Critique of Capitalism in J.G. Ballard’s High Rise: A Neo-Marxist Perspective

Abstract

The research entitled “Critique of Capitalism in J.G. Ballard’s High Rise” examines the contradiction inherited in capitalism due to which capitalist modes of production inevitably goes in division. To prevent the inevitable division it manages hegemony and spreads ideology via state mechanisms. Due to the contradiction within the capitalist system and its antagonism with its opponent results into the inevitable fall of capitalistic system. Occupants try to claim elevators and hold them for their own. Death of the designer of the High Rise building, Anthony Royal, at the last of the novel denotes the fall of capitalistic system. Ultimately, High-Rise is an unsettling, provocative and profound novel. It’s a glimpse into the uncomfortably dark heart of humanity, but one that offers hope – that our ability to reason can fashion a rational society out of the chaos we create for ourselves.