COMMODITY FETISHISM AND COMMODITY FEMINISM: A MARXIST FEMINIST ANALYSIS OF AMNA'S A SPLINTERING

Abstract

Commodity fetishism and commodity feminism are among the major concerns of Marxist-feminist studies in the contemporary age of capitalism and consumer culture. These concepts reveal how capitalist and patriarchal systems shape women’s identities, social relations, and economic conditions. The present research has been conducted on Dur-e-Aziz Amna’s novel A Splintering under the paradigm of Marxist-feminism. It examines how the novel portrays the commodification of women, class consciousness, consumerism, and the influence of media in constructing female identity. The narrative presents the socio-economic struggles of women living within a society where material success, beauty standards, and social status determine personal worth. Through the character of Tara, the novel highlights the psychological, social, and economic challenges faced by women in a capitalist and patriarchal environment. Tara’s desire for upward social mobility exposes the realities of class disparity, economic exploitation, objectification, and consumer culture. The novel further demonstrates how media representations of beauty and femininity encourage women to perceive themselves as commodities and measure their value through appearance and material achievements. The researcher has employed Karl Marx’s theory of Commodity Fetishism and Goldman, Heath, and Smith’s concept of Commodity Feminism as the theoretical framework of the study. Marx’s concept explains how commodities acquire excessive social value and influence human relationships, while Commodity Feminism illustrates how female bodies and feminist ideals are transformed into marketable products through media and consumer culture. research reveals that capitalism and patriarchy work together to commodify women’s bodies, labor, and identities. Female identity in A Splintering is continuously negotiated between class aspirations and economic realities, personal agency and social expectations, and resistance and oppression.