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The great gatsby with modern society essy
The great gatsby with modern society essy
The great gatsby as a social commentary
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A young woman marries a rich man that she doesn't love. A wealthy man gets more greedy with another paycheck. A hopeless soul steals and kills to get a glimpse of what wealth feels like. The majority of Americans long for richness and the idea that this green paper will bring happiness and satisfaction. In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden comes from a wealthy family and has dealt with many challenges, so he understands what money can do. In Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris is also from a wealthy family. Like Holden, He wants to leave society because of its responsibilities and the high standards people try to reach. Most importantly, Both characters understand and agree upon what wealth and materialism can do. Holden and …show more content…
Chris have a negative view about wealth because they believe that money causes depression and, wealth creates phonies. On the other hand, they share the belief or come to realize the importance of close relationships. To begin, the characters have a negative view concerning wealth because money causes depression.
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden says, “All of a sudden I started to cry. I'd give anything if I hadn't, but I did” (Salinger 103). This depicts Holden feeling powerless and alone when Maurice and Sunny take his money away. It shows how money can make people do despicable acts of crime. Also, Holden feels immense pressure and guilt when someone can't afford what he can. For example, Holden says, “That depressed me. I hate it if I'm eating bacon and eggs or something and somebody else is only eating toast and coffee” (Salinger 110). Holden realizes the unfairness wealth can create. In the same way, Chris feels that money can cause depression. “Do you think I want some fancy boat? Are you worried what the neighbors might think?”(Krakauer). Chris believes that people expect more from those who have money. It causes depression because of the upsetting tone he uses when speaking with his parents about this. It depresses him that money is the only thing that matters. As a matter of fact, Chris is so upset with the importance of money that he burns it. “I don't need money” (Krakauer). Chris says this because he realizes what money can do to people and society. Since Holden and Chris come from wealthy families they experienced a lot of situations that would cause depression and anger because of …show more content…
money. In addition, Chris and Holden have negatives views on wealth because wealth creates phonies. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden says, “The bartender was a louse, too. He was a big snob. He didn't talk to you at all hardly unless you were a big shot or a celebrity or something. If you were a big shot or a celebrity or something, then he was even more nauseating” (Salinger 142). The bartender is a phony because he only cares about people who are famous or rich. This shows how wealth creates phonies because the wealthy think they are above all. Subsequently, wealth can produce fake people and fake love. “He gave Mrs. Antolini a kiss and she said good-by to me and went in the bedroom. They were always kissing each other a lot in public” (Salinger 185). A conclusion can be made that Mr. Antolini only married his wife because of her money. This makes Mr. Antolini a phony because of his fake love. At last, Holden believes that his brother is phony too. “Now he’s out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute (Salinger 2). D.B is a phony because he used to be a simple writer, now he has a jaguar and in Hollywood. It shows how D.B used to be an amazing storyteller and now he uses it to make money. In Into the Wild, there are many phonies. “It doesn't make sense to me, judgement. Control. All that, the whole spectrum.” (Krakauer). Chris knows that the world is full of phonies. Money causes this because people judge those who don't have enough money to blend in. For example, Chris’s parents judge him for not buying a new car. Chris states, “Parents, hypocrites, politicians, pricks” (Krakauer). These people judge others. These Phonies are one of he causes Chris wants to go into the wild because there is no money needed and therefore no judgement. Furthermore, Holden and Chris also agree that true happiness can be found in close relationships. For example, Holden is extremely close with his sister, Phoebe. “Then, all of a sudden, I started to cry. I couldn't help it” (Salinger 179). This portrays love and happiness because Phoebe is only happy as long as her brother is safe and content. She is willing to give up her money for him which shows that phoebe didn't need the money to make her happy. “What do you do during the day?” (Salinger, 96). Holden asks the prostitute multiple questions because he is lonely. He only pays her because he wants to be with someone. Ultimately, this fails and money can't buy happiness and friendship. It shows that in order for Holden to be happy he needed to be with someone. As previously stated, Holden is only content and excited when he’s around the people he cares about like Phoebe. Similarly, Chris has a strong relationship with many people from his journey. “Happiness is only real when shared” (Krakauer). Chris says this because he knows that sharing happiness is being with someone. To sum up, both characters find that the only way to be happy is to value their close relationships. To conclude, Both characters have negative views on wealth because money causes depression and Wealth creates phonies.
