SOCIAL CLASS DISCRIMINATION AND LABOR EXPLOITATION OF MIGRANT WORKERS: A MARXIST ANALYSIS OF ZADIE SMITH'S SHORT STORY THE EMBASSY OF CAMBODIA

Abstract

This research paper offers a Marxist literary critique of the exploitation of labor, social class dynamics, and economic inequality as they are shown in Zadie Smith's short story The Embassy of Cambodia. The story illustrates the struggles of Fatou, an immigrant domestic helper employed by an affluent family in London, and highlights the glaring differences in class, ethnicity, and citizenship. This paper try to make clear Smith's works about social critique of systemic injustices under capitalism by employing Marxist ideas like class dynamics, class struggle, labor exploitation, ideological conditioning, cultural hegemony, and socio class discrimination. Through an attentive text analysis based on Marxist theory, this research paper particularly reveals how the conditions of inequality, alienation, and exploitation shape the relationship between the characters and the power structure of society. In addition, the researcher attempt to explain the implicit critique of capitalist ideology in the process of rationalizing injustices against marginalized groups. The proposed contribution is a new look at the complex social aspects of Smith's acclaimed contemporary fiction.