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Comparing Desiree's Baby, The Great Gatsby, And Cathedral

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Comparisons and Distinctions between Different Literary Works When it comes to American literary works, each comes with its own elements, which allow readers to engage with the piece. Kate Chopin’s Desiree’s Baby, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, and Raymond Carver’s Cathedral, contain similar elements even though they are various forms of fictional short stories. Each short story remains as an addition to American history; these pieces educate readers about our vast culture and cause them to acquire more knowledge about how the works of American literature connect to our society. These writers also allow us to imagine how their stories could encourage others to contribute to American society. …show more content…

Desiree’s Baby focuses on heredity and environment, The Great Gatsby emphasizes on time and the “American Dream, while The Things They Carried concentrates on the loss of innocence, storytelling, the difference between the story truth versus the happening truth, and carrying (what you can’t distinguish v. what you can distinguish). Cathedral’s themes include looking versus seeing (a deeper connection), art as a perception, and a cathedral. Desiree’s Baby and The Great Gatsby are alike in terms of themes because the main characters thought their surroundings would contribute to better lifestyles, but it causes negative effects. Kate Chopin illustrates how Desiree’s child initiates turmoil within her marriage and her identity. F. Scott Fitzgerald describes how Gatsby believed that he could conquer anything with wealth and success, even the lost romance he had with another character Daisy, which backfired. The Things They Carried and Cathedral were alike in themes since both authors allowed the characters to gain positive benefits, rather than negative. Tim O’Brien utilized storytelling as his method for coping with death and keeping his loved ones and friends alive in some way. In Cathedral, the character Robert promoted positivity towards the married

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