The Great Catcher in the Rye In The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye, the protagonists seem different at first, but upon a closer examination, they are similar in several aspects. Both Gatsby and Holden are dreamers, seeking love. They are characters that suffer from obsession, deception, and unrealistic dreams, all of which lead to their downfall. Gatsby and Holden are obsessed with the women that they consider to be the loves of their lives and feel that the men these women have chosen are not worthy. Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy means that he is not able to move forward in his life; he is stuck in a past reality. Even though Gatsby knows that Daisy is married to Tom, he still cannot accept the fact that his relationship …show more content…
with her is over. Gatsby believes that Daisy is responsible for his happiness. He also believes that Daisy is not happy with Tom “Your wife doesn’t love you Said Gatsby. She’s never loved you. She loves me”. (Fitzgerald Chapter 7, Page 129) In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s obsession with Jane blinds his reality and he refuses to accept the truth that Jane chooses Stradlater over him. Holden hates Stradlater because he does not care about all of the fun times he had with Jane "Checkers. “Checkers, for Chrissake!"Yeah. She wouldn't move any of her kings… She just liked the way they looked when they were all in the back row." Stradlater didn't say anything. That kind of stuff doesn't interest most people” (Salinger Chapter 2 Page 44) like him. Gatsby and Holden believe that their women are directly responsible for their happiness. Gatsby and Holden deceive themselves and others.
Gatsby deceives himself in an attempt to win Daisy by living a life of wealth and being a person he really is not. Gatsby really is “the son of “shiftless and unsuccessful farm people – his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all” (Fitzgerald Page 98)” Gatsby deceives others tthrough his criminal activities in order to gain wealth, and social statues that he believes will bring Daisy back to him. . “‘How long are you going to wait?’ ‘All night, if necessary. Anyhow, till they all go to bed’” (Fitzgerald 144). Here, Nick demonstrates the extreme lengths Gatsby goes through to obtain his ideal. Holden does not “believe” in deception but does it anyway. He lies to Mrs. Morrow on the train, telling her that his name is Rudolph Schmidt, the name of the Janitor at Pencey Prep. Holden enjoys talking to Mrs. Morrow, because he can pretend that everything in his life is normal. Both characters’ great falls are caused by their idealistic dreams. Gatsby refuses to admit that he is experiencing a problem, whereas Holden sees and recognizes his problem so he could emotionally prepare himself. Gatsby’s fall was greater than Holden’s because he did not know he was experiencing one. Since Gatsby had no clue of his great fall, he had no chance of saving himself, whereas Holden did have the chance, causing Gatsby’s fall to be
greater. In the last chapter, nobody from the hundreds of people Nick invited to the Funeral comes. Nick feels so outraged because “they used to go there by the hundreds. He took of his glasses and wiped them again, outside and in. The poor son of a bitch.”(Fitzgerald Nobody loved Gatsby for his human being, everyone loved him because he would through giant parties with alcohol. The only people that ever loved Gatsby were Nick and Gatsby’s father showing us that money does not buy happiness and true love. In the Catcher in the Rye Holden realizes that only your family will ever love you and that everyone else are just a bunch of phonies.
To begin with, Gatsby and Holden’s world surrounds them with phony people which includes themselves as well. Such as Gatsby’s deceitful life of a middle class man and
“ Its attitude is one of disillusionment and detachment; Fitzgerald is still able to evoke the glitter of the 1920s but he is no longer dazzled by it; he sees its underlying emptiness and impoverishment” (Trendell 23)The story is narrated from the point of view of Nick, one of Gatsby’s friends. The problematic and hopeless romantic, Gatsby, sets out to fulfill his dream in acquiring Daisy, his lifelong love, through his many tactics and ideas. Gatsby is introduced extending his arms mysteriously toward a green light in the direction of the water. Later, Gatsby is shown to be the host of many parties for the rich and Nick is invited to one of these parties where Gatsby and Nick meet. When Gatsby later confesses his love for Daisy he explains she was a loved one who was separated from him and hopes to get her again explained when he says, “I hope she'll be a fool -- that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”(Fitzgerald 56). There are several obstacles that Gatsby must overcome and the biggest one that is Daisy’s current fiancé but that still does not get in the way of him trying to recover Daisy’s old feelings. His attempts are made through money and wealth because he tries to buy her love back instead of letting it happen naturally.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, “The Great Gatsby”, and Baz Luhrmann’s film, “The Great Gatsby”, both have similarities and contrasts between the two of them. The Great Gatsby is a novel and film taken place in the 1920s filled with wild parties, mysterious people, The American Dream, and most of all, love. There are several things that can be compared between the novel and film; such as the characters and the setting. There are also contrasts between the two as well; which is mainly involving the character Nick.
