Compare Diver and Gatsby

A detailed Summary of Compare Diver and Gatsby

COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE PRESENTATION OF THE CHARACTERS OF JAY GATSBY AND DICK DIVER. NOTE ESPECIALLY THEIR ATTITUDES TO LIFE, LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS, THEIR DEMISE AND THE ROLES THEY PLAY WITHIN THEIR RESPECTIVE NOVELS.

F. Scott Fitzgerald is known as a writer who chronicled his times. This work has been critically acclaimed for portraying the sentiments of the American people during the 1920s and 1930s. 'The Great Gatsby' was written in 1924, whilst the Fitzgeralds were staying on the French Riviera, and 'Tender is the Night' was written nearly ten years later, is set on, among other places, the Riviera. There are very interesting aspects of these works, such as the way Fitzgerald treats his so-called heroes, and to what extent we can call them heroic.

Gatsby and Diver are both presented as wealthy men leading privileged lives. 'The Great Gatsby' was written before the Depression, and the optimism and faith in the power of money within the novel demonstrates this belief that people had. Notably, it is the characters' faith in riches, and not Fitzgerald's own. Gatsby is a self-made millionaire, making his money through bootlegging. He has acquired vast amounts of money, and believes that this money will help persuade Dais

It is interesting to note that Dick, a brilliant psychiatrist, does choose Nicole, a patient. There is her obvious beauty and charm, but Dick realises the complications of the situation. Why does he let himself marry Nicole, a marriage in which the difficulty of his role is clear? The answer must reside in Dick's innate love of order, and his need to be in control of situations, whether they are parties, patients, or even his own marriage. The terrible irony is that Dick does not control Nicole, but Nicole Dick, with her illness which he has to tend, and her money which he needs.

Gatsby, with all his powers of hope and dreams, can be viewed as an unfortunate man, but there is also the idea that Gatsby can be perceived as more than a character, but as a symbol of America. Fitzgerald originally wanted to call the book 'Under the Red, White and Blue', bringing in the definitive image of the American flag. Certainly, Fitzgerald is very concerned with the state of America within his novel, and I think that Gatsby himself represents American ideals under a great amount of pressure from changing times. America is said to be a classless society, yet Fitzgerald shows a world of many class distinctions, highlighted by the differences between Tom Buchanan and George Wilson. Gatsby can never be at ease with Tom either, because of the divisions of class between them, despite living in the New World, where every man is equal. Fitzgerald realises that despite the U.S's supposed self-assurance, she still looks East toward Europe for approval. This is symbolized by the shirts that Gatsby has imported, and his Rolls Royce, both of which are seen as symbols of quality and wealth. Post-war America cannot remove the influence that Europe has, and create her own society.

Gatsby and Diver live in fast moving, chaotic societies, where morals are bent and ideal broken. Fitzgerald has not created in either man an obvious hero, as both men are presented as having many faults, but I think that it is fair to say that they are 'heroes', despite their drawbacks. They are both romantics in an unromantic world. Both these characters are seen as old fashioned in a swiftly changing America. However, Fitzgerald seems to applaud these characteristics, by portraying the other characters in a more negative light. The only other character with these novels who could be seen as heroic is Nick Carraway, and some see him, and not Gatsby, as the hero of his novel. However, Carraway himself feels that Gatsby is 'great', mainly on account of his 'extraordinary gift for hope'. This hope sets Gatsby apart from everyone else Nick has ever encountered, and despite Gatsby representing 'everything which I have an unaffected scorn', this idea of hope remains the most prominent and absolute.

Gatsby and Diver are both intensive socialites, even if in a kind of reclusive manner, and certainly in Dick's case, the excessive like leads to his demise through, among other reasons, alcoholism. There are also other mentions of ridiculous behaviour which went on at Gatsby's parties, but it would be unfair to say that in these two novels Fitzgerald was simply writing cautionary tales concerning the risks of excessive alcohol and socialising. Although Fitzgerald was passing judgement on the times in which he lived, he was writing about more than alcohol and the ridiculous critics often associated with it. Diver's and Gatsby's demise has more to do with a loss of control and broken dreams than too many parties.

Diver is representative of the middle-class American becoming rich, and again failing to settle in a society with definite class divisions. Diver works hard, and is talented, and, subscribing to the American ideal, he should succeed in life, but he does not. Diver's eventual riches do not come from his hard work, becomes less interested in his job, thanks to his marriage, and drifts, because he did not believe in the ideal. Again and again, Fitzgerald underlines the importanc

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Approximate Word count = 5326
Approximate Pages = 21 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English