Throughout "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Friday Night Lights" by H. G. Bissinger, "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller, "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Here, Follow Some Verses Upon the Burning of Our House, July 10th 1666." by Anne Bradstreet, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathon Edwards, "Narrative of the Captivity" by Mary Rowlandson, and "The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano" by Olaudah Equiano, there was one major theme that prevailed, as well as three minor ones. Firstly, the major them evident in all eight passages was that of change, whether for the good or for the bad. The minor themes found in a few of the passages each were that of the Puritanical religion, adultery, and discrimination.
Change was apparent in every passage, though each story approached the concept differently. In "The Great Gatsby", Jay Gatsby was faced with a harsh reality. To survive healthily, he must change his ways, and move on from his past with Daisy. However, Jay was not up to the task. His outlook remained clouded by his lust for the lost romance, and the illusion of his success. This left the man bewildered by the ultimately triumphant reality that he should have moved on. Jay Gatsby was destroyed by his refusal to change his ways. Other passages pointed out some characters' unwillingness the adapt as well. In "The Scarlet Letter", change was thrust upon the town in the form of Hester Prynne and her daughter, Pearl. The town refused to accept these abnormalities, and shunned them. The town was stuck in their rut of normality and didn't want their world turned upside down by a scandalous mother and daughter. Eventually, the town's refusal to accept the change of the status quo meant the demise o...
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...nd nasty rumors spread like wildfires among each respective people about the other. Discrimination was a common theme among some of the passages, but adultery, religion, and change made their own appearance as well.
Of the selection, the major theme of change was found in every passage, even if the concept was approached differently by the author. The minor themes connecting some of the passages together were the Puritanical religion, adultery, and discrimination. These minor themes were more specific, and the connections made through the bounds of the book were more specific as well, concerning only a part of the whole main idea. The major theme was more closely connected to the main idea of each passage. Overall, theme connected all of the passages, for in many cases, similarities between plot, setting, and the main idea as a whole were connected through the theme.
Hawthorne and Fitzgerald, two great American romantics, display new attitudes towards nature, humanity, and society within their novels. The novels The Scarlet Letter and The Great Gatsby are very similar with their adjacent themes, motifs, and symbols. The comparison between these two literary pieces show the transition from adultery to ability, societal standards during the chosen time periods, and good vs. evil.
Men and women walk around in the same neutral colored clothing, hand in hand with the lord and their Puritan values. However, these seemingly ordinary Puritans are all similar in one form— sin. In archaic theme-based literature, similarities can be distinguished between two stories and their attributes. Within the works of The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, a plethora of correlative elements can be identified by the reader.
In the book The Poisonwood Bible by Barbra Kingsolver, she uses motifs and themes such as issues over the western control, religion, and the death and force of nature. In literature authors use themes as a message to create points that will help make the big picture complete. Kingsolver is using multiple themes to connect what she is portraying from her writing to the reader. These themes come in different variations, but help us understand the core of the novel and get the real meaning on what it is about.
Many people lose things everyday, but the truth is you never know how much you need something until it’s gone. In the books “Going Over” by Beth Kephart and “brown girl dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson the theme; you never know how much you need something until it’s gone is perfect for both books because of the tragic loss of Jackie’s grandfather and the separation of Ada and Stefan. This theme is supported by Jacqueline’s move to New York, Ada and her deep longing for Stefan since the wall separated them, and Jacqueline losing her grandfather.
“The Trusty” is a work of fiction, written by Ron Rash, that tells the story of a man and a woman who try to escape their lives. In this short story, Sinkler is depicted as a scandalous but also as a distressed character. Many painted events lead to the illustration of a peculiar setting in which Sinkler is experiencing some abnormal instances. Sinkler is not dead, and his characterization has lead the audience to believe his flawed mental state is the reason why.
