Most of us read The Great Gatsby in our sophomore Humanities class. Both Gatsby and Citizen Kane, produced about twenty years apart, focus on a man who some might say is the epitome of success. What similarities and differences do you see? Are these works celebrations or critiques of these men, or somewhere in between? Or something else? Do they tell us anything about the American Dream?
Both “The Great Gatsby” and “Citizen Kane” are stories that both celebrate and criticize the tenacity of incredibly successful men, telling the story of their success and their downfall. Both Jay Gatsby and Charles Foster Kane are similar because they had achieved the American dream, as they gained financial success through hard work and came up from poor families. Jay Gatsby was a poor man who was Daisy’s fiancé. However, Gatsby had to go to war and could not afford to pay a bribe to avoid the draft. As a result, he lost the love of his life to Tom Buchanan. Mr. Kane also grew up in a poor circumstance, raised by his two parents in a small log cabin. Both Gatsby and Kan become rich later in life, but they had lost something important that money could not replace. Charles Foster Kane’s last word was Rosebud, the name of his childhood sled. With his wealth, he could buy thousands of that same sled, but he could not regain the joy and simplicity of his childhood, where he could play outside in the snow with his sled, building a snowman, perfectly content. Jay Gatsby longed to be back with Daisy, but his wealth could not erase the relationship she had with Tom during the years he was at war. Both stories reveal that the American dream is flawed and cannot fix every problem. Both Gatsby and Kane dreamed about an unachievable goal that money could not buy, which results in the downfall of both men, yet both Welles’s film and Fitzgerald’s novel celebrate their efforts and encourage people reach out across the bay at the green light that emanates far in the distance.
ReplyDeleteBoth the Great Gatsby and Citizen Kane follow the lives of two men who are widely considered successful by their friends and colleagues. Jay Gatsby and Charles Foster Kane have both achieved financial success and lived what most would consider the “American Dream.” Although they possess incredible wealth, they both come into their riches differently. Jay Gatsby worked for years, although not ethically, to achieve his riches, which Charles Kane inherited his money when he was young. The similar tone in both stories is the longing for something money cannot buy. Jay Gatsby longs for Daisy, his former lover who is now married. He can buy the nicest house and throw the most extravagant parties, but he cannot buy her love. Charles Foster Kane longs for the simplicity of his childhood, his last word, “rosebud,” was not a name or something that revealed a mystery about his life, it was simply the word painted on a sled from his youth. No matter how many statues or palaces he bought, he could not return to his simple childhood life, where he lived with his mother and father and spent the afternoons playing in the snow. Both stories praise and criticize the idea of the “American Dream.” Although you live a lavish life, and it is something to aspire to, the wealth that comes with it cannot buy everything. Similarly, these stories criticize and praise their main characters, who both align heavily with the “American Dream.”
ReplyDeleteLike Jay Gatsby from "The Great Gatsby", Charles Foster Kane from Orson Welles' seminal film "Citizen Kane" is a man who seems to have everything, but ends up losing it all. These movies both make commentary on the failures of the American dream by showing the loneliness that can come from pursuing it. For example, both Gatsby and Kane have vast amounts of wealth, but they cannot buy love or happiness with their money. In Kane's case, he does not find any company in the multitude of statues he owns or the many parties he holds. His wife Susan even laments on the loneliness of their huge mansion at Xanadu, but he simply replies, "you always wanted to live in a palace". Charlie, through his immense wealth, has lost touch with reality and what it means to deeply connect with other people. The same happens to Jay Gatsby, who has large and lavish parties nearly every night. He delights in showing off his luxurious library, pool, and cars, but at the end of the day, he is truly lonely and unhappy with his life. Even further, he obsesses over Daisy Buchanan, who is beautiful and charming on the outside, yet shallow and boring on the inside. Daisy, for Jay, represents the American dream's allure of glam and luxury, but chasing her ultimately leads to his demise. The story, like "Citizen Kane", finds the main character losing touch with reality, and more importantly, himself due to the fantasy of affluence. Both protagonists end up failing at their American dream, becoming lonely even with their financial successes.
