Honors American Literature (E)

There was a brilliant gleam of light that struck the center of the ice surface as we entered the building. In the building, we all ran around and stretched in synchrony like soldiers that marched together and prepared to face war. Before we faced adversity, preparation was essential as we expected and dealt with the possibility of injury and we were physically ready with victory in mind. In a small room, equipment slipped on easily and without thought as focus was so ever present in an atmosphere of blood thirsty soldiers. And in the moment, no distraction shifted our emotionless visages away from the battlefield; our heavy steps lead us toward the battlefield.

    Every one of our brains were wired for a relentless fight until victory. A light breeze hit our faces as the edges of our war machines adjusted to the foreign surface.

    At least the logistics of the game and strategies were familiar as we practiced and created muscle memory. After the period of adjustment, the front line got into position, and the rest of us watched anxiously as we expected the first gunshot to graze the side of a soldier’s face. After the time ticked down, shot after shot was blasted and many intently hit the enemy as both parties tried to gain an advantage.

    By late evening, a mere two shots from each party have hit target. Soldiers have grown exhausted as time is ticking and with each significant time stamp, a low pitched but ear piercing noise infiltrates our bodies. The fight seems endless but the joy coming from our passion for the activity pushes us towards the victory line, and the adrenaline from our excitement gives us the advantage.

    Pressure builds up on the opponents as we slowly crush their reinforcements and run through them like ghosts gliding hastily. Their strides become quicker and their legs tremble from the butterflies building up in their stomachs. Our lightning fast attack floods their defense with strikes of blazing shots directed straight towards their core: where it hurts the most.

    Suddenly, all attention shifts to me as I swiftly maneuver my way through the opposition like a butterfly. I snipe the puck past the goalie and an electric roar fills the building. The hockey game has ended.

The human species has always thrived through life’s many plights due to unmatched resilience. The idea of the American Dream is a prevalent theme in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and it is portrayed through Jay Gatsby. The protagonist realizes his downfall as his constant efforts, his unrealistically high standards, as well as the pursuit of his ancient relationship with Daisy all lead to his demise.

    To start off, Mr. Gatsby lives in a sort of fantasy world where he believes that the idea of recreating his past relationship with Daisy is tangible. Unfortunately, he slowly begins to be overwhelmed by his dream as he encounters Daisy for the first time since what feels like forever to him. After seeing Gatsby flabbergasted, Nick(of course) hints at a weak point in Gatsby’s plan. He describes, “He had passed visibly through two states and was entering upon a third. After his embarrassment and his unreasoning joy he was consumed with wonder at her presence. He had been full of the idea so long, dreamed it right through to the end, waited with his teeth set, so to speak, at an inconceivable pitch of intensity. Now, in the reaction, he was running down like an overwound clock”(Fitzgerald 91-92). A simile comparing Gatsby to an overwound clock creates the image that the man may not completely understand that time is a variable in his situation. Clearly, Gastby refuses to accept that years have passed since his previous relationship with Daisy and that no effort could recreate their previous reality. This relates to the theme of illusion. Following this idea, the stubborn man desires Daisy more than anything and demonstrates his delusion through a conversation with Nick: “‘I wouldn’t ask too much of her,’ I ventured. ‘You can’t repeat the past.’ ‘Can’t repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’ He looked around wildly, as if the past were lurking here in the shadows of his house, just out of reach of his hand”(Fitzgerald 110). A metaphor comparing the past to just how close it is to Gatsby as it is ‘just out of reach of his hand’ further emphasizes the man’s distorted and unrealistic state of mind. Readers understand his erroneous pursuit which could also foreshadow the protagonist’s fall. The unattainable dreams Gatsby so desperately desires relates to the central theme of the American Dream. His distorted mindset also creates a God-like image of Daisy in his mind.

    Next, Gatsby’s thoughts and interactions with the central characters of the novel prove his unrealistically high standards that lead to his dismay. On a calm night, Gatsby’s thoughts create the image that his feelings for Daisy were mutual and he had successfully attained his dream: “Daisy put her arm through his abruptly, but he seemed ab- sorbed in what he had just said. Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever”(Fitzgerald 93). Symbolism is implied where the light represents his pursuit of the American Dream(recreating his relationship with Daisy) and its significance vanishing forever may hint at a sorrowful ending for him. Now, Gatsby has nothing to look forward to as he begins to be disappointed. This relates to the idea of love. Moreover, the bootlegger’s expectations ultimately scare away his lover. After asking Daisy to manifest that she never loved Tom(a false statement) Daisy begins to push back towards her husband’s side: “‘Oh, you want too much!’ she cried to Gatsby. ‘I love you now—isn’t that enough? I can’t help what’s the past.’ She began to sob helplessly”(Fitzgerald 134). Daisy telling Gatsby that he wants too much forebodes Gatsby’s downfall, and expresses his lover slowly fading further away from him. Once again, his extreme standards let him down as even he can’t help with the past. This relates to the theme of deception. Gatsby’s intensive efforts all seem to fail…

