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Essay on The Great Gatsby and The Hollow Men

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The Great Gatsby has been one of the classic novels of the twentieth century. It creates a unique society that makes the story such a masterpiece. Another magnificent work that relates to The Great Gatsby is T.S. Eliot's 'The Hollow Man.'; The lines in the poem portray the story so vividly that it should have been an epigraph for the novel. The poem's references to hollow and stuffed men, can describe different characters in The Great Gatsby. The hollowness of men represents ruthless barbarians with no respect for humans and no understanding of love. However, the stuffed men seem to be educated, wealthy, and respectful. The differences in these types of men can be seen through the events of the novel. Another aspect of the poem that …show more content…

However, she is also revolting and doesn't understand the concept of love. At one point in the novel she gets frustrated and says to Jay 'Oh you want too much, I love you now, isn't that enough?(139)'; This shows the emptiness in her heart and the depression of her life. Daisy really has a low self-esteem and even with her possessions, she is still a disheartened lady with no motive in her life. In addition, Daisy's hollow character eventually leads to her mental break-down and ultimately conveys her love to Tom. This occurs when she runs over Myrtle and kills her without even looking back. Daisy then destroys Jay's love and never acknowledges his death.
Another similarity between the works is the idea of the stuffed men mentioned in the poem. There are two characters in the novel that carry this trait. Jay Gatsby's classy demeanor and restrained behavior show what good quality he is made of. Another trait he carries is his love for others such as Daisy and Nick. Even though he loves them as stepping stones to reach his goals, he has the decency to respect their goals in life. His persona and character is best summed up by Nick in the beginning of the novel. He stated: ' There was something gorgeous about him that heightened the sensitivities to the promises of life.(6)'; Another stuffed character is George Wilson. Even though he committed suicide and had a depressed life, he still

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