F. Scott Fitzgeralds novels provide an unparalleled insight into the breed of rich Americans who lived during post

F. Scott Fitzgeralds novels provide an unparalleled insight into the breed of rich Americans who lived during post-WWI Essay F. Scott Fitzgeralds novels provide an unparalleled insight into the breed of rich Americans who lived their young-adulthoods during post-WWI. The main characters of his books encounter these pompous aristocrats with often devastating ramifications. Nick Caraway of The Great Gatsby witnesses his wealthy cousin, Daisy, and her husband, Tom, mar the lives of many members of a lower social class: They were careless people, Tom and Daisythey smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money and let other people clean up the mess they had made Fitzgerald 187-188. The wealthy people of the Jazz Age led purposeless lives and collided with others simply to relieve their boredom. Fitzgerald accurately delineates the emotional decay of the aristocrats during the tumultuous years proceeding WWI. In four of his novels, Fitzgerald employs a rich array of writing devices which serve to develop an overlapping theme of wealth in the early nineteen hundreds. Fitzgerald utilizes such literary elements as point of view, dialogue, and title in his novels This Side of Paradise, The Love of the Last Tycoon, Tender is the Night, and The Great Gatsby in order to convey his belief that avarice for money causes the wealthy to lose their moral values. Fitzgerald utilizes many different points of view in his writings in order to help develop his theme of moral corruption associated with wealth. Two prominent examples of this occur in Fitzgeralds novels Tender is the Night and The Great Gatsby. The former consists entirely of a third person-limited view but follows three different characters at different points in the novel. Rosemary Hoyt and Dick Diver supply the first two views while Nicole Diver provides the last. Nicole represents the corrupt aristocrat who descends from a rich family. The beginning of the section limited to Dicks views and all of the section limited to Rosemarys views present a pleasant outward appearance to the wealthy Nicole. Nicoles prettiness 16 and sophistication obscure Rosemarys youngish perception and forces Rosemary to paint a favorable depiction of Nicole. Fitzgerald uses Rosemarys views to introduce the false faÃÆ' §ade aspect of the rich. The third narrative concerns Nicole herself. Infidelity, drunkenness, and ill will towards her loving husband characterize some of Nicoles actions during this section of the book. The juxtaposition of how Fitzgerald presents Nicole in the first two narratives and her unethical actions in the last narrative, harshly reveal the immoralities that befoul all wealthy people. By using the third-person point of view and highlighting three different characters in Tender is the Night, Fitzgerald slowly unveils the moral bankruptcy characteristic of aristocrats during the early nineteenth century. Nick Caraways first person narrative in The Great Gatsby holds a strong significance because of Nicks claim that he reserve all judgments 5. Throughout the novel, Nick witnesses the wealthy perform immoral acts. Nick learns Jordan Baker, a professional golfer, cheats in her matches. Tom Buchanan, Nicks cousins husband, indulges in an affair with another woman. Daisy Buchanan, Nicks cousin, runs over a woman with a car and drives away. Nick stays true to his declaration and never states his opinion of the corrupt aristocrats until Chapter 9. A former freeloader of Gatsbys named Klipspringer calls Gatsbys house. Nick initially thinks Klipspringer wants to know the time and date of Gatsbys funeral. After all, Gatsby provides Klipspringer with a mansion and food at no charge. Klipspringer, however, only calls to find out how he can recover his tennis shoes, which he left at Gatsby home. Shocked by Klipspringers lack of concern for an unbridled supporter, Nick, ejaculate an unrestrained Huh! 177. Although Nick claims to not pass judgment on people, he cannot help but feel disdain towards Klipspringer. Despite the fact that he is not considered a wealthy person, Klipspringers character still supports the theme of moneys corruption because Gatsby and the new aristocrats he lives off of expose Klipspringer to the life of cupidity. Fitzgerald cleverly establishes a narrator who reserves all judgment his entire life and suddenly abandons that personality in order to convey the significance of the belief that greed causes one to lose ones values. School Vouchers: The Wrong Choice EssayNicole engages in an affair with another man and leaves Dick. The stability of Dicks life never fully recovers after the unexpected divorce. Nicole callous betrayal of dedication to her husband parallels to Ode to a Nightingales narrators wavering opinion of a bird. The title, This Side of Paradise alludes to another poetic piece of literature: Rupert Brookes Tiare Tahiti. The poem describes a picturesque setting which only those who stay withdrawn from the realities of the world can enjoy: Well this side of Paradise! â‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦/Theres little comfort in the wise Brooke, lines 76-77. People who wish to relish the benefits of this paradise must sacrifice a part of their dignity and humanity. Fitzgerald compares extreme wealth to Brookes paradise. The dÃÆ' ©butante, Rosalind, loves Amory and she knows he loves her also. However, Rosalind ignores her true feelings and chooses the suitor with the most financial security. Rosalinds immoral actions causes Amory to slip into a depression that only deepens when he hears, a few months later, that she married the wealthier suitor. The title, The Great Gatsby possesses more symbolism than allusion, but it still holds a strong thematic significance. At the time of the novels publication, Harry Houdini popularized the art of escapism and other forms of magic in the early nineteen hundreds. The Great Gatsby alludes to Houdinis stage name, the Great Houdini. The allusion helps develop Gatsby as a symbol of aristocrats tendency to hide behind the guise of sophistication just as a magician hides behind the secrets of his tricks. Gatsby left his middle-class life by gaining wealth through illicit means. By surrounding himself with a huge mansion and creating lies about his family, Gatsby tries to hide the truth about his past. The Love of the Last Tycoon shares a similar yet less distinct symbolism. Fitzgerald intended that the books title resemble that of a classic movie. The names of films such as The Mask of Zorro, The Life of Emile Zola, and The Prisoner of Zenda all share a similar structure of the, then a noun, then of, then the name or title of the movies subject. Comparing the actions of the rich main character, Monroe Stahr, to the actions of actors in a movie implies that Stahr also possesses a similar guise to that of Gatsby. For most of the novel, Stahr operates based on his feelings of tender love Fitzgerald 88. The title claims that this motivation of love actually lacks any real bearing. Indeed, the Stahr courts Kathleen only because of resemblance to a beautiful actress who married Stahr then died at a young age. Stahr is attracted to Kathleen because of looks, not because of love. All four of these Fitzgerald titles play an important role in conveying the belief that the wealthy lack a moral center. In four of his famous books, Fitzgerald utilizes many different literary elements which function to convey a common theme pertaining to rich Americans. Fitzgeralds use of different point of views, insightful dialogue, and symbolic titles in his novels This Side of Paradise, The Love of the Last Tycoon, Tender is the Night, and The Great Gatsby helps to expound upon the belief that cupidity causes aristocrats to shed their moral values. These four novels exist as everlasting testaments to the life of the wealthy in the early nineteen hundreds. Fitzgerald applies his experiences with the corrupted population of the upper class to his books in order to create an unprecedented chronicle of the revolutionary American era known as the Jazz Age. A history text may recount the important events and dates of this period, but it will never dissect the social mindset of the American population as accurately as Fitzgerald analyzes his morally bankrupt class of citizens.