On the other hand, Holden and Chris realize the value of close relationships. The characters have many experiences with money and the feeling makes them both depressed. Through their experiences, they've seen many people turned into phonies because of their wealth. Soon, They realize that true happiness came from the close relationships they had. It made them feel loved and not isolated. The message and idea Holden and Chris learned is that materialism and wealth make a person corrupt (phony) and upset. It cannot buy real love or happiness that all desire. The only way is to be close to the ones you love and to stop trying to become wealthy. Learn from Gatsby, in The Great Gatsby who spent most of his time trying to achieve the american dream by becoming wealthy. However he was lonely, desperate, and heartbroken. Becoming wealthy isn't all that it is meant to
be.
Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye, the movie Pleasantville, and even in real life, a theme constant is the theme of protection of innocence. The Catcher in the Rye portrays the idea of protection of innocence through the main character of Holden Caulfield. Holden is a highly troubled boy, and is constantly getting kicked out of schools. However, there is one idea he is fiercely serious about. He explains this idea to his sister when she presses him about his life choices. “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids...and nobody’s around-nobody big, I mean, except me....What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff...I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all”(Salinger 173). This quote spoken by Holden is him
Throughout the history of literature, a great deal of authors has tried to reveal a clear understanding of the American Dream. Whether it is possible to achieve lies all in the character the author portrays. The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye stand as prime examples of this. F. Scott Fitzgerald and J.D. Salinger, the authors of these titles, respectively, fashion flawed characters, Jay Gatsby and Holden Caulfield, with one vital desire: the longing to gain what they can’t have; acceptance and the feeling of belonging. Each retaining characteristics that shows their differences and similarities in opinion of the world around them.
Wealth has both a good and a bad side. It can change the life of a person for the better or worse, and that is clearly shown in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. Wealth affects the lives of the characters of Their Eyes Were Watching God very differently than the characters of The Great Gatsby. Janie’s wealth came about, mainly, from her failed relationships.
In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger creates judgemental and superficial characters to critique capitalist ideologies. The biggest proponent of capitalism is the main character; Holden Caulfield. Socioeconomically, Holden is considered to be member of the upper-class because his family makes a large amount of money, and they are socially elite. Holden discriminates against those who posses less money than him, and even requires his roommates to have expensive luggage. Holden gives monetary value to many other objects including shoes, a baseball glove, and women. Holden’s discrimination of those in lower classes, and his belief in “sign exchange value” reveal his capitalist morals. Another novel that criticizes capitalism in a
During the time in our country's history called the roaring twenties, society had a new obsession, money. Just shortly after the great depression, people's focus now fell on wealth and success in the economic realm. Many Americans would stop at nothing to become rich and money was the new factor in separation of classes within society. Wealth was a direct reflection of how successful a person really was and now became what many people strived to be, to be rich. Wealth became the new stable in the "American dream" that people yearned and chased after all their lives. In the novel entitled the great Gatsby, the ideals of the so called American dream became skewed, as a result of the greediness and desires of the main characters to become rich and wealthy. These character placed throughout the novel emphasize the true value money has on a persons place in society making wealth a state of mind.
Now with over 15 million copies in print translated into forty languages, “To Kill a Mockingbird” is highly regarded as a masterpiece of American literature. It stands strong beside bestsellers such as “The Joy Luck Club,” “The Catcher in the Rye,” and “Huckleberry Finn.” But what, one may ask, are the similarities between these chartbusters?
In the end, Gatsby loses all of his friends and never truly becomes happy. Through this novel, Fitzgerald comments on the prevalent belief that, in order to be successful one must be wealthy or strive towards it, even if it is by any means necessary. This lends to the belief of wealth acting on a person 's motivation towards any aspect in
The world today is very deceptive and phony. J.D. Salinger’s well known novels, The Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zooey attack this fake and superficial society which is evident through the lives, ideas, actions, and words expressed by the characters in these literary pieces. The transition from childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood is inevitable. The protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield goes through this stage and finds himself in a crisis. He alienates himself from everyone who is around him and tries his best not to grow up. Holden often dwells upon his childhood and the life he had with his family. Franny in Franny and Zooey has already passed this stage but finds it difficult to live in a world where everyone she is surrounded by is only concerned with outward appearances. In these worlds, both characters, Holden and Franny, reveal their struggle of growing up and trying to live as an adult in a world full of deception and shallow-minded people who only care about appearances.
For some, simply having infinite wealth and popularity is enough for them to be happy. For others, they need something that money can’t buy. Two books that express these qualities are: The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Both of these books describe the life of a wealthy man but each of them have different ideas of the American dream. Examples from these books will show how the American dream differs from person to person.
