Compare and contrast the character of Gatsby with Fantine:
This essay will compare and contrast the Character of Gatsby and Fantine from the ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘Les Misérables’ respectively. One of the common traits in both characters is that they play a central role for the development of both books. Gatsby is the main character of this book. He is around thirty years old and a young man who arises from a considerably impoverished childhood in North Dakota rural areas. He later becomes fabulously wealthy. In spite of this fact, he achieves this desired goal through active participation in organized crime. On the other hand, Fantine is arguably the main character in the novel ‘Les Misérables.’ He constantly finds himself on the wrong side of the law since after losing her job she results to prostitution.
Gatsby himself is similar to Jean mainly because he is also involved in illegal activity. This includes the adverse distribution of illegal alcohol as well as trading with stolen securities. From the days of his early youth, Jay Gatsby hated poverty and looked for sophistication and wealth. As a result, he later dropped out of College after a short while, as he could no longer bear janitorial jobs that he used to pay his tuition. Even though Gatsby always wanted to become rich, his number one motivation in the acquisition of his fortune rested on his love for Daisy Buchanan. He had met this young woman while working as a military officer in Louisville prior leaving in 1917for World War I.
Another similarity between Gatsby and Fantine is that they are both very determined and worked as hard as possible to achieve their goals. Gatsby works hard to purchase a gaudy mansion located at West Egg, acquisition of millions of dollars, and the lavish weekly parties were merely means to his desired end. However, as the story unwinds, Gatsby’s reveals his character as that of an innocent and hopeful young man who attaches high stakes to everything against his dreams (Fitzgerald 47-62). Similarly, Fantine works different jobs after the loss of her job and even results to prostitution in order to meet her dreams.
Unlike Fantine, Gatsby does not realize that his dreams and aspirations are unworthy of him. Jay Gatsby heavily invests Daisy with a very idealistic perfection, which she is not in a position to achieve possibly in reality. He pursues her with passionate zeal, which blinds him from her limitations. The dream he has for her disintegrates and reveals the corruption which wealth causes as well as the unworthiness of objectives and goals. This is a reflection of the American dream crumbling as America’s powerful individualism, vitality, and optimism become subjected to amoral pursuits of wealth.
Unlike Fantine who is rather reserved, Gatsby soon fell in love with the aura of luxury, grace, and charm of Daisy (Widdowson, 51-69). It is for such a reason that Jay lied to her concerning his personal background with the aim of convincing her that he could have been sufficient for her. As a result, Daisy promised that to wait until he returned from the war. However, in 1919, she married Tom Buchanan while Jay Gatsby was at Oxford immediately after the war where he was trying to gain an education. On learning this, Gatsby dedicated his entire livelihood to winning back Daisy. This is a clear indication of the difference of commitment and dedication between Fantine.
Another difference between the two characters is the way they live their lives. Gatsby represents the other part which unlike Fantine as the quiet and reflective Midwesterner away in the lurid East. On the other hand, the story presents Gatsby with a significant personality that is that of flashy celebrity who pursues and glorifies wealth with the aim of impressing the woman of his dreams. On the other hand, Fantine has a simple life where she works hard jobs and at times is mistreated and paid inadequately for the work that she does.
In addition, unlike Gatsby, Fantine shows a great temperament. Clearly, in her story she remains tolerant, quiet, a good listener and open-minded (Roberts & Zweig 3-47). As a result, other people tend to address him and tell of their secrets. In particular, Gatsby achieves a high level of trust him and treats him as a valuable confidant. Generally, unlike Fantine, Gatsby assumes several secondary roles throughout this novel. He prefers to comment and describe events as compared to dominating the action. However, often, he functions as the voice on Fitzgerald, as it is extended meditation as well as the American dream in the Chapter’s end.
As Gatsby plays a role in this narrative, he illustrates East Coast’s strongly mixed reactions to life. The confusion creates powerful internal conflicts that remain unresolved up to the end of the novel. On the one dimension, Gatsby is attracted to the fast-paced and fun-driven lifestyle (Kennedy & Gioia 52-303). On the other, Fantine finds such lifestyle damaging and grotesque.
Works Cited:
Center for Learning Staff, Dillon P., The Great Gatsby: Curriculum Unit. Ohio: Center for Learning. 2006. Pp 15-60. Print
Fitzgerald F., The Great Gatsby. New York: NuVision Publications, LLC. 2008. Pp 47-62. Print
Kennedy X., Gioia D., Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. New York: Pearson Education. 2011. Pp 52-303. Print
Roberts E., Zweig R., Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. New York: Prentice Hall PTR, 2011. Pp 3-47. Print
Widdowson P., Literature. New York: Routledge. 1999. Pp 51-69. Print
