Analysis Of Existentialism In The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald has mastered the gift of captivating the audience and making them feel as if he could hear his own voice narrating the story to you. The description of the times makes the reader feel as if he/she is right there. I myself have watched the film, but I must say that though the stories start off similarly they entirely different. Fitzgerald keeps you suspended all throughout while maintaining a sense of humor to release to the tension.. This is a story about a boy or an old man born backwards. He is born as an old man at least physically and as he becomes older (mentality) his body get younger physically until eventually he becomes and dies as an infant. You follow the life of a seventy year old man and the trials and tribulations

He believes that he should have been born black. Which brings some light to how people thought of black folks---cursed. Mr. Button wished that his son were black so he could have a "legitimate" excuse to sell him into slavery. The narration also delves into existentialism. You see this in several of the characters where they see the world only through own personal point of view instead trying to see it through a collective point of view. This way that people view life was the same way that they also viewed Benjamin. They find him strange and hate him for being peculiar. However, as time goes on and as he becomes younger people grow to love him. This story also explores existentialism by discussing the lack of fairness that a child feels growing up. You will find that many children feel as though as life is not fair. However in this story it is not Benjamin who complains about the lack of equality that life has to offer, but it is his father that

One of them is that as adults get older and find themselves in old age they become more dependent on others like a infant. As for the young they are not in touch with how it feels to experience the betrayal of the body. A body that becomes ill with dementia and arthritis. Some people even wish to die as young person so that they never have to experience old age being that it is not seen as glamorous. Another metaphor that is seen is the desire to belong. Benjamin depicts the need of belonging and how important it is for humans. We all feel that we should have a feeling that we are a part of a larger community in order to feel a certain level of safety. If that need is not fulfilled then one will ultimately feel that anxious, fearful, and alone. We all need anchors. The author uses certain paraphernalia to represent the desire to fit in. For example Mr. Button (the father) advises Benjamin to use hair dye in order to hide his curious and strange physical state. Later on in the story it is Benjamin 's son who insists that his father wear fake eyeglasses and beard so that he may portray himself to be someone of old age. Here it is seen how man feels such a strong longing to belong that he is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve "perfection" so that he may feel that he belongs in his community. Fitzgerald delves into this theme some more by illustrating that by living in a particular environment in where he