A Forbidden Alchemy

Set against a fictionalized backdrop of industrial extraction and revolutionary politics, A Forbidden Alchemy reflects historical struggles reminiscent of the British Industrial Revolution and the rise of class consciousness under capitalism. The presence of the Miners Union and the looming threat of state violence mirror real-world tensions during the early years of industrial capitalism in the West. McEwan’s inclusion of Artisans—who represent the skilled professional class—and Crafters—who represent working class laborers—emphasizes the imbalance between those who control resources and those who are exploited by them.

In the novel’s world, Crafters and Artisans are central to the economy and social conditions. Towns like Kenton Hill evoke 19th-century industrial towns in Northern England, where exploitative conditions and wealth disparity bred both despair and resistance. This is the time in which German philosopher Karl Marx spread his theories about communism in the book Das Capital (Capital, 1867), which predicted the fall of capitalism after a workers’ revolution. In Marxist terms, the Crafters are the proletariat, and the Artisans are the bourgeoisie, the ruling class who extract wealth and resources from the proletariat (The Communist Manifesto, 1848).

These parallels are intentional. Once the Miners Union begins the strike, Kenton Hill’s economic structure reflects elements of socialism, like free access to food and heat, as well as elements of a free-market economy wherein citizens must purchase additional goods like clothes and alcohol.

This narrative aligns with what historian E.P. Thompson describes as the making of the working class: a process of both economic subjugation and cultural and political awakening (Thompson, E. P. The Making of the English Working Class. Pantheon Books, 1964). From this perspective, the rebellion in A Forbidden Alchemy is the inevitable outcome of generations of exploitation. The novel isn’t a commentary on one particular society; it uses elements of fantasy to dramatize the physical, mental, and emotional costs of industrial capitalism as a whole. In doing so, it offers a critique of unchecked market economy and the systems of oppression that sustain it.