Similarities between Heart of Darkness and Great Gatsby, specifically between Kurtz and Gatsby include:
Both appear great and powerful but are actually conflicted and lead convoluted lives
Both have lovers
Both strongly pursue whatever they care for most, be it material like ivory, or a lost love like Daisy
Both are mysterious to the protagonists and the public until a good amount of time into the story
Both go after what appears to make them happy, but actually causes strife, conflict, and ultimately their demise within their lives
Like in Carl Jung's theory on personas, both Kurtz and Gatsby create "social masks" for themselves because they care too much about what others think.
Other similiarities in these stories include:
The “truths” that the protagonists have to tell the public when their “idols” die make the passed character seem as though they were never corrupt or made mistakes
Women represent the good, positive ideals of civilization that are desired by many to create a "nice" persona for others
Money adds to the idols' facades that they are above the "normal" people
Marriages in Great Gatsby involve infidelity, like Tom and Daisy's marriage and Wilson and Myrtle's marriage
Both stories are told from the point of view of a person uninvolved in the lives of other characters, Marlow and Nick, until soon before or after the beginning of the story
Thesis Statement: Heart of Darkness and Great Gatsby are literary works that possess traits of modernism, including the contrast between appearance and reality shown through the superficial views held by the public with regard to the seemingly nonchalant lives that certain characters of that society lead.
Alingham, Philip. "White Lies and Whited Sepulchers in Conrad's Heart of Darkness." Victorian Web. (2000): 1. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/conrad/pva52.html>.
AZ Lyrics. Evanescence Lyrics: Everybody’s Fool.
AZlyrics.com, 2011. Web. 23 October 2011.
Hastings, David. Figure-Ground Relationship: Elements Are Perceived as Either Figures (Objects of Focus) or Ground (the Rest of the Perceptual Field). Sunstar Creative, 2011. Web. 23 October 2011.
Imdb.com, Inc. Memorable Quotes for Inception. Amazon.com, 2011. Web. 23 October 2011.
LyricsMode. Attack Attack! : I Swear I’ll Change Lyrics. MTV Networks, 2011. Web. 23 October 2011.
Metrolyrics. Echobelly: The World Is Flat Lyrics. CBS Interactive Music Group, 2011. Web. 23 October 2011.
Millett, Frederick. "Analysis: The Great Gatsby." Fred's College Years. 1. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <https://www.msu.edu/~millettf/gatsby.html>.
Mitchell, Gregory. Carl Jung & Jungian Analytical Psychology. Trans4mind, 2011. Web. 23 October 2011.
Nolan, Christopher. “The Dark Knight Ending Speech – HQ.” 24 July 2010. Online Video Clip. Accessed on 23 October 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDQob4AOCsQ&feature=related>.
Nolan, Christopher. “The Dark Knight – Joker Ending Speech.” 7 January 2009. Online Video Clip. Accessed on 23 October 2011. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jfh24uYCofg>.
Nolan, Christopher. “The Dark Knight – The Joker Hostage News Tape.” 21 December 2008. Online Video Clip. Accessed on 23 October 2011. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-DaKtOkz7s>.
Nolan, Christopher. “The Dark Knight – Some Men Just Want to Watch the World Burn.” 27 April 2010. Online Video Clip. Accessed on 23 October 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efHCdKb5UWc>. Odak, Shelia. "Comparing The Great Gatsby and Heart of Darkness." Bright Hub. (2010): 1. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.brighthub.com/education/homework-tips/articles/76102.asp&xgt;.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. 23 October 2011. http://pd.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/hamlet.
Unknown. “Appearance Vs. Reality.” Protagonize. 26 November 2010. Web. 23 October 2011. http://www.protagonize.com/poem/rite-of-spring/113926.
Wilson, Kevin. Introduction to Sigmund Freud’s Theory on Dreams. Insomnium, 2005. Web. 23 October 2011.
This literary criticism involves the comparison of the two novels, showing how the appearance vs. reality is present in Great Gatsby by saying, "all that Gatsby has yearned for: his desire to achieve the American dream, and his love for Daisy. However, by the end of the novel, both of these pursuits have become tainted and have crumbled and decayed." Gatsby has these great desires, but beneath the surface he has many flaws to his life. It says that in Heart of Darkness, this concept is present by stating, "In his pursuit of ivory... the white man has embraced and encouraged the darkest parts of his nature. Rather than enlightenment, what has been fostered is murder, madness, death, and destruction." This shows how a lifestyle that appears to bring enlightenment is actually bringing atrocities.