In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald tells the story of a romantic ideal and its ultimate destruction by the inexorable rot and decay of modern life. The story is related by Nick Carraway, who has taken a modest rental house next door to Jay Gatsby's mansion. Jay Gatsby is a young millionaire who achieves fabulous wealth for the sole purpose of recapturing the love of his former sweetheart, Daisy Fay Buchanan. Five years prior to the principal events of the story, Daisy broke off with Gatsby and married the vulgar and arrogant Tom Buchanan because he was rich and came from a respectable family. In the years since, Gatsby turns his memory of Daisy into a near-religious worship. He places her on a pedestal and transforms her into his own romantic ideal. In the process, he also transforms himself. He changes his name from Gatz to Gatsby; he invents a past, saying he was from a wealthy family and studied at Oxford; he affects the speech patterns of an English aristocrat ("old sport"), and stages parties that resemble theatrical productions.
The story “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury is a science fiction short story that has themes connecting to what is happening now, and what will happen in the future. “The Veldt” was written in 1950, where notable technological advances were made. Things such as the first TV remote control and credit cards (although, known as the “travel and entertainment” card at the time) were made. 8 million televisions were also being used in homes around the US (The People History. Retrieved from http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1950.html). As technology is advancing, things are getting easier; people are starting and continuing to become more leisurely. The story “The Veldt” is showing how our future might end up as technology advances, and people themselves
Are classic novels still being referred in modern society? Yes. Yes they do. – David Ngo claims
The major themes of the book are directly related to the themes which John Demos uses to tell this story. The storyline moves on though the evolution of one theme to the next. The function of these major sections is to allow the reader to relate to John Williams overall state of mind as the story unfold. By implementing these major themes into his work, John Demos make it possible for the reader to fully understand the story from beginning to end.
The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, contains many profound characters. The townspeople intrigue the reader because they gradually evolve throughout the book, as would any solitary character. In the beginning of the novel, they are generally rigid and judgmental towards Hester, because she has committed adultery. Throughout the novel, they slowly allow Hester and her daughter into their community, but still look at them with suspicion and doubt. Finally, in the end of The Scarlet Letter, the town forgives her of her sin, and she cautiously finds her place in society. Hawthorne uses the strict Puritan townspeople as a criterion by which all societies can be measured. The townspeople, as with any individual character, possess a certain depth that develops with knowledge.
In literature, authors use their life experiences and their culture in the development of their plots and the creation of their characters’ traits. The era and area where an author emerged are key to the development of these experiences and cultural elements that are created and established in their works. Due to the predominantly Christian culture in the early 1900s, authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald, who were raised in that era, were brought up and schooled in reading and interpreting the Bible. The effect of this culture on Fitzgerald’s work is shown when he utilizes his prior knowledge of the Bible to reference it, just like many Authors before him incorporated their knowledge of myths and Shakespeare in their works. In The Great Gatsby,
There are many themes that occur and can be interpreted differently throughout the novel. The three main themes that stand out most are healing, communication, and relationships.
A change is to make or become different. In the Scarlet Letter change is very evident in the main character Hester Prynne. Hester has undergone both physical and emotional changes that have made her more acceptable to the Puritan Society.
In Nathanial Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the reader meets the character Hester Prynne who, as the novel progresses, notices the changes in her character are very dramatic. The changes are both physical and in her mannerism’s. There are many significant events which took place before the start of the novel and during the novel. Some of the events that lead to this dramatic change include the affect of wearing the scarlet letter, the secrets she keeps, and her daughter Pearl’s evil characteristics.
For an abundance of authors, the driving force that aids them in creation of a novel is the theme or number of themes implemented throughout the novel. Often times the author doesn’t consciously identify the theme they’re trying to present. Usually a theme is a concept, principle or belief that is significant to an author. Not only does the theme create the backbone of the story, but it also guides the author by controlling the events that happen in a story, what emotions are dispersed, what are the actions of characters, and what emotions are presented within each environment to engage the readers in many