AS Level English Literature - Aspects of Narrative - Essay Example

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”