Great Gatsby and the Catcher in the Re Analysi
‘Compare and contrast the imagery of highly visible forms of wastefulness and excess in the works of your two authors. What moral portrait of early twentieth century America/Britain are they putting forward through the use of this literary technique?’
The Great Gatsby was written by F.Scott Fitzgerald in 1925 and tells the story of Nick Caraway a young man who has moved from Minnesota to New York to pursue a career in bonds. My other text The Catcher In The Rye was written by J.D. Salinger in1951, it tells the story of a young man named Holden Caulfield, a failing student who despises almost everything in the world and is on a journey back to Manhattan after being expelled from yet another school. Although both texts explore the visible forms of excess, they discover it from opposite ends of the spectrum.
The Great Gatsby was set in the 1920’s when sections of society were corrupt due to the horror and violence of World War One. The wealthy people, who survived, labelled the Lost Generation, decided they would live the rest of their lives extravagantly. For some money, objects and excitement became the only goal in life, showing morals were lost. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the theme of the Lost Generation throughout the novel to convey Jay Gatsby’s corruption through the eyes of our first person narrator, Nick Caraway. In Chapter One Nick tells us of Gatsby’s mansion, with “a tower on one side”, “a marble swimming pool” and “forty acres” it appears to the reader that no expense was spared. Once again Gatsby’s excess is portrayed through Nick’s elaborate descriptions. Instead of having a swimming pool in the house, we are told that it is in fact a marble one, thus showing the excess money he has for luxury.
In Chapter Two we are introduced to Tom Buchanan a wealthy and authoritive figure who is winning his new found love, Myrtle’s affection through buying her what she wishes. They stop at a man on the street selling puppies from a basket strapped round his neck and
The Great Gatsby was written by F.Scott Fitzgerald in 1925 and tells the story of Nick Caraway a young man who has moved from Minnesota to New York to pursue a career in bonds. My other text The Catcher In The Rye was written by J.D. Salinger in1951, it tells the story of a young man named Holden Caulfield, a failing student who despises almost everything in the world and is on a journey back to Manhattan after being expelled from yet another school. Although both texts explore the visible forms of excess, they discover it from opposite ends of the spectrum.
The Great Gatsby was set in the 1920’s when sections of society were corrupt due to the horror and violence of World War One. The wealthy people, who survived, labelled the Lost Generation, decided they would live the rest of their lives extravagantly. For some money, objects and excitement became the only goal in life, showing morals were lost. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the theme of the Lost Generation throughout the novel to convey Jay Gatsby’s corruption through the eyes of our first person narrator, Nick Caraway. In Chapter One Nick tells us of Gatsby’s mansion, with “a tower on one side”, “a marble swimming pool” and “forty acres” it appears to the reader that no expense was spared. Once again Gatsby’s excess is portrayed through Nick’s elaborate descriptions. Instead of having a swimming pool in the house, we are told that it is in fact a marble one, thus showing the excess money he has for luxury.
In Chapter Two we are introduced to Tom Buchanan a wealthy and authoritive figure who is winning his new found love, Myrtle’s affection through buying her what she wishes. They stop at a man on the street selling puppies from a basket strapped round his neck and