In the Disney Pixar film, A Bug 's Life, Karl Marx theory of alienation and exploitation are portrayed. The film shows problems of having a capitalist society, and what it does to the working class. Because of these problems within the colony an uprising against its suppressor is established. The film Bug 's Life demonstrates Marx 's theory.
In the movie Flik 's colony is being oppressed by Hopper and his gang. Hopper tells the colony that they will provide protection for them as long as the working ants provide them with food. However when Flik accidentally ruins the harvest that colony has just provided. Hopper then demands them to provide twice the food or they will no longer protect the colony. This causes a great distress within the colony …show more content…
"Marx describes alienation of labor as consisting in the fact that the work is no part of the worker 's nature; he does not fulfill himself in his work, but feels miserable, physically exhausted, and mentally debased. His work is forced on him as means for satisfying his basic needs, and at work he does not belong to himself he is under the control of other people. Even the materials he uses and the objects he produces are alien to him because they are owned by someone else."(Stevenson, Haberman, and Wright 198) This is shown through the ant workers being under the control of the capitalist grasshoppers. In the beginning of the film we see the ants all robotically walking in line harvesting seeds and piling the seeds nicely on a pedestal for the grasshoppers. The ants not only have no control over whether or no they harvest these seeds for the grasshoppers, but they also have no control over how they harvest them. When Flik begins to harvest them with his invention the Queen and elders tell Flik that they are to harvest the seeds the same way they have been doing for generations. This shows that they have no input. Therefore this scene clearly demonstrates alienation. They have no control over the seeds they are harvest but also how they are harvest. All of these seeds are to go directly to the grasshoppers instead of their own families. Essentially Marx 's was right when he said that these "owned by someone else." The grasshoppers do not care or think about who harvested the seeds or about the labor that went into growing and gathering the seeds. They do not care that these workers have to also work to harvest the seeds for their own families. All the grasshoppers care about is that these seeds are providing them with the essential need to
In the movie Flik 's colony is being oppressed by Hopper and his gang. Hopper tells the colony that they will provide protection for them as long as the working ants provide them with food. However when Flik accidentally ruins the harvest that colony has just provided. Hopper then demands them to provide twice the food or they will no longer protect the colony. This causes a great distress within the colony …show more content…
"Marx describes alienation of labor as consisting in the fact that the work is no part of the worker 's nature; he does not fulfill himself in his work, but feels miserable, physically exhausted, and mentally debased. His work is forced on him as means for satisfying his basic needs, and at work he does not belong to himself he is under the control of other people. Even the materials he uses and the objects he produces are alien to him because they are owned by someone else."(Stevenson, Haberman, and Wright 198) This is shown through the ant workers being under the control of the capitalist grasshoppers. In the beginning of the film we see the ants all robotically walking in line harvesting seeds and piling the seeds nicely on a pedestal for the grasshoppers. The ants not only have no control over whether or no they harvest these seeds for the grasshoppers, but they also have no control over how they harvest them. When Flik begins to harvest them with his invention the Queen and elders tell Flik that they are to harvest the seeds the same way they have been doing for generations. This shows that they have no input. Therefore this scene clearly demonstrates alienation. They have no control over the seeds they are harvest but also how they are harvest. All of these seeds are to go directly to the grasshoppers instead of their own families. Essentially Marx 's was right when he said that these "owned by someone else." The grasshoppers do not care or think about who harvested the seeds or about the labor that went into growing and gathering the seeds. They do not care that these workers have to also work to harvest the seeds for their own families. All the grasshoppers care about is that these seeds are providing them with the essential need to