Examples Of Disillusionment In The Great Gatsby

In “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “A Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemingway, the theme of disillusionment is thoroughly explored, however the authors approach to this theme is extremely different. F. Scott Fitzgerald writes about the American Dream and believing that someone should only love one person their whole life. In the novel by Ernest Hemingway, disillusionment is prevalent when the main character has not completely grieved the loss of her last husband and how this issue affects her later actions.

In the Great Gatsby, the main character Gatsby is the embodiment of disillusionment. The author reveals that Gatsby has amounted to all of his wealth because he is hoping to win back the love of his life, Daisy. Daisy plays

Please go and get some breakfast, darling, and then come back. I won’t miss you. Nurse is splendid to me” (Hemmingway 370). Instead of letting the person that she loves take care of her, Cat instead tries to push him away. Cat wants to handle the situation seriously and without doubt while ensuring that Henry is not concerned. A source suggests, “At the end of the novel we are touched by the irony she intends and by the poignant dramatic irony she does not intend. Oh brave old world of violence and mortality: it will be served forever as spring will thaw the frozen flux of life, and pregnancy will come to term. Catherine’s dream only spares them both a later loss, and the death of their still-born boy yet again”(Slyvester 78). Cat’s dream of finally having a family and people to love comes full circle once she experiences all of the emotions when she thinks that she will be having a baby

Scott Fitzgerald did a more effective job of conveying the idea of disillusionment. Fitzgerald uses appropriate diction to make the reader understand what Jay Gatsby goes through while trying to achieve the American dream and winning back the love of his life. Fitzgerald provides more detail which better helps the reader to connect to the novel as well as the characters. Fitzgerald’s in depth characterization of Gatsby aides the reader in comprehending that Gatsby was severely disillusioned. Ernest Hemmingway was still able to write a story that allowed people to connect, however his novel is much easier to understand because he tells the reader the exact story and does not allow for many things to be left up to