ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION AND RESISTANCE: A MARXIST READING OF TONI MORRISON’S BELOVED AND HARRIET JACOBS’ INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF A SLAVE GIRL

Abstract

This study reveals how both works criticise the institutionalised exploitation of enslaved people under the capitalist system of slavery. Marxism offers a prism through which to view how class relations and economic institutions supported slavery while also illuminating how enslaved people rebelled against these repressive regimes. A vital part of Marxist criticism is the commodification of Black labour and bodies, which is highlighted in both pieces. People who are enslaved are presented as valuable commodities that are used to maintain the wealth of the ruling elite. The study looks at how Black women are affected by this commodification, as their reproductive potential is also used for financial advantage. Morrison and Jacobs use striking descriptions of the psychological, emotional, and physical toll that slavery takes on its victims to demonstrate this. The research also highlights the special function of gender in these texts by demonstrating how enslaved women experience double oppression—sexual and class exploitation. While Incidents depicts Linda Brent's battle against sexual violence and her will to exercise agency over her body and destiny, Beloved shows the tragic effects of slavery's dehumanisation through Sethe's effort to keep her children from becoming commodities. Both writers use these stories to examine how gender oppression, class, and racism connect.