F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” and Brett Easton Ellis’ “Less Than Zero” Essay

Explore the function of the narrator in F. Scott Fitzgeralds The majuscule Gatsby and Brett Easton Ellis little Than ZeroPublished in 1925 by author F. Scott Fitzgerald, The large Gatsby, is considered a literary classic by many critics. The eponymous original is set in the Roaring 1920s post World fight 1 and tells the tale of Jay Gatsby through the myths narrator, nick Carraway. The comment begins when we argon told of the socio-cultural divide amid the upper class of the States, by a guinea pig who has just moved to Long Island from Minnesota. The clear separation between West Egg and East Egg is an idea explored by cut, who is a resident of the lower-upper class West Egg.Throughout the refreshed, it can be nonice that events that occur ar a direct parallel to the life of Scott Fitzgerald, as he projects characteristics of both Gatsby and knap that were similar to his own. It is widely believed that the book is written in a manner that is cynical of the American Dream and of the elitist society, in a biased fashion that favours Gatsby. Conversely, Less Than Zero is a novel set in the 1980s and tells the story of affluent college students, who lead voluptuous lifestyles with the security of their parents wealth.Brett Easton Ellis first novel in his oeuvre is written during the old age following the Vietnam War of economic prosperity in Reagans America and highlights the fragmented society ca characterd by passionless relationships between friends and family and the lack of godliness present in upper class America. The 2 novels contrast in the cities that they are set in The Great Gatsby is set in youthful Yorks Long Island, whilst Less Than Zero is set in calcium on the opposite coast of America. However the behaviour of the two generations is quite a similar, and is reflective of the influence of money on higher-class society during the respective percentage points.In The Great Gatsby, snick Carraway is not only the narrator, still in like manner a character that actively spark officipates in the novel and it his opinion that dictates how the ref perceives separate characters. One obvious example of this is in the novels title, as the epithet Great is used to describe a character that the reader has not yet met. This suggests that break away Carraway idolizes Gatsby in some aspects and to some degree, aspires to what Gatsby represents. Produced exchangeable the supper, no doubt, out of a caterers basket. This short extract is taken from a section where Nick is describing a lavish party that is frequently held by Gatsby.The metaphor implies that Gatsby is almost God-like in the way he is able to tack extravagant parties yet remains anonymous to those that attend. During the 1920s, there was a period of what was known as prohibition, where all alcohol was banned, and yet people are often described drinking throughout The Great Gatsby.This could be a condemnation of upper class society, as it suggests th ey are just as im deterrent example, if not much so, than the lower classes. Fitzgerald himself went from a family of mediocrity to a sharp rise in splendor through his writings, and can therefore affiliate to the awe that one might feel when acclimatizing to such a society. Less Than Zeros narrator, Clay, does not represent its author in the akin way as Nick does, nonetheless Easton-Ellis uses Clay to magnify the issues that surrounded affluent college students during the 80s. Clay often negatively portrays the actions of other characters, which can be turn backn as an act of hypocrisy. For example,Because you both stole a quarter gibibyte of cocaine from me the last time I left my opening open. Thats why.At this point, Clay accuses his sisters of stealing his cocaine, which they put vote down to him leaving his door unlocked. This whitethorn be a reference to the lack of cover or a lack of trust deep down society to such a degree that one cannot trust even their close st family.Nick Carraway is arguably a biased narrator, through his romanticized and idealized definition of the novels protagonist and adversely, his foil, Tom Buchanan. On their first encounter Nick describes Gatsbys gestures with authority for example,He had one of those rare smiles with a superior of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external human beings for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself This quotation epitomizes Nicks admiration for Gatsby before he has properly met him and implies that he has already formulated an opinion based upon rumours he has heard but also based on the party Gatsby invited him to. Once again, this is may be seen as a condemnation of American society by Fitzgerald who shows that capitalist and su perficiality was a major factor in defining an various(prenominal).Gatsbys flawless persona does deteriorate as the novel progresses and as Gatsby comes close to achieving his dream, even Nick appears to glaze over this and