Post by esmemcgill on Jan 8, 2015 23:45:32 GMT
Choose a novel or short story in which the fate of the main character is important in conveying the writers theme. Explain what you consider the theme to be and discuss how effectively the fate of the character conveys it.
"The Great Gatsby" is a short novel written by F.Scott Fitzgerald. The novel is set in New York during the summer of 1922 and centres around the theme of failure of the American Dream. The American Dream is the pursuit of wealth, family and most importantly happiness. The importance of this theme is conveyed through the fate of self made, working class man, Jay Gatsby, who dies a lonely and tragic death due to his inability to achieve the American Dream. Fitzgerald effectively uses techniques such as characterisation, setting and symbolism to convey this.
Set in New York in fictional locations West and East Egg, the story is narrated by Gatsby's neighbour and friend, aspiring bond salesman,Nick Carraway. Nick is also the cousin of Daisy Buchanan, the woman Gatsby has been in love with for years. Daisy and her husband, Tom Buchanan; a powerful man who inherited a large fortune, live in East Egg. West Egg and East Egg are separated by small stretch of water which symbolises not only a geographical division between the two but also a social class barrier. The people from West Egg are typically people who have worked for their fortune and are not as wealthy as the people from East Egg whose money has been passed down through generations and inherited. Although both areas are extremely wealthy, the houses of East Egg are described as "fashionable" and "white palaces". This contrasts with Gatsby's house in West Egg which is described as an "imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy", this is significant as it suggests Gatsby's mansion is tasteless and fake, just like his façade. Because he lives in West Egg and is therefore of a different social class to Daisy, Gatsby had little chance of achieving his American Dream from the beginning.
Symbolism is a technique employed effectively by Fitzgerald to convey the American Dream and its failure. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby's car as a recurring representation of the American Dream. He describes the Rolls Royce as a "labyrinth of of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns" and "a rich cream colour". The colour yellow has connotations of both wealth and gold but is also a bright eye catching colour that can be mesmerising and hard to draw your eyes away from. This links to Gatsby being unable to draw his attention away from his one goal, to achieve the American Dream. The bright vibrant colour of his car also makes it appear as though Gatsby is trying too hard to fit into the upper class. It suggests that he feels in order to impress Daisy and the people of aristocracy, he must flaunt his wealth and almost make a spectacle of it. By buying a cream car Gatsby has ensured that it was stand out and attention will be drawn to his wealth which he hopes will attract Daisy. Gatsby's car is also the device used to kill one of the few lower class characters, Tom's mistress Myrtle Brown. Myrtle believed Tom was her way out of poverty and that through him she could live the American Dream. Myrtle ran in front of Gatsby's car as she believed Tom was driving it. This is symbolic of the failure of the American Dream as her longing for Tom and her American Dream is what led to Myrtles death.
Chapter Five is a crucial chapter as it is where Gatsby meets Daisy for the first time in five years and feels as though his ambition to have the American Dream is within his grasp. Over the five years they have been apart Gatsby has grown fonder of Daisy and his expectations and feelings have heightened. "There must of been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams -not through her own fault but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion." This suggests Daisy may have fallen slightly short of Gatsby's expectations but through no fault of her own but simply because Gatsby had built her up so largely in his mind over the past five years that she could never live up to his minds high expectations. His mind had conjured a sheer "vitality" and image of perfection impossible for Daisy to live up to. Gatsby's dream is destined to fail because the idealistic image he has conjured of Daisy is far greater than the reality, showing the disillusion and cracks in his American Dream.
The turning point of the novel occurs in Chapter Seven when Tom discovers Daisy and Gatsby's affair and is where Gatsby's dream is ripped from his grasp. When Tom confronts Daisy and Gatsby about their affair, Gatsby urges Daisy to tell Tom she never loved him but she cannot: "oh you want too much...I did love him once - but I loved you too." This suggest Daisy was never fully committed to Gatsby and he overestimated her affection for him. This revelation knocks Gatsby off guard and allows Tom to grow in confidence, obviously feeling he has the upper hand. "I think he realises his presumptuous little flirtation is over." Tom is condescending and speaks to Gatsby as though he is superior to him. This links in with the idea of division of the social classes, as although Gatsby is wealthy he is still new money and would never be able to compete with Tom's vast inheritance. Because of this, the failure of his dream becomes apparent to the reader as Gatsby cannot accomplish his American Dream without being with Daisy who would never be willing to give up the indulgent life style she can live whilst with Tom for someone of a lower social class.
Fitzgerald also uses symbolism to emphasise Gatsby's inability to let go of the past. One of his servants asks if the pool should be drained as Summer is drawing to an end, Gatsby refuses, telling him "don't do it today" and then deciding to go for a swim. This is an attempt to hold onto the summer and the time he spent with Daisy. Symbolically, it is here that Gatsby is killed by George Wilson, Myrtle's husband. This furthers the idea that Gatsby's inability to let go of his American Dream and the past is what led to his death.
To conclude, Gatsby is made sympathetic at the end of the novel as he is viewed as a determined and strong willed individual who set out with the objective to achieve one clear dream and never lost sight of this. In the last paragraph of the novel Gatsby's journey towards his dream is compared to that of the Dutch settlers who ambitiously sailed to America in hopes of a better future, endless prosperity and happiness. By using the line: "so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" Fitzgerald effectively highlights how "Great" Gatsby is. He is optimistic and although his journey has been difficult and tiring just like a boat sailing against the current , Gatsby refused to give up. Never giving up on Daisy and his idealistic view of their future together shows Gatsby was true to his goal no matter how unrealistic it appeared. Gatsby's death is just as tragic and devastating as the deaths of other lower class characters in the novel, suggesting that the American Dream is a pursuit only really achieved by those already wealthy and of a high social class.
