Mrs Dalloway and The Great Gatsby - Thematic, Narrative and Philosophical Differences - Book Report/Review Example

Freedom often finds different focus. In Mrs. Dalloway, and The Great Gatsby, many characters pursue their own particular understanding of freedom. What does freedom mean to characters in these novels? What determines the outcome of their pursuit of it? Introduction: The era of modernism in the history of English literature introduced a new form of artistic sensibility, perception and sense of aesthetics, which can be regarded as an unprecedented experience from critical perspective. The novels like Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf and The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald are brilliant examples that encompass the modernist sprit within their respective scope. The interpretation and representation of individualism and celebration of individual existence as an independent identity emerged as one of the most popular themes of discussion among modernist writers. Mrs. Dalloway (1925) by Virginia Woolf and The Great Gatsby (1925) by Scott Fitzgerald were published in such a time, when the cultivation of modernist intellectualism was heading towards culmination. In either of the novels the idea of freedom and cultivation of individualism in the post World War I England has been manifested from different perspectives. However, there is no denial of the fact that crisis of artistic endeavor that artists like Stephane Mallarme and Allan Strindberg discussed at the initial period of modernism received a new dimension in these two novels and consequently issues like aesthetic sensibility, representation of reality and celebration of individual freedom received masterful treatment from the novelists (Lewis 1-2). One of the major features of the modernist literature has been diversity of representation. The writers of the era not only challenged preconceived modes of representation but also through their unique representational mode and diversity of narrative pattern they attempted to deconstruct the conventional as well as institutionalized norms regarding interpretation of art, aesthetics and scope of individual liberty: “One especially influential strand of modernism, often taken as emblematic of the movement as a whole, rejected representation altogether. In part because the early theorists of modernism were particularly concerned with the formal characteristics of the work of art or literature, the history of modernism has largely been written in terms of formal developments. Equally, however, modernism resulted from the challenge of representing new content, the historical experiences of the modern world, in the context of changing social norms about the status of art and literature themselves” (Lewis 2). The radical change in the context of representation and intellectual perception of existence in the post World War I era was greatly incited due to Dadaist and Surrealist artistic movements that attempted to bring forth “absolute freedom from preoccupations” (Young 19). The literary artists, in their effort to free themselves from all forms of preoccupation, used art as an effective medium to attain this goal. Consequently the novels in the modernist era not only emerged as the medium to represent the reality but also encompassed the spirit of freedom that an entire generation started to believe. As the modernist novelists dealt with the idea of freedom from such a dynamic and diverse perspective, characters in the novels also emerged as prototype of real life situations, consequently helped readers in exploring the multiple dimensions of the idea of freedom. Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway and Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby are two such instances that reflected over the diverse idea of freedom in according the terms of modernist aesthetics, intellect and realism. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf: Virginia Woolf is not only considered as one of the major figures of the modernist movement but also the relevance of her writing has been celebrated to a greater extent in the forthcoming era in the context of evaluating the possibilities of individual freedom. In the history of English literature modernism is considered as such a phase that resulted in the development of various social, theoretical and philosophical traditions. The emergence of feminism from this perspective can be considered as one of the most important events that influenced the course of social politics to a great extent. In a quite simplistic and generalized manner feminist can be defined as the socio-philosophical discipline that aims at ensuring freedom and equality of women along with their male counterparts in every discipline of social existence. Virginia Woolf used her artistic capacities to expand as well as emphasize over the importance of organizing feminist movement in order to establish the possibilities of women liberty on a stronger foundation against the oppressions of the male dominated society. In the context of evaluating the importance of Virginia Woolf, Lisa Low has opined that “The Leavisite reading of Virginia Woolf as an effete snob who wrote politically irrelevant upper class novels of manners has altered radically…. … Woolf has emerged not only as a major voice, but as a political revolutionary … whose novels … provide a radical philosophical critique of a variety of social ills, among them nationalism, colonialism, imperialism, misogyny, and war” (Low 92). The patriarchal society has used each of these instruments quite effectively in different phases of human civilization in order to dominate their female counterparts. Thus, Woolf has not only used her artistic capacities to criticize the social politics of patriarchy, aimed against their female counterparts quite in a systematized way, but also through her writing she has emphasized on the fact that in terms of intellectual capacity women are not subordinate to their male counterparts. The narrative of Mrs. Dalloway is replete with such instances that illustrate the magnitude of women’s self-reliance as an individual entity and like a free