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The Great Gatsby and Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been

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The Great Gatsby and Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been
The Fantasy of Life
In the novels The Great Gatsby and "Where Are You Going and Where Have You Been" authors F. Scott Fitzgerald and Joyce Carol Oates show a theme of fantasy versus reality to convey a deeper meaning within their novels. They express this theme using characters such as Gatsby, Connie, Daisy and Arnold Friend within the stories. Through these characters lives and experiences the theme is created connecting both stories.
The theme of fantasy versus reality is used to a great extent to convey deeper meaning within The Great Gatsbyand "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?". Through the characters of Gatsby and Arnold Friend, both Fitzgerald and Oates convey the theme of fantasy versus reality in order to express deeper meaning within the novels. In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald conveys Gatsby as an almost unreal character. Before he is introduced to the reader, Fitzgerald writes about his wild and extravagant parties, making him seem like somebody that is of upper eshalounce. Not only are Gatsby 's parties described as unbelievable, but the character of Gatsby himself is described as spectacular as well. Fitzgerald expresses what is thought of Gatsby in a very interesting way. Through the talk of guests at Gatsby 's parties we hear crazy rumors and lies, which create almost a supernatural appearance of Gatsby. Guests at the party speak of things such as, "He was a German spy during the war," and "I 'll bet he killed a man," (Fitzgerald48). From these rumors, and Gatsby 's extravagant parties a fantasy is created of what Gatsby is like. This fantasy of Gatsby is short lived. As through Nick and Gatsby 's first meeting we find out that Gatsby is and ordinary man. This is shown by Nick 's surprise to the unveiling of Gatsby 's character; " 'This is an unusual party for me. I haven 't even seen the host. I live over there- ' I waved my hand at the invisible hedges in the distance, 'and this man Gatsby sent over his chauffeur with an invitation.



Cited: Online Resources "gatwomen gatdaisy Great Gatsby Essays: The Character of Daisy Buchanan." 123HelpMe.com. 09 Jun 2009. . Printed Resources Fitgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby, New York, NY: Scrinber, 1925, Print.

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