Karl Marx’s Metabolic Rift as a Blessing in Disguise in Nadine Gordimer's Get A Life

This paper explores Karl Marx's political-economic and ecological analysis of capital, investigating how expropriation and exploitation lead to the formation of social classes, significant disparities in wealth, and environmental deterioration across several levels. Nadine Gordimer's Get A Life (2005) offers ground for exploring Karl Marx's concept of metabolic rift through the lens of environmental degradation. The novel centers on Paul Bannerman, an ecologist diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Get A Life examines the connection between humans and the environment by portraying a habitable future amidst distant environmental catastrophes. Paul, as a cancer sufferer due to radiation, refrained from openly expressing his sympathy and empathy for black characters who he believed would face social exclusion and marginalization otherwise. Based on the evidence, I can infer that metabolic rift is a hidden advantage. Paul's encounter with the unsettling nature of nuclear power is situated within the framework of Western awareness of nuclear energy, as opposed to South Africa's acquisition of nuclear technology influenced by neo-colonialism. Get A Life aims to establish a basis for ethical behavior and opposition to the divisive belief in the separation between oneself and others. Therefore, dismantling the dichotomy between the two extremes of South African society enables both factions to resist Euro-centric capitalism, which is perceived as a contemporary manifestation of colonialism. This can contribute to the establishment of a new, environmentally friendly and economically prosperous society in South Africa.