These texts give insight into how the values that form the base of relationships have changed over time to become more superficial. The Great Gatsby (TGG) by F. Scott Fitzgerald (FSF) was published in 1925, and is set in post World War I New York city in the year 1922, at which time many people were setting aside religious values and focusing on materialism, mostly due to the economic boom caused by the war. Parts of this novel and many of its characters were based off FSF’s own life, and in some ways the novel is semi-autobiographical. Sonnets From The Portuguese by Elizabeth Barret-Browning (EBB) was written in the 1840s and published in 1850, this time is part of the Victorian Era, a time dominated by traditional and conservative values.
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FSF and EBB draw inspiration from parenting in their writing to explore the values of loyalty and respect. Daisy says to Nick “best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”, a quote FSF took from his wife Zelda, who was the inspiration for Daisy. This is ironic, as Daisy is seen by many people in the novel to be beautiful and by many readers to be foolish, depicting Daisy as a disrespectful parent, as she doesn’t believe her daughter can amount to much, due to the sexist views of society at the time. In addition to this FSF also illustrates Tom to be an absent father as he barely mentions his child and him spending time with his child is never written about. Later in the novel Gatsby’s father says to Nick “He had a big future before him” and “bought me the house I live in”. These lines are from an unreliable narrator as although the dialogue suggests Gatsby and his father are loyal and respectful to each other, Gatsby’s father’s absence suggests otherwise. The absence of worthy parental figures throughout the novel, is a metaphor for the absence of traditional and conservative values such as respect, loyalty, fidelity and love. EBB’s sonnets explore the effect of her father’s conditional love on her sense of worth using enjambment and emotive language in ‘sonnet I’ “The sweet, sad years… those of my own life… flung a shadow across me.” …show more content…
FSF’s perspective is society was shifting to secular values, including materialism and greed, because the horrors of World War I had society questioning God’s existence. FSF’s view of secular values in marriage is made apparent when George Wilson is asked “Didn't you get married in a church?” and George replies “That was a long time at ago”, symbolising the lack of the Christian value of fidelity being involved in the marriage and greed being put first, causing the marriage to disintegrate. FSF uses the motif of the advertisement of Doctor TJ Eckleburg to represent God when George says “God knows what you’ve been doing… You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!”, symbolising materialism replacing God. George is bringing God back into the marriage once his wife has been unfaithful and it is too late, demonstrating people at the time were secular until they were desperate and only turned to religion for selfish reasons. Due to being raised during the Victorian Era, strict Christian values, including love, fidelity and loyalty, were ingrained in EBB, giving her the belief God and religion have an important place in marriage. EBB uses hyperbolic language and reference to her religion in ‘sonnet XLIII’ “Smiles, tears, of all my life!... if God chose I shall but love thee better after my death” to illustrate her belief that if God and Christian values are involved in a relationship than it will
FSF and EBB draw inspiration from parenting in their writing to explore the values of loyalty and respect. Daisy says to Nick “best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”, a quote FSF took from his wife Zelda, who was the inspiration for Daisy. This is ironic, as Daisy is seen by many people in the novel to be beautiful and by many readers to be foolish, depicting Daisy as a disrespectful parent, as she doesn’t believe her daughter can amount to much, due to the sexist views of society at the time. In addition to this FSF also illustrates Tom to be an absent father as he barely mentions his child and him spending time with his child is never written about. Later in the novel Gatsby’s father says to Nick “He had a big future before him” and “bought me the house I live in”. These lines are from an unreliable narrator as although the dialogue suggests Gatsby and his father are loyal and respectful to each other, Gatsby’s father’s absence suggests otherwise. The absence of worthy parental figures throughout the novel, is a metaphor for the absence of traditional and conservative values such as respect, loyalty, fidelity and love. EBB’s sonnets explore the effect of her father’s conditional love on her sense of worth using enjambment and emotive language in ‘sonnet I’ “The sweet, sad years… those of my own life… flung a shadow across me.” …show more content…
FSF’s perspective is society was shifting to secular values, including materialism and greed, because the horrors of World War I had society questioning God’s existence. FSF’s view of secular values in marriage is made apparent when George Wilson is asked “Didn't you get married in a church?” and George replies “That was a long time at ago”, symbolising the lack of the Christian value of fidelity being involved in the marriage and greed being put first, causing the marriage to disintegrate. FSF uses the motif of the advertisement of Doctor TJ Eckleburg to represent God when George says “God knows what you’ve been doing… You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!”, symbolising materialism replacing God. George is bringing God back into the marriage once his wife has been unfaithful and it is too late, demonstrating people at the time were secular until they were desperate and only turned to religion for selfish reasons. Due to being raised during the Victorian Era, strict Christian values, including love, fidelity and loyalty, were ingrained in EBB, giving her the belief God and religion have an important place in marriage. EBB uses hyperbolic language and reference to her religion in ‘sonnet XLIII’ “Smiles, tears, of all my life!... if God chose I shall but love thee better after my death” to illustrate her belief that if God and Christian values are involved in a relationship than it will