The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald - 3044 Words

Both writers present the idea that the American Dream is all an illusion and that it is physically impossible to achieve yet many strive to reach it in their lifetime. Many define the American Dream as the notation that the American social, economic and political system is the key to a life of personal happiness and material comfort. The central theme of both ‘The Great Gatsby’, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and ‘The Catcher in the Rye’, by J.D Salinger, is American lifestyle and mind-set during a time of prosperity. Both texts suggest that changes to American culture causes disappointment as many spent their life searching for the false sense of perfection that the American dream offered. In ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ Holden Caulfield, a boy†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœThe Great Gatsby’ and ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ both present women as central and influential figures in the two protagonist’s daily life and fantasies. Yet they seem to be the cause of all problems as shown in both texts. Women during these time periods were highly materialistic; an instance of this is the day before Daisy’s wedding. She receives a letter from Gatsby (whilst she was drunk – most people are deemed to be innocent while under the influence of alcohol) an d starts to sob uncontrollably feeling that she has betrayed Gatsby and as a result wanted to return Tom Buchannan’s wedding gift, a $350,000 dollar necklace. The next day she marries Tom Buchanan while wearing the necklace she wanted to return only the day before. This shows that Daisy is materialistic and fickle, caring more about wealth and class than intimacy and a loving relationship. Women were also thought to only care about status and wealth as shown when Sally Hayes rejects Holden’s unrealistic fantasy about running away and getting married. ‘You can’t just do something like that †¦ did you ever stop to think what you’d do if you didn’t get a job when your money ran out?’ We know as a reader that Sally likes Holden but her materialism overrules her love for Holden, as she bringing up the issue of ‘money’ as a reason for not agreeing to Holden’s fantasy. Daisy can also be seen as materialistic since she is thinking about money, but this could also be viewed as her being practical and