Daisy and Gatsby spend five years away from each other and when they get back together, the circumstances change. Daisy gets married to Tom Buchanan. Gatsby has no option except for grabbing Daisy’s attention. The love that the readers realize is passionate however this love changes into a forbidden one because Daisy is now married. Gatsby tries his best to convince Daisy that everything will go back like they used to, but she doesn’t seem to agree. The past cannot be repeated. Tom sees the love between Daisy and Gatsby but he does not say anything until the right time. The circumstances that are happening to both Daisy and Gatsby make their love forbidden. As much as Gatsby is very rich, he does not seem to be enough because he’s new money
Based on Fitzgerald’s views, Gatsby does not have a good moral composition, he lied about his past and basically created a false life for Daisy. In chapter 4, he became closer with nick and told him he was, “the son of some wealthy people in the Mid West- all dead now” (69) which is clearly a lie because his father appears at the end of the story. The main reason Gatsby lies about his past is due to shame
His dream overwhelms the harshness of his reality, thus causing Gatsby to continue to falsify reality and misshape it to agree with what he wants. His dishonesty is the root of his troubles.
The entire book revolves around his one selfish desire to be with the woman he loves, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby is well aware that Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan, but that does not stop him. Gatsby and Daisy begin seeing each other and spending a great amount of time together. This was not enough to satisfy Gatsby. One night, he and Tom, Daisy’s husband, were in dispute.
In the Great Gatsby, by F Scott Fitzgerald the novel does not reflect an autobiography, but several of Fitzgerald’s personal experiences are reflected in it. Similarities can be drawn between the novel and Scott Fitzgeralds own life. Similarities include Gatsby and Fitzgerald 's want for success through continuous failure, dreams of success, strong feelings towards alcohol, and their love life. Nick’s qualities that relate to Fitzgerald include his honesty as a man in relation to the liars surrounding him. Also his mid western values to not be judgemental makes him a perfect observer, but also makes him the perfect outsider, which is how Fitzgerald always felt in the company of rich people. The relation between Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby
The strive for perfection and reaching for the impossible are the driving factors in the lives of Gatsby, and Hamlet. In both The Great Gatsby, by F.Scott Fitzgerald, and Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the theme of idealism is demonstrated as the main contributing factor into the evident downfall of both Gatsby, and Hamlet. Although each respectable character is faced with dissimilar scenarios, it is the similarities of Gatsby and Hamlet 's character traits that allow them both to be victims of their own idealism. Gatsby and Hamlet both lose their lover, leaving them to live heartbroken and lonesome lives. The tendency to masquerade their true personalities, weather it be to escape the past; or to plot the perfect revenge, displays the idealistic attitude of the two characters. Lastly, the obsession with perfection allows each character to bypass an opportunity to achieve their ultimate goal.
Unlike those cheesy romantic heroes from soap operas and films, Gatsby believes that by attempting to be someone he is not and by faking his identity, he will be able to win Daisy`s heart . Nick Caraway, the narrator of the novel, informs readers about Gatsby`s past and his first reaction to Daisy. He tells readers, “…he let her believe that he was a person from the same stratum as herself…that he was fully capable to take care of her. As a matter of fact, he had no such facilities…” (Fitzgerald 149). Gatsby basically lies about his social status to win Daisy`s heart, which shows how his relationship is based on dishonesty and lies rather than trust. Gatsby changes himself in order to make room for Daisy in his life. A romantic hero never lies beca...