"The Great Gatsby" is a short novel written by F.Scott Fitzgerald. The novel is set in New York during the summer of 1922 and centres around the theme of failure of the American Dream. The American Dream is the pursuit of wealth, family and most importantly happiness. The importance of this theme is conveyed through the fate of self made, working class man, Jay Gatsby, who dies a lonely and tragic death due to his inability to achieve the American Dream. Fitzgerald effectively uses techniques such as characterisation, setting and symbolism to convey this.
Set in New York in fictional locations West and East Egg, the story is narrated by Gatsby's neighbour and friend, aspiring bond salesman,Nick Carraway. Nick is also the cousin of Daisy Buchanan, the woman Gatsby has been in love with for years. Daisy and her husband, Tom Buchanan; a powerful man who inherited a large fortune, live in East Egg. West Egg and East Egg are separated by small stretch of water which symbolises not only a geographical division between the two but also a social class barrier. The people from West Egg are typically people who have worked for their fortune and are not as wealthy as the people from East Egg whose money has been passed down through generations and inherited. Although both areas are extremely wealthy, the houses of East Egg are described as "fashionable" and "white palaces". This contrasts with Gatsby's house in West Egg which is described as an "imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy", this is significant as it suggests Gatsby's mansion is tasteless and fake, just like his façade. Because he lives in West Egg and is therefore of a different social class to Daisy, Gatsby had little chance of achieving his American Dream from the beginning.
Symbolism is a technique employed effectively by Fitzgerald to convey the American Dream and its failure. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby's car as a recurring representation of the American Dream. He describes the Rolls Royce as a "labyrinth of of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns" and "a rich cream colour". The colour yellow has connotations of both wealth and gold but is also a bright eye catching colour that can be mesmerising and hard to draw your eyes away from. This links to Gatsby being unable to draw his attention away from his one goal, to achieve the American Dream. The bright vibrant colour of his car also makes it appear as though Gatsby is trying too hard to fit into the upper class. It suggests that he feels in order to impress Daisy and the people of aristocracy, he must flaunt his wealth and almost make a spectacle of it. By buying a cream car Gatsby has ensured that it was stand out and attention will be drawn to his wealth which he hopes will attract Daisy. Gatsby's car is also the device used to kill one of the few lower class characters, Tom's mistress Myrtle Brown. Myrtle believed Tom was her way out of poverty and that through him she could live the American Dream. Myrtle ran in front of Gatsby's car as she believed Tom was driving it. This is symbolic of the failure of the American Dream as her longing for Tom and her American Dream is what led to Myrtles death.
Chapter Five is a crucial chapter as it is where Gatsby meets Daisy for the first time in five years and feels as though his ambition to have the American Dream is within his grasp. Over the five years they have been apart Gatsby has grown fonder of Daisy and his expectations and feelings have heightened. "There must of been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams -not through her own fault but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion." This suggests Daisy may have fallen slightly short of Gatsby's expectations but through no fault of her own but simply because Gatsby had built her up so largely in his mind over the past five years that she could never live up to his minds high expectations. His mind had conjured a sheer "vitality" and image of perfection impossible for Daisy to live up to. Gatsby's dream is destined to fail because the idealistic image he has conjured of Daisy is far greater than the reality, showing the disillusion and cracks in his American Dream.
The turning point of the novel occurs in Chapter Seven when Tom discovers Daisy and Gatsby's affair and is where Gatsby's dream is ripped from his grasp. When Tom confronts Daisy and Gatsby about their affair, Gatsby urges Daisy to tell Tom she never loved him but she cannot: "oh you want too much...I did love him once - but I loved you too." This suggest Daisy was never fully committed to Gatsby and he overestimated her affection for him. This revelation knocks Gatsby off guard and allows Tom to grow in confidence, obviously feeling he has the upper hand. "I think he realises his presumptuous little flirtation is over." Tom is condescending and speaks to Gatsby as though he is superior to him. This links in with the idea of division of the social classes, as although Gatsby is wealthy he is still new money and would never be able to compete with Tom's vast inheritance. Because of this, the failure of his dream becomes apparent to the reader as Gatsby cannot accomplish his American Dream without being with Daisy who would never be willing to give up the indulgent life style she can live whilst with Tom for someone of a lower social class.
Fitzgerald also uses symbolism to emphasise Gatsby's inability to let go of the past. One of his servants asks if the pool should be drained as Summer is drawing to an end, Gatsby refuses, telling him "don't do it today" and then deciding to go for a swim. This is an attempt to hold onto the summer and the time he spent with Daisy. Symbolically, it is here that Gatsby is killed by George Wilson, Myrtle's husband. This furthers the idea that Gatsby's inability to let go of his American Dream and the past is what led to his death.
To conclude, Gatsby is made sympathetic at the end of the novel as he is viewed as a determined and strong willed individual who set out with the objective to achieve one clear dream and never lost sight of this. In the last paragraph of the novel Gatsby's journey towards his dream is compared to that of the Dutch settlers who ambitiously sailed to America in hopes of a better future, endless prosperity and happiness. By using the line: "so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" Fitzgerald effectively highlights how "Great" Gatsby is. He is optimistic and although his journey has been difficult and tiring just like a boat sailing against the current , Gatsby refused to give up. Never giving up on Daisy and his idealistic view of their future together shows Gatsby was true to his goal no matter how unrealistic it appeared. Gatsby's death is just as tragic and devastating as the deaths of other lower class characters in the novel, suggesting that the American Dream is a pursuit only really achieved by those already wealthy and of a high social class.