Fitzgerald presents the negative influence of category on romantic relationships in ‘The Great Gatsby. ’ Discuss this sentiment and see how Charlotte Bronte’s ‘Jane Eyre’ illuminates your apprehension of the nucleus text. In ‘The Great Gatsby’ love and relationships are the chief subjects. with Fitzgerald underscoring the differences in category between Gatsby and Daisy and how their different backgrounds strains their relationship until it is destroyed. Critics such as Michelle McLean agree that ‘the characters face jobs that stem from money and their topographic point in society. Daisy is non free to love Gatsby. even one time he additions money. because of his societal position. ’ Charlotte Bronte besides presents how differences in societal category have a negative influence on relationships in ‘Jane Eyre. ’ yet unlike Fitzgerald’s the novel has a happy stoping where love transcends category differences. Fitzgerald presents different societal categories through his characters and their attitude towards money. Tom and Daisy Buchanan are a portion of the respected upper category and are an illustration of the 1920’s Lost Generation whose munificent life styles epitomise the hedonism of the Jazz Age. The East Egg is a symbol of people like Tom and Daisy who come from old. affluent households who have inherited their money. However. it is obvious that their matrimony is unreal and both are unhappily married.
Their babe is a symbol of how superficial their matrimony is ; their kid is briefly mentioned in conversation ‘You ought to see the babe. ’ and shortly bury about. Fitzgerald leaves the babe unnamed to do it look impersonal and non existent which mirrors Tom and Daisy’s matrimony. The reader suspects that Daisy does non truly love Tom as Fitzgerald uses Jordan Baker’s duologue with Nick to depict Daisy being ‘as rummy as a monkey’ and holding uncertainties the dark before their nuptials: ‘Tell ‘em all Daisy’s change’ her mine. ’ Another factor to propose that their matrimony is negatively affected by societal category is Tom’s matter with Myrtle. Fitzgerald uses Myrtle to stand for the poorer societal category who dream of being affluent with her ‘several old transcripts of Town Tattle’ symbolizing her despair to be a portion of the upper category. Myrtle’s sentiment of her hubby has been destroyed by the negative effects of category as she considers him ‘socially beneath’ her and ‘not tantrum to cream my shoe’ and merely uses him as a hubby to keep an easy life until her phantasy with Tom becomes existent.
Similarly in ‘Jane Eyre’ St John Rivers has no echt feelings for Jane but wishes her to be his married woman to attach to him as a missional in India and to better his societal visual aspect. Although St John is of an equal societal category with Jane. get marrieding him would intend pretermiting her ain demand for true love. Gatsby. despite his low beginnings. is now merely every bit rich as the Buchanans. nevertheless it is intimated that he has earned his money illicitly through bootlegging ‘’He’s a moonshiner. ’ said the immature ladies. ’ During the early 1920’s Prohibition was introduced in America which was a jurisprudence against the industry. sale and conveyance of intoxicant. Fitzgerald uses the storyteller. Nick to demo that Gatsby is lying about inheriting his money: ‘He looked at me sideways – I knew why Jordan Baker had thought he was lying. ’ Therefore Gatsby is non every bit respected as Tom and Daisy because he has new money. which is why he lives in West Egg and is non accepted socially by the old money of the Buchanans. 547 words
‘Jane Eyre’ is set during 1820’s Victorian England. an epoch of rigorous societal hierarchy when. likewise to ‘The Great Gatsby’ societal categories were divided harmonizing to wealth and heritage from households. Victorian governesses. such as Jane. were expected to possess the civilization of nobility. but yet were unable to socialize with the upper category except in the instance of work. Jane is surrounded by wealth. particularly at Gateshead Hall and Thornfield. Gateshead Hall is full of ‘red moreen curtains’ and ‘folds of vermilion curtain. ’ Charlotte Bronte’s usage of rich. deep colors is to underscore the wealth of the household but besides to reflect the danger they pose to Jane. As the novel progresses the attractive force between Mr. Rochester and Jane is apparent. Jane’s insecurity about her ain societal place and category is increased as she witnesses the Ingram’s show of snobbism and classism: ‘in hers I see all the mistakes of her category. ’ This remark encapsulates the Victorian bias against the hapless and the negative consequence that classism has on true love as it becomes clear to Jane that she and Mr. Rochester will ne’er be peers. Jane’s refusal to get married Mr. Rochester accentuates their difference in societal Stationss and demonstrates her morality and belief in the importance of personal independency: ‘I am a free homo being with an independent will. ’
