Who is Amory Blaine? It seems, in certain ways that Amory serves as the quintessential portrait of the American youth, always struggling between individuality and the desire for acceptance. But also we get glimpses of situations in which he seems to be the embodiment of America itself – of old European heritage, struggling with his uniqueness in a world where, to survive, he must fit in. Fitzgerald described the novel as a “quest novel” that focuses on Amory’s journey to self-understanding. The three primary elements that influence Amory on his road to self-realization are convention, women, and money. This is what makes him a purely American character. These three elements are indeed what make the American persona go forth: individuality …show more content…
Amory’s European heritage enhances his individuality, but also his isolation. His egotism, a result of the special education and spirit his mother instilled in him, proves to be the main theme of the book, much like it is the main theme of American life. He describes himself as a “boy marked for glory,” longing for material wealth, but his success becomes his goal. He sees himself as superior, and this causes much of his self-centeredness. He blatantly disregards his peers for not showing the same brand of otherness as he does, with the exception of a few such as Tom, Burne, and Dick. The average American is self-centered, brought up in a culture where individualism is key. However, s/he must also face the social norms imposed by society, which clashes with that aforementioned individuality. Thus, the American individual has to conform to be able to integrate themselves in society. We see this in Amory’s journey, as he slowly learns social customs and how to follow them to be a proper Big Man (term coined by him). Amory adapts to them, but does not blindly follow them. Also, Amory’s struggle between the fruits of his heritage and the want to integrate and be seen as a leading figure can be compared to that of America’s during its history. America, born out of a melting pot of European heritages, just like Amory, distances itself from its parent, Europe (Amory’s mother) to finally fit in and make a place for itself in the world. Only when the links with Europe are
F. Scott Fitzgerald is in many ways one of the most notable writers of the twentieth century. His prodigious literary voice and style provides remarkable insight into the lifestyles of the rich and famous, as well as himself. Exploring themes such as disillusionment, coming of age, and the corruption of the American Dream, Fitzgerald based most of his subject matter on his own despicable, tragic life experiences. Although he was thought to be the trumpeter of the Jazz Age, he never directly identified himself with it and was adverse to many of its manifestations.
With striking similarity in both appearance and personality, it seems that Amory has “inherited from his mother every trait, except the stray inexpressible few, that made him worthwhile” (3). Fitzgerald is pointing out the meaningless of the trappings of the upper class. Although Amory and Beatrice are rich and beautiful, these traits do not make them worthwhile. It is the characteristics that Amory develops on his own, without Beatrice’s influence, that redeem him.
The American is a new man who is neither a European, nor his direct descendant. He is a strange mix of blood which cannot be found in any other country. The American is described as a person whose grandfather was an Englishman, his mother was Dutch and who has married a Frenchwoman. The American is a person who has left behind all his ancient manners and prejudices, and has received new ones from the mode of life he has embraced, the rank he holds and the government he obeys. A person becomes an American after being received in the broad lap of the great Alma Mater, and he becomes melted down into the new race of men whose posterity and efforts could transform the world in the days to come.
F Scott Fitzgerald was one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. Although his last finished work was more than 60 years ago, today they are enjoyed with more enthusiasm and acclaim than they were when they were written. His works are cited as an influence for many other authors. Fitzgerald saw his writing as a reflection of his own life. His works are closely based on his experiences at Princeton, in World War 1 and his love life. Although he was not overly popular at the time of his death, today, he is regarded as one of the best authors of the modern era.
Amory continues to “rebirth” throughout the book when the challenges that come his way knock him down. After falling in love with a particular girl names Rosalind, the couple become one and Amory proposes. Rosalind’s mother persuades Rosalind to end the marriage because Amory was not wealthy enough and Amory falls into a deep depression. He was reborn a man who drank alcohol profusely, left in his tears and rethinking marriage. After he got back on his feet, Amory met a frivolous young girl name Eleanor. She was passionate for reading and just as intelligent as Amory, although she believed that no one could be. However, after Eleanor revealed her recklessness by almost riding off a cliff on her horse, Amory realized that he had “loved himself in Eleanor, so now what he hated was only a mirror” (Fitzgerald 223). Amory was reborn a poor kid roaming the streets of Atlantic City. Most of the main character’s “baptisms” happen to be by women and Amory is reborn with an egoistic layer ripped off, but coming closer to becoming “the fundamental Amory”.
