Ideology According To Marx And Althusser In Relation To Bartleby The Scrivener

Ideology is defined as one’s certain beliefs or ones philosophy. Many theorists have interpreted and expanded upon this definition in a myriad of ways. In his essay, The German Ideology, Karl Marx sees ideology as a camera obscure, a distortion that hides the truth, that makes us believe one thing, but is inverted. He also sees ideology as being the product of an epoch. This means that an epoch’s dominant class is the deciding factor in that period’s dominant ideology. In the essay Ideology, and Ideological State Apparatuses, Louis Althusser defines Ideology as a “representation of the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence.”(2) This means that nobody believes in something purely and that all beliefs are shaded by ones experience. As concepts things do not function materially, but imaginary. Althusser also argues that ideology comes automatically to each individual as we are all pulled into some idea of selfhood from birth, and the very idea of selfhood is a product of ideology. Herman Melville’s story, Bartleby the Scrivener is exemplary of where these two

Ideology is an important part of life in the modern day world. We can all see through the camera obscure, and see that many things are inverted. It seems natural for capitalism and democracy to be the basis of the way of the world, and the way we live our lives, because the dominant class makes this so. However, these ideologies are the subsistence in which we live. We have formed social groups through these ideals and this has become who we are and how we live. With Althusser’s theory of selfhood, one can also see clearly the way in which our modern ideology works for us. The United States in particular, values individualism to a great extent. If we are born with this notion of selfhood, it is safe to say that we are born with some concept of ideology and/or culture. We can all relate to Bartleby in the way that everyone has a desire to do things in accordance to ones own convenience, however this sort of ethic is simply not realistic in a dog-eat-dog world. Bartleby represents the uniqueness that everyone possesses, yet few employ. We consider those who do behave as Bartleby does as marginal. However, I think it is important to realize that it may be the marginal people of society that force a change in the dominant culture of our society. We can all more closely relate to the lawyer as his actions and his life project a feeling of normalcy. The lawyer has done what many think is the appropriate way to live ones life. Go to school, get education, get a good job, and make money. Ownership and wealth are two things that are considered to be the American dream. These are things that the lawyer has accomplished, and so it is easier to view Bartleby as an eccentric personality, and the lawyer as being justified in his actions. It seems ideology is a combination, of both the inverted view of the world, and the idea of inescapable selfhood, and thus producing an ideology that cannot be avoided. Marx and Althusser have theorized that ideology is a part of the world, and ideology has a large part in the way we function as a society.

ideologies can be analyzed and discussed.

According to the ideas of Marx, Bartleby may be able to bee seen as a character that is able to see through ideological distortions. Ideology is a distortion, according to Marx in that it hides the truth, it is inverted. Bartleby does not abide by this distortion. At every request of his boss, Bartleby simply replies, “I prefer not to.”(3) Why does he do this? This is a mystery, as is Bartleby’s character. As the lawyer admits to his way of life as being instilled upon him from birth, we never do find out about Bartleby’s upbringing. This too can be seen as being outside of the dominant ideas of the dominant class, because he lacks a past, he lacks an ideological background. Bartleby does things on his own terms, and does not give anybody any more than that. He does not take advantage of the basic tools of survival when offered them. When he is taken away from the building and put into

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