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Marxism In The Orphan Master's Son

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When analysing The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson, it is evident that there are a multitude of effects on the writing and its writer. Specifically, the clash between Jon Do as a person, and the bureaucracy of the North Korean government. Marxism works to explain the struggle between social structure which pertains to the book because of an unjustly founded class system. Furthermore, Jon Do has experienced both social classes, and it is clear that Jon Do struggles with the constant conflict between his identity and who he is forced to be. Thus, Marxism can be applied to the book since Jon Do exemplifies how the North Korean government consistently imposes socialistic values, and forces citizens to abide by those existing social classes …show more content…

So, he is able to grasp the perception of both the upper and the lower classes. In the beginning, Jon Do lives in gruesome conditions continuously working arduously as an orphan, but he slowly rose throughout the ranks of the North Korean social class until he presumed as commander Ga. Thus, since he has lived in both lifestyles, he fully understands them and their benefits, but he is forced to uphold these a false lifestyle in order to pursue the interest of the North Korean government. This is exemplified when Dear Leader folded the cloth and gave it to Ga for his nose. Then he lifted Ga's arm, and stated "here is the real Commander Ga. He has beaten Kimura, and now he will defeat the Americans" (Johnson 258). Here, Jon Do is emplaced as Commander Ga, so that the works of the North Korean government can continue. The citizens of North Korea are persistently under the effect and total rule of the north Korean government. From the experiences of Jon Do he has been subjected to the ways he was forced to become, “there was only the inside of him, and what he discovered was a little boy in there who was stupidly smiling,” Jon do has lost his former self because of the imposed conditions. However these lifestyles conflict in his actions, and shows The drastic effects of the class system on the citizens of North

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