marxist lovin'

Russell Banks’ memior-esq short story “Sarah Cole: A Type of Love Story” relates to Marxism by promoting the elimination of social classes. The main character and sometimes narrator Ron is from a high social class. He is moderately wealthy, calm, reserved, and apparently devilishly handsome. A young man who lives a life of routine and solitude after his divorce, Ron is thrown for a loop with the introduction of Sarah. This is where the story takes on a Marxist tone, for Sarah is nowhere near the social, economic, or even physical class that Ron is. She is described as “a woman homelier than any he has ever seen or imagined before” upon when they first meet at Osgood's Lounge. She is revealed later to be older than Ron, a fellow divorcee, and the mother of 3 children, all of whom live with her in her shabby, dirty, tenement apartment. Yet for some unknown reason, Ron is fascinated by her, befriends her, and eventually has a very physical relationship with this horror show of a woman. This idea is very Marxist because somehow this woman of incredibly low class manages to snag a man of a much higher class, effectively eliminating the class differences between them. All is not well with this matchup however, as Ron proves to be reluctant to let Sarah incorporate their lives together for much more than sex and random parties. This shows how, even in this story, Marxist ideals tend to fall through in the end. It looks great on paper, but in practice, these things just tend to fall apart.