The Great Gatsby And The Motorcycle Diaries English Literature Essay
In communicative competencies classes we were assigned to read The Great Gatsby written by Francis Scott Fitzgerald and The bike journals by Ernesto Guevara. The former is about a adult male who makes a luck by agencies of bootlegging and other condemnable activities, merely to affect a adult female and retrieve her love but eventually dies because of a misinterpretation and the latter is about a journey made by Ernesto Guevara and Alberto Granados in 1952 along Latin America in which they realize about large societal jobs and inquiry themselves about their functions as physicians. After reading these two interesting books I thought: Are they similar? I concluded that they were rather different, so in the undermentioned paragraphs I will discourse and analyse the differences in footings of characters, personal relationships and moral values every bit good as happen some similarities in both books.
First of all, I want to advert the characters ‘ life style in relation to both books, which is notoriously different. The Great Gatsby occurs in the 1920 ‘s after World War I. As a consequence of this many things were banned, so 1000s of people turned to bootlegging activities so as to fulfill the demand of merchandises, like intoxicant chiefly. Besides, people populating in the wind age get downing passing money intentionally, without believing much about that. Emptiness, Selfishness reigned in that period and the lone thing they wanted was to be richer than the others, purchasing extortionate sign of the zodiacs, expensive jewellery, posh and shiny autos which were visual aspects merely. Everything was gilded. One illustration of this superficial life style was in Long Island which was divided into two parts: West Egg and East egg. The former was the topographic point in which the freshly rich people like Gatsby lived and the latter represented the old nobility, the old money portrayed by the Buchanams. Furthermore, there was a topographic point called “ Valley of ashes ” where George and Myrtle Wilson.lived and represented the moral decay of the American society that consequences from the chase of wealth. That god-forsaken topographic point was located between New York and West Egg and everything was gray even people. Many industries and mills were the landscape and pollution and mopess make life truly hard for people in at that place. George Wilson was a exanimate individual who idealized his married woman, although she was Tom Buchanam ‘s lover. As a consequence of Myrtle ‘s life style in the Valley of ashes she ever wanted to sham to be an blue individual and leave that effete town behind by utilizing expensive apparels and being with Tom who, in one juncture, about broke her nose after holding been taunted by his married woman ‘s name. Wholly opposed to this life style is the narrative of Ernesto Guevara and Alberto Granados ‘ journey since they wanted their dream to go existent without money merely lasting at the disbursal of people ‘s charity. For illustration they traveled many kilometres on an old, rusty bike which they called “ The mighty one ” but after some falls it was consigned to limbo and sold to a adult male when they were go throughing through Chile. Furthermore, the fact of being going on their ain along Latin America and without holding relations nearby obliged them to inquire for a topographic point to kip, although they many times had to kip on the unfastened air, enduring from the inhospitable conditions. Cold was the worst enemy skulking every individual topographic point they where. For case, they had to walk through snow, swim and endure strong air currents without holding the appropriate cogwheel merely with the apparels they had put on. Another of import factor they had to get by with was hungriness and thirst. During the full journey they had to inquire for nutrient in every house they had before their eyes. Unfortunately, in some peculiar occasions the hosts did non swear them and evidently did non assist them. One thing that was singular for them was Chilean people friendly relationship and good feelings toward them and in the book he said: “ Chilean cordial reception, as I ne’er tyre of stating, is one ground going in our adjacent state is so gratifying ” ( Guevara 2003: 57 )
Another thing I want to analyse in deepness is the function of moral values in both books and how these shape the characters ‘ life and besides demo how similar or different they are in these two narratives. First, in the Great Gatsby, a persistent and cosmopolitan affair was the empty and superficial worldview of the upper category. This is noticeable in a assortment of events in which cipher cared about aching other people every bit long as they got what they wanted. As a manner to exemplify this I can advert the instance of Myrtle Wilson who began an adulterous relationship with Tom Buchanam, who in bend was Daisy ‘s hubby. Both Myrtle and Daisy were mistreated by Tom but that fact did non affair to them because their eyes were full of money. On the contrary Ernesto and Alberto had another construct of the universe and the people around them. They were able to see other people ‘s demands as primary although they suffered the abrasiveness of conditions, hungriness and thirst. For case when they were in the North of Chile they met a communist twosome who were looking for a occupation in the mines and they shared with them some “ mate ” , which was a typical drink in their state and a cover to maintain them warm. Besides, Ernesto did hold $ 15 that he could hold spent on something to eat or on repairing the bike but he preferred to maintain that money to purchase a present for Chinina in Miami, yet Alberto tempted him to alter his head. This philanthropic worldview was besides noticeable in the episode in which they were in Chuquicamata Cu mine, North of Chile, since Ernesto struggled against the unjust on the job conditions of people in that portion of the state. Gratuitous to state, mineworkers were in a life snake pit.
