Communist Manifesto Feminism

Karl Marx’s “The Communist Manifesto” deals with the rise of a new belief system that is caused by the history of class struggles in society. This belief is catalyzed by the fear of the oppressors obtaining full control of the oppressed. The oppressors, which Marx terms as the bourgeois, are exploiting the feudal system for their own selfish gains and the oppressed eventually accept their fate. He argues that this rise in the power gap is a direct result of colonization and industrial production. Comparably, postcolonial theory has noted that as a result of colonization the cultures and traditions of the colonized nations has shifted significantly. These ideas are seen in Karen Russell’s “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” in which

fear of being unable to assimilate, or give into the oppressor, is seen as a motivation to attempt to succeed. Once the characters succeed in their conquest to overcome this fear and assimilate to the colonized view point of society, a “loss in identity” of the characters is noted and a fear of what they will become eventually of them is noted.
In “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” three human girls, who are the daughters of werewolves and exhibit “beast-like characteristics”, are sent to a boarding school to assimilate to human society. The need for assimilation is driven by their society’s requirement to act in a particular manner when one is in a particular class. If individuals are unable to assimilate they are destined to be ostracized and ridiculed by society. The parents of the three human girls “…lived an outsider’s existence in the caves at the edge of the forest, threatened by frost and pitchforks.” (Russell 227). The parents fear that their class status in society is endangered due to their children’s inability to maintain the level of function other members of their societies have obtained. Marx makes the argument that the care for each member of the family has diminished due to new class guidelines that have developed. “The bourgeoise has torn away from the family its sentimental viel, and has reduced family relations to mere money relations” (Marx 659). The new social standards yield a greater importance in succeeding and raising the family honor than genuinely caring for one another. This would explain why with the introduction of a class system, the wolf family separates themselves from their children and place great emphasis on succeeding as to not be ostracized. Furthermore, when the girls wish to leave the school but are unable to return to their family “Who did we have to run back to? ...Could we betray our parents by going back to them? After they’d given us the choicest part of the woodchuck, loved us at our hairless worst…and abandoned us at St.Lucy’s for our own betterment?” (Russell 225). The pressure of maintaining the honor of the family compels the girls to stay.
In order to push the value and beliefs of one group onto another group, value and beliefs of the oppressed group has must be relinquished.

A loss of identity and sense of being is seen as a result. In Dennis Wadler’s theory titled “History”, where he describes the consequences of colonization, he concludes that “colonialism was a denial of all culture, history and value outside the colonizer’s frame; in short ‘a systematic negation of the other person’” ( Wadler 1088) and that this lead to “an identity created by others, by Europeans like Columbus” (Walder 1076). The nuns attempt to convert the girl’s characteristics to various characteristics they deem appropriate. Therefore, the nuns could be thought of as the colonizers bringing “civilization to the beasts” and the girls as the colonized. Similar to the stages of colonization, there are systematic stages in the school, which causes the students to slowly distance away from their own cultures lifestyle and customs. The first major attempt at deviation from the girls’ original culture by the nuns is with the introduction of new human names for the girls essentially giving the girls a blank canvas on which they can create their new identity. The names chosen for the girls are Jeanette, Mirabella and Claudette. Multiple attempts are made initially to maintain their way of living such as sleeping on newspapers and marking their territory, only to find it to be destroyed when they returned to the room; unable to mark their territory they eventually gave up. Claudette, the narrator of the story, notes that even their own scent had become foreign in the school indicating a lost sense of belonging. Mirabella struggles immensely in giving up her habits and culture and is reprimanded multiple times by the nuns and is ordered to be more obedient. On the other hand, Jeanette has made significant achievements in assimilating. “Her real name was GWARR!, but she wouldn’t respond to this anymore…she delicately extended her

former paws to visitors, wearing white gloves” (Russell 232). Jeanette has accepted her new role and has let go of her previous identity. Claudette is also on par in regards to development as wished by the nurses, but both sisters are worried about Mirabella’s fate with Claudette eventually worrying anxiously of “whatever will become of me?” (Russell 233). She is anxious about how the process through the stages will change her.
There is a codependency that develops once the oppressors successfully oppress the oppressed. As argued in the Communist Manifesto it appears that the oppressors benefit more from the oppressed than vice-versa “It [Bourgeoisie] has created enormous cities, greatly increased the urban population as compared with the rural life... Just as it has made the country dependent on the towns, so it has made barbarian and semi-barbarian countries dependent on the civilized ones, nations of peasants on nations of bourgeois…” (Mark 660). The bourgeoisies or the colonizer’s reaping of the benefit is due to their production forces, control of land and technological superiority. “In the post-colonial era, we cannot expect to agree about the weight or balance of these factors” (Walder 1088). Claudette is so worried about pleasing the nuns in assimilating and obtaining “Skill Points” that she chooses to distance herself from Mirabella, her own sister. The nuns have significant control over Claudette and Jeanette that they have broken their natural pack mentality leading to a change towards individualistic attainment. This is evident in Claudette’s shift of the “We” in the beginning of narrative versus the use of “I” later on in the narrative as they progress through the stages. A difference in class starts to form as Claudette and Jeanette start to feel superior over Mirabella because they belief that she is beneath them since she acts uncivilized. The resentment against Mirabella is so strong that when the sisters eat their meals meals, they “Shoving[ed] her [Marabella] away as she begged for your scraps” (Russell 237). In exchange for their identity, values and culture however, the colonized also obtain some benefit such as “introduction of railways, breaking down of taboos…building of schools and hospital” (Walder 1088). The colonized benefited from the infrastructure and sometimes political system that they set in place. The two sisters enjoy a higher standard of living under a new order of control which they belief will place them better off in society.
The anxiety of “what will become of me?” of Claudette in explored in the last portion of the narrative. While Claudette partakes in the school’s ball dance she begins to forget the dance steps to the Sausalito. Flustered, Claudette is at the point of breakdown and almost lets out a howl (deemed uncivilized by the nuns). She desperately scans the room for help and turns to her sister Jeanette who refuses to help her. Spontaneously, Mirabella tackles her sister in order to prevent her breakdown and it is at this moment that Claudette realized that “I [Claudette] never loved somebody so much…I wanted to roll over and lick her ear” (Russell 244). However, as a result of anxiety to what would happen if she showed affection towards her in front of everyone she is pressured to scolds Mirabella causing Mirabella to run away the next morning. In an attempt to reclaim their sister and identity they howl into the night hoping for an answer back. Which never comes. That howl is noted to be their last. For a moment the girl attempt to rectify their true self and realize their personal short comings. In Addition, their loss of identity is seen when the girls return home and their mom barely recognizes them. Claudette notes that she lies when she says, “I’m home” (Claudette 246), knowing very well that her old and new cultures and beliefs have diverged so significantly that she will be unable to perform her old lifestyle.