This literary criticism is about the novel Great Gatsby and how the appearance vs. reality theme is in the book. "Daisy tells Gatsby that he reminds her of an advertisement. This statement confirms that Daisy does not like Gatsby for himself, but for the superficial illusion he represents." Here we see that the character of Daisy is lost in the materialistic, lavish lifestyle of Gatsby and not so much the man behind it all. It is his appearance that she is interested in, not willing to see reality.
This literary criticism is on the novella Heart of Darkness. It shows the concept of appearance vs. reality. It says, “That the first class of malefaction is connected to the second is illustrated in the downfall of the story's secondary protagonist, the tragically deluded and hubristic Mr. Kurtz. The European idealist, believing the lies of his Company and of the economic imperialism that supports it, is unprepared for the test of character that the Congo imposes, and succumbs to the potential for the diabolical latent within every human consciousness.” Here we see that Mr. Kurtz appears to be an idealistic man with everything going for him, but in reality, he is a man who has seen what the world outside of civilization is like. Kurtz has become someone who has to fight for his life in the wilderness.
Annotations - White Lies and Whited Sepulchers in Conrad's Heart of Darkness
“Seen from the perspective of Conrad's nameless, objective persona, the evils that Marlow encountered on the expedition to the "heart of darkness," Kurtz's Inner Station on the banks of the snake-like Congo River, fall into two categories: the petty misdemeanors and trivial lies that are common- place, and the greater evils — the grotesque acts society attributes to madmen.” - personas are mentioned (related to Jungian psychology), the petty misdemeanors can be related to manifest content of dreams (appearance) while the greater evils relate to the larger, universal impact on society (reality).
“Ironically, Marlow finishes his story of African adventure at the point where Kurtz's career in crimes against humanity in all likelihood began, with a rationalization, a justified lie.” - in certain cases, are lies ultimately bad? No - lies, like many abstractions, cannot be objectively classified as being “good” or “bad” because their location on the moral compass varies depending on the situation.
“When Marlow describes his city of departure . . . , white is immediately problematized for the reader. The color acquires not only sepulchral connotations but also moral dubiousness, Marlow's description recalling the Biblical phrase for the hypocrite, the man of inner darkness whitewashed by outer manner and conventional deed (Rosmarin 161).” - white is a stark contrast to darkness. White is used to describe/define purity and cleanliness, so relating the color (or absence of it) to the story is a bit of a stretch.
“The answers to Marlow's motivation are to be discovered in the nature of the lie itself and in the nature of the liar. Lies, of course, have proven indispensable to fabulists ever since Cain lied to God in Genesis and Odysseus slipped out of one disguise into another in The Odyssey . But Marlow's lie is neither as wicked as Cain's (especially since it acknowledges his need to be the keeper of his spiritual brother's memory) nor as self-serving but justifiable as Odysseus's.” - reinforces the belief that the gravity of a lie is dependent on the situation, and that there is no set level of “wrongness” that all lies are placed on.
“As the story unfolds, Marlow reverses the normal symbology of the black-white dichotomy, so that gradually darkness comes to mean truth, whiteness falsehood.” - explains why the author of this article used white to relate to the story: because Conrad twisted the otherwise pure color into symbolizing all that darkness originally stood for.
- Analysis: The Great Gatsby
“His book has been considered by many a symbol for the "Jazz Age," a time of extraordinary wealth and promise, but Fitzgerald's novel is much more than that, presenting the truth behind the twenties and creating an atmosphere which has earned a permanent place in American literature.” - the “Jazz Age” was named not only because jazz kicked off during this era, but the genre itself could be used to define the societal changes during the time. Jazz was, and still is, a very experimental and unpredictable style of music relative to what had been heard at the time, the same which could be said about the style of living during the Roaring Twenties. Although Jazz appeared to some as a primitive and random genre, the musical structure and composition behind it was rather complex, and has only become more complex as new harmonies were discovered to be usable.
“At the beginning of the second chapter, however, we are introduced to the "foul wasteland" of the present. Fitzgerald calls it a "valley of ashes" (16), where only the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg look over it from a billboard nearby. This section of the novel can be interpreted as the foul, material-driven world that the main characters live in, and which helps to destroy Gatsby's dream.” - the image from these sentences contrast with Gatsby’s high-class lifestyle. The “roaring” of the aristocrats in the twenties was a facade for some of their strained personal relationships and a curtain covering the hardships of the less-fortunate population.
