Similarities Between The Great Gatsby And Catcher In The Rye

The term alienation refers to the isolation of one’s self from a belonging society. When a person is alienated they no longer feel as if they belong or have the same views as the group or society they live in. How does one become alienated from something that they once belonged to? This is a question many have discussed throughout history. In Voltaire’s book Candide, Marx’s book The Communist Manifesto, Hoffer’s The True Believer, and Memmi’s The Colonizer and the Colonized, all these authors address man’s alienation in modern society and come up with solutions for man’s alienation within each book.

The Great Gatsby is set in the 1920s while The Catcher in the Rye is set in the 1950s. Despite the time periods being 30 years apart, both novels depict the American Dream in similar ways through the protagonist. The Great Gatsby follows the story of young man, Jay Gatsby, trying to win back his former love interest, Daisy, through his acquisition of wealth. The Catcher in the Rye is narrated by a male teenager, Holden Caulfield, and follows the story of how he ended up in a mental hospital. The concept of the American Dream is displayed in each novel. The authors of The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye use the American Dream to motivate the protagonist to try and achieve unattainable dreams. However, only Holden realizes his dream

Symbolism is used in the quotation which are the green light and mist. The green light signifies the ultimate dream of Gatsby which is Daisy’s love. But after getting it, a mist hides the green light perceptibly affecting Gatsby. The green light also represents new life with Daisy but later realizes that it is not what he really wants.

Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism to portray Gatsby’s desperation to get Daisy back. On pages 25-26 it says, “…he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a single green light” (25-26; Ch.1). In chapter 9 it also declares that “Gatsby believed in the green light” (189; Ch.9). The green light represents Gatsby’s hopes, dreams, and ultimate goal to get Daisy back. E.E. Cummings uses symbolism to show how the women and men are wasting their time and living carelessly. Lines 5 and 7 in cummings’ poem states that, “Women and men (both little and small)…they sowed their isn’t they reaped their same” reveals that the townspeople just did what they had to do to get by (In 5,7). It also shows how they lived without a purpose. The author uses the seasons, “autumn winter spring summer” to demonstrate how time constantly passes by (In

To Jay Gatsby, his corrupt American dream is symbolized by Daisy Buchanan, a woman he is so in love with he will do anything to get her back. Gatsby sees wealth as a solution to his problems. Raised from a poor childhood to being a millionaire with servants, a huge house, and dozens of friends, Gatsby exemplifies the idea of self-made success. All of these pieces of the American dream that Gatsby acquired were actually elements that eventually led to his downfall. In chapter one, the reader is first introduced to Gatsby in a very unusual way, “He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as i was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far way, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unique darkness” (Fitzgerald 21). In this first glimpse of Gatsby, he is reaching towards something off in the distance, out of reach. This image of the green light ties in with the American dream that people are always reaching for

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is a man who can be compared to Holden Caulfield from J.D Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. Jay Gatsby and Holden Caulfield are both caught up in their unattainable dreams and first love and as a result struggle with an obsession of their past.

Have you ever had a best friend? Someone that was always there for you? Do you truly know how they felt about you? The Great Gatsby is about a young man named Jay Gatsby, a motivated bootlegger pursuing a grandeurous life that ends with a tragedy caused by betrayal. Of Mice and Men tells a story about two men who travel ranch to ranch together. They stumble upon a ranch that in the long run is the end of the road for them. The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men both portray two different stories in different time periods, yet both stories have strong resemblance. Both F.Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck exemplify through their characters that friendships are not always perceived the same between two individuals.

Throughout The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger, incorporates numerous themes. However, the two most important themes throughout the book were innocence and loneliness. Holden’s innocence is constantly changing as he matures throughout the story. Furthermore, Holden has to deal with the effects of embarking on his journey throughout the story with loneliness. Salinger’s message during the 1940’s shows how American society and the growth of the teenage boy remains the same throughout

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald both have Characters who are phonies. Holden Caulfield complains about everyone and everything and he hides his real emotions so no one can see who he really is and get close to him. Jay Gatsby lies about his past to be with Daisy , leaving everyone in his past behind. Holden Caulfield is phonier than Jay Gatsby because he lies to people about his age to make it seem like he's older , he also lies to cover help how he really feels , and he lies because he's just bored , and the last reason he lies is because he likes to say he's sick so someone will feel sorry for him.

