What methods are employed by Fitzgerald and Larkin to
explore the ways individuals are influenced by
the society they inhabit?
Feedback from previous essays:
- Clear topic sentences
- Analyse quotes/texts in (roughly) equal detail.
- Intro link to context
- Use more quotes and embed them fluently.
- Written eloquence and succinct writing
Fitzgerald, as a high-flying, evocative character of the 20s, found his position in society
as a result of monetary gains. He lived a lavish lifestyle with his wife Zelda, becoming
the very symbol of Capitalism that he hated. Pledging allegiance to somewhat
oxymoronic values; disagreeing with extravagance, but nevertheless embodying that
behaviour, Fitzgerald found that in his society, the sole way to achieve your ambitions
was to earn them through finance. After becoming reputable, Zelda agreed to marry
him, overlooking previous anxieties from her family that Fitzgerald was ‘not suited’ to
their daughter. Fitzgerald clearly parallels this in The Great Gatsby, as social class and
surroundings influence the characters deeply, sometimes resulting in them straying
from their true selves. The potential and influence of the novel, however, was not
discovered until well after his death in 1940, despite it being published some 20 years
prior, in 1925. In comparison, Larkin led an arguably segregated life, disgusted by fame
and wealth, confused how one could revel in the glamorous world of Literature. Strict in
his views and solitary in his ways, Larkin became a librarian, producing a steady output
of poetry, fiction and non-fiction works. Unlike The Great Gatsby, The Whitsun
Weddings poetry collection launched Larkin into the public eye, resulting with him
declining the offer of an OBE. The Whitsun Weddings mimic Larkin’s secluded way of
life, focussing on the immense detail of his surroundings and settling place of Hull. The
poetry collection also displays the derogatory nature of the society he lived in,
exampling sexism in both The Whitsun Weddings and Self’s The Man.
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald moulds his female characters to parallel those from the
time; a raging competitive nature between women being common, despite surviving
similar hardships. Jordan’s narrative of Chapter 4 presents how herself and her female
peers can be determined so heavily by competition with other women, explaining how
18-year-old Daisy was, ‘by far the most popular of all the young girls’, demonstrating
jealousy, but also admiration. The use of the intensifying phrase, ‘by far’, shows how
Jordan is in awe of Daisy and her ‘achievements’, despite them being pitted against each
other for popularity, marriage, and wealth. Later in this passage, Jordan describes in
great detail how Daisy was, ‘as drunk as a monkey’, breaking down as the pressure of
society became too much for her. She is leading her life as a competition, crumbling,
regardless of the prize of a wealthy husband she has earned. Here, Jordan’s tone
suggests Daisy was purely overwhelmed by societal rivalry, but that she must endure
this by any means, as it’s a ‘women’s role’ in the society they live in. Here, in the 1920s,
the arrival of flapper girls meant that women’s liberation was rife – but not without men
