Great Gatsby: Overview

Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Cardinal Virtues: The Great Gatsby In the book of Proverbs, it is written that there are “six things the Lord hates, and the seventh His soul detests. ” Those seven deadly sins are: lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, anger, envy, and pride. In contrast to the seven deadly sins, there are seven heavenly virtues. These virtues are: purity, self-control, charity, diligence, forgiveness, kindness, and humility. In The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald designs the characters to reflect each deadly sin but also each heavenly virtue. F.

Scott Fitzgerald, in reflecting the era of the 1920s, satirizes the lavish lifestyle of the rich and represents the seven deadly sins through the characters that he develops. The first deadly sin is lust. In the novel, Tom Buchannan lusted after Myrtle just as Gatsby lusted after Daisy. The gluttony is apparent in the luxurious parties that Gatsby hosts at his West Egg mansion. Fitzgerald describes these parties as elaborate and grand as many entertainers, social icons, and even common people attend. Gatsby’s mansion itself, located in the new money area of West Egg, reflects the gluttony of the times.

Its blue gardens and elegant design attracted an abundance of people. Gatsby’s other possessions such as his plane, his cars, and his boats also portray his wealth and Fitzgerald uses them to represent gluttony. Greed is ever-present in the novel as well. Gatsby wanted everything to impress Daisy. He hosted the lavish parties hoping to impress her and lure her into him. Tom Buchannan was also greedy as he wanted a relationship with both his wife and his mistress Myrtle, and could not give either of them up.

The greed that is present in the novel corrupts Gatsby’s idealization of the “American Dream. ” He does not do things the right way and he has collected his sum of money through improper practices. He is greedy in his perspective of Daisy, as he begins to view her as an object to be obtained. Fitzgerald does a great job depicting the laziness of the 1920s. The lifestyle of Tom and Daisy is a prime example. They obtain their money without having to work, so they live lazily, coasting aimlessly from one event to the next.

Tom Buchannan is the ideal depiction of anger in the novel. A prime example of Tom revealing his anger is when his mistress, Myrtle, would not stop chanting Daisy’s name and Tom reacted by punching her square in the nose. Furthermore, when he discovered the affair between Gatsby and his wife, he caused his hit-and-run accident, killing Myrtle, thus leading to the death of Gatsby. The next deadly sin is envy. Gatsby was definitely envious of Tom, especially because of Tom’s stronghold on Daisy.

Upon discovering Daisy’s affair with Gatsby, Tom instantly becomes envious of Gatsby, which, through a chain of events, led to Gatsby’s murder by George Wilson. Lastly, pride is exposed through many characters. Nick Carraway’s portrayal of Tom early in the novel reflects Tom’s pride. Upon visiting Tom, Nick reveals a conversation with Tom. Tom boasts of his confidence in himself and the lavishness of his East Egg home. East Egg as a whole represents entitlement, thus pride, as the inhabitants of East Egg obtained their wealth from rich ancestors.

Tom’s pride led him to have an affair with Myrtle and similarly, Gatsby’s pride led him to scandalously pursue Daisy. The seven deadly sins are clearly apparent in the novel as Fitzgerald uses them to ridicule the culture of the rich in the 1920s. Dissimilar to the seven deadly sins, the seven heavenly virtues are revealed as Fitzgerald uses them to provide a sharp contrast. In a sense, Gatsby was pure only in the fact that he saved himself for Daisy. Gatsby also displayed temperance and self-control in his relationship with Daisy as he did not let it overtake him entirely.

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The Great Gatsby: It is Nick who makes Jay Gatsby into The Great Gatsby

The ambiguous “greatness” of Jay Gatsby is imparted to the reader through the thoughts and observations of Nick Carraway, a character who is personally involved in the intricate events and relationships featured in the plot. He is therefore an excellent choice of narrator as this participatory role places him beside the ‘great’ namesake of the book, which is essentially how he appears to portray the idealistic, materialistic and yet nai??ve character of Jay Gatsby.

In using Nick as such a device, Fitzgerald presents an insight into Gatsby which is gradually developed from ambiguity to admiration as he refines Nick’s perception throughout the ‘riotous excursion’- as Nick metaphorically describes the action of the novel – and establishes his often negative outlook on the selfishness, greed and moral corruption of American society. Nick is conveniently able to acquire this personal knowledge of Gatsby through his approachability, causing other characters to confide in him through his inclination “to reserve judgement”.

However, his negative judgement of society (from which Gatsby is ‘exempt’) ironically contradicts his initial claim to impartiality, and Nick continues to judge people thereafter. This reveals his viewpoint to be increasingly subjective and lends his character the virtues of being realistic, thus possessing human failings which evoke a more complete persona, and not merely a mouthpiece for Fitzgerald’s thoughts.

However, covertly, he also communicates the author’s condemnation of 20’s society as his own, since Fitzgerald has incorporated such judgements into his personality, creating the illusion of an impartial narrator while pursuing his satirical condemnation of the Jazz Age and his apparent admiration of the idealism implicit in the American Dream (represented by Gatsby’s impossible optimism). Indeed, Fitzgerald’s use of this “intelligent but sympathetic observer” at the centre of events “makes for some of the most priceless values in fiction” (William Troy, 1945).

The values of “economy and intensity” are achieved by his central role in events, while “suspense” is achieved through Nick’s personal flaw of not fully perceiving Gatsby’s character, causing revelations about Gatsby’s past and present to be frequent and striking. We think particularly of how Gatsby “came alive” to Nick in Chapter 4 through Jordan’s reminiscing, and of how, in Chapter 9, revelations are still made after his death (such as the schedule brought to Nick’s attention by Gatsby’s father) which consolidate Nick’s respect for his extensive ambition.