In the climactic passage of Chapter 5 of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, former lovers Gatsby and Daisy see each other for the first time in many years, and what follows is an awkward encounter that offers insight to the two character’s contrasting personalities and a major theme of the book. When they are first reunited, Gatsby and Daisy seem to be acutely aware of the time that has passed between them and are unable to control their feelings, which leads them to both use defense mechanisms to deflect their true emotions. Fitzgerald uses the symbol of weather and the symbol of time throughout the scene to establish a theme of change and uses sparse dialogue between Daisy and Gatsby to shed light on the true nature of their relationship, which is full of joy and longing.

Gatsby continues to hold out hope for Daisy to return to him. He implanted himself across the water from her to be in close proximity, trying to get the closest he can get. He stares out at “[the] green light that burns all night at the end of [Daisy’s] dock” (92). The color green negatively means the need to be materialistic, being possessive, and envious. By Gatsby examining Daisy’s life from afar, he notices the green light which signifies the hope that Daisy and him can have the life they were destined for. The color green also means ‘love to observe’, Gatsby stands out on the end of his dock to gaze out to Daisy’s life. He stares and “On [a] green Sound, stagnant in the heat...Gatsby’s eyes followed it momentarily; he raised his hand and pointed across the bay” (118). While Gatsby speaks and is around Daisy, he feels happy of his ability to hold hope and that Daisy still loves him. The green light is what allows Gatsby to continue to have hope for his own version of the American Dream. Looking at the Buchanans’ elegant house across the water shows how Gatsby subconsciously feels inferior to Tom who was born into Gatsby’s dream life. Because of his obvious differences in social order and graces, Gatsby cannot let go of the past and develops a false sense of

A few symbolisms in novels are as memorable as the green light in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Shining at the end of Daisy’s dock, it is close enough to be seen, but too far away to be reached. Still, Gatsby, an eternal optimist, stares at it at night, as if it showed him that all his far-away dreams were about to come true. The green light in The Great Gatsby is symbolic of hope, a source of inspiration, and a representation of the American Dream to Gatsby and to the novel’s readers.

American politician Marco Rubio once said,“The American dream is a term that is often misunderstood. It isn’t really about becoming rich or famous. It is about things much simpler and more fundamental than that” (brainyquote.com). This concept is true in the novels The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, and The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald. In both novels, the protagonists (Holden and Gatsby) are pushed by society to live up to the stereotypical ‘American dream’. Both Holden and Gatsby have high and unrealistic expectations of themselves. They both share fond memories and their different ideas of the American dream; but in the end, they realize their ideas of them are just fantasies. After realising the truth behind the American dream, it leads them to their tragic end. The American dream is not beneficial because it pushes people in society to be something they are not. Both stories are tragic because the pursuit of the dream, and Holden’s individuality.

The Great Gatsby is one of the most read pieces of literature throughout the current modern Western world. High school kids all across the globe must learn and read it as part of their curriculum. One of the aspects that makes this novel so notable is that Fitzgerald, at no point in the story, needs to convey to his audience the theme of his novel directly. The main points of his novel are brought out by the powerful symbols he infuses in the book. Not only does he use them to convey his theme, but also ties them in to the rest of the story. Every aspect of this book is affected by the presence of one of his symbols. Through the use of the green light, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, and the Valley of the Ashes as symbols,

Romance, love, and destiny. Connections are formed like bridges built of various things; love, trust, money, fate. Some bridges are stronger than others and some bridges connect people who perhaps shouldn’t be connected. The movie “The Great Gatsby” better expresses the romantic relationships and connections between characters. Between Tom and Daisy, whose relationship may have more to do with survival than love, with Myrtle and Tom, the bridge between them connecting two souls searching for something more in life. And then there are bridges like the one between Jordan and Nick, filled with lies and a bridge not often travelled, and if you’re lucky you come across a bridge like Gatsby and Daisy's, which is made of love but filled with obstacles. These bridges play a key part in the story and the movie most definitely does a better job at expressing these connections between characters.