“Gatsby, by changing his name, in a way creates himself anew, making his life more like that of God. In chapter eight, we find two instances of religious imagery. Daisy is compared to the "Holy Grail" and Gatsby's dream is like a knight's quest, showing once again the dream's spiritual nature. Also in this chapter, we see Gatsby, after the car accident, looking over Daisy from her yard, trying to protect her.” - not questioning Fitzgerald’s use of symbolism, but this part of the article could serve as a reminder that reading between the lines can be taken so far as to cause the reader to rationalize false/confused analogies/metaphors.
“Now, America itself is corrupted, so the characters in The Great Gatsby travel from west to east - in search of wealth and sophistication - leaving the moral values and stability of the west behind. It is this eastern part which is called a "valley of ashes" by Fitzgerald, a place where morals are left out and only superficial, material-driven people can live in peace.” - behind the veil of “wealth and sophistication,” is there always going to be the truth of economic corruption and convoluted moral values? This could introduce theories of the novel being an extended political allegory, striving for policies that take privileges away from the aristocrats.
“Ceaselessly into the past, because the future is far too grim to imagine. Hope is lost, but that's no matter, we will still keep trying - and who knows, one day maybe we can accomplish our dreams.” - this is a very nice, almost corny quote. Because the future is completely impossible to determine, imagining it is a dangerous waste of time and effort. Only by drawing from the past experiences of ourselves and others is one able to take steps towards guaranteeing the realization of one’s dream.
- An Analytical Comparison of The Great Gatsby and Heart of Darkness
“Most often, darkness symbolizes ideas such as evil, madness, and depravity, while light represents hope and purity. In both novels, darkness overshadows and even perverts light.” - contradicts the first article’s statement that Conrad used white to symbolize the darker elements of his novel.
“The Great Gatsby’s symbol of light is the physical light that stands on the end of the dock. It represents all that Gatsby has yearned for: his desire to achieve the American dream, and his love for Daisy. However, by the end of the novel, both of these pursuits have become tainted and have crumbled and decayed.” - could tie in with the Joker’s belief from The Dark Knight that anyone or anything could be destroyed and molded into a twisted version of its former self.
“Women symbolize decency and purity. It is their potential for representing the goodness in humanity that both men see as being worth saving, especially after having seen the horrors of evil.” - children act as better symbols for innocence/purity than kids do. Women are not universally viewed as opposites of evil; some regard women as a source of impurity and sin.
“Gatsby has turned Daisy into the perfect woman and refuses to see beyond the illusion of idealism he has built around her.” - this flawed view of a woman may have been what led Gatsby to his demise by caring so much for Daisy that he did not make her accept the responsibility for killing Myrtle.
The Dark Knight
- Gotham has severely contradicting opinions regarding Batman's vigilantism. Some, like the many Batman impostors, regard him as "a symbol that [Gotham] doesn't have to be afraid of scum like [the Joker]," while others say that he is the reason that Gotham's criminals are so steadfast in their wicked resolves.
- Bruce Wayne has two appearances to the same reality. As Bruce Wayne, he is a carefree billionaire playboy; as Batman, he is a caped crusader that fights against the criminal forces of Gotham City. The reality, unbeknownst to all but a few of Wayne's closest friends, is that the two appearances are the same being; two sides to a single coin. Bruce Wayne utilizes two different personas in tandem towards his goal of eradicating Gotham's mobs.
- The Joker's motives initially appear to be that of any small-time thug wanting to become wealthy, but in reality he is an anarchist who "just wants to see the world burn." The Joker has the most complex and socially overarching motive out of Gotham's "triumvirate" (Batman, the Joker, Harvey Dent), which is to prove that anyone, regardless of their position on the social ladder, will revert into an immoral and selfish being devoid of any bearing of what is "good" if their spirit is broken completely. The Joker succeeded in destroying Harvey Dent's moral compass by killing Rachel Dawes, beginning his transformation into Two-Face, but failed with the "boat experiment" when he tried to get each boat to detonate the explosives on the other boat. The Joker's persona and moral views are
- video: "Some men just want to watch the world burn."
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efHCdKb5UWc
- video: "Until their spirit breaks completely."