Bronte uses hapless false belief to show how category negatively influences Jane and Mr. Rochester’s relationship. As Jane eventually admits to her desire for Mr. Rochester ‘a pennant of air current. ’ ‘trembled through the boughs of the chestnut. ’ Besides. as Mr. Rochester proposes to Jane: ‘a livid. graphic flicker leapt out of a cloud. ’ This foreshadows how their nuptials and relationship will be destroyed by secrets of the upper category. that Rochester considers himself above society’s regulations and attempts a bigamist matrimony. Fitzgerald besides uses hapless false belief as he describes the ‘Valley of the Ashes’ as a symbol of the poorer societal categories. The vale of ashes is an ‘ash-grey’ topographic point of poorness used as a dumping land for the waste merchandises of the metropolis and the waste merchandise of Tom and Daisy’s matrimony: Myrtle. Fitzgerald uses long lists of Grey. dull objects made from ash and bleak. dull colors to underscore the graduated table of decay: ‘grey autos. ’ ‘grotesque gardens. ’ Fitzgerald sardonically uses a contrasting simile: ‘ashes grow like wheat into ridges’ to underscore how small optimism and happiness the country has which draws a parallel nexus to the contrasting adult females in Tom’s life.
This is effectual because ‘wheat’ and ‘gardens’ are associated with life. whilst ‘ashes’ are associated with decease and depression. This emphasises the negative consequence of wealth by demoing how the vale has been destroyed by the ugly byproducts of consumerism that is forgotten and non of import to the affluent Egg communities. This mirrors how Myrtle’s dirty efforts to destruct Tom’s matrimony have failed because Tom is merely another greedy. upper category adult male who wants an easy upper category life. Fitzgerald besides uses imagination of the ‘ash-grey men’s ‘transcendent attempt. ’ In my sentiment this is effectual because it adds to the dismal atmosphere created by the vale by demoing the reader how all the people’s energy is taken up merely as they struggle to gain a life. but despite their battles they’re ‘already crumbling. ’ Gatsby emphasises his wealth in an effort to derive societal position. and hopefully Daisy’s regard. by abundantly portraying an European manner of life with his sign of the zodiac: an ‘imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy’ with ‘a marble swimming pool! ’ and a ‘gothic library’ with ‘carved English Oak. ’ and his ‘rich pick coloured’ British Rolls-Royce. However. Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby and his life every bit unreal as he describes Gatsby’s house ‘spanking new under a thin face fungus of Hedera helix. ’ 1070 words
Gatsby is besides referred to as an American theatrical show as he’s described as a ‘regular Belasco’ which suggests that even though Gatsby presents himself as respected. upper category. it is all an act for the benefit of Daisy which obviously isn’t adequate to carry her off from her comfy. epicurean life. The calamity at the terminal of the novel is due to the negative consequence of category on Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship. At first they are merrily reunited. Fitzgerald does this to intentionally misdirect the reader to further underscore the negative effects of category on their relationship as Gatsby becomes defeated that Daisy can non populate up to his phantasy because of the ‘colossal verve of his illusion’ and it becomes clear that Daisy’s selfish purposes are still the same even after her ‘month of love’ with Gatsby. Daisy merely married Tom because Gatsby ‘was hapless and she was tired of waiting’ and now she refuses to go forth Tom because she already has an easy. epicurean life.
However. the stoping of ‘Jane Eyre’ presents the rare juncture where true love conquers tradition as Bronte uses the novel to show her ain review of Victorian category differences. Jane’s strong belief in societal equality challenges the Victorian biass against the hapless. although Jane asserts that her poorness does non do her an inferior individual. finally her dominance out of poorness by her heritage. which she generously portions with her cousins. give her fiscal independency to get married Mr. Rochester: ‘I am an independent adult female now. every bit good as rich: I am my ain kept woman. ’ Unfortunately. Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship isn’t strong plenty to defy the negative influences of category and despite Gatsby taking the incrimination for Myrtle’s slaying. his lower category love was non plenty for Daisy who didn’t bother directing a ‘message or a flower’ to his funeral. which obviously shows that she is non affected by the devastation of their relationship. or his decease.
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