- 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.
WHITE LIES AND WHITED SEPULCHRES IN CONRAD'S HEART OF DARKNESS
- 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.
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