as a result, preserves Gatsbys greatness to the reader. The use of the affectation old sport throughout Gatsbys communication with Nick highlights a friendship that is neither formal nor informal but rather one of an illusionary nature. This is to say that Gatsby uses the affectation in order to evoke a to a greater extent appealing, intellectual persona. De arouse Nick seeing through his faade, he chooses to ignore the matter, instead only becomes more infatuated with what Gatsby represents.What part of the Middle West? I inquired casually.San FranciscoI seeIt is apparent that Nick knows San Francisco is not in the Middle West but rather on the west coast yet he chooses not to argue as if Gatsbys word is unequivocally truth. Claire Stocks puts this infatuatio n down to a likeness that both men share which is that both men seem to be the victims of insufficient or thwarted inheritances They are both oblige to buy the farm for their living. It can be suggested that towards the end of Less Than Zero, Clay wants to fall in this society as he narrates, My eyes keep wandering remove the screen and to the two green exit signs that hang over the two doors in the back of the theater This occurs whilst Clay, Blair and Kim are in the cinema reflection a gory film and highlights that Clay does in fact consume some form of morality despite the actions that he part-takes in. Easton-Ellis reveals a character that is torn between being moral or following the indulgent life he is so easily acclimatized to.Fitzgerald also uses Nick Carraway as a way of criticizing the society that he strives to be a part of. This is evident in Chapter 2, where Nick spends time with Tom, Myrtle and Mr. Wilson, I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and r epelled by the inexhaustible variety of life. At this point, Nick may be referring to the variety of classes that are present, as Myrtle and Mr. Wilson are of a lower class, himself of middle class and Tom from the upper echelons of society. It may be seen that Fitzgerald could not stand the behavior of the people he became associated with, however realized that their behavior was a result of what he sought after, in terms of the American dream and therefore feels enchanted by the epicurean nature of the upper class. Nevertheless, Fitzgerald also highlights the vast socio-cultural divide between classes and as such presents the reader with an ambiguous view of fractured relationships.Clay also presents his own society with undertones of disdain, being cynical of the netherworld through his direct and sententious account of various events that take place. He rarely places emotion or opinion in his description of events and as a result, it seems that he is more of a trustworthy narr ator. This is most evident when he recounts the viewing of a snuff cinema, It looks like a toolbox and Im unconnected for a minute and Blair walks out of the room. And he takes out an ice filling and what looks like a wire hanger and a package of nails and then a thin, large knife and he comes toward the girl and Daniel smiles and nudges me in the ribs. The repeated use of polysyndeton gives the reader the impression that Clay is not properly viewing the movie instead, he is almost analyzing it as if it were a novel.The lack of sensory description also implies that Clay is trying to distance himself from this and that he sees the crude and prankish nature of what he is being shown. At this time, snuff films had just been open and were not an unknown phenomenon. Therefore, Easton-Ellis may be suggesting that society has lost its moral compass/guidance, being cut to ignoring such shocking acts. However, in spite of this, Clay does offer himself as a more intellectual individual compared to other characters, by the way he looks at the billboard that is coroneted Disappear Here. Evidently he does not choose to dissolve and instead stays amongst the morally obsolete society that he is connect to and this ultimately leads to the dnouement in which he is forced to leave his society.both novels differ in the tone in which they are written though the contexts are very similar despite being in several(a) decades. On the one hand, there is Nick who is biased towards one ad hoc character and seems to show disdain for the society that he once strived for, and on the other, Clay, who has a more direct approach to narration and more expressively communicates the plot to the reader. Overall, the two narrators are used to convey to very unalike ideas that are relevant to their contexts.The Great Gatsby is narrated such that the reader is almost forced into liking Gatsby despite his clear superficiality, which is upheld by trivial objects such as real books and meda ls with authentic looks. Less Than Zero poses are more small view of society, with the narrator becoming confused by the moral ambiguity and generally growing to hate the society that he belongs to as it has been reduced to individualism and by an large a fractured society whereby people are afraid to merge.