Analysis ~ The Great Gatsby and “The Waste Land” An examination of the connection between F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, and T. S. Eliot’s poem, “The Waste Land,” reveals that Fitzgerald transposes the meanings and motifs of “The Waste Land” to The Great Gatsby.
For instance, the poem begins with: April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing. Eliot sees the renewal of life doomed from the beginning, as in the end it will die anyway. Similarly, in The Great Gatsby, Gatsby tries to repeat the past and live his fantasy, yet he will never be able to achieve it. In addition, another example is the physical description and resemblance of both of the landscapes. In The Great Gatsby, the valley of ashes, like Eliot” is a “waste land.” Eliot enters into the barren land and describes how the roots “clutch” infertile ground, desperately seeking to gain something out of nothing. The valley of ashes is alike with its “fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens.” These descriptions suggest that no life forms can ever exist in the harsh environment and that the waste lands offer no forgiveness.
The characters’ adrift nature is yet another example. In “A Game of Chess,” the woman says despairingly: What shall I do now What shall I do… What shall we do to-morrow What shall we ever do Likewise, Daisy says in the first chapter: What ” ll we plan What do people plan And once again in chapter seven: What ” ll we do with ourselves this afternoon, and the day after that, and the next thirty years The actions of these women show that they do not know how to manage their time wisely and they waste it. Finally, the similarities between Owl-Eyes and Tiresias can be pointed out. Owl-Eyes has thes “enormous owl-eyed spectacles,” is blind, “but perceptive.” In the same way, Tiresias is also blind, but he foresees all. Both characters represent the eye of the mind.
The Essay on The Great Gatsby – Really Great
The Great Gatsby is a classic tale that has been interpreted very differently throughout time. One prominent source of constant debate lies in the main character, Jay Gatsby. In the novel’s title, Gatsby is misleadingly referred to as being “great”. However, the events that transpire within the novel paint a very different picture of this man. Despite the title of his story, Jay Gatsby is ...
In conclusion, T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land,” is influential to The Great Gatsby. Conversely, both of these fantastic works of literature share many of the same meanings and motifs.