    On a final note, Gatsby’s perseverance along with his endeavors are essentially the backbone to all his problems as they blind him from the truth. Nick is definitely a bystander that gives readers a logical perspective of Gatsby’s flawed reasoning. Unfortunately, he remains silent and simply observes. After Gatsby informs Nick that he will watch over Daisy until morning, Nick understands that Gatsby’s efforts are essentially futile: “He put his hands in his coat pockets and turned back eagerly to his scrutiny of house, as though my presence marred the sacredness of the vigil. So I walked away and left him standing there in the moonlight—watching over nothing”(Fitzgerald 145). Nick’s first person narration allows readers to confirm their bias about Gatsby slowly approaching a downward spiral. The lost man evidently lives in an illusion where he expects a dream-like future with Daisy as he stands there ‘watching over nothing’. Thus, Nick’s thoughts display how important the idea of illusion is throughout the story. Additionally, his flawed reasoning is what paves the path to his demise. After Gatsby’s death, Nick reflects upon the idea of the American Dream. He describes,”Gatsby beloved in the green light, the organic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther….And one fine morning—“(Fitzgerald 180). Symbolism is once again implied with the idea of the green light relating to Jay Gatsby’s dream. It is significant as he proves that no matter how unreasonable it may seem, humans would always ‘run faster’ and ‘stretch out our arms further’ for the possibility of a miracle. Like Gatsby, we may not realize the consequences of our efforts and create a situation comparable to Gatsby’s. This comes back to the central theme of  the American Dream.

    In essence, Gatsby’s unreasonable ideas of recreating a past reality as well as his insane efforts which essentially make him suffer all lead to his inevitable death. His unfortunate demise may create a spark in many readers’ minds and perhaps serve as a warning. Like Gatsby, why do humans desire to live the American Dream knowing its risks?

Unrealistic aspirations and ignorance can often lead to the downfall of one’s life. The protagonist, Maggie, from Stephen Crane’s novel titled Maggie: A Girl of the Streets falls into her own dream world and suffers the consequences of trusting a false reality. Maggie is undoubtedly a tragic hero as her own naivety and false hopes as well as trusting a devious Pete all pave the way towards her downfall.

    First, Maggie is very obviously a naive young girl and a wealthy Pete represents a way out of a deep hole of misery. The latter creates false hopes which may have inclined her into an illogical dream-like state. A curious Maggie paints herself a picture of a perfect life as she eavesdrops on a conversation between her brother and Pete: ”He had certainly seen everything and with each curl of his lip, he declared that it amounted to nothing. Maggie thought he must be a very elegant and graceful bartender. He was telling tales to Jimmie. Maggie watched him furtively, with half-closed eyes, lit with vague interest”(Crane 27). Crane emphasizes Maggie’s naivety with a metaphor comparing her eyes to light which proves that the young bartender’s presence creates an image of a bright future for the protagonist. Her ‘half-closed eyes, lit with vague interest’ blind her from a harsh reality. This inspires her naiveness and eventually creates the hole where she buries herself into. The previous idea relates to the themes of hopes and dreams.

    Next, Maggie evidently aspires for something that isn’t reachable due to the dream-like state that Pete inspires in her. Her high hopes consequently lead to irrational thinking ,and they essentially set her up for disappointment. After her first date with Pete, Maggie’s head blows up with thoughts of Pete and distorts her view of reality,”As thoughts of Pete came to Maggie’s mind, she began to have an intense dislike for all of her dresses”(Crane 41). What seems to be an insignificant thought actually forebodes her downfall and future reality. Crane intentionally shows Maggie’s dislike for her dresses to create a shift in her thoughts. Later on, Maggie grows to hat everything and creates a dark world for herself. Her opinion has an increasingly worse influence on her life and links As Maggie enjoys the ending of a drama with Pete, her confidence skyrockets,”Maggie always departed with raised spirits from the showing places of the melodrama. She rejoiced at the way in which the poor and virtuous eventually surmounted the wealthy and wicked. The theatre made her think. She wondered if the culture and refinement she had seen imitated, perhaps grotesquely, by the heroine on the stage, could be acquired by a girl who lived in a tenement house and worked in a shirt factory”(Crane 46). Crane implies false hopes through symbolism where the theatre and the melodrama represent Maggie’s irrational thoughts. The theatre is meant to please and is fabricated just like her ‘raised spirits’. Maggie’s imagination of herself as the heroine in the drama proves her irrational logic and proves the theme of false hopes.

