What Are The Similarities Between The Great Gatsby And The Grapes Of Wrath

During the early 1900’s, Americans as a whole went through great economic struggles after the economic boom known as the “Roaring Twenties”. These struggles included the Great Depression, which then led to the Dust Bowl. However, through these arduous times Americans still continued to pursue the great American dream. The authors of both The Great Gatsby and The Grapes of Wrath exemplified the common theme in both of their books. In terms of historical and author background, both books share similarities as well as differences.

Historically, the time periods in which both novels took place in both compare and contrast each other. For example, The Grapes of Wrath took place in the time period known as the Dust Bowl. As if the Great

Depression was not already devastating enough for farmers during that time, the Dust Bowl shattered the lives of many. Families were forced to leave their homes and belongings behind and often went days without food, which greatly contrasts life during the Roaring Twenties.

The Roaring Twenties was a successful time economically for Americans; the nation's total wealth more than doubled by the end of the decade (Zeitz). The time period in which the novels are set in causes them to greatly contrast each other. The characters in The Grapes of Wrath are faced with poverty, while the characters in The Great Gatsby are living prosperous lives.

Although the novels contrast each other in regard to historical background in many ways, they also share some similarities. For instance, even though The Great Gatsby mainly focuses on the flourishing lives of the wealthy, there is also evidence of the poor in the novel. The narrator mentions a place known as the Valley of Ashes, “This is a valley of Ashes—a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens, where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air” (Fitzgerald 27). The inhabitants of the Valley of Ashes demonstrate that there will always be poverty in society, no matter

how successful the time period is seen as a whole. These inhabitants live a lifestyle similar to the main characters and most of the migrant farmers in The Grapes of Wrath. The novels also both show how the wealthy often look down on the poor. The way that Tom Buchanan insults George Wilson in The Great Gatsby is shown during an interaction about the sale of a car. Buchanan says to Wilson,”No he doesn’t, said Tom coldly. “And if you feel that way about it maybe I’d better sell it somewhere else after all.” (Fitzgerald 29). This theme is also shown in The Grapes of Wrath by the way that Californian citizens, especially native plantation farmers, mistreated the migrants. For example one man says, “Well, Okie use’ ta mean you was from Oklahoma. Now it means you’re a dirty son-of-a-bitch. Okie means you’re scum” (Steinbeck 205-206). Another similarity shared by both novels is the natural human tendency to strive for success. The migrant farmers during the Dust Bowl endured terrible conditions in hopes of a better life, while Americans in the 1920’s worked hard to become wealthy. The Joad family in The Grapes of Wrath and Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby both show strong work ethic. Gatsby was originally poor until he started working for Meyer Wolfsheim. Through the unlawful activities that Gatsby participated in he was able to change his name and build a lavish lifestyle for himself.
The authors of both novels, John Steinbeck and F.

Scott Fitzgerald, also share some similarities in regards to their backgrounds. Steinbeck and Fitzgerald both showed a huge interest in writing during adolescence (“John Steinbeck Biography”). They also both joined college to pursue writing, but later dropped out (Bruccoli). Although both authors had somewhat rocky love lives, they used the women in their lives as inspiration for their novels. For example, Fitzgerald's wife, Zelda Sayre, was inspiration for the character Rosalind Connage in his book This Side of Paradise (Curnutt). Cathy Ames, a manipulative character in Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden, was also based off of his second wife, Gwyndolyn Conger (“John Steinbeck Biography”). They also both enjoyed a fairly comfortable childhood with minor family setbacks (Bruccoli). In the beginning of both of their careers, many of their works were rejected. However, both continued to pursue their dreams and eventually became successful. Both The Grapes of Wrath and The Great Gatsby were fairly popular books, with The Grapes of Wrath being the best selling novel of 1939, according to The New York Times (“John Steinbeck Biography”). However both authors’ success dwindled as years went on and their novels and short stories became less

successful.
Steinbeck and Fitzgerald also contrast each other in terms of their backgrounds. Fitzgerald’s book, This Side of Paradise, turned him into an overnight celebrity and the book was very well-received (Bruccoli). Steinbeck’s book was also very popular. However, even though The Grapes of Wrath was extremely popular, it was also very controversial. Steinbeck received some backlash for the novel because of the poor perception it gave of Californian natives, specifically large plantation owners. Because the novel exposed the way that some farmers treated “Okies”, the book was banned and burned in Kern County, California (“John Steinbeck Biography”). Fitzgerald also did not receive any major literary awards and died thinking he was a failure while Steinbeck received many literary awards (Bruccoli). He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1940 for The Grapes of Wrath (“John Steinbeck Biography”).
F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck are both widely known authors that wrote many successful novels. Their personal backgrounds and the historical backgrounds of their novels both have some similarities and differences. However, both of their backgrounds fueled them to stay determined even through rejection, which eventually led to their legacy as well-known and eloquent writers.