The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, when looked at through the lenses of Psychoanalytical Criticism and New Historicism, expose the stasis and uncaring state many of the characters appear to be in as a result of the great war. Psychoanalytical Criticism explains certain human behaviors shown by the characters of this novel: especially Nick Carraway, whose time in the war clearly affected him as he is unable to return to his life after. New Historicism shows how the trauma of the war affected American society through the desolation of the previously glorified ideal of the American dream. This deconstruction is most clearly seen in the idea of the “self-made man” used throughout the novel. In using these two theories to analyze …show more content…
After returning to civilian life, Nick realizes that he no longer finds satisfaction from it: “Instead of being the warm center of the world, the Middle West now seemed like the ragged edge of the universe—so I decided to go East and learn the bond business.” (Fitzgerald 3). This dissatisfaction with his home town could be seen as just his own growing maturity and desire to get more from life as he gets older; or it could be seen as Nick being unready to move on from his time in the war. The Middle West is a symbol of Nick’s return to civilian life, supported in the passage: “When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever…” (Fitzgerald 2). Here, Nick clearly shows the he views the Middle West as an end to the chaos and uncertainty of his life before. When he first returns home and then immediately goes East, this travel exposes that Nick cannot yet confront his time in the war, so instead he hides from a peaceful existence. Nick’s coming home informs the readers how trauma has affected him not only in how he seemingly cannot go home after his time in the war, but also in how he had viewed it as a young man. Nick saw his return home from school as a return to his innocence: “That's my Middle West – not the wheat or the prairies or …show more content…
After surviving a war when friends, allies, possibly even family were killed, Nick may not be able to shake this fear that at any moment someone he knows could leave him. Such an idea of death driving Nick from connecting with others is articulated by Tyson, “In fact, fear of such a loss, of such intense psychological pain, is probably the biggest reason why some of us are afraid to get too close to another person or are afraid to love too deeply.” (Tyson 22). To protect himself from uncertainty in his life after being pushed into this mindset that anyone could leave him at any time from the war, Nick refuses to allow Jordan into his life. For if he were to allow himself to love her or even remotely care about her, then it could mean possibly being damaged if she were to
However, despite Nick’s flaws and obvious misjudgement of himself, Nick does not become a ‘bad person’. On the contrary, it is these flaws and errors of judgement that shape Nick into a human, relatable character. Being human is not about perfection; on the contrary, it is flaws of character and errors of judgement that shape the human experience.
As much as generous and honest Nick Carraway is, he still needs a few important improvements in himself. Nick went to Yale, fought in world war one and moved to East of New York to work in finance. After moving to New York, Nick faces tough dilemmas throughout the story such as revealing secrets, and witnessing betrayal. His innocence and malevolence toward others was beyond his control. He did not have the ability or knowledge to know what he should have done in the spots he was set in. He seemed lost and having no control of what went on- almost trapped- but indeed, he had more control than he could have ever known. Because of the situations he has experienced and the people he has met, such as Gatsby, Tom, Jordan and Daisy, his point of view on the world changed dramatically which is very depressing. Trusting the others and caring for them greatly has put him in a disheartening gloomy position.
Among the first indicators of Nick’s unreliability as a narrator is shown through his extreme misunderstanding of his father’s advice. When Nick’s father told him that “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages you’ve had” (1) he most likely meant not all people have the same opportunities in life. However, Nick perverted his father’s meaning and understood it as “a sense of the fundamental decencies us parceled out unequally at birth” (2). Nick’s interpretation of his father’s advice provides insight into his conceited, somewhat supercilious attitude, as he believes that not all people are born with the same sense of manners and morality.
During his journey, his desire for solitude is explicit: “Nick did not like to fish with other men on the river. Unless they were of your party, they spoiled it.” In his emotionally fragile state, Nick is ill-prepared to handle the “unpredictable variable” posed by fishing companions. Consequently, he chooses to travel alone into the wilderness, interacting only with characters from the natural world such as grasshoppers and trout. Through his decision to embark on a solo journey, he is able to place more control over the external environment which is a crucial element of his rehabilitation.
He gets on his feet just because of his father's money. These people are not equal, when it comes to society, they may have the same rights, but when it comes to what they can and can not do, there is a line drawn. Yes, you can't put all your value on money but, the lack of money can create a stopper in society. So yes, Nick was taught not to judge, that not all people have the things you do but, as he goes through the story he sees a change that he wants everyone to be in uniform because he can't stand the empowerment of money anymore. Nick states, “When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart”(Fitzgerald 178).
The maturation of Nick begins with his description of his time leading to his arrival in West Egg, “I graduated from New Haven in 1915, just a quarter of a century after my father, and a little later I participated in that delayed Teutonic migration known as the Great War” (Fitzgerald, 3). The protagonist comes into the story having not lived much of his life in the normal world that he desires to successfully conquer. He goes directly from schooling into the war, where he found heroic satisfaction. Yet, somehow, Nick is able to keep part of himself innocent and pure despite being in the horrors of war. It is not long after attending his first party at Gatsby’s that Nick confesses that “Every one suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known’ (Fitzgerald, 59). The level of Nick’s idealism and virtuousness begins at such an innocent pl...
