Portrayal Of Reality In Great Gatsby Essays - The Great Gatsby

Portrayal Of Reality In Great Gatsby Essays - The Great Gatsby Portrayal Of Reality In Great Gatsby Mr. Gordan, an esteemed English teacher, once said Literature is Life. I had not been able to grasp the reality of those words until I read The Great Gatsby . After reading The Great Gatsby, I understand that literature is written through inspiration from our daily lives. In this novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the themes of morality and life versus illusion. Through his excellent writing techniques, Fitzgerald reduces most of the characters of the novel as seemingly obsessed with material possessions, petty, and selfish. Theses characterizations are portrayed because of the realness of human nature. Fitzgerald uses contrasting morals and values of the characters to show the true disparity in human nature. Nicks characteristics are completely incompatible with Toms. Since Nick has a strong foundation and is honest, he is thus very faithful. His faithfulness and loyalty is apparent when he attends and organizes Gatsbys funeral. On the other hand, Tom is unfaithful and dishonest. He is dishonest with Daisy and Myrtle. He also shows his unfaithfulness when he is not present at the birth of his daughter. In addition, Fitzgerald also uses Tom and Gatsby to show the sentimental disparity. Gatsby is a dreamer and a romantic man, who by following his dreams, went from rags to riches. He is proud of the fact that he has been able to accumulate his wealth independently, despite the fact that it is hinted that much of his money was earned illegally. Tom, on the other hand, is a realist and a straightforward man. He does not dream, as Gatsby does; he merely acts on his instincts. He has not earned his great wealth: he has inherited it. In spite of the fact, that all of the main characters in The Great Gatsby have very different personalities; they are however all affected by money. Some characters, like Gatsby and Tom Buchanan, have money, and are very expressive with it. Other characters, such as Myrtle, lust for money. Essentially being of the middle class, Myrtle's attraction to Tom is not based on love or affection. Rather, Tom represents something that Myrtle has never had : endless wealth; and with this Myrtle correlates happiness. Fitzgerald uses the lust for money in his novel because it is one thing that almost everybody in the world lusts for. He also tries to use the prejudices against rich as being flamboyant and superficial to create a contempt against Tom Buchanan and Daisy. However, these prejudices might have some truth or reality to them as Fitzgerald shows it in the end through Nicks judgment. Fitzgerald also adds a dash of reality to his novel when Gatsby doesnt achieve his dream of winning Daisy back from Tom. In this case, the strong, bullying character of Tom represents reality, and with his powerful nature he easily squashes any hopes that Gatsby may have of a relationship with Daisy. This shows that sometimes dreams dont come true, as opposed to the fairy tale version of . and they lived happily everafter. Although, Fitzgerald may despise all that the American dream stands for, he more importantly illustrates that it is not always easy to obtain it. The novel ends with the death of Gatsby. This may seem surprising to the reader, as Fitzgerald seems to have built Gatsby up as being one of the true heroes of the novel. However, Fitzgerald understands that reality is often very harsh to dreamers, a central quality in Gatsby's character. The death of Gatsby, and the unaffected life of Tom after both Gatsby's and Myrtle's death is testament to the fact that illusion is often shattered when confronted with reality. Rather than this fact detracting from Gatsby's character; the reader, however, supports the image of Gatsby all the more: a man who has died while in pursuit of something worthy. This alternative is far better than any other solutions. If Gatsby had not died, then he would have been desperate and desolute. In addition, Tom would have had the upper hand and would have only enlarged his own ego. Fitzgerald ends the novel with another reality. He shows that Gatsbys life had no worth if measured with how many real friends

3 Discredited Biological Explanations for Deviancy

3 Discredited Biological Explanations for Deviancy A number of theories have tried to explain why people take part in deviant behavior, which is defined as any behavior that goes against the dominant norms of society. Biological explanations, psychological reasons, and sociological factors have all been linked to such behavior, but three of the major biological explanations for deviancy have been discredited. They posit that criminals are born rather than made, meaning that ones genetic makeup is the top reason a person engages in deviant acts. Biological Theories   Biological theories of deviance see crime and deviant behavior as a form of illness caused by distinct pathological factors. They assume that some people are born criminals or that offenders are biologically different from the general public. The logic here is that these individuals have a mental and physical defect of some sort that makes it impossible for them to learn and follow rules. This defect, in turn, leads to criminal behavior.​ Born Criminals Nineteenth-century Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso rejected the idea that crime is a characteristic of human nature. Instead, he believed that criminality is inherited, and he even developed a theory of deviance that argued a person’s bodily constitution indicates whether one is a born criminal. These born criminals are a throwback to an earlier stage of human evolution with the physical makeup, mental capabilities, and instincts of primitive man. In developing his theory, Lombroso observed the physical characteristics of Italian prisoners and compared them to those of Italian soldiers. He concluded that the criminals were physically different. The physical characteristics he used to identify prisoners included an asymmetry of the face or head, large monkey-like ears, large lips, a twisted nose, excessive cheekbones, long arms, and excessive wrinkles on the skin. Lombroso declared that males with five or more of these characteristics could be marked as born criminals. Females, on the other hand, only needed as few as three of these characteristics to be born criminals. Lombroso also believed that tattoos are the markings of born criminals because they stand as evidence of both immortality and insensitivity to physical pain. Body Types William Sheldon was an American psychologist practicing in the early to mid-1900s. He  spent his life observing the varieties of human bodies and came up with three types: ectomorphs, endomorphs, and mesomorphs. Ectomorphs are thin and fragile. Their bodies are  described as flat-chested, lean, lightly muscled, and small shouldered. Endomorphs are considered soft and fat. They are described as having underdeveloped muscles and a round physique. They often have difficulty losing weight. Mesomorphs are muscular and athletic. Their bodies are described as hourglass-shaped when theyre female, or rectangular-shaped in males. Theyre muscular with thick skin and have excellent posture. According to Sheldon, mesomorphs are the most prone to commit crime or other deviant behaviors. Y Chromosomes This theory holds that criminals have an extra Y chromosome that gives them an XYY chromosomal makeup rather than an XY makeup. This creates a strong compulsion in them to commit crimes. This person is sometimes called a super male. Some studies have found that the proportion of XYY males in the prison population is slightly higher than the general male population, but other studies don’t provide evidence that supports this theory. Sources Gibson, Mary. Born to Crime: Cesare Lombroso and the Origins of Biological Criminology (Italian and Italian American Studies). Praeger, 2002. Rose, Martha, and Wayne Mayhall. Sociology: The Basic Principles of Sociology for Introductory Courses. BarCharts, Inc., 2000.