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Comparison the great gatsby with their eyes were watching god
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The great gatsby god essay
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The protagonists of both The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston correlate in that each pursue journeys striving to fulfill their dreams and searching for their own ideas of love, all whilst reinventing themselves. However, it is the challenges the characters face and the ways they handle them which truly set them apart, proving either to be their triumph or ultimate downfall. Both Jay Gatsby and Janie Crawford, the central figures of each story, portray a strong sense of determination throughout their life, treasuring their dreams to an extent where it becomes their life’s purpose. Janie, as an African American woman in the South during the 1920s, does not have a positive standing in …show more content…
Even though Gatsby manipulated his entire world around the hope of being with Daisy, it was a lost love from the start that Gatsby failed to grasp which is why he was never successful. Ever since Gatsby had left Daisy during the war, it led her to finding a new partner to fall in love with and settle down, and by the time Gatsby returned, it was too late. When Gatsby and Daisy finally meet five years later, he knocks over a clock, “where he turned and caught it with trembling fingers and set it back in place.” (Fitzgerald 86). It signifies how Gatsby is living in the past, by wanting to stop time, as well as his inability to do so. While he thought he could obtain a high status and wealth to reach Daisy’s level, his “new money” would never be equal to Daisy’s “old money”, a misconception which ultimately lead Gatsby to his demise. Janie explores a less literal meaning of being rich in love, in that money was never used to obtain her desires. In actuality, it was the wealthiness of others that turned Janie away from them because it meant their love would be afterthought than actual pure, essential love. Unlike Gatsby, Janie was able to realize when the love in her marriage was failing due to the little effort put in or its nonexistence from the start. She learnt from her failed experiences what she
“ Its attitude is one of disillusionment and detachment; Fitzgerald is still able to evoke the glitter of the 1920s but he is no longer dazzled by it; he sees its underlying emptiness and impoverishment” (Trendell 23)The story is narrated from the point of view of Nick, one of Gatsby’s friends. The problematic and hopeless romantic, Gatsby, sets out to fulfill his dream in acquiring Daisy, his lifelong love, through his many tactics and ideas. Gatsby is introduced extending his arms mysteriously toward a green light in the direction of the water. Later, Gatsby is shown to be the host of many parties for the rich and Nick is invited to one of these parties where Gatsby and Nick meet. When Gatsby later confesses his love for Daisy he explains she was a loved one who was separated from him and hopes to get her again explained when he says, “I hope she'll be a fool -- that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”(Fitzgerald 56). There are several obstacles that Gatsby must overcome and the biggest one that is Daisy’s current fiancé but that still does not get in the way of him trying to recover Daisy’s old feelings. His attempts are made through money and wealth because he tries to buy her love back instead of letting it happen naturally.
As a young man, Jay Gatsby was poor with nothing but his love for Daisy. He had attempted to woe her, but a stronger attraction to money led her to marry another man. This did not stop Gatsby’s goal of winning this woman for himself though, and he decided to improve his life anyway he could until he could measure up to Daisy’s standards. He eventually gained connections in what would seem to be the wrong places, but these gave him the opportunity he needed to "get rich quick." Gatsby’s enormous desire for Daisy controlled his life to the point that he did not even question the immorality of the dealings that he involved himself in to acquire wealth. Eventually though, he was able to afford a "castle" in a location where he could pursue Daisy effectively. His life ambition had successfully moved him to the top of the "new money" class of society, but he lacked the education of how to promote his wealth properly. Despite the way that Gatsby flaunted his money, he did catch Daisy’s attention. A chaotic affair followed for a while until Daisy was overcome by pressures from Gatsby to leave her husband and by the realization that she belonged to "old money" and a more proper society.
When looking at Jay Gatsby, one sees many different personalities and ideals. There is the gracious host, the ruthless bootlegger, the hopeless romantic, and beneath it all, there is James Gatz of North Dakota. The many faces of Gatsby make a reader question whether they truly know Gatsby as a person. Many people question what exactly made Jay Gatsby so “great.” These different personas, when viewed separately, are quite unremarkable in their own ways.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby’s conflicts between passion and responsibility demonstrate that chasing empty dreams can only lead to suffering. Gatsby’s motivation to achieve his dream of prosperity is interrupted when his fantasy becomes motivated by love. His eternal struggle for something more mirrors cultural views that more is always better. By ultimately suffering an immense tragedy, Jay Gatsby transforms into a romantic and tragic hero paying the capital price for his actions. Gatsby envokes a deeper Conclusion sentence
“Freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression” (Nelson Mandela). History has shown that women have always been treated unequally compared to men. They are heavily repressed by stereotypes formed by society and by men who believe they are superior to women. Zora Neale Hurston explores the roles of women in the novel, Their Eyes were Watching God, through the characters of Janie and her second husband, Joe Starks. Even with two different marriages Janie never got the chance to be who she really was; the men in her life held Janie back from what she wanted. Similarly in the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Daisy Buchanan is the wife to Tom Buchanan who is an arrogant man that seeks
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is an absurd story, whether considered as romance, melodrama, or plain record of New York high life. The occasional insights into character stand out as very green oases on an arid desert of waste paper. Throughout the first half of the book the author shadows his leading character in mystery, but when in the latter part he unfolds his life story it is difficult to find the brains, the cleverness, and the glamour that one might expect of a main character.