Nick notices that although the characters had lived in the east they were not truly from there. “I am part of that”, he mentions as he realizes he is a part of the West and not the East. Fitzgerald also adds realization that “this has been a story of the West, after all.” upon having Nick reminisce on his origin and that of his one time friends (176).
The paragraph starts with a description of his liking for New York, using lucid examples of why he does, such as “the satisfaction that the constant flicker of men and women...gives to the restless eye” (Fitzgerald 56). He goes on to picture himself picking up women from Fifth Avenue, becoming involved romantically, fantasizing about being welcomed into their homes. There is a shift in tone, however, after this fantasy, wherein Nick expounds his isolation: “I felt a haunting loneliness sometimes” (Fitzgerald 56). His heart sympathizes with the individuals having to work nights, in order to feed themselves, instead of seizing the moment and partaking in the pleasures the city has to offer. These vivid descriptions work to present Nick’s character and mental process, and are central to his development as
“The Great Gatsby”, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays a world filled with rich societal happenings, love affairs, and corruption. Nick Carraway is the engaged narrator of the book, a curious choice considering that he is in a different class and almost in a different world than Gatsby and the other characters. Nick relates the plot of the story to the reader as a member of Gatsby’s circle. He has ambivalent feelings towards Gatsby, despising his personality and corrupted dream but feeling drawn to Gatsby’s magnificent capacity to hope. Using Nick as a moral guide, Fitzgerald attempts to guide readers on a journey through the novel to illustrate the corruption and failure of the American Dream. To achieve this, Nick’s credentials as a reliable narrator are carefully established and reinforced throughout the story.
To become something you are not is to reinvent yourself. Reinvention can occur at any time and for any reason. A person can only reinvent themselves as far as they are willing to go. Most of the time, characters in books can reinvent themselves easier than living human beings. That being said, in the novel “The Great Gatsby”, Fitzgerald writes about reinvention by talking about the extent one is willing to go, the cost, and how one Jay Gatsby attempts to reinvent himself.
Nick compares himself to a “casual watcher in the darkening streets” (Fitzgerald 35), reminding the reader that he is impersonal, and, “I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known” (Fitzgerald 59). Although Nick persistently defends his character as a spectator, it’s clear Nick is desperate to demonstrate the outlook of events based on his point-of-view.
Nick is the overseer in the novel, and shook by the pretentious of the upper class 's carelessness, causing him to desire to leave the East back to where he originally began. He witnesses innocent dreamers get crushed by the harshness of the world. The fallacies of America are utilized to depict the faults in the dreams of each character. In the end, death inevitably killed their endeavor to pursue the American
The word visually stunning could be used to describe the 2013 Baz Luhrman directed adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless novel The Great Gatsby. Speaking of the director, I enjoyed his portrayal of the lavish lifestyle and carefree party like attitude in such a beautiful visual experience. The way in which the party scenes were filmed in the movie made perfect sense compared to the source material and were something I have never seen done by any other directors in a live action film. Another positive for me about this film was the soundtrack. When I first started watching the film I expected to hear old time music prevalent in the 20s. I however was pleasantly surprised when I learned the soundtrack was compiled by Jay-Z and featured many tracks I enjoyed featuring him either alone or accompanied by another musical guest. While Jay-Z is not exactly an accurate representation of the music of the 20s, the soundtrack adds a modern flavour over the previously mentioned beautiful backgrounds and architecture. The story however is where the movie at times falls flat. When stripped down to basics it is nothing more than a generic love story with a few twists added in for extra kick. The characters in the same vain can be very bland and not make you care much for them due to their backstories not being deeply explored. The only character that I found to be interesting was Jay Gatsby because of the mystical aura that surrounds his character at the beginning of the movie that leads you to want to uncover more of this ever mysterious man. All in all the visuals clearly outpace
...eep my refuse away” (Pg. 177). This shows Nick’s sense of decency and friendship. He realizes that fast carousing life of the East Egg is a terrifying cover for moral emptiness from inside just like the valley of ashes. Before leaving to go back home he took care of all unfinished business. He ended his relationship with Jordan and walked away from Tom Buchanan who he only shared college experiences with. Nick needed to go back to a cleaner simpler time in life away from East Egg and the Great Gatsby. At last his greatest fear came true; he became all alone by himself. At the end he realized that he has been changed and won’t be able to go back to how he used to be. Even though his personality remains the same he is stronger from inside; not afraid of anything.
Through Fitzgerald’s symbolic description of Gatsby, he explores the extent of the American Dream’s deceptive nature that slowly destroys a person and his/her morals. During the Roaring 20s it was very common for people to project illusions to mask who they truly were; to fit in, it was almost essential to have one to survive in the highly materialistic and deceitful society. Nick is introduced as the objective narrator...