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Dichotomy and Disenchantment in Mockingbird, Wish Me Luck of Charles Bukowski: A Marxist Approach
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: English Literature
Abstract
Charles Bukowski occupies a significant place among American writers of the twentieth century for his fearless depiction of oppression, labour, poverty, and existential despair. His poetry constantly challenges the idealised ideas of achievement and progress that have characterised the American Dream for so long. The poem “Mockingbird, Wish Me Luck” uses the metaphor of a mockingbird, whose song is inherently associated with the dreariness of city life, to present a powerful and brief critique of industrial modernity. This study is an investigation of the way Bukowski uses the device of duality in his writing and employs a Marxist literary approach to the themes of nature and industry, beauty and function, and freedom and alienation. Bukowski’s use of the image of a bird singing “the heavy industrial song / of the city,” a conventional picture of natural harmony, is a figure of working-class resistance forged by capitalist modernity. The poem subverts idealised ideals of nature, individualism and social mobility as it exposes the ubiquitous effect of industrial capitalism on everyday life. The study goes on to investigate the poem's portrayal of urban identity, class consciousness and cultural disenchantment. When situated within Bukowski’s larger literary vision and the socio-political realities of postwar America, the mockingbird emerges as a symbol of individuals who endure systemic oppression while refusing to embrace comforting illusions or sentimental narratives about their condition. Finally, the poem underscores the fundamental incompatibility of the human being with the mechanised machinery of modern capitalist society.
Keywords
Marxism, Alienation, Consciousness, American Dream, Disenchantment
How to cite this paper
@article{1722254,
author = {Dr Venkatesha P},
title = {Dichotomy and Disenchantment in Mockingbird, Wish Me Luck of Charles Bukowski: A Marxist Approach},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {2},
pages = {1017-1023},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1722254.pdf},
abstract = {Charles Bukowski occupies a significant place among American writers of the twentieth century for his fearless depiction of oppression, labour, poverty, and existential despair. His poetry constantly challenges the idealised ideas of achievement and progress that have characterised the American Dream for so long. The poem “Mockingbird, Wish Me Luck” uses the metaphor of a mockingbird, whose song is inherently associated with the dreariness of city life, to present a powerful and brief critique of industrial modernity. This study is an investigation of the way Bukowski uses the device of duality in his writing and employs a Marxist literary approach to the themes of nature and industry, beauty and function, and freedom and alienation. Bukowski’s use of the image of a bird singing “the heavy industrial song / of the city,” a conventional picture of natural harmony, is a figure of working-class resistance forged by capitalist modernity. The poem subverts idealised ideals of nature, individualism and social mobility as it exposes the ubiquitous effect of industrial capitalism on everyday life. The study goes on to investigate the poem's portrayal of urban identity, class consciousness and cultural disenchantment. When situated within Bukowski’s larger literary vision and the socio-political realities of postwar America, the mockingbird emerges as a symbol of individuals who endure systemic oppression while refusing to embrace comforting illusions or sentimental narratives about their condition. Finally, the poem underscores the fundamental incompatibility of the human being with the mechanised machinery of modern capitalist society.},
keywords = {Marxism, Alienation, Consciousness, American Dream, Disenchantment},
month = {August},
}