Nick’s perception of Gatsby is limited in certain aspects as the latter is an ambiguous character, though this incomplete knowledge does not deter Nick’s positive view, which develops from not knowing Gatsby at all to admiring him for his strangely noble, if delusory, dream. Gatsby’s ambiguity simply fuels fascination in Nick, who uses the adulatory adjective “gorgeous” to describe him, and proceeds in his narrative to seek the reason for this attraction in the mystery of Gatsby.

The apparent bias presented in Nick’s narration may also be due to many connections felt with Gatsby as a result of similarities between both their characters and Fitzgerald himself: many of Gatsby’s characteristics are often Fitzgerald’s own, incorporated into his character alongside Nick’s. Just as the author had fought in the war, so have his characters, a fact which had taken Daisy away from Gatsby and excitement away from Nick’s life as he “came back restless”. They both seek to reclaim these things, Nick by coming East and Gatsby by reacquiring Daisy’s love.

Nick empathizes with Gatsby’s longing, and here perhaps Fitzgerald incorporates his own experience of losing the affections of his first love, Ginevra King, this failure in achieving his own dream revealing bias in the author himself. This may be the reason for the author positing that Gatsby is “great” while also impressing his negative opinion on the causes of both his and Gatsby’s failure – in this case society, and the class differences which precluded Fitzgerald’s relationship with the wealthier King.

In the wider context of social satire, this contrast between dreams and failure is analogous to the rich and poor within American society, and is portrayed through the rather obvious symbolism of the “Valley of Ashes” whose uncomfortable proximity to the higher class Eggs foregrounds the vast disparity between rich and poor in the Roaring Twenties. Initially Nick only perceives the visible side of Gatsby – his material possessions and his parties where guests “came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars” in Chapter 3.

He describes the parties as dreamlike, perhaps reflecting Gatsby’s outlook on life, and tempting, as wealth was in 1920s America. Fitzgerald’s simile of the guests being insect-like expresses Nick’s observation of the superficial materialism and immorality of American society (emphasized in the former quotation by the sibilance of “whisperings”), as they are only tempted by Gatsby’s wealth, drawn like moths to his light, while making Gatsby seem somehow compelling and superior to them as they revolve around him

In direct contrast to such shallowness, Fitzgerald reveals Nick’s admiration for Gatsby’s “romantic readiness”, and his “infinite hope” in his idealistic love of Daisy, to further build the “great” element of Gatsby’s personality as it is discovered. This aspect of Gatsby, when introduced, also makes him “more real” (EK 1925) and empathetic, than American society of the time, as his dream is revealed to be for love, not material status.

These poetic descriptions, though also used ‘in order to persuade us that Gatsby is a man of poetic sensibility”, do not imply that “Fitzgerald takes the dangerous, no-hands course of simply saying so” as Kenneth Tynan (1974) states. In fact, Nick’s positive opinions of Gatsby are developed very subtly and implied throughout events in the plot. These gradually build the impression of Gatsby’s imaginative and beautiful sensibility, such as Nick’s discovery of his idealism regarding Daisy’s love.

At times, such usages of poetic narrative depictions contrast sharply with the dull, bare portrayal of the poorer sections of society. To this end, light is used by Nick in positive descriptions throughout the novel, his own and Fitzgerald’s fascination with modern developments of his time projected through Nick’s observant and admiring documentation of places lit by electric lighting, such as Gatsby’s house which was ‘blazing with light,’ and the important symbol of Gatsby’s “hope” for Daisy’s love – the symbolic green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, ultimately described, with pity, as an “illusion. Light is thus used in a symbol of both Nick’s admiration felt at Gatsby’s “hope”, and his sympathy as it is for an immaterial romantic goal (love), which disregards Gatsby’s material prominence. Nick also favourably compares Gatsby to a seismograph; an ‘intricate’ device driven by unknown/seen forces which mirrors Nick’s own impression of him.

This analogy is not merely an “apt… symbol for the human sensibility in a mechanized age” (Edwin S. Fussell 1952), showing Nick’s focus on material developments; it is also clearly used to accentuate his opinions on how admirable Gatsby’s “heightened sensibility” is. Nick’s use of such comparisons also suggests the ambiguity in his rendering of Gatsby. Nick only makes us aware of Gatsby’s personality in strategically placed narrative elements. These staged revelations, though revealing aspects of Gatsby that hint at criminality (like his activities in Chicago and various other rumours) simultaneously emphasize his admirable qualities such as his prizing of Daisy’s love. Indeed, Nick’s narration increasingly overlooks Gatsby’s flaws, both his and Fitzgerald’s views increasingly colouring the tale and casting Gatsby’s dream in a positive light.

By creating this empathy with Gatsby, Fitzgerald effectively communicates the intense disappointment felt at the intrusion of reality on idealism in the final chapters of the novel, and sympathy for the failure of Gatsby’s dream is invoked. Clearly, though Maxwell E Perkins (1924) feels that Gatsby’s ambiguity is “mistaken” as it makes his character more nebulous, Fitzgerald actually uses this as a main method of drawing the reader into a prominent theme of illusion, the ultimate illusion being love itself.

The mysteriousness of Gatsby is also used to enable Nick’s “growth in moral perception” (Troy 1945) which Troy describes as a “necessity” in such a narrator; Nick gradually perceives Gatsby’s “moral” side- his “innate purity”, and society’s lack of this in comparison, subsequently favouring Gatsby and giving some credibility to EK’s evaluation of Gatsby being “more real” than the other characters due to the paradoxically pure nature of his dream.

