. Pierre was the illegitimate son of an aristocrat so he felt somewhat a part of that world and he also felt he did not belong. Pierre’s father dies and Pierre inherits the family’s estates and assets. By making Pierre his heir, Pierre also becomes legitimate. This sounds very odd today but within the circles of the aristocracy the rules for who belonged and who did not were well defined. On the other hand the rest of Russia, the serfs were living in terrible circumstances. Tolstoy demonstrates the difference between the haves and the have-not of that time in history.
Helene is the woman who marries Pierre for his money. She is beautiful, vain and barely has enough time in the day to spend her money and flaunt her riches. Hélene is the character that demonstrates that money and acquiring possessions does not lead to a happy life. At one point Helene finds religion and becomes a true Catholic but even that does not bring too much spiritual satisfaction, this is suggested when
an abbé (abbot of the church) was brought to her, and he confessed her and gave her absolution of her sins. The next day a box with communion in it was brought to her and left for home use. A few days later Hélene, to her satisfaction, learned that she had now joined the true Catholic Church and that one of those days the pope himself would learn of her and send her some document. (Tolstoy, 1869, 385)
Finally Hélene dies “tormented” lonely and dejected by overdosing on medicine. (Tolstoy, 1869, 939) Tolstoy was not only warning against personal greed and superficiality but also against the aristocratic economic system.
Sinclair shares the same dismay as Tolstoy for people who believe acquiring consumer goods will bring them happiness. Sinclair Lewis in his novel Babbitt (1922) about middle class Zenith city citizen Babbitt, the main character, has the same attitude towards greed and superficiality as Tolstoy. Even though the two authors each address two similar themes in their novels Sinclair’s voice and tone are entirely different from Tolstoy’s. Babbitt has a jaunty, patriotic way of facing life. He is proud to be a booster, like a cheerleader for the mid-sized city of Zenith, its industries and opportunities. Materialism, the concept that worldly possessions bring happiness, was becoming an accepted measure of the quality of life in the early 1900s. Consumerism, the purchasing and acquiring of consumer goods became an essential part of fitting in with the rest of society. In a convention speed Mr. Babbitt shares his enthusiasm for the products produced in Zenith
Every intelligent person knows that Zenith manufactures more condensed milk and evaporated cream, more paper boxes, and more lighting-fixtures, than any other city in the United States, if not in the world. But it is not so universally well known that we also stand second in the manufacture of package-butter, sixth in the giant realm of motors and automobiles, and somewhere about third in cheese, leather findings, tar roofing, breakfast food, and overalls! (Lewis, 1922, 156)
Babbitt is proud of that his town has become industrialized. He is demonstrating the attitude that people were beginning to take towards capitalism without thinking about the worker or any downside that might be attached. Babbitt was published in 1922 during the roaring twenties and before the great depression of the 1930s. Sinclair was trying in his own way to teach a lesson and give a warning.
Capitalism versus Socialism
Upton Sinclair with his book The Jungle (1906) took up the issue of industry, greed and Capitalism but writing a fictional story that was also an exposé on the Chicago meat packing industry. Capitalism is defined as an economic system in which “industries compete for their own economic gain and free market forces determine the price of goods and services, ownership of private property exists; Capitalists believe that markets are efficient and should thus function without interference” (Investor, 2012, para. 1). The American Dream was a goal for many immigrants to the United States. Unfortunately it was not so easy to find. Jurgis Rudkus is the main character of the book. He is a young man, a Lithuanian, who ends up working in Chicago’s meat packing industry. Conditions were filthy and dangerous but he had to support his family. Jurgis’ life finally turns around when he is introduced to the economic theory of socialism. Socialism is the economic theory in which the means of production are owned by the workers not by the Capitalists. (Soc., n.d., Finance) Under socialism workers cooperate and support each other instead of working like slaves (or serfs) for the rich. (Sinclair, 1906, 227-228)
Sinclair’s them is similar to Tolstoy and Lewis in the respect that none of the authors thought working for low wages in poor conditions was right.
The Beginning and End of Capitalism
Berc’s novel, Light and Its Shadow (2008) covers the century from 1900 to 2000. Her main character is named Olive. Olive grew up in the Midwest, her father was a banker. When Olive became old enough she started working in the first department store in the area.
The arc of the novel takes us through the rise and fall of the great department stores such as Macys and Woolworths. Olive’s uncle, an economist taught Olive about Capitalism when she was a little girl. His name was
Asa Sutton (and he) had distinguished himself as an eminent economist and the leading advocate for a Society of Consumption. . . . He decided to give his young niece lessons in the precepts of Abundance and Consumption for All. (Berc, 2008, 32).
For Olive’s father heaps of gold in a vault were a vision of joy (10). He and his brother, Asa, took it upon themselves to teach the community that ‘hoarding and greed’ have no place in the Age of Abundance. When a minister asked Asa “but with all this concentration on materialism, what happens to the soul?” (39) Asa was happy to assure him that “the non-saver is a higher type of being than the saver because a steady purchase of goods makes him less covetous . . .” (39). Berc’s themes are the same as the author’s already discussed. She uses a style of tongue-in-cheek humor that is gentler than the brash Sinclair Lewis. Still she makes the point that materialism cannot give a person satisfaction and happiness. Acquiring more and more goods only gives a person more things but does not bring more love into their lives.
Conclusion
The four examples chose for this essay have demonstrated the powerful way themes can be used in literature to give moral lessons. Capitalism, socialism and materialism can be hard to discuss with other people without having an argument or a misunderstanding because of the terminology. Through reading fiction though concepts that are difficult to talk about can be introduced. The reader has a change to see how the theme is dealt with during the narrative and by the characters.
Works Cited
Berc, Shelley. Light and Its Shadow. Singapore: Ethos Books, 2008, Print.
Investor Words. capitalism - Definition. InvestorWords.com. (2012) Web. Accessed from <http://www.investorwords.com/713/capitalism.html/>.
Lewis, Sinclair. Babbitt. 1922. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.
Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. 1906. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Print. 2010.
Socialism versus Capitalism. Fundamental Finance. n.d. Web. Accessed from <http://www.fundamentalfinance.com/blogs/socialism-vs-capitalism.php/>.
Tolstoy, Leo. War and Peace. 1869. Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. New York, NY: First Vintage Classics, 2008, Print.
