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Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath

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Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath

In the novels 'The Great Gatsby' by Scott Fitzgerald and 'The Grapes of Wrath' by John Steinbeck, the authors present similar ideas, but use different methods to portray them. Similarities in themes can be made between the two texts; these include the pursuit of the American Dream and the use and misuse of wealth. Other themes are also central to each novel, the strength in unity and the influence of female characters. The presentation of these similar themes is different, by the use of characters, setting, society, plot, and style and techniques employed by the author. The pairing of these two texts gave me a clear …show more content…

The different interpretations of the American dream allowed me to achieve an understanding of how Fitzgerald and Steinbeck use different methods to present the same theme. Tom and Daisy's interpretation of the American Dream is shown by Fitzgerald in Nick's evaluation of Tom's house. He describes the house as being

'even more elaborate than [he] expected… the lawn ran for a quarter of a mile… the front reflected with gold' (pg 12-13)

this emphasises their focus on materialistic worth and possessions. Steinbeck describes the simplicity of the dreams of the Joad's in Ma's description of the boxcar.

'It's nice,' she said. It's almost nicer than anything we had' (pg 182).

The setting of each novel also conveys the theme of the American Dream. The authors convey the same theme using different surroundings, but with similar meanings, reinforcing my understanding of how authors present similar ideas in different ways.

'The Great Gatsby' is set in the Jazz Age of the 1920's in New York, however 'The Grapes of Wrath' is set a decade later during the depression of the 1930's. Each author emphasises the importance of the setting in relation to the American Dream, rather symbolically. In 'The Great Gatsby' there are references made by Fitzgerald to the East and West Eggs and the Valley of Ashes. In the East Egg the American Dream has been

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