In this respect, Chapter 4 is used to further Nick’s, and the reader’s, positive perception of Gatsby. It features Jordan recounting a “romantic” memory of Daisy’s former relationship with Gatsby, Fitzgerald effectively digressing from Nick’s narration in order to impart a very deliberate and important revelation from Gatsby’s past. It is this relationship which Gatsby seeks to reclaim by means of his wealth, and is the basis of the “romantic readiness” admired in him by Nick.

Nick subsequently colours his narrative with the new awareness and says that Gatsby “came alive to me, delivered suddenly from the womb of his purposeless splendor”. With this metaphor of a birth, Fitzgerald makes a clear effort to separate Gatsby’s huge vitality from the “purposeless splendour” of materialism, and, by extension, of American society, which he condemns through Nick’s judgement of it.

In Chapter 6 Fitzgerald again manipulates narrative structure in Nick’s tale of Gatsby’s origins, as at this stage in the plot’s chronology Nick is not privy to this information- it was imparted by Gatsby himself “very much later” in the novel, and is presented achronologically to renew readers’ faith in Gatsby before it is severely challenged in chapter 8, “with the idea of exploding those first wild rumors about his antecedence”.

Fitzgerald reveals a specific part of Gatsby’s background through Nick’s narration, selected to instill sympathy for Gatsby in the reader by describing his younger self’s (Gatz’s) upward struggle from poverty, and the author’s admiration for the idealistic dreams that had spurred him to create a “universe of ineffable gaudiness” that he elaborated nightly until “wedding [these] visions to [Daisy’s] breath”.

This metaphor reveals the uniting of Gatsby’s original ambitions with a dream of love, and is also used to invoke sympathy for the extent to which his dreams are ultimately and perhaps tragically revealed to have gone “beyond her, beyond everything”. This revelation of Gatsby’s “childlike notion of beauty and grace” (Maxwell Geismar 1947) is illustrated by this analeptic episode, strongly suggesting Gatsby’s ultimate innocence and “pure” dreams beneath his materialistic exterior

Fitzgerald presents the social context of the novel through the transformation of the American Dream in the ’20s: the new generation of Americans were “dedicated more than the last to the fear of poverty and the worship of success”, as Fitzgerald himself had stated at the time. Society’s material methods of gaining this success are portrayed negatively through Nick’s condemnation of the Dream, as Nick has established himself as valuing morals and hard work highly; his family had become “prominent” through ownership of a “wholesale hardware business”, while Fitzgerald’s own childhood took place in a farming, working environment.

Similarly, the values admired in Gatz’s willingness and determination to work for and succeed in gaining his dreams are symbolically those lost values of society that had appealed to Fitzgerald, and would appeal to Nick’s sensibilities, which is why Nick still portrays Gatsby as being “great” in contrast to Jazz Age society which seeks goals through material means rather than hard work. This is paradoxically true in spite of Gatsby’s own materialism, because the latter is portrayed as unimportant to Gatsby beside his love for Daisy.

Through Nick’s narrative, then, Gatsby is presented as embodying the old work ethic of a meritocracy but also its transformation to materialism, and ultimately the unattainable goals of the American Dream, this factor essentially providing the grounds for seeing Gatsby as a tragic hero. His idealistic dreams as Gatz are implied to be “incommunicable for ever,” as they are, in fact, “wed to Daisy’s breath” which is just as perishable as his money.

In Chapter 7, Tom’s revelations about Gatsby’s criminal bootlegging cause the brittle fai??ade of Jay Gatsby to be “broken up like glass” against Tom’s “hard malice”, this simile depicting Nick’s dislike of the malicious Tom and of the superficiality of the American Dream, but also, crucially, the way Gatsby’s dreams have been demolished due to his “reliance upon material power as the single method of satisfying his searching and inarticulate spirit” (Maxwell Geismar 1947).

Gatsby is thus left “watching over nothing”, this nihilistic phrase ending the chapter and corroborating the sympathy felt by Nick at the hopelessness of Gatsby’s “dead dream”, making Nick “not want to leave him”. With his death in Chapter 8, this sympathy might indeed render Gatsby not merely “great”, but genuinely tragic. Thus as readers, we feel ultimately that Nick’s (or Fitzgerald’s) message is that the “colossal vitality of [Gatsby’s] illusion” is curtailed by the faults of society and that Gatsby himself, by contrast, is “greater” than his social milieu.

Gatsby’s is “the tragedy of a romanticist in a materialist society” (Kuehl, 1959), his immaterial dreams inevitably perishing in the face of society, the hopelessness that it’s glamorous exterior encloses, communicated throughout the novel both by the satire of the parties, the obvious symbolic qualities of the Valley of Ashes, the similarly tragic George Wilson, and the doomed Myrtle.

Clearly, though John McCormick (1971) regards Daisy as “the agent of Gatsby’s downfall, just as she had been the agent of his rise,” the apparent cause of Gatsby’s failure “went beyond her,” being the “vital illusion” created by society which had surpassed Daisy; she had only been the springboard for his ideals. The author’s message is ultimately a poignant one of hope being obscured by failure, communicating both Fitzgerald’s admiration of such dreams, and contempt of the reality which smothers them.

In this sense, Nick’s voice in the novel is undeniably Fitzgerald’s. Having said this, Nick is rendered sufficiently autonomous to be a convincing narrator in his own right, as Gatsby finally also receives sympathy due to tangible affinities formed with him, such as that of disillusionment, which Nick empathizes with as he has been a victim of his own illusion regarding the true nature of Daisy and Jordan, and Gatsby’s character itself.

