Critique of Capitalism in Ha Jin's in A Free Life

Abstract

This research explores the issues of capitalism and the consequences of it on the common people such as suppression, frustration, isolation and the condition of exploited people. It is based on the novel by Ha Jin, A Free Live. It represents the reality of the marginal working class people via the protagonist Nan Wu and Pingping and other minor characters. Ha Jin creates the plot and characters in such a way which illustrates frustration of the protagonist. This thesis work also presents the darkside of the major characters such as; fluctuating relationship, feeling of isolation and the life of scarcity. Ha Jin's major characters are excluded from the mainstream and he examines the prevailing issues of immigrant in a capitalistic society. Jin is successful to create a realistic picture of the capitalistic society. I have applied the analytical tool of neo-marxist theory especially the concept of ideology to analyze the characters developed by the Marxist theorist. The main objective is to reveal the changing lifestyle of the immigrant in new society and complexities in the capitalistic society where success is counted in money. This study makes the recognition of the causes and effect of capitalism in the life of the characters.