Similarities Between Breakfast At Tiffany's And The Great Gatsby

How have Truman Capote and F. Scott Fitzgerald used literary techniques to show the theme of isolation and loneliness within their novels, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and The Great Gatsby?
Truman Capote’s novel, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, both share a common theme of isolation and loneliness. The literary technique of characterisation is used in both novels to explore the loneliness or isolation of the main character. Narrative perspective is used by the authors to show the self-inflected isolation and loneliness of the narrators. Dialogue is also used to further explore the isolation and loneliness of the relationships presented in the novels. Through the use of these techniques, Capote and Fitzgerald’s

Both authors use characterisation to create lonely or isolated main characters. In Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Holly Golighty is constantly surrounded by people who want to be a part of her life, but she is always pushing them away and unable to build a sturdy relationship with any other character. Holly isolates herself, whereas Gatsby in The Great Gatsby is the opposite. He works to constantly surround himself with people at his famous parties, but “sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby at all”. (Pg 43) Yet, despite Gatsby’s effort to surround himself and avoid isolation, he never truly achieves this. Fitzgerald’s characterisation of Gatsby portrays him as lonely and unhappy with the life he has, as shown by his quest to win back Daisy and befriend Nick. Fitzgerald’s plot structure further consolidates this when it is revealed that Gatsby died alone in his swimming pool and there were no mourners at his funeral. Both Holly and Gatsby are the sociable characters in their novels, but both find themselves without having kept a good relationship by the end of the novel. This shows the theme isolation and loneliness within Capote’s and Truman’s novels, through their use of

In Capote’s novel, the narrator who Holly names ‘Fred’, creates an aura of loneliness around himself, as he only recounts stories involving Holly. This makes it sound like the narrator only talks to Holly and does not have any friendships outside of this. Nick, the narrator of Fitzgerald’s novel also is portrayed as lonely, as his narrative perspective parallels with ‘Fred’s’. Nick’s story contains predominantly his own interpretation and opinions on those around him, yet he fails to show that he is also part of the same events, and often leads the reader to believe he is an outsider within his society, lacking in stable friendships in the wealthy society he resides in. The use of the narrative perspective by the authors has enabled them to involve the idea of isolation and loneliness interpolated in their