Aspects of Narrative - Essay Example

Aspects of Narrative Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Establishment of the Context and Major Themes of the Novel by Fitzgerald inChapter 1 and Chapter 2 4 Great Gatsby: A Tale of Deception, Adultery and Murder 7 Historical Context in the novel the Great Gatsby 8 References 10 Bibliography 11 Introduction The Great Gatsby was published on 10th of April in the year of 1925. The book, set against the backdrop of Long Island’s Northern Shore and New York City, partially and essentially brings forward a great criticism of “American Dream” (Fitzgerald, “The Great Gasby”). The novel captivates the preceding years of the great First World War in America. This is the time when the superpower witnessed levels of prosperity which shall remain unprecedented in the history of America and will be always marked with glory as the “roaring” 1920s due to excessive soaring of the economy. At the same time, the society of America also witnessed prohibition which instigated ban on the manufacturing and sale of alcohol as made mandatory by the Eighteenth Amendment. This made many people millionaires out of bootlegger business (CandiULB, “America from 1917 to 2008”). After the republication of the novel during the years of 1945 and 1953, the novel reached the pinnacle of glory and a huge readership acceptance till date and started being considered as the paragon in American literature and classic for its great plot, fascinating narrative and universally relative socio-economic discourse. Establishment of the Context and Major Themes of the Novel by Fitzgerald in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 Chapter One and Chapter Two of the novel form the initiating chapters of the great tale and also present a platform where the author explicitly prepares his readers to understand the theme, background and context of his novel. At the outset of the plot these kinds of hints or psychological grooming of the readers is an evident phenomenon from a great author as Fitzgerald. A thorough and a close introspection of the novel would enable the readers to understand that the plot of the novel is woven into multiple themes pertaining to myriad perspectives about life, culture, age and society that the author intend to present. Amid multiple themes captivated within the tight-lipped plot of the novel, the decline of the American Dream in the 1920s and the hollowness of the higher class form the major themes of the novel. Apart from these two poignant themes, there are also certain minor themes which can be considered as quite pertinent themes present in the novel such as, honesty, decay, roles played by the genders, violence, conflict of the class, religion and World War I. Prior to a close analysis of the context of the novel and its development at the outset of the novel, it becomes obvious from the perspective of the narration that it is a conscious deviation from the writing style of Fitzgerald. The plot opens with the introduction of Nick Carraway. Nick is portrayed as a bachelor from the background of a Midwestern family who graduated from the University of Yale in the year 1915 and participated in the World War I for a while. Nick comes back to the Midwest before his settlement in New York and plans to learn about the “bond business” and despite his wealthy upbringing; Nick continues a modest way of living. In this part of the story, Gatsby, the hero of Nick’s novel is introduced and Nick appears as the author and also the narrator of the story. His description of a “gorgeous” hero in the form of Gatsby at the beginning of the novel indicates that he is deeply disgusted with the national concepts and perceptions that are accepted widely. He indicates explicitly that his education from his father enabled him not to judge people with the same kind of moral standards and parameters he sets for himself. He comments, “In my YOUNGER and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since”. ““Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone”, he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had””. This is a direct critic of the American Dream. Nick can be seen as the product of the American society which he is trying to discern at the moment by not trying to compare it and himself with the other people claiming to be over privileged than he and his nation is. Nick is viewing himself as the product of an economically booming nation and society where consumerism and materialism have reached its optimum limit and find it quite unjust on his part to compare himself with someone who is not equally privileged. Nick is becoming sceptical in the Chapter 1 and trying to build the plot of his critique to the concept of American Dream which he discusses elaborately later in the book. Nick is here anonymous with the super power and actually he is trying to educate the citizens of America to be modest with their exercising of power and wealth as the glory of power seems so out of place for him when the other nations and societies of the world are so unequal and under privileged. In the second chapter, the thematic context takes almost the tone of a dystopia which the author intends to present. The problems of the 1920s and all the criticisms associated with it lurk large