A MARXIST STUDY OF MOHSIN HAMID’S MOTH-SMOKE

Abstract

This study critically examines Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid through the prism of Marxist Criticism, focusing on the dimensions of class struggle, economic inequality, and ideological control within a postcolonial setting of Lahore, Pakistan. The novel depicts the gradual moral and social fall of the protagonist, Daru, as he encounters systemic inequalities and the exclusive dominance of elite social class. The analysis explores how capitalist framework perpetuate social stratification, marginalization of haves-not, and the commodification of human relationships. It further probes the influence of power, wealth, and privilege in making individual choices and superimposing hegemonic ideologies. By highlighting the contrast between the bourgeois elite and the struggling lower-middle class, the study show the underlying tensions existing in the socio-economic structure of society. This paper argues that Moth Smoke shows up as a strong critique of class oppression and the pervasive impact of capitalist ideology on identity, morality, and social life.