Last Reviewed on June 19, 2019, by eNotes Editorial. Word Count: 169

Mother is a novel by Maxim Gorki that centers on the lives and struggles of factory workers in a small Russian town. The story examines socioeconomic and political themes, such as the interpretation and implementation of Karl Marx's ideas on communism by dictators who simply use such systems as a means to control the population and monopolize the country's economy.

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Besides the macro theme of political corruption and dictatorship, the narrative itself vividly illustrates the struggles of the working class caught up in the revolutionary machine. They give provide a human face to the oppressed masses of Soviet Russia during the height of communist rule.

The book also educates readers on the differences between socialism and communism, which are often philosophically at odds with each other. The protagonists of the novel are socialist freedom fighters trying to raise awareness about the brutal government regime. Just as the Czar's forces jailed and oppressed communist revolutionaries during imperial Russia, the communists now are the ones oppressing any opposition to their system.