Despite texts being written in different eras, they can still reflect similar enduring values that can transcend their own contexts. These values are the subconscious ideals that influence the way all human beings behave and act. Such ideals are shaped by the sociocultural, economic and historical contexts. This idea is clearly seen through the comparison of the novel, ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F Scott Fitzgerald and the Sonnets of the Portuguese, XIV and XXII by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Regardless of the diverse contexts and perspectives of Browning and Fitzgerald, it is highly evident that their exploration of human nature 's value of love and hope are indeed shared between the texts.
The enduring value of love is clearly represented in the novel the Great Gatsby through the materialistic relationship between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. This cupidity results in Gatsby …show more content…
Gatsby’s love, Daisy, is trapped in a world of materialism due to the highly materialistic society of 1920’s America. This money-minded society is a result of the abundance of wealth due to the economic boom after WWI, the rapid wealth creation from bootlegging due to prohibition, and the extravagant and unrestrained lifestyles of wealthy New York. The character Daisy Buchanan represents this materialistic society, and thus her love is centred on materialism. “It makes me so sad because I’ve never seen such-such beautiful clothes before” By pairing “beautiful shirts” and “sad”, Daisy ironically exposes her mistake in marrying Tom instead of Gatsby. This expresses her highly materialistic and thus conditional love for Gatsby. As a result, she cannot propose true love for Jay Gatsby as her love is of materials and wealth, which are ever fluctuating. And since Gatsby is trying to gain this conditional love we see that love is tragic, as it can never be attained. “He knew that when he kissed this girl, and
The enduring value of love is clearly represented in the novel the Great Gatsby through the materialistic relationship between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. This cupidity results in Gatsby …show more content…
Gatsby’s love, Daisy, is trapped in a world of materialism due to the highly materialistic society of 1920’s America. This money-minded society is a result of the abundance of wealth due to the economic boom after WWI, the rapid wealth creation from bootlegging due to prohibition, and the extravagant and unrestrained lifestyles of wealthy New York. The character Daisy Buchanan represents this materialistic society, and thus her love is centred on materialism. “It makes me so sad because I’ve never seen such-such beautiful clothes before” By pairing “beautiful shirts” and “sad”, Daisy ironically exposes her mistake in marrying Tom instead of Gatsby. This expresses her highly materialistic and thus conditional love for Gatsby. As a result, she cannot propose true love for Jay Gatsby as her love is of materials and wealth, which are ever fluctuating. And since Gatsby is trying to gain this conditional love we see that love is tragic, as it can never be attained. “He knew that when he kissed this girl, and