Class, Inequality, and Ideology: A Marxist Comparative Study of The Sweepress and Ghost Kitchen

Abstract

This study examines how class inequality, economic exploitation, and ideological control shape the lives of marginalized workers in Tariq Rahman’s The Sweepress and Ross Raisin’s Ghost Kitchen. Using a qualitative approach rooted in Marxist literary criticism and supported by Althusser’s theory of ideology, the research investigates how the poor are made invisible, undervalued, and socially restricted in both Pakistani and British societies. The analysis shows that although the two stories belong to different cultural backgrounds, both reveal how economic systems shape human experience and limit social mobility. The study addresses a gap in comparative literature by analyzing a South Asian servant-class narrative alongside a modern Western gig‑economy narrative, demonstrating that exploitation is universal across cultures. The findings highlight that literature works as a mirror of society, revealing how labour, class, and ideology shape the daily lives of ordinary people, while also encouraging readers to question the structures that normalize injustice.