Comparison Paper Example on The Great Gatsby, The Grapes of Wrath, and Villa Triste

Summary of Works and Authors

Authors: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Villa Triste by Parick Modiano.

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Points of Argument

Argument 1: How the authors have analysed the theme of the American Dream and materialism?

In the grapes of wrath, the author has simplified the analysis. Materialism is evident in both.

Argument 2: How the authors have analysed the themes of isolation?

Fitzgerald focuses on The Great Gatsby theme of isolation in a modern way, both novels present the darker aspects of isolation, Steinbeck is constrained into a unified activity whereby Isolation is portrayed in the Grapes of Wrath through the polarization of roles between those who have, and those that do not have.

Argument 3: How the Authors have analysed the theme of identity?

In The Great Gatsby, the theme of personal identity is broad, and sometimes its definition is ambiguous. Modiano on the other hand also tries to capture the lost youth of a young and restless man called Count Victor Chmara as well as his quest to create a persona for himself.

Thesis

This essay is, therefore, going to compare The Great Gatsby to two other books with similar themes and the different styles of writing that they have used in their narratives.

Body Paragraph 1

Intro the American dream is the pursuit of happiness and personal fulfillment. In The Great Gatsby, it is characterized by living large and in pleasure.

Point 1A: The analysis of the American dream.

Proof: "Oh, I've been in several things," he corrected himself. "I was in the drug business and then I was in the oil business. But I'm not in either one now” (Fitzgerald, 103).

Comment: The Great Gatsby characters are empty inside, and he survives by the hope that he will be able to find fulfillment by winning the heart of Buchanan.

Secondary Source Point: The analysis of the American dream.

Proof: “Because the dream is unrealizable, the past becomes increasingly important to the book, for it is in memories that the dream can live” (Hearn, 34).

Comment: The Great Gatsby casts are involved in activities that are pleasurable which include sex, parties, drinking and involvement in deals that add wealth regarding money.

Transition Point 1B: Analysis of the American dream.

Proof: “An fruits everyplace. An people just bein in the nicest places, little white houses in among the orange trees. I wonder - that is, if we all gets jobs an all work- maybe we can get one of them little white houses” (Steinbeck 68).

Comment: In the narrative, The Grapes of Wrath the author simplifies the American dream. From the narrative, Joad and his family are thrown out of their home by the Dust Bowl.

Secondary Source Point: The American dream is the pursuit of happiness and personal fulfillment. In The Great Gatsby, it is characterized by living large and in pleasure.

Transition Point 1C: In the pursuit of the American dream, materialism plays a key role.

Proof: ''Jus' let me get out to California where I can pick me an orange when I want it. Or grapes. There's a thing I ain't never had enough of. Gonna get me a whole big bunch of grapes off a bush, or whatever, an' I'm gonna squash 'em on my face an' let 'em run offen my chin” (Steinbeck, ch.12).

Body Paragraph 2

Intro: The Great Gatsby and the Grapes of Wrath plots, both delve into the theme of isolation. The authors explore this theme in some ambivalent ways. Fitzgerald focuses on the theme of isolation in a modern way whereby he focuses on the big city and the culture that stands out making the protagonist in the narrative feel lonely among people.

Point 2A: Analysis of the theme of isolation.

Proof: “Why they came East I don't know. They had spent a year in France for no particular reason, and then drifted here and there unrest fully wherever people played polo and were rich together” (Fitzgerald, 1.16-17).

Comment: Most characters in the Great Gatsby experience some form of loneliness. According to The Great Gatsby plot, Jay Gatsby lived all his life lonely and he also died a lonely man. Fitzgerald focuses on the theme of isolation in a modern way, both novels present the darker aspects of isolation.

Secondary Source Point: The titular character Jay Gatsby seems to be isolated in the novel the whole time even if he is always throwing lavish parties that are attended by a multitude of guests.

Proof: “Sudden emptiness that seemed to flow now from the windows and the grand doors, endowing with complete isolation the figure of the host” (Lewis, 55).

Comment: Though the characters work together, they isolate themselves from working as a team and getting concerned about the suffering of others.

Transition Point 2B: Steinbeck is constrained into a unified activity whereby The Grapes of Wrath theme of isolation is portrayed in the Grapes of Wrath through the polarization of roles between those who have, and those that do not have

Proof: “Well, you ain't in your country now. You're in California, and we don't want you goddamn Okies settlin down” (Steinbeck, 214).

Comment: According to The Grapes of Wrath quotes, Steinbeck views this division and the extensive isolation as the fuel for political discourse on a fraught predicament.

Body Paragraph 3

Point 3A: How have the Authors analysed the theme of identity?

In The Great Gatsby, the theme of personal identity is broad, and sometimes its definition is ambiguous.

Proof: "You see, I usually find myself among strangers because I drift here and there trying to forget the sad thing that happened to me" (Fitzgerald 67).

Comment: In the narrative, The Great Gatsby, the characters in the story are all trying to preserve their images, and this has led them to a rollercoaster of uncertainty.

Secondary Source Point: Jay, the lead character of the story, is driven by passion, power, love and foolishness. These characteristics make Jay lead a life that is full of confusion and lies.

Proof: “He gets an identity crisis because, with all the money, he does not find happiness” (Lewis, 14).

Comment: His perspective on life changes when he meets Buchanan, and according to Jay, this is the achievement of his American dream and his ultimate happiness.

Point 3B: Modiano on the other hand also tries to capture the lost youth of a young and restless man called Count Victor Chmara as well as his quest to create a persona for himself.

Proof: “The three spend their days on the beach strolling through the town. Their nights are spent in private villas costing parties. They spend their time in the sporting clubs and the Casinos” (Modiano, 83).

Comment: For a person who is trying to keep a low profile, one would think that Cant would spend time with people who share the same zeal of keeping a low profile. However, the narrator surrounds himself with people who live as if their lives depend on being noticed. This is typically a mysterious behavior.

Conclusion

Restate Thesis

The Great Gatsby is a classical novel that compares to other narratives and has inspired several authors in their works.

Summarize Arguments

According to The Great Gatsby analysis, the novel has been able to bring out the themes of the American dream, materialism, isolation, and identity among others. This novel is a symbol of America in the 1920s, which is The Great Gatsby historical context, and in particular the collapse of the era of the American dream. This era was characterized by unprecedented material excess and prosperity. The narrative has inspired other works by the likes of Modiano and Steinbeck. For example, Villa Triste by Patrick Modiano is a narrative that is full of unresolved hints, ambiguity and vagueness taken from the narrative The Great Gatsby novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald, Modiano and Steinbeck have been able to bring out the social trends that faced the world after World War I. Such included the American dream which revolved around power, greed and materialism, isolation and the search for new identities.

Conclusion Statement

All the authors have positioned their characters in the narratives in such a way that they act as symbols of these social trends.