human entity a woman can find her way irrespective of all forms of patriarchal oppressions. The very opening sentence of the novel bears the essence of a woman’s self-reliance and quest for freedom: “Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself. For Lucy had her work cut out for her. The doors would be taken off their hinges; Rumplemayer’s men are coming. And then, thought Clarissa Dalloway, what a morning – fresh as if issued to children on a beach” (Woolf 5). The opening part of the novel is highly relevant in the context of understanding Woolf’s notion of freedom and feminism. Mrs. Dalloway’s decision to purchase the flower by “herself” reflects her sense of independence even over the most simple of the tasks and consequently rejection to remain dependent on anyone else is also clear from this very sentence. Lucy had to compromise over her working hours for her: this very fact made her realize that she is under Lucy’s debt and consequently this very fact appealed to her sense of independence that in order to remain free from favor or any dependence she needs to compensate her. Finally, amidst all her thoughts she could not help to relish her idea of freedom in the form of being innocent as a child and relish the vastness of a sea beach with the totality of her entity. In this context it becomes important to understand Woolf’s rational to celebrate such a carefree existence by denying the oppressions of social constraints and patriarchal domination. Several scholars like Septimus Smith have identified and attempted to interpret Mrs. Dalloway as a political novel. Consequently they also have suggested that in the post World War I period, evolve of Fascism was observed by a genius author like Woolf as a crisis against Western humanist discourse. Thus, she wrote Mrs. Dalloway as her medium of artistic resistance against fascist oppression. However, keeping in mind Low’s argument that patriarchy actually used the political instrument to condemn the emergence of feminist consciousness it can be said that Mrs. Dalloway is actually intellectually resistive effort of a feminist against the naked aggression of patriarchal oppression. Woolf has clearly identified that in order to survive the socio-political oppression women are required to asset the traits of their physical and intellectual existence with such strength that has never been experienced before. It is because of the reason the intellectual capacity of Mrs. Dalloway is different from the entire generation and consequently she finds that self-criticism is the most effective way to defy the norms of social oppression and consequently attain freedom: “Such fools we are, she thought, crossing Victoria Street. For Heaven only knows why one loves it so, how one sees it so, making it up, building it round one, tumbling it, creating it every moment afresh …” (Woolf 6). Mrs. Dalloway is definitely an isolated character but the interesting part of the characterization is that she never appears to a reader as an individual who requires to be sympathized or pitted for her isolated existence; rather isolation can be observed as a strength for her that not only has helped Mrs. Dalloway to develop her sense of independence but also she realizes the importance of attaining freedom from all forms of social existence even going beyond the realms of feminist interpretation of the patriarchal politics: “This late age of the world’s experience has bred in them all, all men and women, a well of tears. Tears and sorrow; courage and endurance; a perfectly upright and stoical bearing” (Woolf 12). It is not that Mrs. Dalloway does not seek love but her idea of freedom definitely encounters a barrier with the idea of love. Perhaps, it is very ideal of commitment and relational restrain that the protagonist identifies as a part of the male dominated social politics and consequently uses her ego, which actually can be interpreted within the novel’s context as self-respect, as an effective way to remove the obstacles: “But the indomitable egotism which forever rides down the hosts opposed to it, the river which says on, on, on; even though, it admits, there may be no goal for us whatever, still on, on; this indomitable egotism charged her cheeks with color; made her look very young; very pink; very bright-eyed …” (Woolf 51). The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald: Harold Bloom has evaluated The Great Gatsby in following words: “The Great Gatsby has only a few rivals as the great American novel of the twentieth century …. Formal shaping is one of the many aesthetic virtues of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterwork: style, characterization, and plot are all superbly balanced to achieve a highly unified end …. Even after many decades, the relevance of The Great Gatsby increase, because it is the definitive romance of the American dream, a concept or vision that haunts our society” (Bloom 7). Unlike the modernist cosmos as represented in Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, Scott Fitzgerald’s in this novel has attempted to provide a vivid impression of an individual’s quest for idealism, faith and fulfillment. In the modernist world where romance, idealism, morality are considered to be lost virtues and consequently they are regarded as absurdity, Gatsby’s yearning for idealism in such a scenario truly makes the novel a lively documentary of the plight and existential crisis, shared by every modern individual entity. While it has been reflected in the novel that in order to attain his freedom the protagonist is required to breach the limits of mundane that the modernist world has surrounded him with, on the other hand like that of Mrs. Dalloway he also strives to free himself from the patriarchal influence. However, his struggle to fight for his freedom his not total defiance of the patriarchy as it is evident in the Mrs. Dalloway; rather it is like being trapped within the realm of such inescapability that more he tries to free himself further he finds himself within tighter grip: “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 any one,” he told me, “just remember that all