...atsby reclines against the mantelpiece and “his head leaned back so far that it rested against the face of a defunct mantelpiece clock...” (Fitzgerald 86). As said by Abby Werlock in her article “The Great Gatsby”, “The novel... uses the symbol of a broken clock to demonstrate the folly of believing that one can return to the innocence of the past.” Gatsby wants to have Daisy love him again. He thinks that he can find a way to repeat the past. Later on in the novel Gatsby argues with Nick about how one can not return to or repeat the past. Being in love with Daisy has Gatsby under the impression that he can repeat the past and that if he fixes everything the way it once was that he will be able to win back the heart of Daisy. Unfortunately Daisy has moved on with her life and is married with a child. Despite this all Gatsby will not give up on returning to the past.
The recurring themes of society, class, and self identity can be seen throughout many different writings of the 20th century. Two of these writings include, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. Both novels focus on the protagonist's goal of achieving equal rights in their own environment while at the same time trying to figure out who they are in the world. In the early 1900s, when “Their Eyes Were Watching God” takes place, slavery had very recently been abolished (relatively speaking) and the lasting effects of segregation take a toll on Janie, the protagonist. In the Great Gatsby, although Jay Gatsby is white, and thus does not have to deal with the factor of race, he struggles with many different aspects of American Society, mainly the class system and the American Dream. The American dream depicted by F.Scott Fitzgerald is a desire to gain wealth and prosperity. However, at the same time the book does not suggest that wealth equates to success. Even though Gatsby does have material wealth, he is not successful in gaining what he wants to be happy. Despite his material wealth, Gatsby is never united with the love of his life, Daisy. This shows that even though Gatsby has achieved the dream of wealth and prosperity, he has not achieved his final goal. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie too believes in the American Dream, and similarly to Gatsby, it is not a dream of wealth and prosperity. For her, it’s a dream of Freedom in all aspects of life. Both characters however, spend much of their time trying to conform to the rest of the world and essentially be like “everyone” else instead of trying to be distinct individuals. Societal norms of the early 1900s tak...
Conformity is the action in accord with prevailing social standards, attitudes, and practices. It is very common for a person to conform to society, especially towards other people in the same social class. It is even more common for those of a higher social class to conform. The problem with conformity is that it urges people to be intolerant of people's differences, which diminishes a person's individuality. Conformity affects people’s everyday choices throughout their lives, which later results in inflicting a specific lifestyle for a person based on their social status. The conflict of conformity vs. individuality is present in the novels, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
There I no doubt that the eyes seen throughout the story symbolize the corruption, demise of spiritual values, and the true emptiness of the American Dream during the 1920’s. This time eventually led to the Great Depression and the worst economic times our country has ever seen. There are many connections that a reader can find between life and The Great Gatsby. The biggest one being that there will always be people surrounding you that are genuinely bad people. However, if a person withholds from being like the horrible people that surround them, they show their true character and who they really are.
Although after reading “The great Gatsby” one may get a feeling of hopelessness, it one of those novels that leaves you inspired even long after reading it. It’s a masterpiece not only because of the thrillingly brilliant plot or memorable characters but also because of the life lessons that it teacher to the reader. It is not just a typical ...
The novels Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald are alike in many different ways, one being that they are both American novels set in the 1920’s. Their Eyes Were Watching God follows the life of a woman named Janie and her pursuit of love with her many husbands. The Great Gatsby is about a young entrepreneur named Nick that meets a mysterious rich fellow by the name of Gatsby who is in love with his cousin, Daisy. However, Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan, which creates conflict between Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby. In these two novels there are character interactions, places and events that reveal the best of society. Some of these places are the parties Gatsby throws and a place in the
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a tragic tale of love distorted by obsession. Finding himself in the city of New York, Jay Gatsby is a loyal and devoted man who is willing to cross oceans and build mansions for his one true love. His belief in realistic ideals and his perseverance greatly influence all the decisions he makes and ultimately direct the course of his life. Gatsby has made a total commitment to a dream, and he does not realize that his dream is hollow. Although his intentions are true, he sometimes has a crude way of getting his point across. When he makes his ideals heard, his actions are wasted on a thoughtless and shallow society. Jay Gatsby effectively embodies a romantic idealism that is sustained and destroyed by the intensity of his own dream. It is also Gatsby’s ideals that blind him to reality.
Though Janie from Their Eyes Were Watching God was forced to lose her relationship with her husband, she still achieved some form of love with him and lived decently for the duration of that love. Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby never found his love and fought for it throughout his entire life. Janie also finds a sense of self through her love for Tea Cakes. She is able to find love and achieve her goal in pursuit of her American dream, while Gatsby is unsuccessful in both aspects. The American dream is accurately presented through both pieces of literature; however, Janie Crawford is successful in achieving her dream while Jay Gatsby is not.
In the novel The Great Gatsby, author Scott F. Fitzgerald creates conflict between Old Money and New Money and the role of Gatsby’s romantic vision and materialism found in that conflict. The author masterfully develops the conflicts between Old Money and New Money and the role of Gatsby’s romantic vision and materialism found in the conflict throughout the fifth through seventh chapters, which allow the author to deepen Gatsby’s attraction toward Daisy and the conflicts created because of it. Fitzgerald relies on the use of multiple themes, and literary devices, including metaphor, parallelism, irony, plot and, tone.