As Florence King once said, “People are so busy dreaming the American Dream, fantasizing about what they could be or have a right to be, that they're all asleep at the switch. This quote symbolizes the simple fact that the American Dream is impossible for someone to ever attain because people are to busy dreaming about what others have, that they fail to recognize what they themselves already have attained. The American author F. Scott Fitzgerald has had an unprecedented impact on America. His novels contain recurring themes that establish the facets of modern American society with which he avidly disagrees. His characters Jay Gatsby and Armory Blaine both portray men in American society who have through
The 1920s is the decade in American history known as the “roaring twenties.” Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is a reflection of life in the 1920s. Booming parties, prominence, fresh fashion trends, and the excess of alcohol are all aspects of life in the “roaring twenties.”
1. We see all the action of The Great Gatsby from the perspective of one character whose
After a time of prosperity, the roaring 1920’s became a decade of social decay and declining moral values. The forces this erosion of ethics can be explained by a variety of theories. However, F. Scott Fitzgerald paints a convincing portrait of waning social virtue in his novel, The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald portrays the nefarious effects of materialism created by the wealth-driven culture of the time. This was an era where societal values made wealth and material possessions a defining element of one’s character. The implications of the wealthy mindset and its effects on humanity are at the source of the conflict in The Great Gatsby, offering a glimpse into the despair of the 20’s. During a time
In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, about half of the main characters present themselves as something they are not. Throughout the novel, the theme of passing is apparent in Nick, Jay Gatsby, Daisy, and Myrtle Wilson, although they are all passing, each does it for a very different reason. Many scholars have touched on the idea that these characters are not who they appear to be and that their passing is associated with social class issues of the 1920s. Fitzgerald’s characters are built around the idea of passing and social class restrictions.
Charles Scribner III in his introduction to the work remarks that “the title evokes the transient, bittersweet, and ultimately tragic nature of Fitzgerald’s ‘Romance’ (as he had originally subtitled the book)” (Fitzgerald ix). Tender Is the Night parallels Fitzgerald’s own struggles with his mentally ill Zelda, and the characters are carefully constructed from his interactions with the social elite of artists,
F Scott Fitzgerald has been one of the most recognizable authors out there today. Many people admire his work, but he’s hard to catch and follow due to his busy schedule and personal lifestyle being an alcoholic. On the 19th of November 1925 I was given a chance to meet up with F. Scott Fitzgerald, to discuss about the eminent novel written by him “The Great Gatsby” at his house in Los Angeles. The books about a poor turned wealthy man, Gatsby and his attempt on getting his past lover back. What you’re about to read is one of the first few interviews ever with Mr. Fitzgerald in person. Below is the transcript of that interview.
An Austrian physician by the name of Sigmund Freud, a well renowned psychologist, aside from his studies, was once rumored do have done enough cocaine to kill a baby horse. Other than his cocaine addiction he also developed the theory of Psychoanalysis, which in short means that he studied the longstanding difficulties in the ways that people think and feel about themselves, the world, and their relationships with others. Sigmund Freud’s ideals of psychoanalysis was translated to in a way where we are able to analyze media in all it’s shapes and forms. Psychoanalytic media analysis argues that literary texts, like dreams, express the secret unconscious desires and anxieties of the characters within a movie, and the literary work is a manifestation of the Id, Super-Ego, and Ego. The text that I will analyze using the psychoanalytic media theory will be the film The Great Gatsby, originally a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I will be using Freud’s primary psychoanalytic theory of the ID, Ego, and Super-Ego to analyze the movie The Great Gatsby, and also analyze the potential cultural and societal impacts of an authors use of psychoanalytic theory.
Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (more commonly known as F. Scott Fitzgerald) became widely known as one of the greatest American authors. Fitzgerald wrote both novels and short stories, mainly set in the Jazz age. Many influences to his writing came from his own personal life and the world he saw around him. His wife, Zelda, was one of the major influences seen within many of his works. Fitzgerald encompasses many of these things in his books The Great Gatsby and Tender is the night. Letting his own life experiences and insight guide his writing, Fitzgerald explores the effect of social hierarchy on society amidst the Roaring Twenties through his use of evocative, colorful imagery and eloquent use of underlying tone.
The majority of people in this world live a life that could possibly be a product of an illusion. An illusion could possibly ruin the lives of many people, by making the people live a life full of lies and dishonesty. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a fictional, dramatic novel. In the novel, one of the main characters, named Gatsby, is seen living a life that was a product of lies, and dishonesty. There is no doubt that Gatsby’s whole life, in addition to his death, was a product of an illusion.