Compare and contrast the writers presentation of Gatsby and Heathcliff Essay Example For Students

Compare and contrast the writers presentation of Gatsby and Heathcliff Essay He has a woman, Myrtle in New York, and self-confesses that once in a while I go off on a spree. This exemplified by the chambermaid on their honeymoon and Tom being God knows where when Daisy was giving birth suggesting to the reader that it was with another woman. In complete and stark contrast to Toms numerous affairs, Gatsby is totally devoted to Daisy to whom he feels wed. Tom is a largely built, self-centred man with inherited money and position, described by Fitzgerald of having a cruel body that seems to reflect his personality and temperament in a similar way in which Brontes landscape reflects Heathcliffs. Fitzgerald directs us to have a negative and low view of Tom. This shown by him being labelled a prig and expressing racist sentiments: next theyll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white. Gatsby, in total contrast, is reserved, gentle, from poor beginnings; who built himself up to his current high station. We are directed by Fitzgerald to side with Gatsby, who is described as having something gorgeous about him and it is by comparison with Tom that Gatsbys truly endearing qualities are emphasised. There is also an irony between Tom and Gatsby in the fact that although Tom is well bred and Gatsby is from the lower classes of America, it is Gatsby whom we view as the better man, too good for the society he has risen into and which ultimately becomes the death of him. Heathcliff is contrasted strongly with Edgar Linton. They, just like Gatsby and Tom, share only their love for the same person, in this case Cathy. Edgar is representative of the upper class society in the nineteenth century. He is educated, slight of bearing and with a wealthy, privileged heritage. Heathcliff is an enigma, found on the streets of Liverpool; he is subjected to violence and hardship throughout his upbringing by Hindley and this (psychologically predictably) results in a troubled adulthood. Heathcliff, as his name suggests, is closely tied to the wilderness and is indicative of the Romantic movement which emphasised the natural, and rejected society as a restricting entity. Heathcliff, unlike Fitzgeralds Gatsby, is viewed in a mostly negative light by the reader; although it could be argued that we feel pity towards him because of what he has suffered an abusive childhood and the loss of the only person he truly loves. The intense agony and grief of separation is apparent throughout the novel, resulting, at the end, with Heathcliff almost willing himself to die. On the other hand, his acts of violence and vindictiveness are almost unforgivable. Heathcliff manipulates Isabella Lintons affections for him, eventually eloping with her, to hurt Edgar for taking his Cathy. Another example of the streak of malice in his character is where he instinctively catches Hareton when he is dropped by Hindley and expresses the intensest anguish at having made himself the instrument of thwarting his own revenge. This act could show however, that Heathcliff possesses an innate degree of humanity hidden from the world because he instinctively reached out to catch Hareton. This is an area of contrast between the two authors presentation of Gatsby and Heathcliff. Fitzgerald chooses to make his protagonist favourably viewed by the reader, both through his actions and by being directed to support him by Fitzgerald through Nick. Bronte chooses to present Heathcliff as a brutal, tyrannical Imp of Satan whom we are directed to not endear to. Fitzgerald incorporates the use of rumour in his presentation of Gatsby. This is in contrast to presentational techniques used by Bronte. Gatsby, throughout the novel is described as a nephew or cousin of Kaiser Wilhelms, a German spy during the war and is thought that he killed a man once. The plethora of rumours about Gatsbys life and past adds to the enigmatic impression we receive of him. While Heathcliff is also an enigma Bronte chooses not to reveal or even speculate (via characters in the novel) about the source of his wealth or his biological heritage, however Nelly does suggest, in an attempt to cheer Heathcliff that Who knows but your father was Emperor of China and your mother an Indian queen. The Wild Honeysuckle Poetry Analysis EssayIn the course of this altercation there is an example of how we are directed as a reader by Fitzgerald to side with Gatsby. Tom is described to be Flushed with his impassioned gibberish, almost provoking Nick to be tempted to laugh. Fitzgerald also labels Tom a prig while in Gatsby Nick experiences one of those renewals of complete faith because of Gatsbys confession that he didnt attend Oxford. Compared the Brontes Heathcliff we experience no such thing. In Wuthering Heights the novels major confrontation is where Edgar Linton accosts Heathcliff at Thrushcross Grange. Edgar describes Heathcliffs presence as a moral poison that would contaminate the most virtuous, Bronte here presenting Heathcliffs character through dialogue and relationship with other characters. This quote gives us an insight into Heathcliffs nature as a poison that could corrupt any person, even if they are virtuous. Bronte further explores Heathcliffs personality in this confrontation when Heathcliff retorts that Cathys lamb (Edgar) is in danger of splitting its skull against my knuckles demonstrating Heathcliffs violent and passionate nature. This confrontation also serves to demonstrate Brontes use of narrative device in having the narrator, Nelly, present in major events of the novel as when she is asked to fetch assistance for Edgar, she is thwarted in leaving by Cathy. It is in this episode that Bronte presents the characteristic among Heathcliffs traits of him being a corrupting influence. It is Heathcliff who is usually associated with violence but during this incidence it is Edgar who strikes Heathcliff full on the throat a blow that would have levelled a slighter man. Both Fitzgerald and Bronte use confrontation as a means to develop Gatsby and Heathcliffs character. In conclusion both Bronte and Fitzgerald use a variety of techniques in their presentations of Gatsby and Heathcliff. Despite the fact that both novels were written centuries apart there are many similarities in the authors presentation. On the other hand the periods in which the novels were written come across evidently such as the Romanticism influences in Wuthering Heights and the insights into the jazz era in The Great Gatsby. Gatsby is presented to be a character of noble heart, almost too good for the society into which he raises himself up to and who is ultimately, and tragically, destroyed by it. Heathcliff is presented as a tyrant, capable of cruelty and malice that is balanced out by the overwhelming grief experienced by him. Central to both novels is the theme of love and the immense acts of human ability and suffering that can stem from it. They also explore love as an all-consuming force that can act as, in Gatsbys case a reason for living and bettering himself, or in Heathcliffs case a reason for dying.