While Gatsby has yet to be seen in chapter two, the reader learns some of what people believe about the titular character. Chapter two portrays Gatsby as a figure shrouded in mystery with an extraordinary past; Catherine, Myrtle’s sister, tells Nick rumours surrounding Gatsby’s heritage. It is believed that Gatsby is part of the German royalty--that he is relative of Kaiser Wilhelm. Gatsby's image is followed by intrigue as well as fear; Catherine mentions how she is “scared of him” and does not want to know what he is capable of doing. Chapter eight mirrors chapter two in the way where the reader gets to know Gatsby again, however, this time the reader finds the truth about “Jay Gatsby”; this chapter reveals Gatsby’s true backstory as a “penniless young man”, son of a farmer from Nebraska and Gatsby stops being a mysterious figure. In chapter eight, the audience learns about the ordinary man that Gatsby truly is and he ceases being greater than life. The image of Gatsby as a dangerous man is also destroyed when he becomes a powerless victim killed by the deranged George Wilson. By shattering the illusion of Gatsby, the perfect image of the self-made man, Fitzgerald shows his belief that the type of man Gatsby was, was an unattainable dream that was no longer achievable by the 1920’s.
Tom and Daisy Buchanan, the rich couple, seem to have everything they could possibly want. Though their lives are full of anything you could imagine, they are unhappy and seek to change, Tom drifts on "forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game"(pg. 10) and reads "deep books with long words in them"(pg. 17) just so he has something to talk about. Even though Tom is married to Daisy he has an affair with Myrtle Wilson and has apartment with her in New York.. Daisy is an empty character, someone with hardly any convictions or desires. Even before her relationships with Tom or, Gatsby are seen, Daisy does nothing but sit around all day and wonder what to do with herself and her friend Jordan. She knows that Tom is having an affair, yet she doesn't leave him even when she hears about Gatsby loving her. Daisy lets Gatsby know that she too is in love with him but cant bring herself to tell Tom goodbye except when Gatsby forces her too. Even then, once Tom begs her to stay, even then Daisy forever leaves Gatsby for her old life of comfort. Daisy and Tom are perfect examples of wealth and prosperity, and the American Dream. Yet their lives are empty, and without purpose.
The Great Gatsby presents the main character Jay Gatsby, as a poor man who is in love with his best friends cousin, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby was in love with Daisy, his first real love. He was impressed with what she represented, great comfort with extravagant living. Gatsby knew he was not good enough for her, but he was deeply in love. “For a moment a phrase tried to take shape in my mouth and my lips parted like a dumb man’s”(Fitzgerald 107). Gatsby could not think of the right words to say. Daisy was too perfect beyond anything he was able to think of. Soon Gatsby and Daisy went their separate ways. Jay Gatsby went into the war while telling Daisy to find someone better for her, someone that will be able to keep her happy and provide for her. Gatsby and Daisy loved one another, but he had to do what was best for her. Gatsby knew the two might not meet again, but if they did, he wanted things to be the same. “I 'm going to fix everything just the way it was before”(Fitzgerald 106). He wanted Daisy to fall in love with him all over again. Unsure if Daisy would ever see Gatsby again, she got married while he was away. The two were still hugely in love with one another, but had to go separate ways in their
Heathcliff and Gatsby are similar because they both try to erase the barrier of social class by raising their stations and trying to regain some aspect of the past. Heathcliff left when he found out Catherine would marry Edgar, however, he return three years later, “ I was amazed more than ever, to behold the transformation of Heathcliff” (Bronte 209). Heathcliff divested his rough exterior to fit into society, “He is a dark skinned gypsy in aspect, in dress and manners a gentleman” (Bronte 137). Heathcliff takes his revenge on Hindley and becomes the master of Wuthering Heights by taking advantage of Hindley’s destructive, “Earnshaw had mortgaged every yard of land he owned...Heathcliff was the mortgagee” (Bronte 223). This is how Heathcliff makes his wealth to further raise his stature and to further pursue his revenge. “For every though she spends on Linton, she spends a thousand on me!I had a notion of this kind:it haunted me to return” (Bronte 241). Heathcliff’s obsession of Catherine didn’t diminish over time instead he focused on raising his station. Gatsby similarly return five years later,
When writing this essay, at first I wanted to write about comparing Gatsby with Tom but when we had the final discussion on the final chapters. The scene that was very interesting was the one with all the f-words because it shows that Holden cannot avoid phonies but it also shows that he fails at being the catcher in the rye. What also inspired me to choose the prompt if the book is about the phony world destroying the good things or the good things being able to survive in the phony world is that something similar to that is it will always be both. And at first, I was struggling to find things that will fit the prompt but all I really had to do is identify what the good things in life are to Holden which was pretty easy because we went through