Sunday, November 17, 2019
The Great Gatsby Essay Example for Free
The Great Gatsby Essay ââ¬Å"The most iconic characters in literature are alienated by the changing world around them. â⬠Discuss these ideas in relation to The Great Gatsby and Nineteen Eighty-Four. In ââ¬ËThe Great Gatsby,ââ¬â¢ Fitzgerald frequently demonstrates how isolated his strongest characters are by the world around them through a variety of techniques. Both Nick and Gatsby are presented as being alienated from the world in some way and, as suggested by William Troy, both characters represent two forces in Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s own life ââ¬â ââ¬Å"ââ¬â¢intelligent and responsibleââ¬â¢ vs. ââ¬Ëdream ridden romantic. â⬠He uses symbolism frequently throughout the novel to suggest that this split autobiographical portrayal of his characters is representative of the limbo between ââ¬Å"ââ¬Ëpowerââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëdreamââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ as said by Lionel Trilling in his critical essay, and the immovability this creates within people. I find confinement of characters is shown in the novel through a use of pathetic fallacy. Fitzgerald also uses the novel to introduce the theme of class and demonstrate how wealth constricts different people in different ways, despite sometimes seeming like the key to happiness. Many of these ideas are echoed in ââ¬ËNineteen Eight-Four,ââ¬â¢ in which Orwell uses symbolism to emphasise his totalitarian oppressive society. One way Fitzgerald portrays his characters as confined by the world around them is through his use of pathetic fallacy. The phrase ââ¬Ëweather-beatenââ¬â¢ is used to describe Nickââ¬â¢s bungalow on the West Egg and this implied that it wasnââ¬â¢t just the people in ââ¬ËThe Great Gatsbyââ¬â¢ that the weather and change bore down on, but the buildings too. When Nick first visits Tom Buchanan at his home, Fitzgerald says the two men talk on ââ¬Ëthe sunny porchââ¬â¢ with the sunshine here being presented as a sense of optimism that Nick can find companionship with a man he knew at ââ¬ËYaleââ¬â¢. When Nick talks to Daisy during that first visit, he tells her thereââ¬â¢s a ââ¬Ëpersistent wail all nightââ¬â¢ along the shore of where theyââ¬â¢ve left; Nick is bowing to Daisyââ¬â¢s desire to be missed by personifying nature to allow it to chase after her, much like Gatsby. Sunshine again is used by Fitzgerald to present those who are indulgently wealthy when Nick visits Tom and Myrtleââ¬â¢s apartment which was ââ¬Ëfull of cheerful sunââ¬â¢ until night time and alcohol were brought into the story. Alcohol is usually accompanied with darkness within the novel, to reflect Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s potential personal distaste as a recovering alcoholic at the point of writing the novel. Of Gatsbyââ¬â¢s parties, it is said they are held on ââ¬Ësummer nights,ââ¬â¢ a phrase still managing to retain the concept of summer and nice weather to attach to the wealth. Once Nick has arranged the meeting between Daisy and Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses pathetic fallacy to mirror Gatsbyââ¬â¢s emotions within the chapter. As he waits for Daisy coloured with ââ¬Ëembarrassment,ââ¬â¢ it is ââ¬Ëpouring rainââ¬â¢ but once Daisy arrives and he sees her with ââ¬Ëunreasoning joyââ¬â¢ it has ââ¬Ëstopped raining,ââ¬â¢ and finally as Nick leaves Daisy and Gatsby looking at each other with ââ¬Ëwonderââ¬â¢ over a piano, there are ââ¬Ëtwinkle-bells of sunshineââ¬â¢ leaving a sense of hope to the chapter that the constraining rain did not hold. Again, at Gatsbyââ¬â¢s funeral, Fitzgerald writes the weather to very clearly reflect the characterââ¬â¢s moods. Nick is deeply saddened by the loss of his friend and the rain is repeatedly described to be ââ¬Ëthickââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëheavy,ââ¬â¢ a force to be reckoned with that the characters must move ââ¬Ëthrough to the cars. ââ¬â¢ The rain is shown to hang around Nick, replacing the people the funeral lacks in attendance and shows that Fitzgerald thinks it is a trapping task for a man to abandon the side of him that dreams. Similarly, Orwell also uses metaphor at the beginning of ââ¬ËNineteen Eighty-Four,ââ¬â¢ as Winston enters Victory Mansions to describe the ââ¬Ëswirl of gritty dustââ¬â¢ following him into the building, reminiscent of how the Party trace every movement and every action, confining their citizens in the most suffocating of manners; the dust reminiscent of the dark, rainy sky in ââ¬ËThe Great Gatsbyââ¬â¢ closing in on the characters. Fitzgerald frequently depicts the isolation of characters in ââ¬ËThe Great Gatsbyââ¬â¢ with use of various reoccurring symbols. Colours are something the author uses in various ways. The colour yellow, which we have already seen mirrored in Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s use of pathetic fallacy with the large amounts of yellow sunshine symbolises decay and corruptness. The reader is told Gatsbyââ¬â¢s car is a ââ¬Ërich creamââ¬â¢ colour. Not only is the mustard colour of the car symbolism, it is a representation of Gatsby himself ââ¬â ostentatious and over-the-top in displaying his wealth. Later in the novel, Fitzgerald writes that the car ââ¬Ëmirrored a dozen sunsââ¬â¢ with its large amount of windshields. This give the interpretation that the car is glowing, further drawing on the yellow symbolism of decay for the personal representation of corruption. Perhaps intentionally, it is also this car that leads to Gatsbyââ¬â¢s own destruction by being so conspicuous. Gatsbyââ¬â¢s demise by his