The Socialist/marxist Critic to “diary” by Chuck Palahniuk
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Chuck Palahniuk is a famous author whose works have inspired those to even make a movie. Merely for entertainment purposes motion pictures do not need to be made to decipher his messages. Through the Socialist/Marxist critic viewpoint one finds the role class plays in the work and the authors analysis of class relations. In his novel “Diary” it clearly shows socialist/Marxist potential with how the characters overcome oppression and it proposes some form of utopian vision as a solution to the problems encountered in the story.
First, is how the main character, Misty Wilmot, overcomes oppression. Shes from a poor family and has always dreaming of being rich and showed that through her drawings. In art school she met her husband, Peter, and immediately moved to Waytansea Island with his rich family. It seems like all her dreams come true until Peter winds up in the hospital from a suicide attempt. Now Misty is working as resort hotel maid. She then starts compulsively drawing again after much pressure from her mother in law and daughter to make money and buy back the house being evicted. It gets to the point where Misty will not even leave her room for food, and is taken under control over her mother in law. She slowly finds out that her in laws only have intentions of sacrificing her to rid the tourism of the town as they have done for every other generation. To avoid this Misty then conjures up a plot to avoid repeating history.
Second, it proposes some form of utopian vision as a solution to the problems encountered in the story. The locals hate the tourism that they feel is diseasing their island. That is why every one hundred years theyve had an artist rise up to draw paintings that become famous to create a stir and have a freak accident happen to eliminate the current tourists. They feel if they do this they will restore the perfect “utopia” they once had. That is why Peter rushed Misty into marriage and to move to Waytansea Island. It was time for the one hundred year “sacrifice” to come to life.
This novel is very intriguing and unique, being a coma diary to Mistys husband, Peter. The socialist/Marxist critic can find the meaning through the oppression the character overcomes which is trying to break the one hundred year tradition of sacrificing an artist to save the island from excessive tourism. Also it proposes some form of utopian vision as a solution to the problems