The Iron Heel

One of the novel’s central critiques of capitalism is that it is a dehumanizing system that abstracts labor into exchange value and ignores the material conditions and livelihood of the working class. The Oligarchy rationalizes their exploitation by deeming the proletariat as their inferiors and comparing them to lower animals. In his speeches, Ernest challenges capitalist abstraction by emphasizing the materiality of the worker’s lives, advocating for equitable standards for subsistence, and insisting on the dignity of the working class.

Ernest first expounds on the importance of materialism as an antithesis to metaphysics at Dr. Cunningham’s dinner for the clergymen. He rebukes the men’s reliance on religion to discuss the working class and claims, “You have left the real and solid earth and are up in the air” (10). After listing the physical achievements of scientists, he asks of the metaphysicians, “[W]hat tangible good have they wrought for mankind?” (12). Although directed to the clergyman, Ernest’s critique of metaphysics is a lead-in to a critique of capitalism and its abstraction of labor from the human being. The clergy’s livelihood depends on the support of the capitalist class, and Ernest tells them, “[I]n return you preach to your employers the brands of metaphysics that are especially acceptable to them” (20).