In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the people in the high class New York society focus solely on how they are perceived by others in their social class. They lead a life of wealth and glamor and are much less concerned with anything other than how educated one is, or how much money they are making. Jay Gatsby has fallen into this social trap, but not by choice. In order to regain the love his once had, Gatsby conforms himself to the surrounding society, which along with his sense of innocence, will ultimately be the cause of his death. In this New York society, there are two main wealthy classes.
The protagonist in the story is Joe Gould and the antagonist is Joseph Mitchell. Gould is a Yankee and a manic talker; a bohemian and often homeless, by choice. Mitchell is a Southerner and depressive; he writes for the accomplished bourgeois magazine, and is a family man. Mitchell begins to inquire about the book that Gould is writing and after a lot of evasion on Gould's part, it slowly becomes clear that it doesn't exist. Gould’s fascination with every day conversations mirrored Mitchell’s job as a journalist.
Gatsby being well aware of this tries desperately to fake his status and buy his way into a high social class.Gatsby is held at arm’s length from the people that would put him into the finest part of New York, East Egg. Gatsby symbolizes the American Dream because he goes from rags to riches, and every American aspires to live the way
The novels Ethan Frome and Catcher in the Rye by Edith Wharton and J.D.Salinger, respectively, are two great works that depict two characters’ struggles in life. Three themes that both novels share are the need for companionship, regret over lost potential and immersion in a fantasy world. Ethan Frome and Holden Caulfield are both very lonely characters in desperate need for companionship and compassion. They both search for human contact of sorts to prevent the onset of loneliness. Frome marries Zenobia Pierce prematurely, only to obviate “the mortal silence of…long imprisonment.” (Wharton, page 61) He wanted “the sound of a …voice” to fill the void on his farm.
Captain Robert Walton, an “arctic seafarer”, left society and into near desolation effecting him emotionally. As an aspiring poet, he pursued his passion to write with dreams of becoming as well-known as Homer and Shakespeare. By the end of a year full of criticism and hatred, “Walton’s education was neglected” (Shmoop). by his peers, and eventually by him. This neglect is surprisingly similar to Victor’s educational abandonment.
Poe is well known to be a very good writer, however, had no skills to meet job qualifications. He edited newspapers including ‘Southern Literary Messenger’, ‘Graham's Magazine’, ‘The Broadway Journal’ and Broadway soon came to a close with the company’s loss of money and Poe is back on the search of a job. Sadly enough, Virginia’s health began to fade and Poe was deeply distressed by it. Virginia passed away 10 days after Edgar’s birthday. Meanwhile, that happened at home, he also struggled financially and as an author whose fame was so limited.
He experiences loneliness in a society where people are constantly entertained without time given to reflection and personal development, activities often associated with the reading process. The more complicated fine distinctions of the world of books are available to him only when he leaves his reductionist society. Bradbury does not realize just how unhappy he is with his life and the world he lives in until Clarisse talks about her "strange" family, the one that actually converses with each other and enjoys nature. Bradbury show just how much Clarisse’s way of life is unaccepted in Montag’s world with the quote spoken by Clarisse, “White blurs are houses. Brown blurs are cows.
Paul’s hatred for his middle class lifestyle is so strong, that he feels it is necessary to ‘artificially enhance’ his life by lying and stealing. Even though Cordelia street is a respectable neighbourhood, Paul views it as a poor and ugly area, because it lacks the extravagence that represents wealth and to him beauty. In Paul’s world, “the natural nearly always wears the guide of ugliness, that a certain element of artificiality seemed necessary in beauty.” (Paul’s Case, pg. 7). Paul despises his common life so much that he feels he must hid it from his peers through lies.
When Lennie first enters Crooks’ room, Crooks is deeply hostile to him, “he stiffened and a scowl came on his face”. Steinbeck writes Crooks with this reaction because he is relating his reaction to the bigger theme of the book: The Dream. Although one of the aims of the dream is company, Crooks has given up on the dream meaning that he has given up on the dream, meaning that he has given up on companionship. The reason for this is because Crooks has suffered from segregation the whole time has been However Steinbeck presents Crooks in a way that he knows that his personal space is one of those rights to have and so does not allow Lennie to me in. Also, it eventually become obvious that Crooks is seeing that he has the opportunity to be cruel to Lennie, as he realises Lennie is simple and not like the white men because “A guy can talk to you an’ he be sure you won’t go blabbin’”.
The Great Gatsby: Final Essay Assignment In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it gives an outsiders view point of how upper class society acts. The main character of the book, a young adult named Nick, is not used to the upper class way of living. Through his eyes you get a view point of high society’s financial, social, and even love life. Gatsby believes he is in love with Daisy and has been for many years, but when Gatsby explains to Nick all the reasons he is in love with her they don’t seem to be so true at heart. Gatsby is more in love with the thought of being with Daisy, than he is actually in love with her.