in the second chapter of the novel. The contradiction of the East and the West presented pertinently from the initiation of the novel finds its obvious place in the second chapter of the book. The battle between materialism and spirituality becomes poignant phenomena of contrast through the desolate space called the valley of ashes. It is situated just at a small distance from the city of dreams, New York and the gazing eyes of Dr T. J. Eckleburg who witnesses and becomes the vista to the happenings in the valley of ashes where the true colour of America and its dream disclose itself for the first time beyond the city, lights to retell the saga of the American Dream encapsulated with huge irony and deprivation in the novel. Great Gatsby: A Tale of Deception, Adultery and Murder The novel Gatsby contains multiple themes which are intricately woven into the complex plot of the novel. A thorough inspection will also determine the fact that most of the content and socio-economic discourses which F. Scott Fitzgerald wanted to present in this novel are communicated to its readers through various allegorical implications, symbols and images. The main theme of the novel is the pursuit of wealth and hollowness in social status results in the great tragedy of Gatsby’s life. The backdrop of the novel is placed in the jazz age of America during 1920s when consumerism and materialism became the crux of life. To identify the hollow, futile aspect of material life became essential and Fitzgerald wanted to show it through the lonely, mad and enigmatic life of a millionaire who is wandering meaninglessly and tries to win back the love of his life back after a long chase. The claim for the novel, “The Great Gatsby” being a sordid tale of deception, adultery and murder captivated within the pretext of a fascinating one-liner would be pure injustice to the novel and its entirety. Fitzgerald wanted to portray the ugliness, hollowness and carelessness of America in the pursuit of its booming economy. He tries to anchor the responsibility of this mad pursuit for wealth into the shoulders of the upper class which is why he had to show all the naked truth taking place in the upper class of the American society with least veiling of the facts which launched the novel into the platform from where the perception towards it attains a vision of making it a dark tragedy. But the romance, enchantment, bewildering plot, striking images and symbols enable it to attain the pinnacle of perfection and outwardly make it a typical prototype of the canon that might stand with this novel as the guide to depict the essence of true postmodern America in its literary form. Historical Context in the novel the Great Gatsby Every literary product is produced with a concrete historical perception. The modern novel of America, The Great Gatsby is also inspired by phenomenal historical events. Published in the year 1925, the novel gained more popularity in United States and was looked upon by its readers as artistic and matured piece with recurrent modern and social discourse. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s mastery pertaining to the matured treatment of the themes is actually driven by the adherence of the Jazz age generation to the material values of life which are false and futile. Within the tight-lipped span of nine chapters, Nick Carraway, the actual spokesperson of Fitzgerald in the novel presents the trajectory of Jay Gatsby related with the novel through a first person narrative the crest and fall of his protagonist’s life. At the same time consciously, Fitzgerald relates this perception with the contemporary society and socio-economic conditions of America. Fitzgerald viewed the pursuit of attaining respectability in the society and love through the power of wealth, which he portrays through the pursuit of “golden girl”, Daisy Fay Buchanan as the callous and immoral responsibility of the upper class affluent American society during 1920s. A close introspection through the pages of the novel will enable the readers to understand that Fitzgerald actually tried to capture the age in his novel. In other words, the novel is a witness of the time captured within a small frame of nine chapters where the economic boom attained both legal by legal means as well as illegal means. The hollow madness for the acquisition of power and wealth and the display of status through the grand parties and purchase of automobiles became common phenomena. At the same time, the tragic end and violent death of Jay symbolised the end of the age, a pace of disillusionment during the post World War I era and the collapse of Jay actually marks the collapse of the era and onset of the dystopia towards the American Dream (Galley, “The American Dream in "The Great Gatsby"). References CandiULB, “America from 1917 to 2008”. January 20, 2011. US History and Geography, 2008. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. “The Great Gasby”. January 20, 2011. FVHS, 1925. Galley, Jenna. “The American Dream in "The Great Gatsby"”. January 20, 2011. Content, 2008. Bibliography Fitzgerald, Francis Scott. The Great Gatsby NuVision Publications, LLC, 2008. Fitzgerald, Francis Scott. & Bruccoli, Matthew Joseph. The Great Gasby Cambridge University Press, 1991. Read More