    Last, Maggie’s false hopes are mostly sourced from her trust in Pete. An obvious flaw of a virtuous and naive girl like Maggie is falling for a misleading street urchin. The poor girl agrees to return to the hall with Pete for a second time, but this time it’s different: ”Maggie was pale. From her eyes had been plucked all look of self-reliance. She leaned with a dependant air toward her companion. She was timid, as if fearing his anger or displeasure. She seemed to beseech tenderness of him”(Crane 67). Crane employs personification where Maggie’s self-reliance has been plucked from her eyes, emphasizing her trust and dependence on the devious Pete. Her companion, being ruse and malevolent, understands his power at this moment. However, Maggie is oblivious to his intentions and truly fears his ‘displeasure’ as she holds on to her dream of being rich. Pete later breaks her trust and leaves the poor girl with nothing. Her trust in an obviously evil man only digs her into a deeper hole of misery. Her dependence on Pete for money and loss of self-reliance relates to the theme of poverty. Once Pete lets Maggie go, she is left with not even her soul. As she walks further and further away from existence, the protagonist wanders towards her death,”She went into the blackness of the final blocks. The shutter of the tall buildings were closed like grim lips. The structures seemed to have eyes that looked over them, beyond them, at other things. Afar off the lights of the avenues glittered as if from an impossible distance. Street-car bells jingled with a sound of merriment”(Crane 94). Darkness is present all throughout her final steps and a hyperbole showing how lights glow from ‘an impossible distance’ assure that there is no hope for Maggie. Her inevitable death approaches as she fades into ‘the blackness of the final blocks’. Death(a theme) is present during this scene. A tragic hero lives her destiny…

    In essence, Maggie proves to be a tragic hero as her personality flaws pave the path towards her downfall. Her naivety and ignorance to the harsh reality she faces, rational thought masked by her false aspirations and high hopes, and her trust in a devious and obviously evil gamin all support her role as a tragic hero. Though Maggie has many flaws, why wouldn’t her virtue make up for them?

There was courage in the air as students reluctantly dragged themselves to the bowl. In the daisy filled field, it was as if a sea of boys and girls, harboring luxurious clothing and fancy trinkets which slowly washed into the seats. By this time, my heart pounded as I looked out onto the vast sea of familiar faces, homogenous with unacquainted individuals who had already placed themselves within their own cliques. For this reason, those separated from the masses who desperately wanted to maintain their social status, despite the disconnected status between the old and the new, played with the idea of getting to know each other, but then resorted back to their temporary relationships. And I was fragmented from this, because I was disillusioned from the crowd due to my fortified position off to the side, this enabled me to be physically and emotionally separated from the crowd, which caused my hands to sweat, and eyes to flutter as they had no concrete destination to rest upon.

At the time, every factor of this all school gathering contributed to the ostracized feeling that lingered inside of me since my arrival. In the moments I stood singular and secluded from everyone, with nothing but the echoless outdoors which surrounded me, I was alone.

At least a few dozen people stared blankly at me as I was the only student awkwardly standing off to the side. From the moment everyone sat down, it was clear that I was not to join them from the beginning. People’s minds spun as they were puzzled by my unusual presence in such an orderly setting. 

By the time people had figured it out, I was already walking up to the stage. It’s clear to everyone that I have waited for this moment, as every living cell making up my body rises in temperature in anticipation. Like a sloth I place the crisp piece of paper onto the podium, take a deep breath and begin to read.

Every word I say feels lighter than the last, and it is evident that I put hours of practice into my piece. My language becomes smoother as I look up, gently brushing my vision across the crowd, only to deliver line after line with ease. The faces in the crowd become brighter than before, as students let go of their previous thoughts shared with their friends, only to replace them with words that I send directly into their minds. 

Suddenly, the moment that seemed to be so far away, began to fade away in front of my eyes, remaining only as a memory. My vision jolts to the back of the crowd, revealing my scruffy brother holding his phone up to me as if I were the president giving an impassioned speech. In the final seconds where I step down, and begin my journey to the back of the crowd, pressure releases off of me, and it is evident that the year has begun.

A major part of the responsibility of being a soldier comes from what must be carried to and from the battlefield. Many carry things by choice, others do it by necessity, but the things that soldiers forget to carry often come back when they need it most. In The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, we explore the significance of the objects that the soldiers carry during their traumatic journey through the Vietnam war. As we follow a rag-tag group of soldiers prepared for any fight they might encounter, it is clear there is never a tool they need, but don’t have. It only becomes apparent to many that after the war, there truly is one thing many of Alpha Company forgot to bring; mental health. In the text it is clear that the men of Alpha Company suffer from self harm, violent tendencies, and even suicide which all stemps from their poor mental health.

Letters, photos, wrist watches, pocket knives, chewing gum, and miniature soap bars for maintaining cleanliness on the field are all important pieces to what Alpha Company thought to be useful in their time on the battlefield. Bob (Rat) Kiley, specifically chooses to carry the medical equipment for Alpha Company, as he takes on the challenging role of being the on field medical practitioner. Although Rat can confidently patch up all of the physical wounds that Alpha Company endur, he simply does not have the ability to care for their or his own mental calamity. Rat’s overwhelming mental health issues from seeing his dead war friends, and the wounds of the living, caused him to see himself the same way. This all began to overflow for Rat, and during a mental break, he relieved himself of duty: “He took off his boots and socks, laid out his medical kit, doped himself up, and put a round through his foot,” (O’Brien 212). His method of doping himself to cool the pain, and skillful preparation, shows that shooting himself is something Rat Kiley has been thinking about for a long time prior. Some might think that shooting himself in the foot is not a sign of poor mental health, and that Rat Kiley only does it to escape the war. This however is untrue, as a man like Rat is aware of all of the various draft dodging methods that soldiers have used in the past. Escaping war through medical diagnosis, or claiming various sexual preferences, would have achieved the same effect without unnecessary pain. However, Rat Kiley took himself out of the war the same way he lived through it; by patching bullet holes and using dope. Sadly for Alpha Company, self harm caused by mental struggle is a recurring pattern. 

