The Great Gatsby And The Catcher In The Rye Analysis

The Great Gatsby is set in the 1920s while The Catcher in the Rye is set in the 1950s. Despite the time periods being 30 years apart, both novels depict the American Dream in similar ways through the protagonist. The Great Gatsby follows the story of young man, Jay Gatsby, trying to win back his former love interest, Daisy, through his acquisition of wealth. The Catcher in the Rye is narrated by a male teenager, Holden Caulfield, and follows the story of how he ended up in a mental hospital. The concept of the American Dream is displayed in each novel. The authors of The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye use the American Dream to motivate the protagonist to try and achieve unattainable dreams. However, only Holden realizes his dream†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"‘I think he [Gatsby] half expected her [Daisy] to wander into one of his parties, some night,†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Chapter 4). Yet, no matter what Gatsby does, his American Dream is unattainable, because Daisy ch ooses her husband, Tom Buchanan, over Gatsby. â€Å"Her [Daisy] frightened eyes told that whatever intentions, whatever courage, she had had, were definitely gone† (Chapter 7). The protagonist from The Great Gatsby desires something he cannot obtain, similar to the protagonist from The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield. Holden’s American Dream is to preserve children’s innocence, and this dream motivates Holden to rub out the curse words written on the walls of his little sister’s, Phoebe, school. In Chapter 25, the text states: Somebody’d written ‘Fuck you’ on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it, and how they’d wonder what the hell it meant, and then finally some dirty kid would tell them†¦.But I rubbed it out anyway, finally. This quote shows how Holden believes the curse word, fuck, will taint his sister and other childrens innocence. Holden describes their innocence as not knowing what the word means until another kid tells them what the curse word means, which signifies the tainting of their innocence. Holden does not want his sister and the other children to lose their innocence.This motivates Holden to rub out the â€Å"Fuck you† on the wall. Therefore, the kids will never see it and still retain theirShow MoreRelatedCatcher In The Rye And The Great Gatsby Analysis1122 Words   |  5 Pages The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald both have Characters who are phonies. Holden Caulfield complains about everyone and everything and he hides his real emotions so no one can see who he really is and get close to him. Jay Gatsby lies about his past to be with Daisy , leaving everyone in his past behind. Holden Caulfield is phonier than Jay Gatsby because he lies to people about his age to make it seem like hes older , he also lies to cover helpRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald3044 Words   |  13 Pagesof 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 with extremely high standards finds society and AmericanRead MoreCharacters Of Different Literatures All Share The Same Ideal2090 Words   |  9 Pagesdifferent literatures all share the same ideal. Jay Gatsby, Willy Loman and Holden Caulfield animate in the past and share the different ideas of society. Although Gatsby and Loman fail to achieve the self-realization and ideals of the real world, Caulfield wants to protect children and keep them from seeing the ugliness of the world. The Great Gatsby is told by Nick Carraway, who narrates what he sees when he moves by his cousin Daisy and Gatsby. Gatsby attempts an unachievable goal which is winningRead More Censorship in the Classroom Essay2774 Words   |  12 PagesSteinbeck The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson The Figure in the Shadows by John Bellairs The Pigman by Paul Zindel POLITICS Anti American: The Girl Scout Handbook    Racist: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain My House by Nikki Giovanni    Written by a Russian: Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky    Rebellion to Parental Authority: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerRead MoreMedia Magic Making Class Invisible2198 Words   |  9 Pagesparents were not so successful and only made about minimum wage, that child did not achieve a much higher status than their parents did. This supports Mantsios statement that what class you are born into affects you throughout your while life. He does a great job at convincing you, because he shows you real lifestyles. In another article, (Media Magic- Making Class invisible), Mantsios also gives a strong argument with examples, about how the media portrays the poor. He argues that the media only portraysRead MoreHow To Write Literary Analysis4174 Words   |  17 PagesHow To Write Literary Analysis The Literary Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide When you read for pleasure, your only goal is enjoyment. You might find yourself reading to get caught up in an exciting story, to learn about an interesting time or place, or just to pass time. Maybe you’re looking for inspiration, guidance, or a reflection of your own life. There are as many different, valid ways of reading a book as there are books in the world. When you read a work of literature in an English class