In this course of articles, we take a cursory view of a philosophical social movement or way of thinking and examine how that movement’s ideas can be utilized to enhance your fiction writing, bringing dynamism and realism to your worldbuilding and character motivation. In this installment, we examine the concept of Marxism and some of its many uses, particularly in the realm of dystopian fantasy and science fiction.

Marxism is a philosophical mindset named for its founder, Karl Marx, which has been used to analyze and examine social conflict, class divides, the concept of capitalism and materialistic living since its inception in nineteenth-century Germany. Along with the writings of Friedrich Engels, the work of Marx on the oppression of the working classes by the ruling classes was revolutionary for its time and is still valued as a means of expanding our mindsets and examining social systems in many forms of theoretical analysis today.

In brief, the idea of a Marxist system would be one in which there was no class system at all, and the means of production (and therefore, profit) was controlled universally by a government which would then split those profits equally amongst its people. An underlying principle in the Communism movement, this ideal can be utilized to look at both utopian goals and their very opposite: dystopia, in which the means of production, profit, and control over others have created enormous states of oppression.

Oppression is an excellent quality for creating downtrodden, relatable heroes, who see the reality of the unfair system in which they live. One incredibly famous example of both dystopian and utopian exploration was George Orwell’s Animal Farm, in which the animals of a farm rise up against their perceived oppressors – the humans – and create a society where all animals can be equal. At first, as readers, we are endeared to this idea and the characters who are fighting for their freedoms, until cracks begin to emerge within their own concepts of equality. When Napoleon and his fellow pigs, for example, seize control and desire greater power, they leave their famous decree: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” The central themes of equality, oppression, and freedom all relate to a Marxist allegory of Russia under the rule of Stalin, driving incredible tension and creating an everlasting classic.

Utilizing Marxism in fiction doesn’t have to be quite so epic either for it to be effective, as we can see from the more modern works of Sir Terry Pratchett and Suzanne Collins. Collins’s famous young adult trilogy The Hunger Games relies on the system of the Districts for its central rising conflict: a collection of poorer states working hard in order for the luxurious lives within the coveted Capital to be maintained. In Pratchett’s Unseen Academicals, the wizards of the Unseen University are keen to get involved in a citywide game of football, one which the city’s Patrician encourages as a means of entertainment to keep his townsfolk placated, distracted and under his oppressive rule.

So, if you’re looking for a powerful central concept to create a hero who rises up against the odds, take a Marxist view of the next society you create!