Response to A handful of Dust & The Great Gatsby

Response to A handful of Dust & the Great Gatsby

Introduction

A close analysis reveals that the Jazz age could be defined as a very creative, but morally dubious era. During the period, women wanted to express themselves as free thinking individuals. It was the era of peace and harmony after the disastrous effects of the World War I, in which the individuals in the society developed rich and dynamic social lives. It was the time when the women greatly identified with their roles as proactive socialites. Fitzgerald and Waugh have captured the general mood of the Jazz age, which transformed the foundation of the western social fabric. Sexuality and intimacy were intertwined with various social etiquettes at the time, and both of the authors have presented the materialistic and selfish nature of this era.

History of the Novels

"The Great Gatsby" is set in Long Island in the 1920s, with young beautiful and exotic, too much alcohol, jazz, elegance, glamour and hovering over everything to make sure that life would be an endless party. For Jay Gatsby, Daisy's voice was unforgettable because it "sounded the money." Romantic and sentimental, a sad and melancholy beauty, the book portrays the refusal of maturity, the inability to grow old and stubborn to continue all young and rich forever.

Tony Last, English gentleman, he lives with his wife and son in Hetton, a large Victorian country estate where he tries to keep alive the old traditions of family. His wife Brenda falls for a young man of little value. The death of his son in an accident triggers the end of the universe of Tony.

Structure of a Handful of Dust

 A handful of Dust was written by Evelyn Waugh; and was published in the year 1934. The novel could be regarded as the author's narrative and adequately discusses the different classes in Britain. However, the main theme of the story is based on the marriage breakdown of the lead characters. Evelyn has managed to capture the readers' interest; and adequately highlights the intricacies in marriage and relationships (Grossman & Lacayo, 2010).

Evelyn Waugh in handful of dust portrays the general trend among women to seek excitement and adventure outside the confines of their married lives and how they completely ignore the responsibilities to their husband's and even children in the pursuit of their selfish desires. Brenda's husband Tony is described as a very simple individual, who wants to establish a harmonious married life with his wife, in his Mansion at Hetton.

Construction of the Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald's “The Great Gatsby” is set in the 1920s in a prosperous setting after the World War I. The book is considered to be the authors' best work. The main theme of the novel is the era of 1920s (the Jazz age). The era is adequately portrayed by Fitzgerald. In the novel, Fitzgerald managed to curb his imagination of the society and portrayed a glowing world (Vavilikolanu, ...