F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath are superb models of individual and settings’ contrasting elements. Each novel is respectively set in different decades and both serve as foils of another. In regards to the “American Dream,’’ Great Gatsby and Grapes of Wrath are examples of two separate, yet similar paths of this vision; Gatsby is the respective “Promised land” and contrastingly, Grapes is “hell on earth.”
The Great Gatsby, filled with its accomplished, ostentatious, and scintillating characters, is the beacon and example of the achievement of the American Dream and the “Roaring 20s”. In the carefree fantasy world of the Buchanans and Gatsby, everything is beautiful, clean, and the availability of any material item is limitless. In particular, the Buchanans are especially haughty and even supercilious in manner. They, like every other denizen of the prestigious Egg sections of Long Island, live a secluded grandiose life. The striking contrast and caveat to this is that the family did not have to work for their own wealth. They are part of the ‘old money’ of the nation and their attitudes, especially Tom’s, are reflective of their lack of intercultural awareness and their secret society mindset. When Tom makes the statement, "Civilization's going to pieces. The idea is if we don't look out the white race will be--will be utterly submerged (by niggers). It's up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things” (Ch 1) it is clear evidence of the small-minded bigoted nature of supposedly sophisticated elite. This quotation also gives insight into the mindset of many Americans in regards towards beliefs about the adduced racial and ethni...
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...the idea of an American Dream, much less its attainment, is a dream and a faraway prayer that is mysterious and an intangible concept.
Works Cited
• Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The great Gatsby . New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1995. Print.
• Lombardi, Esther. "'The Great Gatsby' Quotes." Books & Literature Classics. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2011.
• "SparkNotes: The Grapes of Wrath: Important Quotations Explained." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. .
• Lombardi, Esther. "'Grapes of Wrath' Quotes." Books & Literature Classics. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2011.
• Steinbeck, John. The grapes of wrath . New York: Viking Press, 1939. Print
In The Grapes of Wrath the author, John Steinbeck, presents religion in several ways including the fanaticism of the Sin Watchers, Jim Casy’s parallel character to Jesus Christ, and through the use of symbolism throughout the novel. Through these methods, Steinbeck weaves a web in which religion is presented as a double-edged blade; one can go to the path of being truly a devout, kind person, or one can choose the path of zealously, condemning all who would oppose or go against their views.
The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, was Steinbeck’s most controversial and most extensively critiqued novel, released in 1939. It was a heart-breaking story of the Joad family and them trying to find their place in a financially depressed country. One year later, John Ford directed a very popular and audacious film based off of that same novel. Both the novel and the film were widely praised and were very successful works of art. Of course, the film was not a carbon copy of the novel; it added its own flair and perspective to the story of the Joad family.
In conclusion the Grapes of Wrath is a literary masterpiece that portrays the struggles of man as he overcomes the adversity of homelessness, death, and the wrath of prejudice. Steinbeck fully explores each faucet coherently within the boundaries of the Joad family’s trials and
McElderry Jr., B.R. The Grapes of Wrath: In the Light of Modern Critical Theory pp.126-133
The tale of The Grapes of Wrath has many levels of profound themes and meanings to allow us as the reader to discover the true nature of human existence. The author's main theme and doctrine of this story is that of survival through unity. While seeming hopeful at times, this book is more severe, blunt, and cold in its portrayl of the human spirit. Steinbeck's unique style of writing forms timeless and classic themes that can be experienced on different fronts by unique peoples and cultures of all generations.
...on materialism and social class. While novel is widely considered a zeitgeist of the time period, it is also a warning for the American Dream. Although the Dream is not Marxist materialism, it is certainly not traditional individualism and freedom. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby poses a question: what is the American Dream?
The Grapes of Wrath displays one of America’s greatest stumbles during the establishment of our country. The story follows a family hit with the struggles of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Drought, economic hardship, agricultural changes, and bank foreclosures rip the Joads from the quaint town of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, forcing them to take the dreadful journey across the country. Nevertheless, the Joads drag their feet along the trodden path, dragged on by an unassured perseverance. The Joads were driven by a burning fire of desperation, grounded by the hope promised by orange handbills laden with the deceitful lies of the rapacious. For the hopeless seek hope, an elusive destiny sated by lying promises. Steinbeck’s unique style of writing inculcates an abortive hope in the minds of the readers, instilling a lust for the untouched and unloved land which in turn reveals the impossibility of the “American Dream”; through complex symbols and innovative themes, Steinbeck also educates the ignorant, blinded by the vague history books that blot out the full intensity of the calamities and suffering endured by hopeful Okies on their treacherous journey into the unknown.
Through the use of symbolism and critique, F. Scott Fitzgerald is able to elucidate the lifestyles and dreams of variously natured people of the 1920s in his novel, The Great Gatsby. He uses specific characters to signify diverse groups of people, each with their own version of the “American Dream.” Mostly all of the poor dream of transforming from “rags to riches”, while some members of the upper class use other people as their motivators. In any case, no matter how obsessed someone may be about their “American Dream”, Fitzgerald reasons that they are all implausible to attain.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.
Wyatt, David. New Essays on the Grapes of Wrath. New York: Cambridge UP, 1990. Print.
Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath In the novels 'The Great Gatsby' by Scott Fitzgerald and 'The Grapes of Wrath' by John Steinbeck, the authors present similar ideas, but use different methods to portray them. Similarities in themes can be made between the two texts; these include the pursuit of the American Dream and the use and misuse of wealth. Other themes are also central to each novel, the strength in unity and the influence of female characters. The presentation of these similar themes is different, by the use of characters, setting, society, plot, and style and techniques employed by the author.
Wyatt, David ed. New Essays on The Grapes of Wrath. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
DeMott, Robert. Introduction. The Grapes of Wrath. By John Steinbeck. New York: Penguin Books, 1939.
In literature as in life, people often find that they must make difficult choices in order to survive. The reasons behind their decisions and the results of their subsequent actions affect our opinion of them. In the Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, the author portrayed situations where two main characters became involved. The nature of their choices, the reasons behind their decisions, and the results that followed affected them greatly. However, the choices that they made were surmounted successfully. Ma Joad and Tom Joad are two strong characters who overcame laborious predicaments. Their powerful characteristics helped to encourage those that were struggling.
One of the ironies of Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath was that, as Ma Joad said, "If your in trouble or hurt or need -- go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help -- the only ones."(pg 335) The irony is that if you need something you have to go to the people who have nothing.