A “growth in moral perception” (when applied to Nick) is “the tale of the novel” (Troy, 1945) as it is this which ensures Nick’s positive portrayal of Gatsby: Nick comes to discover his true history and admired ambition as Gatz, as well as the ultimate tragedy of his still believing, in the face of such adversity as his “dead dream. This moving naivety clearly proves, however, that in Gatsby’s case any growth in moral perception does not apply; even though Daisy has clearly returned to Tom’s alluring wealth in Chapter 8, Gatsby innocently, and dumbly, states, “I suppose Daisy’ll call, too,” not perceiving the immorality of the age he lives in. As Kuehl (1959) says, “it is illusion, and not it’s materialization” which is the centre of Gatsby’s character – he is a dreamer despite his material status, and his “heightened” goals will never be materialized, making them pale in comparison to the concrete aspirations of society and contradicting E. K’s evaluation – Gatsby is not precisely “more real” than society, but he is “greater” in many ways, as both Nick and Fitzgerald successfully portray him at the close of the novel: the noble dreams that inspire Nick’s admiration within Gatsby are only unattainable due to denounced external factors, and therefore ultimately do not subtract from Gatsby’s tragically “great” portrayal.

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Political context of The Great Gatsby

America during 1920s enjoyed a consummate historical period – so called the ‘Economic Boom’. Consequently, more and more people became wealthy. This resulted in dramatic changes in American social structure as there was a huge increase in the middle classes. People’s obsession over their wealth had no limits. There was a big emphasis on individualism as the Republicans enjoyed widespread support due to their achievements. Perhaps this explains the attitude of the characters in the ‘Great Gatsby’.

Gatsby’s desire for wealth and individualism was certainly boosted by his feelings towards Daisy. Daisy Buchannan – who had a high rank in American society even before she got married, could not belong to Gatsby’s world and their relationship in the light of this period of American history was seen as irrational. The gaps in American social structure were undoubtedly large, however Republican’s idea of individualism allowed an access to higher rank in society. Characters’ traits such as determination, adroitness and hard-work were heavily respected in US during that time. This explains Gatsby’s struggle in achieving respected status and wealth. Perhaps, from a political point of view, Gatsby therefore could be seen as a model of a successful American during the ‘Economic Boom’.

America – a great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose.

Herbert Hoover (1874 – 1964) – Republican president of USA

Furthermore, the Americans’ position during the 1920s made them think that they are infallible. Certainly, this resulted in racism and over – patriotic attitude. For example, Tom says that ‘Civilisation’s going to pieces’ referring to ‘The Rise of Colored Empires’ and defines Americans as the ‘dominant race’ (chapter I). This boundless confidence spread into different countries and the term of an ‘American Dream’ (that is – a dream of a total achievement of wealth) became more and more popular.

Ironically, America’s ‘Economic Boom’ was a direct consequence of the First World War when they isolated themselves and achieved a great deal of widespread wealth at the cost of the other suffering countries. In fact, the ‘Economic Boom’ was mostly a result of a well-developed trade of military supplies with countries involved in war.

Similarly, ‘The Valley of Ashes’ (“a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat” – Chapter II) can be seen as the symbol of American’s abusing of the lower social classes as the wealthy businessmen dump their ashes on the land belonging to lower ranks. Perhaps in this sense, Fitzgerald hints at his contempt of a Republican idea and despises the order in USA during that time.

Therefore the ill-thought through American idea of desire for money descended from the ‘Economic Boom’ in 1920s. Having said this, we are not surprised when Gatsby describes Daisy’s voice as ‘full of money’. Wealth and competitiveness was considered as the norm because in early 20th century America such values had been seen as essential to become a politically correct ‘American’. To become politically correct one tended, or maybe preferred, to become blind to human suffering. It is best described by Nick that “Tom and Daisy – smashed up creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness”. Indeed, in this way, Tom and Daisy have managed to brutally achieve their ‘American Dream’.

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The Great Gatsby Presentation

Wealth and social class permeate much of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz’. Set during the roaring twenties when many people had newly accumulated wealth after the war, both texts seek to explore and satirise the complexities of wealth and social class. They particularly focus on how far people may go to fit into a social class or protect their fortune. Despite ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz’ being set within the fantasy genre, elements of Fitzgerald’s own life run as undercurrents throughout both texts.

Fitzgerald’s life features heavily in the texts, be it through the characterisation of Nick and Gatsby or the underlying references to his personal experiences. The experiences of the main protagonists’ form parallels with Fitzgerald’s interactions with the wealthy, both at Princeton and Great Neck and in his relationship with Zelda. ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz’ satirises the exuberant wealth experienced by Fitzgerald when visiting a Princeton classmate. ‘The Great Gatsby’ on the other hand, is more reliant on aspects of Fitzgerald’s own life which forms the emotional foundation of the novel.

Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy mirrors Fitzgerald’s turbulent relationship with Zelda who much like Daisy, was regarded as being incredibly materialistic. Gatsby can therefore be seen as a representing Fitzgerald’s pursuit of sufficient wealth to support an aristocratic love interest. He does this to the detriment of his artistic integrity which he compromised by writing short stories to fund Zelda’s opulent lifestyle. This is mirrored by Gatsby compromising his integrity and personal worth by bootlegging and lying about being the ‘son of some wealthy people in the Middle-West’, in order to please Daisy and hopefully gain acceptance.

He fails in both these areas. In integrating elements of his personal life, Fitzgerald may be implying that loving someone of a different social class comes with compromises and that one may lose sight of who they are in the process. ‘The Great Gatsby’ by virtue of its representations of wealth and class can be seen as a running criticism of the American Dream and America’s obsession with wealth amidst the hedonistic culture of the 1920’s. The American Dream had originally been founded on the notion that anyone, irrespective of their background could achieve anything in the ‘land of opportunity’ if they worked hard enough.

