Today, it is more evident than ever that there are deep divisions within modern society along the lines of race, class and gender. These divides are highlighted by recent protests, riots and movements. These issues are relevant in modern society as well as in two famous stories. Both F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men use character development to make commentary toward these points. Fitzgerald’s novel covers the tumultuous journey of Nick Carraway through the swanky social elite of the 1920’s. Steinbeck’s text covers the opposite end of the spectrum, detailing the experiences of George and Lennie, ranchers during the great depression. While also providing a riveting and captivating plot, these seemingly antithetical tales both develop their respective characters to be normal, everyday people who face difficult problems because of their class.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby details the tribulations that come with being immensely rich or extremely poor. One such example is the original decision by Daisy to bypass Gatsby and instead get married to Tom. Later on in the book, it is revealed that Daisy was in love with Gatsby and he was in love with her, but they couldn’t get married, primarily because they occupy different social strata (Fitzgerald 151). She instead marries Tom and immediately regrets it. Fitzgerald crafted this situation to make commentary on how money and the need to be around it, can cause people to cut
Batman and Robin, Kirk and Spock, Andy and Barney, Meredith and Christina Spongebob and Patrick; what’s so special about all of these characters? The answer itself is quite simple: they all have someone looking out for them. The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men are two stories set in the early 1900’s. However, they portray 2 diverse perspectives of the lives of those in that era. Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby, tells about the lavish, extravagant lives of the upper class and how their possessions overtook them. Steinbeck, the author of Of Mice and Men, chronicles the story of 2 impoverished young men and their longing for true friendship. Fitzgerald and Steinbeck portray characters who show that the need for companionship is a
Is your life revolved around how much money you have, what you can buy, or what you look like? In The Great Gatsby, the lives of the characters are revolved around the importance of money and the materials they own. Tom and Daisy Buchanan are two very important people that let their money control their lives, such as Daisy marrying Tom solely for is money so that she will be provided for her entire life. Gatsby is a prime example of all the wrong reasons of wanting to accomplish the American dream. He wanted to impress Daisy, so he lied and cheated his way to the top in order to prove to her that he was worth it, and now that he has money, he allowed it to take control of him and his true purpose. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald allows the
Multiple differences lay in the three main literary elements analyzed between the two different media representations of The Great Gatsby: characterization, mood and tone, and theme. Characterizations between the book and movie involved differences in actions and portrayal that better correlated with the drama of television and the subtlety of literature. Mood and tone also shifted in order to better associate with their represented media. Television was more direct and dramatic, whereas the book was more uncomfortable and detail-oriented. Themes changed to target a different audience but focused on the same ideals. The themes of love and loyalty were explored, but instead of focusing on the loyalty between people despite lost love like in the book, the movie focused more on how our love for someone else can dictate our actions. On the other hand, there were similarities between the two medias: the characters were all there and followed the same plot, Myrtle still died, and Gatsby still took the blame for Daisy. The basis of the differences between the movie and the book originated with the differences between the characters’ portrayal; as their actions changed so did how the audience receive the story.
Everyone has a dream that they want to achieve. The goal in life is to find something valuable to achieve. Many people immigrated to America for a second chance in life. The American dream is a goal someone wants to achieve in America. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men are two books that are prime examples of the American dream. The Great Gatsby is a story about a guy named Nick from the Midwest moving to New York for a job in the stock market. He finds many friends along the way, including Gatsby. Nick lived next door to Gatsby’s mansion. Gatsby used this mansion to try to marry a girl he loved named Daisy. In the end, Gatsby did not get married to Daisy. Of Mice and Men takes place during the great depression, which makes it hard for people to get work and earn money. The story is about two men in California who have a dream of having their own ranch. George and Lennie get a job at a ranch where they buck barley. They made friends with an old man named Candy, who wanted to help them buy a ranch house. Lennie had a mental disorder, which makes it hard for him to understand. He accidentally killed a lady because of mental disorder. In the end, Lennie was shot by George and he was not able to live on his own ranch. These two books are similar because characters from both books want to achieve their American dream. Although they did have their American dream, it was difficult for them to achieve it. F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck
Amazing stories that reflect a decade of Ameican morals and desires are difficult to come across. Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s the Great Gatsby and John Steinbeck’s the Grapes of Wrath are two prime examples of fantastic American classics. Both novels, though written by different authors, are at once one of a kind and strikingly similar to eachother. Being based off their writer’s different experiences, the books express tasteful representations of American society. The Great Gatsby and the Grapes of Wrath are both similar yet unique milestones of American Literature.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men are set in two close time periods, but give a different feel to the setting in each book. In both books, women have a status lower than men. Daisy, Jordan, Myrtle and Curley’s wife are seen as inferior, most likely due to society’s view of women during the time periods. In The Great Gatsby and in Of Mice and Men, the American Dream is often put aside, seen through the actions of women characters.
