Examples Of Idealised Love In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and selected love sonnets by Elizabeth Barrett Browning explore texts which involve versions in varying frameworks through the experience of idealised love, hope and mortality. The interpretations of Barrett Browning and Fitzgerald explore many differences throughout both texts with the use of symbolism, imagery, and irony to emphasise difference time makes upon values and ideals. The Great Gatsby set during the Jazz age is a representation of the failure and tragedy of the American Dream as well as the fragmented world where love struggles to survive. Contrasted to Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s love sonnets set in the beginning of the era of dreamers, making the sonnets typically Victorian with their
Through the narration of Nick Caraway we are exposed to a post WWI new world which is faithless, loveless and careless, consequently making idealised love difficult to survive. Gatsby’s infatuation of Daisy as the ultimate ideal is seen as his goal from which he tries to accomplish from the beginning. The type of love that is shown from Gatsby to Daisy is the fixated but wholesome love which becomes something too special to survive in a world that lacks honourable purpose. Gatsby bases his love on the relationship he had with Daisy years before. It was Gatsby who was “breathless” and saw her gleaming like “silver, safe and proud above the hot struggles of the poor”. The imagery that Gatsby uses to describe Daisy shows how in love he was with her even though he knew that he wasn’t rich and that it was obvious that she came from a wealthy background. In order to be closer to Daisy, Gatsby buys a mansion across from Daisy showing his need to be as close to her as possible. The parties he arranges at his house which are illuminated with lights attract the “moths” that are Gatsby’s party guests but are created primarily to attract Daisy to his house with intentions of their love growing but it also suggests their love could be dangerous like when a moth is attracted to a hot light. In The Great Gatsby, idealised love becomes an essence of ruin and misconception, this is partly due to it attempting to survive in the
The “silver ring” symbolises that things are getting better; this is shown by the sense of restoration that their love has brought to her life. The love shown between Elizabeth and her lover is not materialistic; it is idealistic love. Elizabeth states in sonnet 14 that she wants her lover to love her for the sake of love, “If thou must love me, let it be for nought Except for love’s sake only”. Contrast to The Great Gatsby where Gatsby had to modify his life in order to try and get Daisy to love him again, Elizabeth spiritually believes their love is pure and of superiority; she doesn’t want anything other than their pure love. Through this we see that the characteristics of the Victorian era in terms of qualities are something EBB ignores. She believes that idealised love should be on the basis of feelings instead of physical things as they can change. The last sonnet shows that their love must be enjoyed within all the dimensions of physical passion and the strength of that physical passion adds a spiritual dimension. Earthly love is aligned with spiritual fulfilment “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...” explores all the physical dimensions of their love due to it being measured by the “breadth, width and