Comparative Essay - the Great Gatsby

Behind every great man lies a great women. In some cases the women herself may not always be good or ideal according to society. Nevertheless it seems to add character to

the man,and also influences his actions and maybe even his morals. In Shakespearean literature,Shakespeare tends to use people to develop certain characters throughout the play. In

Romeo and Juliet, Juliet is the person with the most influence on Romeo. This influence allows him to develop as a character and also helps develop the play. This is also evident in Hamlet

And Ophelia. In the novel The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway's realization of the equality of man altered through his origin sets him up as a morally sound standard, until confronted by

Jordan Baker. The "American Dream" will never be a failure if Jordan does not develop Nick into his

final character. In the novel Fifth Business, Jung's theory suggests that the conscious part of

Dunny's personality is brought out by Liesl. It is Liesl that allows Dunny to understand his

function as "Fifth Business." The development of Dunny's character in the novel begins when Dunny falls in love with Faustina. It is because of these female characters that both

protagonists learn to accept the emotional side of their lives, which are provided by these women, who possess

immoral values that allows Nick and Dunny to develop into the final stages of their characters,

essentially making them the same. Nick's realization of the equality of man and morals change when he comes in contact

with Jordan Baker. Jordan possesses certain qualities that only benefit her. She likes to bend the

rules so that the positive result ends up in her favor. She has allowed herself to be wrapped in a

blanket of dishonesty that Nick would not be able to live, until he realizes that he can. It is

undetermined whether or not Nick chooses to ignore Jordan's dishonesty or whether it goes by

naturally, because, in the early stages of the novel he does not seem affected by it. "No thanks,said Miss Baker to the four cocktails just from the pantry, I'm absolutely in training.

Her host looked at her incredulously. You are!...How you get anything done is beyond me."(pg.. 27 ln16)

Now this was the first time Jordan and Nick came into contact with one another, and it is said that

the first impressions are extremely important. However, for a strong moral person like Nick, his

reaction is surprising when he simply states, "I enjoyed looking at her."(pg. 27 ln 23)

This is a sign of his first stages of development, which will soon result into what the author

intended. The "American Dream" cannot be recognized as a failure if Jordan does not develop Nick into his final character. It is known that Nick, just like Dunny holds high moral values,

but it is slowly beginning to be affected by Jordan Baker. Jordan has had such low moral values for quite

some time, which is evident in chapter four. "Daisy said to Jordan Baker...While she was drunk

as a monkey, she told Jordan, Here dearis. Take'em back downstairs and give'en to whoever

they belong. Tell'em Daisy's changed he mind!" (pg. 79 ln 5) "But the next day she married

Tom Buchanan without as so much as a shiver..." (pg. 79 ln 19) It was evident that Daisy and Jordan were both filled with immoral value before Daisy even got married. This later

begins to affect Nick as well when Nick later found out from Jordan that Gatsby was once in love with Tom's wife Daisy. This shows how Nick begins to slip because he is now part of the

development of the plot. It comes down to the point where a self-respected-man like himself

begins to gossip. Nick inevitably stoops to a lower level. This may be bad in regards to his

character but is vital in the role of the novel. It is later that Nick realizes that he becomes twisted and that he finds no desire to associate himself with careless people like Tom, Daisy,

and Jordan, thus siding with Mr. Gatsby. He comes to an understanding at the end that he could not have come forth if it were not for Jordan Baker. Nick has finally reached the final stage of his character development.

The conscious part of Dunny's personality is brought out by Liesl. Jung states that,"Ones self is composed of a group of several different kinds of psychic energy, each component

of which has a different function in balancing the total self." Liesl has a small part in Fifth Business yet play a vital role in the novel. It could be argued that the end of the novel is a result of what she says to

Dunny. This would not be so if she did not play a vital role in the developing of Dunny's character. "You underestimate yourself Ramsay. Are you not the writer of A Hundred Saints

For Travelers? And Forgotten Saints of the Tyrol? And Celtic Saints of Britain and Europe? When Eisengrim mentioned last night that you were in the audience...I wanted to meet you at

once. A distinguished hagiographer does not often come our way."(pg. 212 ln 12) Dunny's reaction was

much like Nick's, but nevertheless, would be deeply affected. "Many people when they are flattered seek immediately to show that themselves as being very hard-headed, to conceal

the fact they have taken the bait. I am one of them." (pg. 212 ln 31) At the end of the chapter

Dunny will find his morals and spiritual value in the clutches of Liesl. Liesl confronts Dunny with the truth about life and about his function as "Fifth Business", and she also leads him to his conscious and recognition of his spiritual life. These

actions cause Dunny to fill his "spiritual and emotional void," and as a result he brings Boy and Paul together to finish unfinished business, causing the book to unfold and end. These are one of the confirming reasons why Liesl plays such an important role in the novel because without her, Dunny

would

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