In The Great Gatsby, wealth can be distinguished from class; it is possible to achieve great wealth without being accepted into the élite class, as evidenced by Jay Gatsby’s experience. Jay Gatsby was part of the new rich, the millionaires that popped up over night in the 1920s. His money could not buy him into the society of old money, the aristocratic money. The life of ease and luxury that Tom and others enjoy is contrasted sharply with the stranglehold of poverty containing Myrtle and George Wilson or the life from which Jay Gatsby emerges. Wealth is what separates Gatsby from his love, as he notes of Daisy that "her voice is full of money."(Fitzgerald 127).
Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, portrays a glimpse of the hardships many went through while living and working under the pressure of an independent life, who desired comfort, happiness, and riches through their “American Dreams”. The struggle in finding the key to a pleasurable life during “The Great Depression”, was a period of gloom, discrimination, and the beginning to a rise for dreams. Steinbeck’s supposed depiction of the serene ranch lifestyle, shows how they impacted their life as a whole, and what it led them to believe for the future. From social exclusion to the idea of marginalization, this story of the unbroken bond two friends share, describes how at times, we may not achieve what we always looked forward to, but
John Steinbeck; the author of the realistic fiction novella, Of Mice and Men, creates an example of what Salina, North Carolina, along with the rest of the United States is like in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. Steinbeck shows the hardships that men had to go through, and what woman and people of color had to endure. Lennie, a clueless man, has made some mistakes in his past and each timer George, his friend, who is more like his guardian has gotten him out of trouble. They have a fresh start and all Lennie has to do is keep out of trouble. At their new job there is Curley, the owner’s son, and his wife. There’s also Crooks, a black man, Slim, and Candy. Lennie and George have each other, but Curley’s wife, Candy, and Crooks feel lonely, and they lead towards desperate measures to avoid loneliness.
“Money Changes Everything” by Cyndi Lauper illustrates the way people center their desires on material things such as money. The speaker in the song leaves the poor man, solely because he does not have money, for the affluent one: “I’m leaving you tonight…There was one thing we weren’t really thinking of and that’s money” (Lauper 1, 6-7). Like Cyndi Lauper, F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates the way people often center their desires on material things such as money in The Great Gatsby. Daisy falls in love with Gatsby, who is a poor man at the time, and when Gatsby leaves for the war, Daisy marries Tom Buchanan, who is a rich man, because he is “old money,” meaning he will always have the money and status to support Daisy. When Gatsby returns
To illustrate this, F. Scott Fitzgerald reveals characters of “The Great Gatsby” that are crazy rich and dirt poor. For example, Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Jordan Baker are all important factors of the higher class. Money to them comes easily, like Tom. As stated in the book, “His family were enormously wealthy - even in college his freedom with money was a matter for reproach” (F. Scott Fitzgerald pg.
John Steinbeck's 1937 novel 'Of Mice and Men' presents to the reader many themes of which hold underlying commentary on American society. Set in Salinas valley in the 1930s, the novel explores the trials and tribulations of living in the Great Depression while concurrently discussing the importance of cooperation and how inequalities create harsh negative impacts on those affected by them. The topics in this story all tie into one larger theme, discrimination. Examples of inequality and discrimination occur in the story on multiple occasions, particularly associating with the characters Lennie, with a much lower IQ than average, Candy, who is getting older and has a disabled hand, and Crooks, who has an injured back, and is also African American.
Love between Tom and Gatsby is one of the center conflicts in the story. In the novel, Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan and lives in East Egg. She also has a daughter named Pammy, whose age is not mentioned. Before Daisy marries Tom, she courted Gatsby before he left Louisville to serve in World War 1, which results in Daisy to wait for Gatsby. In the movie, Gatsby invited Daisy and Tom to one of his parties. Gatsby ends up taking a long phone call which results in Daisy waiting for him again but gives up and leaves. Daisy was full of old money. A quote in the book from Nick says, “her voice is full of money.” This shows her voice was seductive. In the novel she is shown as careless and shallow but in
Many similarities and differences can be found in The Great Gatsby: both the movie and the novel. One of the major differences between the two works is the initial meeting between Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway.
For a story rich in symbolism and recurring themes, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby fails to fully depict its own characters as being careless - rather, the movie version, directed by Baz Luhrmann, is able to use its medium with more success to achieve it properly. Through analyzing the affair and poor choices of an infidelious husband and the false obliviousness and thoughtless decisions of a young woman, the true variances between the mediums can and will be found.