Norman Bowker carried his diary, and the conflicted feelings of a soldier with nothing left to live for. Bowker truly gave his heart and soul to the Vietnam war, as devoting all of his mental capacity to fighting on the battlefield was the safest way for him and his allies to return home safely. Described as a gentle kid, Bowker was not the ideal man to be fighting in a murderous war of attrition. Despite this, he became one of the select members of Alpha Company to survive the Vietnam war, and make it home to his family. Similar to himself, throughout the course of the war, things had changed upon his return. The girl of his dreams moved on, his small town kept living, but Bowker still had his mind on war. Even after Norman Bowker had made it home, he still replicated the environment of the war, as he could only find comfort in the distressing environment of Vietnam: “The water felt warm against his skin. He put his head under. He opened his lips, very slightly, for the taste, then he stood up and folded his arms and watched the fireworks. For a small town, he decided, it was a pretty good show.” (148). Bowker being stuck in the past, he holds himself from living in the present. He sinks himself into the water similarly to the sinking field he dragged his dying friend Kiowa through. Wading into water fully clothed because it ‘felt warm’ shows that he is more comfortable in the warm stagnant water than the air conditioned truck. Unsanitary warm water, explosive noises, and flashing lights, all share similar themes to the land of vietnam. Reminding himself of the environment, and the metals he could have won, keep Bowker in Vietnam, and in turn keep him content. By coming home, Norman lost his will to live as he lost the environment, with the only thing close being miniscule reminders of a life lived long ago. By losing the Vietnam war, Bowker lost his will to live. Losing the will to live was not the only thing the Vietnam war took from Alpha Company, as it also took away sympathy from Alpha Company.

To shutter, flinch, or scream, are all appropriate responses to watching a man violently attack a baby animal. Infact, many would go as far to say that these types of responses are not only appropriate but expected and if one didn’t have these reactions they would be seen as abnormal. Alpha Company’s reactions, or lack thereof, further highlight the insane levels of violence many of these men have tolerated. Rat Kiley, after the unfortunate death of his close friend Kiowa, began shooting a baby water buffalo as an action to not kill, but to hurt. Despite this cruel act, no one in Alpha Company cared. As O’Brien describes Rat shooting the baby buffalo, he explains, “The rest of us stood in a ragged circle around the baby buffalo. For a time no one spoke,” (76). Alpha Company’s inability to intervene with the torment of a baby animal, regardless the circumstances make it evident that something within them is disturbed. Not only is Rat’s violence is wrong, but the silent viewing from the rest only sends a message of compliance. This proves that not only Rat has dangerous violent tendencies stemming from the loss of a friend, but the rest condone it, and may even suffer themselves. Alpha Company shows no sign of damage on the outside, on the inside, the men hurt.

Alpha Company has been put through more than many others ever will and suffered because of it. Their story is unique to the general public, but all too familiar for veterans of the Vietnam war. As a generation of veterans who suffered from the aftereffects of war, it is no surprise that the men of Alpha Company became void of mental security. With little fight left to patch up wounds, none at all to live, and enough pain to spread, Alpha Company returned home. With years past, and all their equipment off their shoulders, it is evident that they forgot to carry their own mental health home.

Everyone walks through the world with some type of weight that they carry. For some it can be their actions, for others, it can be their thoughts, for few it is history. History matters, not only to those whom it affects but also to those who have a deep understanding and connection with it. For me, this weight is the history of my ancestors, how and why they came to America, and the expectations that I carry from hundreds of years prior to my existence. Specifically, the African American side of my family harbors a rich history of their arrival to America. Spread through word of mouth and tradition, I walk through the world with the intangible weight of what it means for me to be half African American, a Nazareth, and a Ridley.

Beginning with my father, the Nazareth name came to America in an ever so familiar way. Given the luxury of European genetics and name, the comfortable upbringing of a happy dual-parent household was only natural. However, they still had struggles. Through my grandmother being Irish, coming to the United States by unimaginable means through the Atlantic, and my grandfather’s German family being beaten and berated during World War II, they prevailed. This allowed them to lead a relatively plushy life for their children, restricting many from the weight that my grandparents endured in their lifetime. Although the Nazareth Family was certainly not exempt from weight, such as being a parent after military duty, struggling to raise four children, and dealing with the elderly ridden with dementia, it was not the same weight that the Ridley family carried.

I speculate the Ridley name, is not the name of my family, but rather the name of the slave owner that first bought my family. In reality, I may never know how my family came to be, from where, or when, as information like that tends to get lost in the historical wind whenever examining black families. Talking with my Uncles and cousins in the car as we listen to rap music where the stories sound far too familiar to our own, is one of the few times that I learn about the past of my family. “I was curious too,” my Uncle Dan tells me. “I looked up the Ridley name on Google, but all I could find was some dumbass plantation.”. Unsurprisingly this conversation only happened once, even though every time we were together we were always trying to flex about some new information we found about ourselves. But our findings always pale in comparison to my grandmother, the family historian as I like to think. 

