The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

There are no two people exactly alike in the world. Identical twins, the only people in the world who share the same fingerprints and genetic information, have different personalities, distinct strengths and diverse shortcomings. When comparing two people, parallels can be drawn between them, but crucial dissimilarities will be highlighted as well during the process. Such is the case when it comes to analyzing the protagonists of The Natural by Bernard Malamud and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Both Roy Hobbs and Jay Gatsby, the main characters of the two books respectively, are driven by money and their lust for women, and these factors lead to their eventual downfall; however, their character development is different in that Hobbs undergoes a change of heart and Gatsby suffers from a lack thereof. Although both books share many parallels such as problematic relationships, a key distinction of the two men is their ability to garner sympathy from the readers.

Gatsby’s character is portrayed by Fitzgerald as a tragic hero, as he exhibits many of the same traits. Gatsby, within the realm of the novel is an extremely wealthy man and his wealth translates into high prestige and social status in a society that is separated by wealth and money. Gatsby’s parties are wild and extravagant events where “on the buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors d’oeuvre, spiced baked hams, crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold.”(26 Fitzgerald). His parties exemplify his wealth and prestige in the community making him seem like royalty. This noble stature is his first tragic

In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, colors are one of the most important details in the book. Throughout the story Fitzgerald cleverly uses colors in order to focus on specific themes and characters. He wrote this book in a way where one can read it for pleasure, and where one could analyze it and truly appreciate the work that he has put into this book. Every color has a specific meaning which correlates with each of the characters. Specifically, gold represents wealth, high class, selfishness, and relationships; while white represents honesty, purity, innocence, and a symbol for surrendering.

The third chapter of the great Gatsby takes place at Gatsby’s luxurious mansion where he hosts a very lavish party where guests sometimes “came and went without having met Gatsby at all”, many guests “were not invited”, but they still “went there” (page 41). Fitzgerald utilizes visual imagery to portray how Gatsby’s lavish home attracts people to his parties not because they identify themselves as friends nor even acquaintances, but because of his wealth, people do not seek him out nor do they thank him for his hospitality, they treat his home like an “amusement park” (page 41). The use of this simile demonstrates, again how his so-called guests views his parties. Fitzgerald uses auditory imagery to show how Gatsby’s guests do not seem to respect

By throwing lavish parties almost daily, Gatsby attracts the attention of all who live in the area. West and East Eggers alike flock to Gatsby’s mansion in hopes to drive around in the “Rolls-Royce” and “motor-boats”, drink the “champagne”, and be pampered by the “eight servants” that roam the grounds. Each of these commodities cost large sums of money to obtain; in effect they imply that Gatsby has an enormous amount of money and is extremely wealthy. By being in possession of these items, Gatsby is able to become a popular figure within the upper class of society, thus attaining the goal of being well known and admired. Similarly, the use of simile to describe those who congregate nightly at the Gatsby manor shows that Gatsby has accomplished his goal of establishing authority over his fellow New Yorkers. By comparing the people who swarm his home for his parties to “moths among the whisperings of the champagne and the stars”, Fitzgerald conveys the concept that Gatsby’s party guests are mindless

We as humans tend to have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. We look for knowledge about everybody and everything that surrounds us from our day-to-day life. Sadly though, we must accept that in the grand scheme of life we (as a society) tend to put pleasure above our quest for knowledge. The pursuit of knowledge tends to take time and energy, two things we call invaluable, and it also shows us things that might depress us. Contrastingly, ignorance takes no time and energy. Also, (as the common saying goes) ignorance is bliss. It keeps ugly truths away from us. But that is no reason to forsake knowledge for ignorance. In the early 1900’s, two books were published that would eventually be referred to the pinnacle of classical literature. The Great Gatsby and Fahrenheit 451 both stand out as stunning literary works. But their success is not the only thing they share. Though they are very dissimilar in setting as well as genre, the two books have the same theme. The theme is the universal message the book is trying to inform the readers about. Fitzgerald and Bradbury both convey the theme of the pursuit of knowledge versus the pleasure of ignorance in The Great Gatsby and Fahrenheit 451.