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jfh24uYCofg
Inception
- The premise of the movie is centered around the topic of dreams. In psychology, a sizable portion of Sigmund Freud's research into the field of psychoanalysis focused on dreams, as well.
- Freud believed that dreams could be analyzed in two parts: manifest content and latent content. The manifest content is what can be remembered as what "physically" happened within the dream (appearance), while the latent content is the explanation as to why what happened in the dream happened (reality). Freud believed that during sleep, the mind is "protected" from external stimuli and "connected" with the unconscious, allowing for repressed memories and strong negative emotions to manifest themselves as things, people, or events within the dream.
- When Dom Cobb first talks to Ariadne in her dream, he explains the general nature of dreams. Cobb says that dreams feel real while one is in them. While in a dream, the dream takes on the appearance of reality and is treated as such. Only when the dream ends does one realize that the dream was not reality, and the dream takes on the appearance and classification of a dream.
- video: "How did you get here?"
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpmdzHsC9-Y
- The "totems" act as the links to true reality when the characters are dreaming. Cobb's totem, a top, would not stop spinning if he were in a dream.
Songs
- "Everybody's Fool" by Evanescence (lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/evanescence/everybodysfool.html) - the first line ("Perfect by nature") sums up much of what both Marlowe and Nick think of their respective idols. The lyrics imply a tone of mockery towards some figure that spends too much time thinking and worrying about others' opinions and ends up being "everybody's fool."
- "I Swear I'll Change" by Attack Attack! (lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/a/attack_attack/i_swear_ill_change.html) - the first line ("Seeing everyone's true face") can be related to the "unmasking" of peoples' personas. The second line of the chorus ("You said you tried, but you never changed") sounds as if it could be said by Daisy to Gatsby.
- "The World Is Flat" by Echobelly (lyrics: http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-world-is-flat-lyrics-echobelly.html) - the title of the song can be tied back to the universal misconception from centuries ago that the world was flat (what it appeared to be). The world eventually came to realize that the world is spherical, a truth that was always present but unable to see. Because Gatsby and Kurtz were mostly hidden from the outside world, their inner lives were truths that were not able to be viewed by outside parties.
Psychology
- Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, was the founder of the subset of psychology known as "analytical psychology," which, similar to Sigmund Freud's method of psychoanalysis, looks into the unconscious mind and underlying motivations that drive human behavior.
- One of the topics that Jung proposed was the "persona," referring to the social masks that people "wear" in everyday life.
- The persona is used to mask the "shadow," or the "true" state of an individual's life (ex. someone's behavior and appearance at school compared to at home).
- In both works, the "idols" (Gatsby and Kurtz) both utilize social masks to mask the shortcomings and flaws of their shadows.
- The creation of a persona is required for one to be individuated, or to become an individual set apart from a single collective entity. The process of individuation comes from experiences gained and lessons learned throughout one's life, which is more notable in The Great Gatsby because Gatsby's former life is much more fleshed out in the story than Kurtz's in Heart of Darkness.
- The figure-ground optical illusion, most commonly presented with the question "do you see a vase or two faces?" is an example of when both appearance and reality are subjective. There is no way to come up with a definitive answer as to if the picture is either one, so it acts as a visual representation of an instance where reality cannot be exactly defined.
Music
- Unlike so many things in this world which values symmetry, music is an art form that usually sounds best when asymmetric. While symmetry may be appreciated greatly in fields such as modelling or architecture, the harmonic and rhythmic structures of music are more often asymmetric than they are symmetric. The visual representation of music, its appearance, is not totally indicative of its sound, the reality.
- Chords are groups of at least three notes that are played simultaneously. Major and minor chords, the two main basic "categories" of chords, make up an extremely large portion of contemporary Western music due to their generally consonant sound. The structures of these chords, when formed on a keyboard, are not symmetrical, with major chords having three keys between the first two notes and two keys between the second and third note and minor chords having two keys between the first two notes and three keys between the second and third note. Diminished and augmented chords are formed symmetrically, with two and three notes between each note respectively, but are much more dissonant and unpleasant-sounding than the asymmetrical major and minor chords.
- Although some melodic lines have symmetric shapes (going up, going down) and rhythmic patterns, composing with the intention of forming something symmetric usually results in a boring and not-so-pleasant-sounding song.
“Grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatch’d, unfledg’d comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel; but, being in,
Bear’t that the opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice:
Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express’d in fancy; rich, not gaudy:
For the apparel oft proclaims the man;
And they in France of the best rank and station
Are most select and generous chief in that.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be:
For loan oft loses both itself and friend;
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all,—to thine own self be true;
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
Relevance: This quote is relevant to the appearance vs. reality theme because it is when Polonius is giving advice to Laertes before he goes off to France. All of these bits of advice on how to be a man are ironic for Polonius to be saying. He appears to be a loving, caring father that wants his son to succeed, but later on in the play, Polonius has Laertes spied on by Reynaldo.
“To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?—To die,—to sleep,—
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to,—’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d…”
Relevance: Here Hamlet is debating whether or not he should kill himself or if he should take Claudius’ life as revenge. To most, it would appear that Hamlet’s life is one of lavish possessions and a carefree lifestyle because of his royalty, but in fact, he lives day to day wondering why he exists and if he should just end it all because of the pain he is enduring.
Conclusion: Throughout Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there is an ongoing theme of appearance versus reality. Characters such as Hamlet, Claudius, and Polonius are just examples of those who look like they have wonderful lives to the people in society, but truly have dark secrets and aren’t what they seem.
Poem
They see so many things.
They see a man with a bright future,
They see a man with brilliance and style,
They see a man with passion and integrity.
They see a man who can command the admission to any university of his desire. They envy his intelligence, his success, his advantageous position in life.
(Perfectly describes Gatsby and Kurtz, two men who are looked upon by the rest of society as men who demand the attention of those around them because of their successes)
But not many are close to this man.
Not many know his inner workings,
Not many can see behind his eyes,
Not many can see into his soul.
Perhaps this man is too modest,
Perhaps he is too humble, (Much like Gatsby and Kurtz, these last six lines show that despite the fact that everyone knows who they are and everyone envies them, not very many people know what is behind the appearance given off)
For he considers his accomplishments petty,
At least compared to what is inside.
There is the truth.
The truth of this man,
Is that he is plagued,
With terrible and relentless fear.
Surrounded by many, understood by few.
Ghosts will continue to haunt this man,
Ghosts of fear and lonliness,
Ghosts that could haunt him forever.
Greatness is what they see,
But emptiness is the reality.
(In reality these are men with pasts and “ghosts” that are hidden from the world. The poet uses repetition in the poem to illustrate the idea of so many people believing things about this man. One person after another gets these wonderful impressions of these men, but they are not right)
Conclusion: In this poem, the man that the poet is describing relates to the characters of Gatsby and Kurtz due to the fact that these men are looked upon as having a nonchalant, easy life, but they are men who have to deal with their inner secrets and dark pasts. They may appear wealthy and intelligent, but in reality they have to deal with the fact that not many people know who they truly are.
The Scarlet Letter
But Hester Prynne, with a mind of native courage and activity, and for so long a period not merely estranged, but outlawed, from society, had habituated herself to such latitude of speculation as was altogether foreign to the clergyman. She had wandered, without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness. . . . The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers,—stern and wild ones,—and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.
Relevance: This quote is relevant to the idea of appearance vs. reality within the novel The Scarlet Letter due to the nature of Hester Prynne’s estrangement from society. Her life includes the three worst traits that a woman's life in that time period could be plagues with; shame, despair, and solitude. From the viewpoint of society, Hester’s appearance is an unfaithful harlot, but in reality she is a strong, brave, and intellectual woman who has been ostracized from her community.
"The magistrates are God-fearing gentlemen, but merciful overmuch,—that is a truth," added a third autumnal matron. "At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forehead. Madame Hester would have winced at that, I warrant me. But she, —the naughty baggage, —little will she care what they put upon the bodice of her gown! Why, look you, she may cover it with a brooch, or such like heathenish adornment, and so walk the streets as brave as ever!"
"Ah, but," interposed, more softly, a young wife, holding a child by the hand, "let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart."
Relevance: This particular scene in the novel is when Hester Prynne is being watched by the entire town, her child in tow and a scarlet letter pinned upon her bosom. These women are scrutinizing her every move. The quote is a perfect example of the way the society views her negative appearance.
Conclusion: In the novel The Scarlett Letter, the town sees Hester Prynne as a horrible sinner, believing that her life is easygoing because she has no morals to uphold. In reality, Hester’s life is one of strife and it takes brutal mental strength and intelligence to be able to go through the heart wrenching solitude, shame, and despair that come with her past mistakes.
