Critique of Capitalist Ideology in Chetan Bhagat’s Novel The Three Mistakes of My Life

Abstract

The present dissertation aspires to undertake Chetan Bhagat’s novel The Three Mistakes of My Life, a story about fall of capitalistic illusion as the protagonist questions for the meaning of life through the mistakes he has made throughout his life. It also highlights the ambitious attitude of the Non Westerners. The characters of the novel are the youths of modern globalized society. They want to gain high social identity and material prosperity in the capitalistic socio-economic scenario. So, this project tries to answer the question how the ideology of capitalism sells the dream of material prosperity and success. It is making suffering the lower class people. How the world is coming to the horrible trap of social disorder. The issue of identity has become a major focus in human life during and after 20th century. Every human being deserves his or her own identity. As identity represents the existence of an individual, every individual deserve to valid their reverent life. All these characters of the novel are in maze in the world of fantasy created by Western capitalistic notion. The notion attracts each and every non western towards western culture and western way of living. These youths are fast lured by the carefree way of living and working. They are becoming self centered which takes them away from the non western values such as familial bondages and restrictions. Based on the ideologies of personal and economic freedom, the west is preaching its capitalist ideologies in various forms and ideas. Cricket, Business and religious freedom are such forms which lure non-western youths in its trap of self centered world. The deteriorate aspect of idealist world is the fall of dreams and desires manipulated and sold by the capitalist world. The fall of dreams of protagonist is the depiction of real picture of the western world. In this era of capitalism and globalization non-western characters are more a failure in comparison to western characters.