‘Bam’, as we call her, is always finding new people whom the Ridley family never knew were connected to us. Her discoveries are always exciting as you never know who you’re going to get. A new cousin, uncle, or aunt is always one call away from reality. For Bam especially, this is a dream come true, as her childhood living in a ten person family, in a small three room Boston apartment, bred a deep necessity to care for others, no matter who they may be. So on she goes, providing food and love to anyone who she calls family, even if they don’t share the same last name. But the stories, relationships, and family ties all live and die with her. Leaving only speculation about how my family came to be, and where we came from.

No amount of spit that I pour into a tube, and send to a lab, will reveal the secrets and connections that my family members and I hope to one day uncover. So we struggle on, never understanding the relationship between one another, weighing ourselves down with the awkward feeling of being unknown. Hundreds of years of separation have left deep scars on even those who are thought to be unaffected. The youngest children are examined thoroughly for evidence of their relationship with distant relatives as a way to facilitate the connection of a questioning family. Once these comparisons start, they never stop, passing on the feeling of alienation towards the youngest of the family who may look different, often causing a deeper rift between those of us who seek the truth of where we come from.

I, too, carry this weight of being unknown, and undefined. Everywhere I walk, I imagine that I am once again forced to prove myself as was taught to me at a young age. This weight will most likely never be taken away from me, in the same way that I will never discover my family’s true history. A weight so distant to the Nazareth family, but all too real for the Ridley’s. A divide in myself that causes me to undermine the weight of alienation, and its effects on me today. Although intangible, the weight is real and is what I walk through the world with every day.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is considered one of the greatest American novels. Because of its strong ties to American culture, it shows many pieces of what it’s like to be an American. The book highlights class inequalities and the idea of what it means to be successful in American society. This ties the book directly to the American dream: the idea that anyone can achieve anything if they work hard in this country. It is clear that Fitzgerald used this novel to comment on the American dream and shed a negative light on it. Through the fact that Gatsby has to present himself as someone he’s not to achieve his dream and then then loses it anyways, the book shows that nobody can achieve the true American dream without losing themselves in return.

Another aspect of the book that shows the American dream’s flaws is Gatsby’s tendency for deceit. He can only succeed by becoming someone who he is not. We know he has literally changed his name to escape his past as a lower class person. However, his escape from himself is not limited to just his legal name, but he pretends to be a completely different person, imitating new money to impress people, especially Daisy, as he admits in this quote: “But he knew that he was in Daisy’s house by a colossal accident. However glorious might be his future as Jay Gatsby, he was at present a penniless young man without a past, and at any moment the invisible cloak of his uniform might slip from his shoulders. So he made the most of his time. He took what he could get, ravenously and unscrupulously — eventually he took Daisy one still October night, took her because he had no real right to touch her hand.” (Fitzgerald 156). This quote is Nick describing what Gatsby said about his past with Daisy. The comparison between Gatsby’s “glorious” future and what he actually is in this moment: a lower class guy, shows that Gatsby had to put on a facade to succeed socially.  Daisy in this quote is a representation of Gatsby’s transformation into the wealthy and influential Jay Gatsby that we see in the rest of the book. As a lower class person putting on a facade, he has no real right to touch her hand or to join high society, so he did exactly what is stated, he took what he could get, whenever he could get it. Just as he landed in her house by a “colossal accident”, he landed his position as the famous Jay Gatsby through the same methods of deceit and lying about his background. Gatsby also has to resort to illegal activity to succeed, showing that someone who comes from a less well off background often has to sacrifice their morals to reach the level of the higher class. There are hints of Gatsby’s activity, like when he tries to recruit Nick for a questionable job, a party guest suggests he killed a man, and he takes several phone calls that are said to be from Chicago, a hub for crime at the time. After all these hints, the book confirms his illegal activity in this quote after Gatsby passes:  “‘Young Parke’s in trouble,” he said rapidly. “They picked him up when he handed the bonds over the counter. They got a circular from New York giving ’em the numbers just five minutes before. What d’you know about that, hey? You never can tell in these hick towns ——” “ (Fitzgerald 174). This is a phone call to Gatsby’s house from an unknown caller. This is significant because “handing the bonds over the counter” is a reference to ceiling stolen stock and bond securities, which was a common illegal practice at the time. This shows that to obtain his wealth, Gatsby used methods outside of the law. 