Fitzgerald however, believed that the American Dream was just an ‘illusion’ and that it had been corrupted by the of pursuit wealth. He consistently challenged the idea of the achievability of the American Dream in ‘The Great Gatsby’. The geographical motifs of embody just how unachievable the American Dream is. This geographical separation may symbolise the hypothetical and literal divides between the nouveau riche who reside in West Egg and aristocrats of East egg, consequently highlighting how they will forever lead separate existences.

This gives the impression of the American Dream being highly flawed, as having acquired great wealth does not translate into acceptance for the people of West Egg, who are seen as the social subordinates of the aristocrats of East Egg. This is further established by the behaviour of the guests at Gatsby’s party. The people of West Egg lack the refinement, grace and manners of their aristocratic counterparts for whom these traits form the rudiments of their social class. This consequently demonstrates how East and West Egg are separated by more than geographical distance but also by simple things such as social etiquette and fashion choices.

Jordan’s party (who consist of fellow ) are ‘spread around a table on the outside of the garden’ ‘carefully on guard’, emphasising that even within the intimate confines of the party the divide is still apparent and the people of East Egg are reluctant to mix. The corruption of the American Dream is further explored through the main protagonists’ initial amazement and delight (early on in the text) at the great wealth they encounter. Fitzgerald employs a myriad of symbolisms, metaphors and similes to depict the sheer luxury and over exuberance of the aristocrats within both texts.

Through these devices he is able to satirise the materialistic world the aristocrats inhabit, making it appear outlandish. In ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz’ John Unger, a boy from Hades with ‘meager standards of living’ is ‘amused and delighted’, by the luxurious lifestyle Percy and his family lead. When he arrives with Percy they are driven in what Percy dismissively calls a ‘buggy’. However, the reader can extrapolate from John’s reaction at the ‘thousand minute tapestries of silk, woven with jewels’ that the vehicle is far from an old buggy.

In this instance John’s amazement may have been employed to paradox Percy’s dismissive attitude towards wealth as he refers to the luxurious car as ‘old junk’. Fitzgerald may have used this paradox highlight the hollow nature of the wealthy, whose lives are fueled by consumerism to the extent that they place little value to the possessions everyone else would deem as extraordinary. In ‘The Great Gatsby’, Nick is also amazed by the wealth he experiences at the Buchanan home. His first interaction with Daisy and Jordon has a dream like quality to it.

When he meets the women they are dressed in white, ‘their dresses rippling and fluttering … a short flight around the house’ this gives the women an angelic quality which hints at how Nick is initially drawn in by their great wealth. This surreal and dream like quality of wealth is also reflected in ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz’ with the depiction of the girl who is dressed like ‘Titania’. In the play, , Titania is the queen of the fairies which Fitzgerald may have used to allude to the magical and mystifying qualities of wealth present within both texts.

Conversely, the amazement the main protagonists’ initially showcased soon dissipates when they discover the corruptive nature of wealth and the wealthy. Despite the people of East Egg possessing an abundance of grace, elegance and taste (that comes with adhering to the norms of aristocratic society) they lack compassion. The East Eggers are presented as little more than bullies who use their money to alleviate any concerns they have, irrespective of who they hurt in the process.

This morally corrupt nature of the rich is explored through the Buchanan’s in ‘The Great Gatsby’ and the Washingtons’ in ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz’. The Buchanans’ are presented as ‘careless people’ who ‘smash[ed] things up’ only to retreat back into ‘their vast carelessness’. Their lack of moral fiber is further emphasised when instead of attending Gatsby’s funeral they move into a house far away. Fitzgerald may have used the Buchanans’ as a moral didactic for the readers to illustrate how wealth can corrupt when one allows themself to become consumed by it.

On the other hand, it could represent the unfair nature of capitalist societies whereby the wealthy upper-class can afford to pay for peace of mind. This conflicts with Gatsby whom despite accumulating his wealth through criminality is kind and loving, keeping watch outside Daisy’s window to insure Tom does not hurt her, consequently illustrating that wealth alone does not corrupt but when coupled with high social status it can have disastrous effects. Moreover, in both texts religion (which is supposed to strengthen ones moral compass) has been replaced by consumerism.

Atrocious things are carried out in the name of wealth in the texts, including murder and imprisonment. These things are written off as a natural pre-requisite of success and expansion. Here Fitzgerald argues that wealth can be its own prison blinding its pursuers, dehumanizing them to the extent that they devalue human life and assume that everyone can be bought. Fitzgerald satirizes the absurd nature of the rich when Mr. Washington tries ‘offering a bribe to God’ with a voice immersed in ‘inextinguishable pride’.

Ross Posnock, a Marxist writer, praised Fitzgerald in his essay ‘A New World, Material Without Being real’ for his presentation of the capitalist society in ‘The Great Gatsby’1. Posnock believed that Fitzgerald had captured the capitalist society’s obsession with material wealth and how it leads to people being regarded as little more than object that can be acquired along with capital in order to boost ones social status. Gatsby’s vast wardrobe is a ‘heavy defensive wall’ consisting of ‘thick silk’ and ‘expensive dye’ which support the Marxist view of material possessions providing a barrier against hardship which the rich can hide behind.

For Gatsby, and many others, material possessions help to protect their status in the same way the ‘invisible cloak’ of Gatsby’s army uniform had hidden his lower class status when he first met Daisy. In general, the negative portrayal of consumerism in his work has made him very popular with Marxist writers. In conclusion, Fitzgerald uses ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘The Diamond as Big as Ritz’ to highlight the negative elements of wealth and class, whilst particularly emphasising that class roles will never be crossed.

Both texts highlight the potential hazards of capitalist societies when one becomes consumed by materialism, placing greater importance on monetary fortune and status than the consequences of their actions. Although Fitzgerald presents both wealth and class in negative lights he reminds the reader that wealth alone does not give way to moral corruption hinting that it is wealth in conjunction with high social class that leads to the decaying of one’s moral compass.

