Themes Of The Great Gatsby And The Things They Carried

Christopher Schmidt Skillman Am Lit 5 May 2015 The Theme of Transformation in Various Texts In the texts Huck Finn, The Great Gatsby, and The Things They Carried, a major theme is the transformation of self, which happens through choice, through experience, or a combination of both. In The Great Gatsby, Jay makes the conscious choice to transform himself from the poor farmer boy, which he was born as, into an Oxford-educated rich millionaire, all so that he could win the heart of a girl. In Huck Finn, Huck ends up on a raft with a slave named Jim, and through the course of the whole story Huck experiences events that ultimately transform him from a young southern boy into a young adult knowing right from wrong by how he reacts to these experiences with Jim. Finally, in The Things They Carried, Jimmy Cross makes the conscious decision not necessarily to transform himself, but to take on responsibilities after the death of one of his men which in turn force change upon him. These responsibilities transform him. In The Great Gatsby, a prominent underlying theme is self transformation, or the reinventing of oneself. Throughout the book Gatsby is not what he says he is. He made up his whole life story in order to impress a girl he falls in love with before he is sent off to war. Jay Gatsby sets out to completely reinvent himself in every way, starting with his name. Growing up in the midwest, he was James Gatz, son of poor a poor farmer. In the text, the characters thatShow MoreRelatedThe Things They Carried And The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1507 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout literary history, one main theme most writers favor to focus on is the human condition. The Things They Carried and The Great Gatsby are just two examples of many written in which this theme is present. The Things They Carried, written by Tim O Brien, is about O Brien telling his personal experiences and stories of the Vietnam War, and how the soldiers are fighting two wars, a war with the Viet Cong and a war with themselves. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is setRead MoreThemes of The Great Gatsby Essay1040 Words   |  5 PagesF. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a story that has many different themes. Fitzgerald shows the themes that he uses through his character’s desires and actions. This novel has themes in it that we deal with in our everyday life. It has themes that deal with our personal lives and themes that deal with what’s right and what’s wrong. There are also themes that have to do with materialistic items that we deal desire on a daily basis. Fitzgerald focuses on the themes of corrupted love, immoralityRead MoreThe Sensible Thing, by F. Scott Fitzgerald1643 Words   |  7 PagesA Sensible Man with Sensible Writing The Sensible Thing, by F. 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