Another thing I want to advert in relation to the differences in both books is the function of love in the narratives. Love as a chief motive is really of import in about all books. Many narratives revolve around love and characters ‘ life alteration harmonizing to that feeling. For illustration, characters dared to make many things so as to win in relationships without taking into history the effects that can connote. An illustration of this is the instance of Gatsby ‘s life, who made a large sum of many to retrieve Daisy ‘s love. Eventhough, Daisy ‘s manner of life was non love centered but money centered, so she decided to get married Tom Buchanam alternatively of Gatsby, because the former was better off. Love was besides present in “ The bike journals ” but with another intension. Although Ernesto Guevara was in love with Chinina it was non the cause for doing the journey. They loved each other and she told him to come back shortly because she could non defy waiting that long. Ernesto was a altruist and he expressed his feelings by taking attention of ill people who were in many instances rejected from society. As a manner to exemplify this I can advert the episode in which Ernesto and his friend visited the San Pablo lazar settlement. There they shared with people who suffered from Hansen’s disease without sing the possibility of infection. As a affair of fact, physicians and nuns told them to utilize baseball mitts as a step to forestall infection but they refused. Ernesto and Alberto considered that the right manner to incorporate people and do them experience accepted was by interacting with them without those mental barriers that make us know apart those people.
Harmonizing to the sort of relationships within the narratives in both books I can indicate out Gatsby and Daisy ‘s relationship and Ernesto and Chichina ‘s matter. Daisy was a really unusual individual who, eventhough loved Jay she preferred get marrieding another individual merely because of money. This fact makes their relationship truly eldritch because when they rendezvoused at Nick ‘s house she acknowledged that she still loved him. Besides, Gatsby was able to last without seeing Daisy merely looking at her dock ‘s green visible radiation, which represented all his dreams and hopes that were unattainable for him, while Daisy was populating with her hulking hubby who even treated her really severely but that did non affair to her every bit long as she was rich. On the contrary, Ernesto and Chichina ‘s relationship was rather different. They truly loved each other since Ernesto promised that he would return every bit shortly as possible so as to be at her side in Argentina. Besides, Ernesto could hold been unfaithful to her during his journey since he was in so many topographic points with so many different people but he had to be loyal to her and that proves true and sincere love. Furthermore, he bought a pet to her and gave it to her as a mark of his feeling towards his darling fiance .
How is idealism portrayed in The Great Gatsby and The Motorcycle journals? One thing that these books portion is idealism in Gatsby and Guevara ‘s manner of thought. On the one manus we have this cryptic character called Jay Gatsby one time called James Gatz who lived trusting that one twenty-four hours his darling Daisy would come to one of his declamatory parties. Furthermore, he spent darks gazing at her dock ‘s green visible radiation and was ever believing of resuscitating the yesteryear he and Daisy one time shared. He was a good hearted adult male with good purposes ; unluckily these all right qualities lead him to his decease after taking the incrimination for killing Myrtle. On the other manus is Ernesto Guevara de la Serna whose idealism made him a precursor of the new history of America. He dreamed of a incorporate Latin America since we were all individual race. He besides said: “ The division of Latin America into unstable and illusive states is wholly fictional. We constitute a individual ladino race, which form Mexico to the Magellan Straits bears noteworthy ethnographical similarities ” ( Guevara 2003: 149 ) . Besides, Guevara struggled against societal unfairness caused by monopolism and said that the lone manner to set an terminal to that was though revolution. The thought of the journey was a dream Ernesto and his friend had since childhood but during its expletive his aspirations and dreams changed ; he became cognizant of the agony and unfairness and struggled to ease hapless people ‘s hurting. As an act to show his beliefs he crossed the river dividing the medical staff centre from the “ ill zone ” in the center of the dark to observe his birthday with the people affected with leprosy. By making this he could turn out that the manner to incorporate people was non merely by merely handling their diseases but besides by sharing and listening to them, since they were every bit human as them.
In decision, I can state these books are wholly different and the lone and most singular similarity is the idealism portrayed by their supporters in both books. The historical contexts in which both narratives developed were wholly opposite. On the one manus, the American society with its ambitious chase of the American dream in the 1920 ‘s, which is corrupted by the mere chase of money and on the other manus the hard societal jobs faced by Latin Americans in 1950 ‘s. Besides, the sorts of relationships between the chief characters within the narratives are dissimilar, all with different aspiration and dreams. Some longed for money and pleasance while others longed for truth and justness. Last but non least, is the fact that the function of love in both books differs in relation to each other. In the Great Gatsby we find chiefly the net income seeking love and on the contrary, in the Motorcycle diaries we find true love in the signifier of an matter and besides in a beneficent manner.