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Daisy Miller

Daisy Miller, A Study can be examined as the story of initiation of Daisy, one of its main characters. To demonstrate this conception, we will consider Marcus Mordecai’s, Joseph Campbell’s and W. R. B. Lewis’ works as well as examples from the nouvelle itself. Marcus Mordecai states, ‘the most decisive initiations carry their protagonists firmly into maturity and understanding, or at least show them decisively embarked toward maturity. These initiations usually center on self-discovery’ (Mordecai,1960:223). Daisy’s process of initiation fits clearly in Mordecai’s decisive initiation. She enters the world of maturity through a series of steps.

To begin with, we should cite the definition of story of initiation that Mordecai provides: An initiation story may be said to show its young protagonist experiencing a significant change of knowledge about the world or himself, or a change of character, or of both, and this change must point or lead him towards an adult world. (… ) it should give some evidence that the change is at least likely to have permanent effects. (Mordecai,1960:223) To continue, the stages by which Daisy accomplishes her decisive initiation are depicted by Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

On our opinion when the story begins, Daisy has already crossed the threshold, in others words, she has accepted the call of the adventure in Europe. This is the stage of departure. Being an American girl, what she sees as an adventure is the search for sociability and for being accepted as she had been in America. Daisy is the archetypical innocent uncontaminated heroine: There isn’t any society; or, if there is, I don’t know where it keeps itself. Do you? I suppose there is some society somewhere, but I haven’t seen anything of it. I’m very fond of society, and I have always had a great deal of it (… I used to go to New York every winter. In New York I had lots of society. Last winter I had seventeen dinners given me; and three of them were by gentlemen (… ) I have (… ) more gentleman friends; and more young lady friends too,” (… ) She paused again for an instant; she was looking at Winterbourne with all her prettiness in her lively eyes and in her light, slightly monotonous smile. “I have always had,” she said, “a great deal of gentlemen’s society. (James, 1879: 11) Moving forward along the story we readers witness the stage of initiation proper.

Daisy undergoes several experiences, that is to say, the trials or tests in Campbell’s terms. There are several crucial episodes outlining these tests. Many of them are mainly decisions taken by Daisy, which are seen as inexcusable mistakes by the American European society, though seen as natural behaviour by Daisy, quite the opposite to what she herself qualifies as ‘stiff’. As a way of example, Daisy has to cope with Mrs. Costello’s disdainful rejection, who refuses to become personally acquainted with her. Most importantly, Daisy herself deduces this fact through Winterbourne’s hesitant words.

This is not a minor detail, because it is by her capacity of deduction that Daisy’s increasing emotional maturity is made evident: I shall be ever so glad to know your aunt. ” Winterbourne was embarrassed. (… ) he said; “but I am afraid those headaches will interfere. ” (… ) “But I suppose she doesn’t have a headache every day,” she said sympathetically. (… ). “She tells me she does,” he answered at last, not knowing what to say. Miss Daisy Miller stopped and stood looking at him. (… ) “She doesn’t want to know me! ” she said suddenly. “Why don’t you say so?

You needn’t be afraid. I’m not afraid! ” (… )You needn’t be afraid,” she repeated. “Why should she want to know me? ” (… ) “Gracious! she IS exclusive! ” she said. (James, 1879:18) At Mrs. Walker’s, one of the society matrons, Daisy makes a succession of social mistakes, such as asking Mrs. Walker, who was having a party, to bring her friend Mr. Giovanelli with her. Additionally, she confesses that she is going out for a promenade alone with him. Although this scandalizes Mrs. Costello, who prompted Daisy to desist from this plan, Daisy only fulfills her own desires.

To make matters even worse, later on when Daisy is walking with Giovanelli and Winterbourne, Mrs. Walker follows Daisy and urges her to leave the men immediately and go with her in her carriage. Daisy’s firm refusal only accelerates what will be inevitable in the end, her social alienation. At the same time her determination and personality have reached their high peak: Do get in and drive with me! ” said Mrs. Walker. “That would be charming, but it’s so enchanting just as I am! ” (… ) “It may be enchanting, dear child, but it is not the custom here,” urged Mrs. Walker, (… ) “Well, it ought to be, then! ” said Daisy. “If I didn’t walk I should expire. ” “You should walk with your mother, dear,” cried the lady from Geneva, losing patience. “With my mother dear! ” exclaimed the young girl. (… ), “I am more than five years old.

“”You are old enough to be more reasonable. You are old enough, dear Miss Miller, to be talked about. ” (…)Daisy gave a violent laugh. “I never heard anything so stiff! If this is improper, Mrs. Walker,” she pursued, “then I am all improper, and you must give me up. Goodbye; I hope you’ll have a lovely ride! and, with Mr. Giovanelli, who made a triumphantly obsequious salute, she turned away. (James, 1879:38-39) Mrs. Walker’s party is what Campbell designates as the Climax. Again, Daisy’s actions only seem to precipitate her dramatic fall. Initially, while she remains at home with Giovanelli, she first sends her mother alone. When she finally arrives she does not wait to be spoken to, totally unconscious of the ‘all the cold shoulders that were turned toward her ,‘ especially those of Mrs. Walker’s (James, 1879: 48). Eventually, the awful truth only dawned on her later:

When Daisy came to take leave of Mrs. Walker, this lady (… ) turned her back straight upon Miss Miller and left her to depart with what grace she might. (… ). Daisy turned away, looking with a pale, grave face at the circle near the door;Winterbourne saw that, for the first moment, she was too much shocked and puzzled even for indignation. (James, 1879:44). Lastly, Daisy confronts Campbell’s Final Battle at the Roman Colosseum. When, disappointedly she perceives that Winterbourne, whom she had considered as a real friend, mistrusts in her chastity, she understands hat she will never fit in that hypocrite society, far advanced her ideas are for that era. Now she knows that her Gift, her knowledge, cannot be shared with this community. Therefore, she ultimate resolves to detach herself physically from that corrupted society. Being aware that being non native in Rome, hence not immune to malaria, and having spent many hours at the Colosseum, which is presumed to be infected with this illness, she nonetheless refuses to take Eugenio’s disease preventing pills. In this way, Daisy completes the cycle of her story of initiation, by fulfiling Mordecai’s Decisive model.