Even though he goes as far as possible to obtain his dream, Gatsby still fails, and this failure is represented throughout the book through the recurring symbolism of the green light. The light represents his imagined future with Daisy, where he has joined high society and is able to be fully part of her life. Through this light, Fitzgerald shows us the status of Gatsby’s dreams of success, and at the end of the book ties this metaphor together: “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther… . And one fine morning —— So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” (Fitzgerald 198). This quote is integral in understanding the rest of the mentions of this green light, because it shows how it is directly related to Gatsby’s own American Dream. The green light is not only his relationship with Daisy, it is his dreams of success as a whole, his “orgastic future”. As we see through the description of Gatsby’s past, Gatsby doesn’t just want Daisy, he wants wealth, or more importantly, he wants to rise as far as possible for the impoverished state he was in. The green light’s significance is explored even further in the rest of the book, tying itself directly to Gatsby’s current status. This light’s first mention is in the beginning of the book, when Nick first sees Gatsby. “He stretched his arms out toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far away as I was, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward- distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness.” (Fitzgerald 26). This shows the dream in Gatsby’s mind, minute and far away, as he has not seen Daisy in some time, even though he throws parties simply to attract her attention, or stretches his arms out, it is still out of his reach. As the book goes on, the light grows farther and further away from Gatsby, and when Daisy and Gatsby finally meet and she can’t meet his expectations, the light loses all significance. “Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. “Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one.” (Fitzgerald 98) This is Nick describing Gatsby’s realization that the light has lost its meaning in his life at this point. He has gotten Daisy back into his life, and she simply isn’t enough, so he can’t connect with her. This marks Gatsby’s final attempt to insert himself not only into her life, but into high society as a whole. He has put all this work into climbing the social ladder, but he still isn’t able to actually connect with the elite of the world. This whole transgression marks the struggles it actually takes to succeed in American society with a lower class background. Gatsby does whatever it takes to get Daisy back and force his way into the old money crowd, but he fails, and the green light remains unobtainable to him forever. If this text was meant to support the American dream, would Gatsby’s immense sacrifice and incredible feats over many years really go unrewarded? Fitzgerald has done his best to show that sometimes it doesn’t matter how hard you try, you might just end up dead with your hopes and dreams still out of reach.

The Great Gatsby shows wealth, success, and poverty in America all at the same time. However, the text makes it very clear that you are only going to be truly successful if you had a wealthy background. The American dream, while important in this book, is portrayed as something out of reach for most people. Gatsby puts his all into becoming a member of the higher class, but in the end it all falls down Through the fact that Gatsby has to present himself as someone he’s not to achieve his dream and then then loses it anyways, the book shows that nobody can achieve the true American dream without losing themselves in return.

In Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, we follow a young boy and his father as they travel across a post-apocalyptic United States in search of a resting place. Along their journey, the two encounter various obstacles. Whether it be; cannibals, famine, exhaustion, or any other degrading circumstance, the two always manage to hold onto hope, or what they call the fire. In Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, we follow a young boy and his father as they travel across a post-apocalyptic United States in search of a resting place. Along their journey, the two encounter various obstacles. Whether it be; cannibals, famine, exhaustion, or any other degrading circumstance, the two always manage to hold onto hope, or what they call the fire. Although it may seem that the father and his actions spare the young boy from the trauma inducing world, it becomes obvious that the boy loses something within him.

The first time this is noticed, is when the two of them, starving, dehydrated, and meek, stumble across a deserted home with seemingly nothing useful inside. As they both are preparing for death, the father notices something different with the boy. Throughout the story the boy had always been a ray of sunshine for the man, “But when he bent to see into the boy’s face under the hood of the blanket he very much feared that something was gone that could not be put right again,” (McCarthy 136).  The father had always feared something with the boy would leave him, and it would not come back. Initially this was just a fear, but now it is reality. This ‘something,’ thuat the father feared, is the boy’s innocence. This holds the theme true with the rest of the novel, as the boy continues to speak towards the unforgiving wave of death that surrounds him. The father noticing this has significance however, as the entire novel he has proven himself to be observational and accurate. The way that the father diagnoses the boy through a look at his face, gives reason to believe that the loss the boy faces is intangible, however we later learn it is both tangible, and intangible.

Innocence is not the only thing the boy loses. Infact, earlier the two lost their entire cart full of supplies and rations. Despite this, they still were able to hold onto valuable possessions. However, they later find out that the boy had intentionally given up something important to him. As the two begin to journey on the road, the boy seems docile which prompts the father to ask, “What happened to your flute?” (159).

 The boy, not wanting to lie to his father, responds, “I threw it away,” (159). In this quote, the brief explanation of how he lost the flute, and the lack of emotional attachment he expresses, continues to symbolize his loss of innocence. Furthermore, the boy throwing away the flute, rather than losing it, suggests that it was an impactful decision made by him, showing his maturity and dissociation from necessity and enjoyment. The flute was made by his father, and was one of, if not the only source of music and enjoyment the two had. Throwing it away shows that he has moved on from such childish toy’s, and similarly to his father, only keeps what is needed to survive. The boy’s loss of innocence marks an impactful change for The Road, as it takes away the only character who still had something to protect. The boy now is turning into a man and with the transformations comes all of the complexity of adult lives, and survival. His loss of innocence proves to the father that he could not isolate his child from the post apocalyptic world they live in, and marks a developmental change for the boy which will follow him for the remainder of his life.

The Scarlet Letter is a book recognized by the general public as a staple of American literature. It is a book about love, passion, self-recognition, sin, religion, history, and much more. Unfortunately, from this masterpiece came something much, much, worse. The Scarlet Letter’s movie adaptation. Not only does this cinematic monstrosity worsen all of The Scarlet Letter’s weaknesses, turning them from mild put-offs into glaring gashes in the narrative, it also fails in every new thing it attempts to do.

