Gramsci’s marxist analysis of short story “Engine Trouble” by RK Narayan.

Abstract

This research examines R. K. Narayan’s short story Engine Trouble through Antonio Gramsci’s Marxist theoretical lens, arguing that dominant ideologies are not forcibly imposed on individuals but are subtly woven into cultural structures through language, institutions, and collective beliefs. This integration makes social inequalities appear natural, inevitable, or even invisible. Using critical concepts such as hegemony, commodification, the illusion of progress, and bureaucratic indifference, the study investigates how the characters either internalize, resist, or question the ideological forces shaping their lives. The analysis highlights how capitalist ideology commodifies human relationships, values, and even suffering, transforming them into objects of exchange and control. At the same time, the narrative exposes the deceptive promises of progress that keep genuine social transformation perpetually deferred. By tracing these mechanisms of ideological signification, the research reveals not only the pervasive weight of ideological control but also the small yet meaningful spaces within the text that allow for potential resistance, agency, and counter-hegemony. Ultimately, this study demonstrates that literature functions not merely as a passive reflection of societal structures but actively participates in shaping social consciousness. Through narrative strategies, symbolic representations, and character experiences, literature quietly instructs readers on how to live within existing social frameworks—or how to imagine alternatives beyond them.