Analysis Of Marxism In Isabella And The Pot Of Basil

Marxism as a theme in 'Isabella, or, the Pot of Basil ' Isabella or the pot of basil has several interpretations, one of which being a Marxist view. With the actions of the brothers and the 'cartoonish ' way they are described they can be easily seen as tools to suggest the corruptness of capitalism at that time. This therefore could be interpreted as having strong Marxist themes.
From the first mention of the brothers they are shown to be cruel and greedy. They are described as being rich from 'ancestral merchandise ' meaning that they inherited their fortune rather than earnt it, which was the typical way capitalism worked during that era. This suggests that all the money that they have received they did not earn, and have only received …show more content…
' several times in the following stanza. This is suggesting that the narrator is sneering at them and asking how they are 'so proud ' when their whole enterprise is built on the exploitation of others which is generally a more socialist view. The stanza continues with speaking of (what would be considered by a Marxist) prizes, such as 'marble founts ' and 'orange-mounts ' things at the time only the upper class could afford. The comparison to the ‘weary hand’ of their factory workers creates this idea that what they own is not what they deserve. This furthers the idea of the poem having a Marxist theme because it adds to the idea of sharing and equality, or lack thereof in the brothers ' case, along with the continuing ideology that whilst the workers are creating the good for the business they earn little whilst the brothers do little and receive most of the …show more content…
They would prefer for her to marry ‘some high noble and his olive trees’ which is both objectifying their sister and also in a Marxist view suggesting that they would do anything to improve their own wealth. The lines could be seen as the narrator yet again sneering at them due to its language; ‘some’ is used rather than a which suggests that they do not care about who they marry her off to as long it was someone rich with ‘olive trees’. This creates the idea the the narrator hates the upper class, due to their own greed and inability to think about anything else other than money, for example love, but also that all of the upper class is the same. This is another Marxist view because not only are they putting money above all else, the upper classes are preventing the rise of other classes and ignoring what would benefit people greater than