ReplyDeleteBoth The Great Gatsby and Citizen Kane are classic works of literature that many of us read in our sophomore Humanities class. Both of these stories center around a man who is seen to have achieved great success. While this is certainly true of both Gatsby and Kane, there are some notable differences in the way that each of these characters is presented. Gatsby is seen as a romantic dreamer, chasing an ideal of love and acceptance. His wealth and status are seen as a means to an end, and his downfall is ultimately caused by his inability to let go of his idealistic vision of the world. On the other hand, Kane is presented as a power-hungry individual who seeks to acquire and control all the things he desires. His wealth and status are seen as an end in itself, and his downfall is ultimately caused by his inability to relinquish control of the things he has acquired. It is difficult to say whether these works were intended as celebrations or critiques of their respective characters. While both works certainly have elements of both, they ultimately present a more nuanced view of their respective characters than a simple declaration of praise or criticism.
ReplyDeleteBoth works critique the American Dream. The Great Gatsby portrays a society in which wealth and power are attainable, but love and acceptance must be sacrificed. Kane shows a society in which wealth and power can be achieved only through the ruthless acquisition of material possessions.
Jay Gatsby and Charles Foster Kane are iconic literary characters who share an obsession with success and winning the affection of others, but their motivations differ. While Gatsby is honest and encompassed by love, Cane is driven by self-interest and egotistical demand to be idolized.
ReplyDeleteJay Gatsby, the main character of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," is a self-made man who rose from humble beginnings to becoming one of New York's most wealthy and successful. Earlier in his life as a soldier, Gatsby fell deeply for Daisy Buchanan, however, she had moved on and re-married. Gatsby's ultimate drive is to win Daisy's love and marry her; to accomplish this, he throws extravagant parties and buys a grand mansion across the bay from Daisy's home, hoping to draw her attention.
However, Charles Foster Kane, the star in Orson Welles’ "Citizen Kane," was given wealth at a young age and from this became one of the most powerful newspaper moguls. Similarly, Kane is obsessed with a singer, Susan Alexander. While married to his first wife, Emily Norton, Kane meets Susan. Although he had a son with Emily, they separate after she finds out about his mistress. Alexander and Kane’s relationship plummets from its very start. Kane forces her to become an opera singer despite her lack of talent, which drives her into a dark depression. Kane believes that by making Susan a star, he will prove his greatness and win her love. Kane’s drive for being loved is out of self-interest, as he attempts to buy Susan Alexanders' love with riches and material possession. Kane keeps Susan in his castle known as “Xanadu,” even when she expresses her wish to travel and visit friends. This obsession for control extends to his political aspirations. He seeks political power and runs for governor, hoping to gain the respect and admiration of the public. His newspaper business is entirely centered on his views being shared by the public. In an argument with Emily Norton, she says, “Really Charles, people will think-” “-What I tell them to think,” Kane interjects. This line in particular reflects his excessive need for control.
While both Gatsby and Kane are obsessed with success and winning the affection of another, their approaches differ. Gatsby is motivated by deep love, whereas Kane is motivated by power and a need for validation. Gatsby gives his entire life to earn Daisy’s attention, whereas Kane abuses his wife, and keeps her locked in a castle like a possession that gives him worth. Gatsby's desire to win Daisy's love is rooted in his romantic ideals, but Kane’s obsession with Susan and his political ambitions are ultimately driven by his ego and desire for control.
The Great Gatsby and Citizen Kane document the life of two men and their want to obtain something from their past. Jay Gatsby is a new money-rich man. He lives in a mansion and holds extravagant parties that all know of. But, he yearns for something from his past he can longer have. His past love Daisy had moved on, but Jay never did. Similarly, Kane is an incredibly wealthy individual. They both obtained their wealth differently. Kane got lucky and inherited his fortune. He did not need to work for his money a day in his life. On the other hand, Gatsby was born poor. He worked illegally by bootlegging alcohol during the prohibition. He risked his integrity to get this power and money. Despite their differences in upcoming, they both spent the majority of their lives wanting something from the past. As mentioned, Gatsby wanted the relationship he had with Daisy. Kane’s want is more precious as he wants his childhood back. No matter how much money Kane had he was never content with his life because of this. The last word he ever spoke was, “rosebud”. Rosebud is what he called his sled as a child. Even to his dying breath, he is reminiscing on his childhood. Wanting to go back to the simple life of a child. Gatsby also died still wanting the love of Daisy. He died looking to the greenlight of Daisy’s home. The lite that symbolized her life. Both The Great Gatsby and Citizen Kane follow the life of men to their downfall. Both end their lives in unfortunate ways unhappy with something. In the end, Gatsby and Kane are incredibly similar for they end their lives still yearning for something in the past.
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