However, she does not do so in Campbell’s terms, namely in what he calls the Return. Quite the contrary, she follows W. R. B. Lewis’s pattern of Denitiation of the American Hero, explained in The American Adam : “… the valid rite of initiation for the individual in the new world is not an initiation into society, but, given the character of society, an initiation away from it: something I wish it were legitimate to call denitiation’ “ (W. R. B Lewis,1955: 115). In other words, the American hero does not return to the place from where he has departed.

Instead, from disillusionment he prefers alienation, sealing her physical and social evinction. Henry James used many strategies when writing Daisy Miller, A Study. Whether literary, discourse or narrative, these features are what brought his nouvelle to life and provided it with unity. Henry James was born in New York, in a family of intellectuals. His father was a man known not only for his intelligence but also for encouraging his children to become the best in their fields of study. In Henry’s case, it was literature and he decided to follow literary realism.

However, it was psychological realism what he was more interested in. This is what encouraged Henry James to create the term “central intelligence”: This term is used to describe a character in a story whose main purpose is to tell the story and filter the events taking place in it thought his or her thoughts and feelings. The central intelligence in Daisy Miller, A Study is Frederick Winterbourne. He is the character who filters the events in the nouvelle and he is the teller of the story, even though he is not the narrator.

He is introduced in the second paragraph, once the setting of the story is provided to the reader by the narrator. The concept of central intelligence is probably the most important discourse strategy in the nouvelle. It is the main procedure by which the writer brings unity to the text, turning it into a whole. The centre of intelligence can also be seen as a narrative strategy, since it is the use of this character along with the presence of a narrator, the medium by which the writer tells the story.

Daisy Miller, A Study has a 3rd person narrator as well as a center of intelligence. The narrator is not an omniscient narrator; it is a narrator who lacks the knowledge of what is happening in the minds of the characters, he only knows what Winterbourne perceives about them. An example that shows this relationship between the narrator and Winterbourne is the following:“Winterbourne wondered if he had been like this in his infancy, for he had been brought to Europe at about this age”. (James 1879: 6) In this extract of the text Winterbourne meets Randolph, Daisy’s brother.

We can see the central intelligence of the nouvelle, how his feeling and thoughts filter the information, in this case Randolph’s behavior, and compares it with his own behavior, of which he is not certain of, since he does not remember. The narrator merely tells us what Winterbourne felt at the time but he does not give us any further information. An example of the narrative strategy found in the text, that shows us that Daisy Miller, A Study is in fact a story of initiation, is how the nouvelle is structured.

It is divided in two parts. In the first part of the story we see how the two main characters meet and we learn about Daisy’s personality and peculiar manners. We could say that in this part of the nouvelle, which takes part in Switzerland, Daisy earns herself a bad reputation. An example of what people thought of Daisy can be seen in this extract taken from the text: In the evening Winterbourne mentioned to Mrs. Costello that he had spent the afternoon at Chillon with Miss Daisy Miller (… ) She went with you all alone? …) And that, she exclaimed, is the young person to whom you wanted me to know! (James 1879:27) In the second part of the nouvelle, which takes part in Rome, we can appreciate how Daisy is rejected by Mrs. Costello and how the young woman accepts she will probably never be accepted as a respected member of society. As mentioned earlier, this is the moment we think Daisy receives her gift, in this case, the gift of knowledge, which is evidence in itself of Daisy’s acquired maturity. She knows what the rules of European society are and refuses to follow them.

As the nouvelle progresses, this knowledge is what brings Daisy’s life to an end, both physically and socially. In Daisy Miller, A Study, there is a vast amount of literary devices playing art in what we consider the story of initiation. One such device is symbolism, and we have chosen to give this example since we believe it summarizes Daisy’s story. Flowers are said to be images that furnish sentences that would be very common otherwise. Moreover, the image of a flower can imply growth, maturity. Once flowers are mature enough, they blossom.

The following quote shows how Daisy mature, from being a very naive girl, to a “very clever foireign lady”, as Winterbourne later puts it: “Winterbourne listened to him [Giovanelli]: he stood staring at the raw protuberance [bud] among the April daisies. ” (James 1879:54) To conclude this essay, we would like to ratify our working hypothesis. We strongly believe Daisy Miller, A Study is a story of initiation. As illustrated previously, Daisy Miller, our heroine follows the stages proposed by authors such as Marcus Mordecai, Joseph Campbell and W. R. B. Lewis in her process of initiation and personal growth.

As was also previously mentioned, we consider that this story of initiation was possible through the many strategies available to the author and writer of this nouvelle, that is, to Henry James. We also believe, this nouvelle transcends the obvious, it transcends the story of the encounter between an American man and a naive young American lady who does not seem to fit in European society. We think Daisy Miller, A Study is not only the study of the personalities its author describes, but also, and more importantly, the initiation of a young lady into womanhood.

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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Mother and Parent

The Ideal Parent: Brightening a Childs Future Parenting is a big part of every ones lives; it makes up who you are as a person and in many cases projects who you will be in the future. Some adults have trouble manipulating their children and teaching them what is right from wrong, while others have a much easier time doing so. In my opinion there is no such thing as “the perfect parent”, both the mother and the father have their flaws, but what matters is that the parent is always there for personal support.

