Economic Determinism

This study examines the representation of class struggle, capitalism, power relations, and materialism in Trust by Hernan Diaz and The Candy House by Jennifer Egan through the lens of Marxist literary theory. The research explores how both novels portray the influence of wealth, technology, and social structures on human relationships and individual identity in contemporary society. Using qualitative textual analysis, the study applies key Marxist concepts such as class conflict, commodification, alienation, ideology, and economic determinism to interpret the narratives and characters in the selected texts.
The findings reveal that both novels expose the inequalities created by capitalist systems and demonstrate how economic power shapes social experiences and personal ambitions. Trust critiques the concentration of wealth and the manipulation of financial narratives among the elite, while The Candy House interrogates the commodification of memory, technology, and human interaction in a digitally driven capitalist culture. The study concludes that the two novels present capitalism as a system that perpetuates exploitation, social division, and loss of authentic human connection. The research contributes to contemporary literary criticism by highlighting the relevance of Marxist theory in understanding modern American fiction and its reflection of socio-economic realities.