Analysis Of The Great Gatsby - 1789 Words

Imran Hyder American Literature Amorality within the American Dream The Great Gatsby by Francis Scott Fitzgerald and Passing by Nella Larsen are two significant historical novels that highlight the problems of the nineteen-twenties. These two stories, written within a decade, contrast each other deeply as The Great Gatsby investigates the deep socio-economic tensions of the early twentieth century whereas Passing investigates the deep racial tensions throughout the beginning of the twentieth century. An aspect intrinsic to both books is how these tensions relate to and hinder the American Dream, the idea that every American has an equal opportunity to achieve success through hard work and determination. Both novels present characters that†¦show more content†¦The fact that Gatsby was willing to lie after assuring God’s truth establishes his amorality as a character to the reader. It is also important that Gatsby’s â€Å"right hand suddenly ordered divine retribution to stand by.† Gatsby acknowledges that he is deserving of this divine punishment and therefore asks this penalty or retribution to stand by. Gatsby was dishonest and defied God, the epitome of morality, asserting himself as the actual embodiment of sinfulness. Clare Kendry of Passing parallels Jay Gatsby in this sense as she also misleads her husband about her origins. This misleading is visible as when regarding her husband, Clare states, â€Å"there was no one to tell him that I was coloured, and many to tell him about the severity and the religiousness of Aunt Grace and Aunt Edna. † (Larsen 82) Although Clare did not blatantly lie like Gatsby, she was dishonest about her roots. Rather than stating that she was from an African-American household, Clare allows Jack to believe that she is white for the entirety of their marriage. The fact that she is lying about her origin to her spouse intensifies this aura of dishonesty as a wife was not expected to keep secrets from her husband. This level of the deceitfulness even further inc reases when the magnitude of this deception is considered. Clare did not reveal herself as African American to Jack, someone who has such contempt forShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby Analysis1274 Words   |  6 PagesAlthough the timeline is kept vague in The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald makes it clear that his work of art is based in the early 1920’s between World War I and the Prohibition. This was a transitional period in the United States. America changed after the war and as a result, so did life. The idea of the perfect life fluctuated as troops began flooding back to the United States, migrating to cities, picking up jobs, and buying houses for their new or planned families. The economy was boomingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Great Gatsby 857 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish 3 3 February, 2016 The Great Gatsby Character Analysis Essay: Jay Gatsby â€Å"It is easier to live through someone else’s existence than to complete yourself. The freedom to lead and plan your own life is frightening if you have never faced it before. It is frightening when a man finally realizes that there is no answer to the question who am I except the voice inside himself.† (Betty Friedan). If the name â€Å"Gatsby† was fraudulent, then perhaps the description â€Å"great† in the title of the bookRead MoreGreat Gatsby Analysis1551 Words   |  7 PagesSmithley Vil Mr.Haughey World Literature 10 October 2012 Gatsby Analysis Isolation is a significant and recurring theme throughout the novel â€Å"The Great Gatsby†, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, that has had a great impact on its characters. A few in particular are Nick Carraway, Daisy Buchanan, and â€Å"Jay Gatsby†. 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By using present tense, the readerRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Great Gatsby 1490 Words   |  6 PagesJaylinn Cooper Mrs. Fowler English III March 3, 2017 Literary Analysis of The Great Gatsby The 1920s in America, known as the Roaring Twenties, was a time of celebration after a destructive war. It was a period of time in America characterised by prosperity and optimism. There was a general feeling of disruption associated with modernity and a break with traditions.The Roaring Twenties was a time of great economic prosperity and many people became rich and wealthy. Some people inherited oldRead MoreThe Great Gatsby Book Analysis1016 Words   |  5 Pagesthoughts by expanding my knowledge on deeper meanings and symbolism in literature. Before reading The Great Gatsby, it was just a book about a man who had great wealth and threw many extravagant parties to get the attention of a woman named Daisy Buchanan. After further analysis, I discovered there was a deeper meaning to almost everything that I had read. The whole plot of the book The Great Gatsby has an entire different meaning if you look past the surface of the book. Throughout this story youRead MoreAnalysis Of Money In The Great Gatsby1111 Words   |  5 Pages(Literary analysis on The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald) Gold diggers are commonly known as women that only go after a guy because of the money that he has. The said women doesn’t even need to love the man just to have the money is enough to keep her around on him. Often times there is a man that really does like this lady, but because he doesn’t have money he never gets with her. What if this man without the money decide he would do anything to get money to impress the girl. The Great Gatsby byRead MoreThe Great Gatsby Character Analysis956 Words   |  4 PagesIn the book, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there is a strong message about the social class systems about the societies that exists between them. First, there are people like the Buchanans and Jordan Baker who were born into wealth and never really had to work for their money. Secondly, The new money people who can never really be like them, inherently because they have had to work for their money and sometimes finding it had been rough while doing so. (Houghton Mifflin) In