One of the weaknesses of The Scarlet Letter is that the symbolism is laid on very heavily. For example, a meteor literally manifests the letter A into the sky for Dimmsdale to see. You might think that nothing could possibly be more overt than that, but the movie version of  The Scarlet Letter somehow accomplishes this. Instead of just wearing the scarlet letter in public, Hester is also followed around by a little boy who bangs drums to announce her presence. There is no reason for this other than to put extra emphasis on Hester’s shame, as if the glaring scarlet letter isn’t enough. Another instance of this is the red bird that flies around the scenes in which something sinful is occurring. Why, in a visual art form, should you have to add something to represent the sin and let the viewer know it is happening while they are currently watching it unfold? 

There is one thing more confounding than focusing and expanding on the weaknesses of text you have chosen to adapt: creating extra content that has no reason to exist. In the movie, there is a character named Mituba, an enslaved person owned by Hester Prynne. This is how her character develops in the movie: she is introduced, we watch her bathe, she dies. The only possible reason for the creators of the movie to do this is to make it more appealing to the general public, by adding both another sexual aspect to the movie and a murder to make it more exciting, but what they really did was over-stuff the narrative and make the movie considerably more awkward.  There are also events added into the movie for no reason other than this same cinematic populism. For example, Hester Prynne undergoes an attempted rape in the movie. This adds no substance to the movie, and it’s a shameless attempt to turn a horrible crime into an exciting and dramatic event. The climax of the movie is also of this nature, as it is a town-wide battle of Puritans against native Americans. Again, this adds nothing of substance to the narrative, and takes away from the actual climax of the story, which is Dimmesdale’s speech on the gallows. There are hundreds more mistakes in The Scarlet Letter’s film adaptation, but pushing the already heavy handed symbolism of the text too far and creating events and characters for the attempt at pleasing the viewer with exciting events rather than building on the narrative are the two mistakes that affect the movie in such a negative way. However, if only the issues brought up in this essay were still included in this movie and everything else was perfect, it would still be borderline unwatchable. This movie is the perfect example of Hollywood marketing’s attempts at a quick cash grab over a good story, and it’s a shame that it had to be in any way related to the beautiful text it was attempting to adapt.

Animals are born with the ability to care for themselves, and must do so to pass on their genetics and keep their species alive. This is the basic law of nature, for the survival of the fittest to dominate the genetic pool, to reign supreme over their predators while subsequently hunting their prey relentlessly. This is true for most animals but not all. Humanity has tipped the scales and allowed for the species to move past the most basic law of nature. Species have become domesticated, technology has been discovered, and humans no longer sit in the delicate balance of hunter vs. gatherer. Altruism, the defining characteristic of humanity has prevailed and has been a core feature of the human race, even when we didn’t have a consistent struggle of resources to survive amongst each other.. Of course there have been outliers and undeniable violence within the historic path to humanities greatness but the motivations have all been consistent with the general theme of self sacrifice for another person’s gain. 

The definition of altruism is “ when we act to promote someone else’s welfare, even at a risk or cost to ourselves,” as defined by (Berkeley.edu). Helping others can often come at the detriment of oneself. May it be bodily harm, or simply taking on a role where you burden yourself with extra work for the betterment of another person, many people find themselves in positions where they put in more than they get out. One perfect example of this dichotomy is the boy and his father in the post-apocalyptic novel, The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. In McCarthy’s novel, the father travels with his young son who has no tangible skills necessary to survive, but through their incredible moments of mental strength and ability to work together, the two prevail time and time again, and when things seem hopeless the two fight on with days of walking without food or water. They come across unknown entities or people on the road, and act deliberately according to the situation. By the end of the novel they have gone through so much together that they see each other as equals, but the father still protects his son. As the the man brings his so walking around abandoned houses when suddenly, “In an upper window of the house he could see a man drawing a bow on them and he pushed the boy’s head down and tried to cover him with his body. He heard the dull thwang of the bowstring and felt a sharp hot pain in his leg.”  (McCarthy 263). The way the man specifically tries to shield the boy ‘with his body,’ shows that the man had no intention of making sure that the arrow would not hit him. All the man cared about was that the boy was safe, no matter the cost, no matter the outcome. Although he never says it, nothing is more important to the man than the boy. His actions speak for him, and are more significant than just saying or demanding that the boy must be kept safe. This is especially true because the boy is dependent on the man to survive, and has proven thus far that he will not make it long in their world shrouded by ash. However the man is not thinking about it that far, the man only takes the immediate sacrifice in front of him. This is also compounded largely by the man’s dying state, as he coughs uncontrollably any time that he is able. He is already sure of his death, and has no desire to prolong or comfort his own being. This desire to look death, pain, and struggle in the face for the sake of others’ well being is not just a defining trait present in the father. His son, although at time won’t even speak to his father, carries a conspicuously similar ideology similar to his fathers