people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had”” ( Fitzgerald 7). For Gatsby the idea of being free in being free is to be liberalized from all forms conceptions that are injected within our very existence by cultural and social factors. Here the protagonist’s father is not the father figure or the typical symbol of patriarchal oppression that can be found in Mrs. Dalloway; rather father in this context becomes just another instrument of social dominance that attempts to manipulate the psychological development of a child’s mind in such a way as if to create another prototype like him. Compared to Mrs. Dalloway, Gatsby is entirely different because though the protagonist of Virginia Woolf is different from the rest of her surrounding both intellectually and egotistically, the character of Gatsby is quite simplistic and he his idea of freedom that has reflected from the novel is romantic, to some existent Platonic and provides an impression as that it is the very basic aspiration of all human beings to head back to the world of complete innocence without any materialist and immoral interferences. It is due to this very reason that the novelist has presented Gatsby as permanently innocent and consequently the readers also have accepted this stature of the protagonist without questioning: “You make me feel uncivilized, Daisy,” I confessed on my second glass of corky but rather impressive claret …. I meant nothing in particular by this remark, but it was taken up in an unexpected way” (Fitzgerald 15). It is the traits of innocence in his character that sets Gatsby apart from his modernist counterparts. Standing over the backdrop of modernist complexity, identity crisis and decaying standard of morals Gatsby feels the impulse of innocence, which compels him to perceive and discuss things in such ways that are not supposed to be perceived or discussed in such simplistic manner. Though the protagonist is not introduced to the readers until end of the Chapter I, however, some of the essential traits of his character have been conveyed to the audience through the similarities between the narrator and Gatsby. However, the way Jay Gatsby has been introduced to the readers has a deep symbolic connotation. His strict denial to be a part of the general course of society, his choice of alienation and finally his sudden vanishing, each of these aspects show that a character like him though is rare in the modern world, however, has no other option than to vanish because the modernist existence always refuses existence of such individuals: “Involuntarily I glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a clock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness” (Fitzgerald 21). The beauty of Fitzgerald’s narrative is such that though this particular description the common plight of modernist existence has been beautifully exposed. While Gatsby has realized himself as an alien entity, on the other hand, his vanishing reminded the narrator of his alienation too. It is the crisis of modernist existence that while on one hand it encourages the development of individualist philosophy, on the other hand the individuals fail to remain content with their respective individualism. The hunger for being recognized, accompanied and desire to reach back to the cosmos of perfect harmony is eternal. Gatsby has emerged as such a character that remained people of their hidden desires to enjoy a unified and simplistic existence. Conclusion: Mrs. Dalloway and The Great Gatsby, apart from having their thematic, narrative and philosophical differences are also separate from each other in terms of socio-cultural backdrop. While Mrs. Dalloway has been written during such a time while England was striving to recover from the destruction of the World War I, The Great Gatsby is based on the American socio-cultural platform that was not affected so severely by the First Global War and consequently emerged as one of most powerful nations in the global economy. In terms of characterization, protagonist in each novel belongs at two extremities. Mrs. Dalloway has chosen her isolation due to her intellectual development, egotism and self-reliance. Compared to Mrs. Dalloway, Mr. Gatsby does not possess highly effective intellectual capacity and he also does not have the capacity to understand the politics of human relations. He realizes that naturally he is an alien compared to the traits of modernist existence. Though he knows that he has survive and consequently does everything to ensure his survival within a ruthlessly mundane surrounding, however, the innocence of his character cannot be mistaken and this very aspect defines the essential feature of Gatsby’s character. In terms of philosophical interpretation of these two novels it can be said that the humanist defiance of Mrs. Dalloway’s character against prevailing socio-political arbitrariness in waved with deep feminist connotation. Mrs. Dalloway can be regarded to some extent self-centric when it comes to her realization of freedom and she is more concerned about liberation of women from hands of the patriarch social instruments. Gatsby, on the other hand, represents the spirit of eternal quest of human beings to attain the romantic, virtuous, harmonious and moral existence of the past and his death clearly implies the spiritual failure of humankind to attain the state of blissful existence. Works Cited Bloom, Harold. F. Scott Fitzgerald's The great Gatsby. London: Infobase Publishing. 2006. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Sioux Falls, South Dakota: NuVision Publications, LLC. 2008. Lewis, Pericles. The Cambridge introduction to modernism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2007. Low, Lisa. “’Thou Canst Not Touch the Freedom of My Mind’: Fascism and Disruptive Female Consciousness in Mrs. Dalloway”. Virginia Woolf and fascism: resisting the dictators' seduction. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 2001. Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway.  Gloucestershire: Collectors Library. 2003. Young, Alan. Dada and After: Extremist Modernism and English Literature. Manchester: The Manchester University Press ND. 1983. Read More