Throughout The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald highlights the extravagant parties that Gatsby throws, especially the luxurious accessories which Gatsby must have. Gatsby’s first attempt to sway his followers is when “The orchestra arrives” which is grand and overwhelming, as well as drinks passing throughout the party since “The bar is in full swing” (40). Gatsby’s mysterious image he creates for himself causes outrageous rumors about him to come out such

“You cannot open a book without learning something” (Confucius). Through numerous years of reading and comprehending texts, it’s needless to say that through each text, I overcame another road block. I have learnt to spell simple words, find morals in stories and understanding how important the Australian identity is to its country. Through my experiences of different text types, it has further shaped and moulded my personal attitudes, values and beliefs when a hurdle in my life was encountered, which is inevitable. The opportunities and experiences that I have studied has prepared me for the next stages of my journey. Each challenge and tribulation provides a fundamental foundation for the texts that we enjoy, immerse ourselves in and have further influenced all of us. In particular it has influenced my understanding of my past, present and most importantly my future.

The American Dream, a concept coined at a time when wealth, power, and prosperity was the ultimate goal. In, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald illustrates a situation where the dream in the end turns into a complete nightmare. Jay Gatsby’s love of Daisy contributed to his hunger for a wealthy lifestyle, which finally brings Gatsby to his failure.

Life is not always what it seems, but is constantly fooled by metaphorical masks people wear. The appearance of many of the characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby differs greatly from their actual selves. The use of illusion in the novel is used effectively to portray the nature of people in the 1920 's, and the “artificial” life that is lived in this modern age. There are many incidences in which the appearance of characters is far different than what lurks inside them. Several of these incidences are shown in the appearances of Gatsby himself, Daisy Buchanan, and Gatsby’s true love for Daisy. Gatsby goes through a dramatic transformation from his old self to his new self, even changing his name and buying a faux mansion in

People can be oblivious, lacking a general concern for what occurs, creating an unknowingly selfish image for oneself building uneasiness in the development of life. F. Scott Fitzgerald shows this impact with a selfish and inattentive character, Jay Gatsby, in the novel, The Great Gatsby. Gatsby attempts to revitalize his past with Daisy yet fails as a result of his self-centered attitude. Fitzgerald depicts this through his egotistical values when he does not consider how his decisions impact the people 's lives around him, especially Daisy; consequently he falls oblivious to other 's realities intervening with his dreams, fabricating an insensitive character. Gatsby acts egotistical due to his relentless pursual of recreating the past while remaining blind to her desires in his desire to pursue her, representing his obsessive values to his prize, Daisy.

In the novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘Of Mice and Men’ F Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck respectively explore the complex perspective of the true outcome of the American Dream. Although set within different eras of American society, the extensive failure of dreams throughout both texts shows how the American Dream is destined for annihilation despite the intention of hope and happiness. In its original form the American Dream encapsulated the ideal that ‘equality of opportunity is available to any American allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved’. ’The Great Gatsby’ follows its protagonist Jay Gatsby who sets his life around his desire of reuniting Daisy Buchanan, the lost love of his life, through the eyes of Nick

In describing Gatsby’s parties, Fitzgerald makes particular word choices at the authorial level and uses Jordan’s ironic claim about large parties to portray a typical Gatsby party as an amorphous amalgamation of different social classes, which in the end, shows that Gatsby represents the 1920’s push to break typical class boundaries. At the first party Nick attends, he and Jordan were talking about Gatsby’s mysterious origins when Jordan “chang[ed] the subject with an urban distaste for the concrete. ‘And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy’” (49).

In Of Mice & Men and The Great Gatsby, how do people’s American Dream differ, what do they have in common, and how do people feel about the dreams of others?

Humans are malicious and furtive creatures. They conform to their surrounding environments and surrender to the pressures of their social class and peers. Therefore, people dissemble their true feelings, and present a false identity of themselves to the world. Humanity also struggles with the acceptance and realization of reality, for people consume themselves with their own mental fantasies. In the novels, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the events the characters face during the roaring ‘20s and World War II illustrate how vastly different plot can share similar themes of humanity. The duality of humanity consists of people, who conceal their true identities and emotions beneath a facade, and their willingness to reveal the truth decreases due to their social circumstances; while other times, the refusal to accept reality can cause humanity to imagine elaborate fantasies that they strive to achieve.