How Does Fitzgerald Present Identity In The Great Gatsby
How does Fitzgerald present identity in ‘The Great Gatsby’ Use ‘The Bluest Eye’ to illuminate your answer.
‘The Great Gatsby’ by F.Scott Fitzgerald is set in America before the Great Depression, and focuses on the aristocrats of “West and East Egg”; Fitzgerald explores identity through the characters and their greed for money, the search of love and the unachievable American dream. The novel is named after a young man who in by pursuing the love of his life loses his identity. ‘The Bluest Eye’ by Toni Morrison is a novel set in America in the era of the Great Depression. ‘The Bluest Eye’ focuses on an African American family and their struggle, in particular the struggle of their daughter Pecola and her abuse. Both novels capture the failure …show more content…
Fitzgerald allows the reader to think that Nick isn’t part of the stereotypical young men living in West and East Egg. However this idea is shattered as Nick interprets people through their class throughout the novel. He is racist and a classist. An example of this is when he describes driving past a funeral procession for an African American man on the bridge with Gatsby; ‘three modish negroes…I laughed aloud as the yolks of their eyeballs rolled towards us in haughty rivalry” this statement would have had Nick arrested for racism in present times but in the era of the novel it was perfectly acceptable. Fitzgerald presents Nick profound racism as an example of how even though modernism was overtaking most of America, and many Americans perceptions of race and status were changing, the people of the upper class were not going to change anytime soon. The reader feels let down at this point as we realize that although Nick is against the way Tom treats Daisy and tries to help her escape to a better life with Gatsby, he fails to see the audacity of Toms violence towards Myrtle. Tom’s beliefs mirror his old money stature. He expects to be able to do what he wants, for example have Myrtle as a mistress and have Daisy as a wife. However the moment he suspects Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship he decides to move Daisy away. Tom’s medieval approach to their relationship highlights just how different he was to the modernist era that was developing across
‘The Great Gatsby’ by F.Scott Fitzgerald is set in America before the Great Depression, and focuses on the aristocrats of “West and East Egg”; Fitzgerald explores identity through the characters and their greed for money, the search of love and the unachievable American dream. The novel is named after a young man who in by pursuing the love of his life loses his identity. ‘The Bluest Eye’ by Toni Morrison is a novel set in America in the era of the Great Depression. ‘The Bluest Eye’ focuses on an African American family and their struggle, in particular the struggle of their daughter Pecola and her abuse. Both novels capture the failure …show more content…
Fitzgerald allows the reader to think that Nick isn’t part of the stereotypical young men living in West and East Egg. However this idea is shattered as Nick interprets people through their class throughout the novel. He is racist and a classist. An example of this is when he describes driving past a funeral procession for an African American man on the bridge with Gatsby; ‘three modish negroes…I laughed aloud as the yolks of their eyeballs rolled towards us in haughty rivalry” this statement would have had Nick arrested for racism in present times but in the era of the novel it was perfectly acceptable. Fitzgerald presents Nick profound racism as an example of how even though modernism was overtaking most of America, and many Americans perceptions of race and status were changing, the people of the upper class were not going to change anytime soon. The reader feels let down at this point as we realize that although Nick is against the way Tom treats Daisy and tries to help her escape to a better life with Gatsby, he fails to see the audacity of Toms violence towards Myrtle. Tom’s beliefs mirror his old money stature. He expects to be able to do what he wants, for example have Myrtle as a mistress and have Daisy as a wife. However the moment he suspects Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship he decides to move Daisy away. Tom’s medieval approach to their relationship highlights just how different he was to the modernist era that was developing across