Earlier in the novel, the man and his son run into a delirious and suspicious older man traveling the road behind them. The two are at first confused, scared, and unwilling to stop, however; after the two figure out that the man is weak and disabled, they decide to stop and talk to him. The man does nothing but lie to the two by giving them a false name and trying to deceive them on his age in an attempt to make him appear older and weaker than he truly is. Despite this, the two decide to give him food, and once they split ways, the old man only known as Ely refuses to show any signs of gratitude towards the two. The two knew that they would have little food in the future, but then all went on. When he looked back the old man had set out with his cane, tapping his way, dwindling slowly on the road behind them like some storybook peddler from an antique time, dark and bent and spider thin and soon to vanish forever. The boy never looked back at all.” (McCarthy 174). Here, the boy especially had made the decision to give him food, and despite the resentment Ely had given them back, he still felt as if his decision was the correct one. The way ‘The boy never looked back at all,’ shows that he had no regrets in his decision to take away from their own rations to give to a man in need, whom they would never encounter again. The boy shows signs of true altruism, by sacrificing his own future stability and resources for the betterment of a completely unrelated man. One person giving to another is universal, as it is not only evident across multiple examples, but across different authors and genres.

The Road, is post-apocalyptic fiction and includes no real characters, but The Things They Carried is a retelling of short stories by Tim O’Brien. These stories follow one of the most hostile, vile, and destructive experiences of all time, Vietnam. The Vietnam war took the lives of roughly two million across both Vietnam and the United States of America. Many would believe that nothing surrounding such a devastating war would ever include an Altruistic character, but this idea would be false. Before O’Brien was shipped to war, he wanted to escape across to the Canadian border to avoid being drafted by the United States. This became one of the most difficult things that he had ever had the opportunity of doing. By escaping, he would be leaving everything he ever knew behind, and would be immediately barred from being a citizen of the United States indefinitely. Such a traitorous act could hypothetically be condoned by an American citizen, as aiding in the act of draft dodging could mean legal repercussions for the party involved. Elroy, an elderly gentleman running a bed and breakfast, completely went against this ideology, as he selflessly gave his hotel, food, and time to a young O’Brien in exchange for a minimal amount of unskilled labor. Elroy went as far as to bring O’Brien out on a boat, within sight of the Canadian border, only for O’Brien to go through a last minute change where he decided that he was going to be cowardice by participating in the war. Once they returned inland, Elroy said still wanted to do more, as “He took four fifties out of his pocket and laid them on the table. ‘Call it even,’ he said,” (O’Brien 51). Elroy had no intention of bargaining with O’Brien, and even after everything Elroy had given, he still wanted to repay him for his labor. Elroy could have been selfish, knowing that the food O’Brien ate, space and time he took up, were all worth more than what O’Brien had to offer. With all of this in mind, Elroy said “call it even,” as Elroy’s only intention was to leave O’Brien with more than what Tim really deserved, because it was simply what Elroy felt was right to do in his altruistic mind. This is not the only time where people in morally difficult situations make altruistic decisions with legally damaging repercussions. 

In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby himself runs into a moral dilemma that leaves him in an awful position in comparison to the person he tries to save. Gatsby is in love, and will do anything to ensure his beloved Daisy will be safe no matter what. While Gatsby was driving home with Daisy, after being caught in an affair, the worst had happened. While Daisy was behind the wheel, she accidentally hit a woman. While retelling the story to his dear friend Nick Cathoway, he says “‘Don’t tell me, old sport.’ He winced, ‘Anyhow-Daisy stepped on it, I tried to make her stop, but she couldn’t, so I pulled on the emergency brake. Then she fell over into my lap and I drove on.’” (Fitzgerald 89). Gatsby wanting not to hear about the poor woman he hurt, but more importantly pulling the emergency break and taking responsibility, shows that Gatsby wanted nothing more than to ensure the safety and benefit of everyone around him. Gatsby wanted to become the savior not only for Daisy, but for Mrs. Wilson when he says ‘don’t tell me,’ and winces. Gatsby was an unfortunate man put in an unfortunate position, and did what he thought was best for everyone but made the active decision to keep himself vulnerable. Many might claim that Gatsby should have stopped the car and turned around, it was far more likely that Daisy, overcome with grief, would not have let Gatsby take the fall for him the way he did later in the book. Gatsby proved himself as an altruistic and self sacrificing lover.

Human beings have hearts, and not just a physical heart, but an emotional one as well. Elroy, the father-son duo, and Gatsby, display when they acted in the interest of another person. Whether it was to protect a loved one before themselves, or to ensure that someone in need was taken care of; all of these people displayed that they have the ability to put someone else in front of them. They all pass on their gift of kindness no matter what their personal circumstances are, or may be in their immediate future. A gift of responsibility for another over themselves, true altruism.

Works Cited

“Altruism Definition | What Is Altruism.” Greater Good Science Center, https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/altruism/definition. Accessed 12 May 2022.

Fitzgerald, Scott F. The Great Gatsby. Amazon, 1925.

McCarthy, Cormac. The road. Vintage Books, 2006.O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried: A Work of Fiction. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.