Holden explains his understanding of money through his situations of suitcases. Although Holden and Dick Slagle got along quite well, the issue of money still brought them apart. Thus, displays how money can affect someone’s view and emotions on one another. Dick feels ashamed and jealous because he does not have the same quality of suitcase as Holden, therefore suggesting he is not as rich. On the other hand, Holden feels bad that his suitcase has made Dick too embarrassed to leave his suitcase out. This also reflects Holden’s view on the world and how he notices money can affect people. Citizens around him assume he is not smart since he failed all of his classes. However, this passage proves Holden has deep thoughts and sees the world in its true form. As a result, he may be smarter than his criticizers. Holden’s criticizers are all lost and oblivious to what money does to people, yet Holden understands money and realizes why people associate with others in the same class. Or perhaps it also demonstrates how people manipulate money in a way that degrades others. Mankind turned money into something that is used to determine how to treat someone, and has such a large reputation that it affects others emotions. In a way this situation is similar to Finny and Gene in A Separate Peace. Gene shows jealousy towards Finny because of his ability to be perfect in everything. In addition, Gene is even more jealous that Finny does not see him as the same quality as Finny himself. It is just like Dick, where he is jealous of Holden’s suitcase being much better quality than his own, which could represent him feeling less important and worthless compared to Holden who has more money. Both Gene and Dick feel ashamed, and represent the jealousy that happens when they feel inferior to one another. Moreover, both the boys try to act like they were not ever jealous. Holden describes Gene and Dick as
In both Catcher in the Rye and ‘Barn Burning’, the issue of self-identification is a key theme. Specifically that of the main characters, Holden and Sarty. Both characters constantly attempt to find themselves and are conflicted throughout the book. Holden struggles in his teenage world with the issues of individualism, who to trust, and adulthood. Sarty, experiences different issues. He struggles with weighing the consequences of family and society. His dad plays a major role in the oppression of his identity and stops him from truly being an individual, expecting him to put family before anything else. They both use their journey to struggle through the difficult challenge of finding one’s self. For these reasons, both Sarty and Holden struggle
Many people connect Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Catcher in the Rye as similar Coming of Age stories. Both stories have a key death that impacts the main character. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is impacted by the death of his brother. In Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie is impacted by the death of his aunt. There are some similarities in the way the main character in each story reacts to the death, however there are also some significant differences.
Chris and Holden both agree that wealth is not the priority or helping their social well being, as Chris literally burns his money in an act to be less cautious, Holden is depressed by wealth’s way of dividing people. Before the longest stretch of Chris’s journey he burned his cash in a bonfire because “money [and] power is an illusion”, his distaste and rejection of money is also seen when Chris comments that his trip became “too easy” with money that he earned from working(Krakauer). The pent up anger towards money and wealth came from his father and mother’s life style of well off business people, all the money they earned or married into made them corrupt and bad parents for Chris and his sister. Another line of his was that “money made people too cautious”, the cautiousness that Chris mentions is the way someone is caution of losing the money they have, without that money people are less “cautious” and they can really live so Chris is really saying that money is holding everyone back from living their lives(Krakauer). Though Chris comes out purely against wealth and money, Holden follows suite with suddeler tactics by sharing his discomfort with money. Holden remarks “That depressed me. I hate it if I'm eating bacon and eggs or something and somebody else is only eating toast and coffee,” he is depressed because of someone else's lesser status than him which correlates with his wealth hiddering him and causing unnecessary “conflict” for lack of a better word(Salinger 122). There was also Holden’s story about his old room mate that had a cheaper bag than his, he ends on a negative note because the bags got in the way of a possible friend. Since wealth in society is so important, for Holden and Chris to resent it will not yield complete acceptance into society. Chris
Society has based various cultural aspects on money. Whether it be through obtaining an education, or what social class you are in, e have been categorized based on the money that we have to our name. Certain aspects make this a positive for communities but for many, it is a hindrance. Within the novel The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald uses his character personalities to elaborate on the idea that not all wealth is good wealth. Affluency in the novel “ The Great Gatsby ”, is the foundation of each character, and goes on to further establish what the author is trying to convey; Money can not truly buy happiness.
In the novels, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, and Ordinary People by Judith Guest, both Holden Caulfield and Conrad Jarrett experience internal anxiety. Both Holden and Conrad are about the same age and have problems within and outside the school walls. Their behavior problems originate because both Holden and Conrad have been traumatized by the loss of their brothers. The two experienced an abundant amount of stress within school grounds and outside of them, but had no one to express their feelings to. Although being from intact families who were well above average financially, the two struggled with communicating to their parents. Throughout the story we realize that getting over the loss of a loved one can be extremely difficult