ECONOMIC DETERMINISM AND CLASS STRUGGLE: A MARXIST CRITIQUE OF CHETAN BHAGAT’S REVOLUTION 2020

Abstract

The capitalist system widens the gap between the material prosperity of a privileged few and the socio-economic degradation of the majority. It facilitates a select few while consigning the masses to lives of struggle and suffering. The study, employing a qualitative methodology – analytical, interpretive, and deductive – uses Marxist literary theory to critically examine Chetan Bhagat’s Revolution 2020. As a prominent novelist, Bhagat expertly critiques capitalism, uncovering its corrosive impact on locally valued socio-cultural norms. The study foregrounds how capitalist system dismantles pre-capitalist social harmony, resulting in class struggle and socio-economic exploitation of the marginalized. It also highlights how economic forces shape socio-familial relations, with the relentless pursuit of wealth undermining ethical values. Moreover, it explores how capitalism fuels corruption, ambition, and emotional turmoil, destabilizing societal structures. Ultimately, the study finds that economic disparities are the root cause of social instability and recommends systemic reforms to build a more just, peaceful, and exploitation-free society.