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Modernism throughout the great gatsby
Modernist elements in the great gatsby
Modernist elements in the great gatsby
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Great Gatsby Essay
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald shows many examples of modernism. Fitzgerald shows many modernism techniques like loss of control, alienation, corruption of the American Dream, breaking society’s rules and feeling restless. Fitzgerald also shows modernism through the fragmented writing.
One example of a modernism technique that Fitzgerald uses is loss of control. The characters often lose control and make bad decisions that have horrible effects. For example Tom Buchanan to whom is married to Daisy Buchanan who is the second cousin to nick the main character and narrator of the story, is having an affair with a Mrs. Myrtle Wilson and because she is saying Daisy’s name hits her. “Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand,”(page 41). This shows his loss of control over his emotions. He was showing anger toward his mistress and because she was not obeying his demand of not mentioning Daisy’s name. In another instance in The Great Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan ran myrtle Wilson-her husband’s mistress-which killed her instantly. She was hysterical when she discovered Gatsby‘s true source of his money and she could not be linked with someone of “Dirty Money,“(page153). George Wilson, who is Myrtle Wilson’s Husband, is so upset over myrtle’s death that he, after being misinformed, shoots and kills Gatsby to whom he believes is responsible for his wife’s death and then takes his own life. “…the gardener saw Wilson’s body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete,”(page170).
The Great Gatsby also shows examples of feeling restless another characteristic of the “moderns”. This may be linked to the Great War or Worl...
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...nable to let go off the past because the past is safe. This is true for Gatsby because he cannot let go of his past because his dream of Daisy is safe there. He tries very hard to repeat it and wants to even try to erase the past and change it so that he will end up with Daisy at the end. “’Can’t repeat the past?…’why of course you can!”(page 116). And all he wants is for daisy to be with him and leave Tom but he is of dirty new money. “ He wanted nothing less of Daisy then that she should go to tom and say: ‘I never loved you,’”(page 116).
In conclusion, the Great Gatsby is truly an amazing example of modernism literature. It shows many modernism techniques like loss of control corruption of the American Dream, feeling restless and alienation. F. Scott Fitzgerald does
Works Cited
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1999. Print.
Sutton, Brian. "Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby." Explicator 59.1 (Fall 2000): 37-39. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Linda Pavlovski. Vol. 157. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
Sutton, Brian. "Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby." Explicator 59.1 (Fall 2000): 37-39. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Linda Pavlovski. Vol. 157. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 24 Feb. 2011.
Although after reading “The great Gatsby” one may get a feeling of hopelessness, it one of those novels that leaves you inspired even long after reading it. It’s a masterpiece not only because of the thrillingly brilliant plot or memorable characters but also because of the life lessons that it teacher to the reader. It is not just a typical ...
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
In, “The Great Gatsby,” we learn about many different themes and ideas that are presented to us in the book. The themes and ideas are presented to us through the results of the choices and actions that the characters make in the story, ranging from Tom’s adultery to Gatsby’s nostalgia. One theme Fitzgerald teaches to his readers, is that nostalgia (an extreme longing for the past) can cause many problems in a person’s life, through the use of several literary elements that are found within the story.
F. Scott Fitzgerald uses many motifs in The Great Gatsby to convey all sorts of different
Written during and regarding the 1920s, ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald is both a representation of this distinctive social and historical context, and a construction of the composer’s experience of this era. Beliefs and practises of the present also play a crucial role in shaping the text, in particular changing the way in which literary techniques are interpreted. The present-day responder is powerfully influenced by their personal experiences, some of which essentially strengthen Fitzgerald’s themes, while others compete, establishing contemporary interpretations of the novel.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a tragic tale of love distorted by obsession. Finding himself in the city of New York, Jay Gatsby is a loyal and devoted man who is willing to cross oceans and build mansions for his one true love. His belief in realistic ideals and his perseverance greatly influence all the decisions he makes and ultimately direct the course of his life. Gatsby has made a total commitment to a dream, and he does not realize that his dream is hollow. Although his intentions are true, he sometimes has a crude way of getting his point across. When he makes his ideals heard, his actions are wasted on a thoughtless and shallow society. Jay Gatsby effectively embodies a romantic idealism that is sustained and destroyed by the intensity of his own dream. It is also Gatsby’s ideals that blind him to reality.
Lockridge, Ernest. Twentieth century interpretations of The great Gatsby: a collection of critical essays. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1968. Print.
The very start of World War I brought the culture of the twentieth century to a world of the new ages. The abrupt start of the war brought conflict and confusion. This sudden flash of reality and birth of new technology whirled into a frenzy of madness that introduced the idea of demoralization. It was the beginning of Modernism which many American authors jumped into. One of them was Scott Fitzgerald who was heavily known for his greatest piece The Great Gatsby, in which a man takes a tight grip onto his past and tries to relive the life he yearned for. At the same time, this novel is being clashed with themes of loneliness and demoralization of the characters and the division of social classes.
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, contains many literary devices. One of such devices is characterization, the author’s method of describing characters. In this novel, the author creates many of the characters to be superficial. Through their actions, comments, and descriptions, Fitzgerald gives the reader an idea of the characters.
F. Scott Fitzgerald seemed to have written a novel about the glittering American twenties, but his novel was really about the decay of American society, the tragedy of love, and the decline of the American dream. The Great Gatsby illustrates all of Fitzgerald’s ideas about American society. Despite the perceived notion of the glitz and glamour of 1920’s society, it was all a thin veneer of extravagance covering up a dark and dismal world.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald took place in the 1920’s when the nation was undergoing rapid economic, political, and social change. Looking through different literary lenses the reader is able to see the effects of these rapid changes. The marxist lens reflects the gap between rich and poor while the feminist lens showcases the patriarchal society.
... your time trying to recreate it, and live your life thinking about the present and the future. Specific examples of this have been shown in Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship, Tom and Daisy’s failing marriage, and Gatsby expecting Daisy to be the person she was before she met Tom. From this novel, the theme of not living in the past and taking advantages of opportunities when they are given shows that it is miserable trying to fix things that already happen. You will never learn to live in the present if you try to fix everything in your past. I If you do not make any mistakes how do you know what not to do? Fitzgerald successfully stated that the theme of this novel was that you cannot live in the past, and try to take advantage of opportunities that have already passed.
The 1920’s were a time of social and technological change. After World War II, the Victorian values were disregarded, there was an increase in alcohol consumption, and the Modernist Era was brought about. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a perfect presentation of the decaying morals of the Roaring Twenties. Fitzgerald uses the characters in the novel--specifically the Buchanans, Jordan Baker, and Gatsby’s partygoers--to represent the theme of the moral decay of society.