Frankenstein and The Great Gatsby

1168 Words3 Pages

Chasing dreams and aiming high in life are the inspiration for many, if not most people in the world. Unfortunately, chasing these dreams too aggressively may have devastating consequences. There is countless number of examples of situations where pursuing dreams too vigorously lead to the downfall of people’s lives. The two novels “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald depict great examples of characters that sacrifice and become insatiable to acquire their dreams but the consequences are dreadful. They are both set at very different time frames and societies. Frankenstein is set in the 1800s and is considered a science fiction while The Great Gatsby is set during the summer of 1922 and is thought upon as a socially criticizing novel. One being a gothic novel and the other being a modernist novel, they may seem very different. Frankenstein uses the themes of the danger of knowledge, lies and deceit, compassion and forgiveness/revenge. The Great Gatsby’s themes are based on the American dream of 1922, upper class shallowness, and romanticism. Although these novels don’t seem to relate at all, some of the main themes are similar in both novels. These themes include emotion, romanticism, tragedy, and ambivalence. Different time frames, genres, settings, and ideas, but the idea of people making ruthless decisions is clear on both novels.

Frankenstein is novel where a single man condemns himself, his family, and creation to complete misery. Family is the first significant theme we are introduced. From the beginning of the novel, Alphonse Frankenstein, shows his loyalty and appreciation to family as he adopts a child that may not be very fortunate. This action becomes very important as the adop...

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...p could have become wonderful. This small lack of emotion also links these two novels together greatly.

Different genres, settings, ideas, motives, and themes seem to separate two novels completely, but highly significant small themes bring two different worlds closer than anything. Frankenstein and The Great Gatsby are different in the sense that one is based on pursuit of knowledge, ambitions, and dreams. The other is based on lies and deceit, selfishness, and the shallowness of high social statuses. As different as these two novels may seem, they come together to share themes that unit two worlds of distinct philosophies. These themes are family, love, and the lack of compassion and forgiveness. The many different events and conclusions of these novels, but the same mistakes of characters making ruthless decisions to satisfy our minds is clear in both novels.

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