The Great Gatsby and The Hollow Men Essay -- essays research papers

The Great Gatsby has been nonpareil of the classic novels of the twentieth century. It creates a unique society that brings the tale such a masterpiece. Another magnificent work that relates to The Great Gatsby is T.S. Eliots The Hollow Man. The lines in the poem portray the story so vividly that it should have been an epigraph for the novel. The poems references to withdraw and stuffed men, can describe different characters in The Great Gatsby. The hollowness of men represents ruthless barbarians with no respect for humans and no understanding of love. However, the stuffed men come out to be educated, wealthy, and respectful. The differences in these types of men can be seen through the events of the novel. Another aspect of the poem that represents the novel is the idea of the paralyzed force. This force symbolizes freedom and uniqueness. It in any case is captivating and serves as authority. So, the similarities betwixt The Great Gatsby and The Hollow Men remarkably show t he hollow and stuffed characteristic of the stack in Gatsbys secret society.The first similarity between the two pieces of work is the hollowness in mankind referred to by the poem. In the novel there are two main characters that depict such hollowness. The counter character of gobbler Buchanan represents the ruthless and careless American whose dream is to use women and acquire money. In addition he has no respect towards others which creates pain for people around him. An example of this is when Myrtle repeatedly uttered his wifes name which was Daisy. Tom took this as an insult and viciously punched her in the nose. He never took into consideration that smasher a women is uncivilized. Another quality he has is to flaunt his wealth in other peoples faces. This can be seen when he takes Nick around his colossal house. Tom wants others to feel jealous of his riches, when he is actually jealous of the others around him. Thus revealing his emptiness of heart and spirit. His hypocri tical remarks show his hollowness towards other. During the climatic motion picture in the plaza hotel he said I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to you wife.(137) He doesnt take into account that he has been doing the same thing with Myrtle and plenty of other ladies. Another hollow character in the novel is Daisy. Daisy portrays the conceite... ...ed to be in charge of the conversation. Also, Owl Eyes was one of the few honorable people who attended Gatsbys funeral. He had an admiration toward Gatsby and cherished his view toward life. So, The Hollow Man has many parallels that make it a perfect epigraph for The Great Gatsby. The three key aspects of the poem that relate it to The Great Gatsby were the hollow men, the stuffed men, and the paralyzed force. All three depict the society Gatsby lived in and the life he had to go through. The hollow and stuffed men showed the two types of people in Gatsbys society. The hollow men conta in no inner spirit or love toward one another. However, the stuffed men consisted of bravery, self-control, and love. They were Tom, Daisy, Jay, and George, respectively. The poem categorizes where people fit in society. The final parallel is the paralyzed force including Owl Eyes and the billboard. Both had a frozen outlook on life and someone to look up to. In conclusion, Fitzgerald and Eliot created classics that will be analyzed for many years to come. However, no one will be able to make an epigraph for The Great Gatsby better than Eliots The Hollow Man.