To me a good parent is someone who is always there to support there children in both good and bad terms, and a responsible adult that can supply for their kids necessities, not necessarily all the luxuries that they want. Another key point to being a good parent is to be a good leader, all kids look up to their parents and most of the time follow their parents footsteps and part of being a good leader is being a hard worker. A parent that is supportive, responsible, and a leader and hard worker all make up to be a great parent in my opinion.

In the stories Scar by Amy Tan, My Fathers Hands by Daisy Hernandez, and the poems by Robert Hayden, No Longer a Teenager by Gerald Locklin all tie up to the universal theme of good parenting. Even though some characters in the story struggle to be the perfect parent they desire to be, some are successful in doing so while others just cannot do their duty. Having support from a parent is a corner stone in a kids life growing up, without the support of their closest relative life can be a struggle growing up. In the poem No Longer a Teenager, Gerald Locklin narrates, literature and opera are full of characters who die for love: i stay alive for her. ” (35-37) The father implies that unconditionally of the situation he will always be there to support and give love to his daughter. In this poem love and support is a big theme, showing the strong bond between the father and the daughter still after her teenage years gives a great amount of respect to the father. Supporting children from a very young age can definitely shape up the future of a young kid. On the other hand in the story Scar by Amy Tan, “I felt unlucky that she was my mother and unlucky that she had left us.

These were the thoughts I had while hiding in the corner of my room where my father could not watch me” (292). An-mei the main character had no support from her mother growing up as she abandoned her own family and kids. The author Tan states this in a way that the child almost feels lonely, dull, and unhappy, which can be the outcome of no parental support. The different mindsets of the parents are well established, one parent has been there to support their kid since birth while the other one was there for a couple of years and then abandoned her child.

This plays a big role in these kids mind because not having the support they need can be the difference between love and shame in a parent-child relationship. Next, responsibility is one thing most parents try to educate their kids about as they are growing up. Having a responsible parent can be the difference between having a good, comfortable childhood, and having a rough, complicated life growing up. In the poem “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden “Speaking indifferently to him. who had driven out the cold and polished my good shoes as well” (10-13) shows a great level of responsibility from the dad.

Getting up early to do all the necessary for the child to have a nice easy morning makes his kid life much easier and happier. Taking responsibilities for their kids and their own personal lives can benefit both the parent and child in the long run. On the contrary in the story “My fathers Hands” by Daisy Hernandez, the child in the story has more of a complicated and rough childhood. “I’d get home and change from my catholic uniform to my McD’s one. If I worked enough hours, I made as much as my mother did at the factory”(412) states Hernandez. This quote illustrates the more complicated version of a very young teenage girl.

The father is un-employed and the mother is making the same amount as her teenage daughter. This shows a lack of responsibility coming from both parents because at this age the parents should be concerned about the daughter going to school and both parents should have a job accounted for. The irresponsibility’s of the parents can affect a child from a young age, not only does it complicates the life of the kid, but the parents do a poor job of teaching a child the values of being responsible. One parent shows responsibilities for their kids while the other parent shows no remorse for her daughter.

Finally, being a leader and a hard worker not only in your children’s lives but also in society is what makes a huge difference between a great parent and a mediocre parent. Showing a child the values of leadership and hard work can make a kids future that much better. A parent that holds these two characteristics and is able to put them to use in society will not only be a great example for their kids, but a superb example of a great parent. In the poem “Those Winter Sundays”, Hayden illustrates the hard work and leadership this father puts in for the family to have a nice comfortable living. Sundays too my father got up early and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold, then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him. ” (1-5) This stanza shows the fathers hard work, he worries about the family and the kid and wants noting but the best for them. Hayden states that the father works and serves the family seven days a week, making him a superb father figure and even though the family members do not appreciate everything he does for the family he is doing a good deed.

Unlike the mother in “Scar” by Tan she was never much of a leader to her daughter or son. “Who is this ghost?….. If you take your daughter, she will become like you. No face. Never able to lift up her head”(294). This line emphasizes the fact that the mother was never there as a parental figure, in a way she is a disgrace to her daughter because she never taught her the meanings of life and was never there to support her daughter and be a leader for her daughter.

Tan states under the surface that it is better for her to leave her daughter behind because she did not race her and they both have different moral beliefs. She cannot be a leader to her daughter and from a child’s point of view not having a leader to follow and grow up with can make a child dread of unhappiness. One parent does the right thing to serve their family and be a leader and a hard working parent to teach their kids about life, while the other parent was never really there to even talk to the child.

In conclusion, having a parental figure guide a child through life by showing them key characteristics and the essence of life will benefit the child much more. The characteristics that a great parent should have is to support the children at all times, be a responsible adult, and be a leader and demonstrate hard workmanship so the kid can follow ones foot steps and continue thriving through life. No parent is perfect but most parents have what it takes to be a successful parental icon in their child’s life.

Works Cited

  1. Badillo, Jose, and Mrs. Fay Lee. “Scar. ” : By Amy Tan. 1302 Composition and Rhetoric II, 24 Sept. 2009.
  2. Web. 06 Mar. 2013. Gerald Locklin. “The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor. ” No Longer A Teenager by Gerald Locklin. The Writers Almanac, 18 July 2002.
  3. Web. 06 Mar. 2013. Hayden, Robert. “Those Winter Sundays. ” – Poets. org. Academy Of American Poets, 23 May 1966.
  4. Web. 06 Mar. 2013. Hernandez, Daisy. “My Father’s Hands A« Daisy Hernandez. ” Daisy Hernandez. Daisy Hernandez, 13 July 2005.
  5. Web. 06 Mar. 2013.

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