"Harlem" by Langston Hughes: Meaning of The Marxist Technique

The period of 1919 to 1929 saw a change in the history of the United States of America. The Great Migration was on with an influx of blacks moving from the south to the north in search of better opportunities. Many settled in Harlem, located in Manhattan, New York; their eagerness and energy transformed into a creative fusion giving birth to the Harlem Renaissance. One aspect of the Harlem Renaissance was the literary phenomenon from which Poets such as Langston Hughes emerged. 'Harlem' by Langston Hughes has a Marxist meaning as this era influenced Hughes's writing skills.

The critical theory technique of Marxism is a critique of society that combines political economy and ideology, which is found in literature and art. There was an impressive number of black poets who were known for being Marxist during their careers based on how they presented their views in their writing. The use of Marxism allows the author/poet to communicate their views whether cultural, economic or political in a context that enables the reader to gain a perspective of the social background at the time the work was done. Langston Hughes was among the few black poets who applied this technique in his work.

Literary Role of Marxist Technique in the Poem

Line one of the poem ‘Harlem’ opens as a question; “What happens to a dream deferred?” The American Dream became a reality in the 1920s. Blacks were moving north in order to escape segregation and widespread lynching that was still prominent in the South. They saw an opportunity to have better lives in the north where slavery was abolished. The ‘American dream’ was the hope of many and their families. The use of the word ‘deferred,’ which means to put off or delay, gives the view to the fact that though there was a dream being chased, somehow, it got delayed. 

“Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun/ Or fester like a sore - And then run?”. The comparison between one's dream and that of a dried-up raisin and a festering is sore is not only dramatic but also disturbing. A dream can be placed on permanent hold which the raisin signifies; however, the longer the waits before taking necessary action the harder it becomes to accomplish. At the time this poem was written, Harlem had descended what it was in the early 1902s at the birth of the Harlem Renaissance to a municipality of squalor and poverty. The Great Depression forced investors to withdraw, and with them went jobs and the booming entertainment industry. The dreams of many were dwindling as the citizens of Harlem now lived in desperation and deprivation.

Additionally, Hughes was a master at his craft, the use of similes, imagery and metaphors does not go unnoticed. “Does it stink like rotten meat? The imagery of rotten meat was perhaps used to indicate the change that ensued from a societal standpoint. Harlem was now “Cramped in, bitterly poor - generally, unemployment rates in Harlem would be double the general rate across New York - Harlem was an unhealthy place to live”. Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet? has a negative connotation to it as sugary food hardens over time. The dreamer who defers also signifies the dream being lost. With the changes that took place during that era, Harlem has lost the opportunities it once held leaving its residents frustrated where the dreams that they once held must be relinquished.

Relinquishing the dream that they held on to for so many years must have been as hard, looking back from where they came. The ramifications that came with being black was one that was burdensome and “Maybe it just sags like a heavy load”. Understanding the narrative from a political stance, the people of Harlem were forced to either leave or remain in what had become a community prevalent with violence. The last line “Or does it explode?” gives the air of situation become explosive after a time. The American Dream was never attained and those who stayed were forced to live in squalor.

Conclusion

Hughes Marxist technique in was able to communicate the social structures being faced by African Americans after the post-World War 2 era and into the 1970s. Marxism provides a description and changes the status quo. ‘Harlem’ allows the reader to understand that there are consequences for not following your dreams, whether done so bye complacency or circumstances. The once bright dreams of Harlem had either been dimmed or snuffed out as prejudice towards blacks and equal rights where still unattainable.

Works Cited

• Langston Hughes. 'Harlem' from The Collected Works of Langston Hughes. Reprinted by permission of Harold Ober Associates, Inc., 2002. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46548/harlem.
• Hull, Gloria. ' “Notes on a Marxist Interpretation of Black American Literature.”.' African American Review 50.4 (2017): 591–596. Web.
• Kelley, Mark. Poetry and Critical Approaches (English 200/ Lesson 4). 01 2020. https://apus.brightspace.com/shared/elf/engl200/lesson4/index.html..
• OpenLearn. A brief history of Harlem. 10 June 2008. https://www.open.edu/openlearn/society/politics-policy-people/sociology/brief-history-harlem.