The Great Gatsby vs. the Scarlet Letter

The Great Gatsby vs. the Scarlet Letter

  • Submitted By: KheliaKins
  • Date Submitted: 09/12/2013 2:31 PM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 1458
  • Page: 6
  • Views: 5

Ange Khelia Manirakiza
Meghan Boyce
EAE3U1
21 May 2013

Are The Scarlet Letter and The Great Gatsby Similar?
The world renowned classic novels The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald are two prestigious books that have made a tremendous impact on the literary world. Each novel possesses certain ideas that touch peoples' lives and spark their interest. Both novels have many literary elements in common but also have a few differences to them. What are the similarities between the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Thorne and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and what differentiates them? We will discuss this matter by comparing and contrasting the main male tragic heroes in each novel, the similarity of themes found in both novels such as adultery and the importance of society and lastly, the difference in the time setting of both novels.
To begin, The Scarlet Letter and The Great Gatsby share many similar characteristics when considering the two main male characters: Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale from The Scarlet Letter and Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby. First of all, they have both committed adultery with the woman they fell in love with. Also, they are both tragic heroes; they are noble but imperfect; successful and powerful men who deal with aggravation in their personal lives and these two characters brought their own downfalls with their hamartia. Dimmesdale is a respected Reverend who is gifted with wisdom. However, he lives most of his life in secrecy and regret when he keeps silent that he was the man who committed adultery with Hester Prynne. Because of this, until he speaks the truth, Hester was not respected and was discriminated against their community. Additionally, their society does not consider her daughter to be a human because they do not know who the father is. Gatsby is also a noble and successful man, but he is not happy with his life. He is disappointed by his past because...

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