own car leads to the idea presented by Fitzgerald that one cannot escape decay. The Valley of Ashes is riddled with symbolism, from the ââ¬Ëash greyââ¬â¢ men that inhabit the ââ¬Ëgrey landââ¬â¢ to the looming billboard eyes of T. J. Eckleburg. The colour grey here symbolises dreariness and monotony, and with the character of Wilson, Fitzgerald ties this to a lack of wealth. The lack of light implies claustrophobia within its inhabitants ââ¬â Tom says itââ¬â¢s good for Myrtle to ââ¬Ëget out. The ââ¬Ëdimmedââ¬â¢ eyes of Eckleburg ââ¬Ëlook outââ¬â¢ over the characters in the novel and symbolise the ever growing commercialism of America and how this change causes moral depravity. This is again emphasised by how Wilson equates these eyes to God when finding out about Myrtleââ¬â¢s affair with the phrase ââ¬ËGod knowsââ¬â¢ what sheââ¬â¢s being doing. The eyes watched as Tom and Myrtle had to drive past them to get to their apartment, and the loss of Myrtleââ¬â¢s life occurred in the miserable valley of ashes under their omniscient gaze. Another colour Fitzgerald utilises is white, though it is usually placed in juxtaposition to the character wearing it. Daisy and Jordan, first seen in ââ¬Ëripplingââ¬â¢ white dresses, are not seen in any other colour but white ââ¬â falsely implying the purity and innocence women were just losing the expectation to have. This lies in line with Joan Korenmanââ¬â¢s interpretation that says the ambiguity of Daisyââ¬â¢s hair colour from dark to light symbolises ââ¬Ëthe fair and the dark womenââ¬â¢ of literature, with fair hair being stereotyped as innocent ââ¬â something the reader finds neither Daisy nor Jordan to be. Fitzgerald is also referencing the ââ¬Ëexpansion of femininityââ¬â¢ with the 1920s ââ¬Å"new women. â⬠In ââ¬ËNineteen Eighty-Four,ââ¬â¢ Orwell also uses symbolism when he writes a poster that ââ¬Ëgazes downââ¬â¢ with large, ââ¬Ëdarkââ¬â¢ eyes much like those of T. J. Eckleburg, that are pasted all over London by the Party ââ¬â comforting to some inhabitants with the name ââ¬ËBig Brother,ââ¬â¢ but a threat to others because the posters watch their every move. However the connotations of ââ¬ËBig Brotherââ¬â¢ are a lot more oppressive than those of God in ââ¬ËThe Great Gatsbyââ¬â¢ and cause Winstonââ¬â¢s alienation and his subsequent relationship with Julia. Another way Fitzgerald shows that the characters in ââ¬ËThe Great Gatsbyââ¬â¢ are ostracised because of the world they inhabit is through his presentation of classism and how that affects the interaction between people, as well as isolating them to their own class. Ross Posnock argues that the characters in ââ¬ËThe Great Gatsbyââ¬â¢ are so obsessed with material wealth they treat each other like objects and this could leave many people feeling objectified and therefore ostracised by those who claim to care about them. This is seen when Nick says the cocktails are ââ¬Ëfloatingââ¬â¢ ââ¬â completely overlooking the fact Gatsbyââ¬â¢s hired staff are holding the trays. Marxists argue that Nick overlooks the existence and therefore the difficulties of the working class. However at the start of the novel, after the events of the story, Fitzgerald writes that Nick is aware the ââ¬Ëfundamentally decenciesââ¬â¢ are ââ¬Ëparcelled out unequally at birthââ¬â¢ at that point, which means he knows class play a big role in identity in his current society. Fitzgerald further supports this with the phrase ââ¬Ëwanted the world to be in uniformââ¬â¢ which is simultaneously a nod to the passing of World War I and also emphasising that Nick has had enough of the upper classââ¬â¢ selfish behaviours. When Nick is sitting on the porch with Daisy and Tom, Tom states that their society is ââ¬Ëgoing to piecesââ¬â¢ and spews racist ideals. This is Fitzgerald showing that Tom feels he is at the top of society and does not want to be ââ¬Ësubmergedââ¬â¢ by those he feels are beneath him ââ¬â the lower class and immigrants. However, earlier when Tom shows Nick his ââ¬Ënice placeââ¬â¢ the reader can see it isnââ¬â¢t as big or obnoxious as Gatsbyââ¬â¢s home and the divide between the ââ¬Å"Old Richâ⬠and ââ¬Å"New Richâ⬠starts to become clear. This minute difference in class leaves the upper classes estranged from each other. At the start of the novel, it is made clear that even Nickââ¬â¢s family have been wealthy ââ¬Ëfor three generationsââ¬â¢ and this makes him acceptable despite been less rich than those he socialises with. Like Fitzgerald, Orwell uses the class divide in ââ¬ËNineteen Eighty-Fourââ¬â¢ to define between members of the Party (who are granted great privileges and freedoms), the middle class who obey the Party (such as Winston), and the proles who ( are a ââ¬Ëswarming massââ¬â¢ so poor they are ââ¬Ëdisregardedââ¬â¢ by the Party, which is so convinced of their inability to have action against them ââ¬â much like Nickââ¬â¢s complete ignorance to Gatsbyââ¬â¢s servants at the party. After exploring a variety of factors throughout this essay, I agree with the critical opinion, especially in terms of ââ¬ËThe Great Gatsbyââ¬â¢ as one of Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s main themes throughout was of how Gatsby was trapped in the past and this isolated him from the present. This can be seen especially in the last paragraph of the book, in which Fitzgerald compares his character to boats ââ¬Ëbeating on. ââ¬â¢ I feel Orwellââ¬â¢s characters also felt claustrophobic in their London because of the new law implemented by the Party, and Winstonââ¬â¢s submission at the end of the novel is representative of Orwellââ¬â¢s warning to the readers.
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