[...] The above quotations are taken from the three novels to be discussed in
this essay, each of which focuses on certain aspects of New York.
Manhattan Transfer is certainly more directly connected to the city that ?
as the novel seems to convey ? loses its original center while it becomes
one in itself than the other two novels, but the events outlined in The
Great Gatsby or in The House of Mirth do not just happen to take place in
New York or within its upper class society either. In both cases, a clear
distinction is made between the geographical setting of the novel and the
West: In The House of Mirth, it is Mrs. Norma Hatch, a rich woman from an
unnamed location in the West, who is “unplaced”1 in New York’s high
society, and in The Great Gatsby, the first-person narrator himself
repeatedly contrasts the East with his Midwestern homeland. In both cases,
New York was certainly not casually chosen as a counterpart to the more
rural West. The whole novels, and not only certain parts of them, are thus
1 Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1993; p. 273.
3
linked to New York; their “ensemble effects are cumulative.”2 Therefore, an
analysis of The House of Mirth and The Great Gatsby oriented on the plotstructure
and the respective main character of the novel3 will be given
following a short summary and style description. However, there is no
actual main character in Manhattan Transfer so that the analysis has to be
guided along the principal theme, which seems to be the decentralization of
the city and the effect of the same on New York’s inhabitants.
My selection seems to favor upper-class backgrounds, leaving out
books like Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie or Stephen Crane’s novelette
Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, but since Dos Passos’s novel provides a
general view of all social classes, I have sought to balance the choice along
different lines. Wharton’s The House of Mirth describes the social decline of
its main character, while the title character of The Great Gatsby has
changed from penniless to extraordinarily rich within just three years. [...]
2 Lopate, Phillip (ed.). Writing New York. New York: Literary Classics of the United
States, 1998; p. XXII (introduction by the editor).
3 See Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays . Princeton: Princeton
University Press, 1971.
Table of Contents
Preface
1 Historical Introduction
2 The House of Mirth
2.1 Summary
2.2 Basic Structure and Narrative Technique
2.3 Interpretation
2.3.1 Lily’s Hybris
2.3.2 Other Reasons for Miss Bart’s Failure
2.3.3 Lily’s Moral Objections
2.4 The Satirical Ending of The House of Mirth
3 Manhattan Transfer
3.1 Style and Narrative Technique
3.2 The Central Issue
3.3 Interpretation
3.3.1 The Importance of First Impression
3.3.2 Advertising or Exploiting the Faith in Success
3.3.3 The Supremacy of Coincidence
3.3.4 Success versus Happiness
3.3.5 A Happy Outsider Within the City: Congo Jake
3.4 The City As Character
4 The Great Gatsby
4.1 Basic Structure and Narrative Technique
4.2 Summary
4.3 Interpretation
4.3.1 The Impossible Task
4.3.2 Gatsby’s Greatness
4.3.3 Gatsby as Messiah
4.3.4 Reasons for Gatsby’s Failure
4.3.4.1 The Inappropriate Bait
4.3.4.2 The Missing Contrast
4.3.4.3 Gatsby’s Weak Spot
4.4 Gatsby’s Chances to Succeed
5 Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This work examines how New York City is depicted in three seminal American novels, analyzing the social structures, economic challenges, and the quest for identity within the urban landscape. It explores how the city acts as a catalyst for both success and tragedy, questioning whether the American dream is attainable within such a setting.
- Evolution of New York City social classes from the Gilded Age to the 1920s.
- The impact of urban decentralization and commercialization on individual identity.
- Role of chance, social status, and personal agency in achieving success.
- Comparative analysis of narrative techniques used by Wharton, Dos Passos, and Fitzgerald.
- The intersection of material aspiration and moral integrity in the urban environment.
Excerpt from the Book
2.3.1 Lily’s Hybris
Although there are certain satirical elements to the story that ? as I will demonstrate later ? eventually prevail, the death of the protagonist at the end of the novel obviously makes it possible to read The House of Mirth as a tragedy. Therefore, it seems appropriate to analyze what leads Miss Bart to her inglorious end. Is it really her “faculty for adapting herself [that] hamper[s] her in the decisive moments of life” (p. 53)? Certainly not; in fact, Lily is completely unable to adapt herself to her surroundings, she does not even manage to adapt her expenditures to the contents of her purse, although she points out the simplicity of a “business-like give-and-take” compared to the “fluctuating ethical estimates” (p. 259) of which she believes to be quite capable. What Lily considers a talent is actually a plain weakness: She is “like a water-plant in the flux of the tides” (p. 53), and this may be of advantage at times, but it is definitely no virtue, and as soon as the current gets too strong, she is bound to be deracinated, unable to take root in a constant drift:
Inherited tendencies had combined with early training to make her the highly specialized product she was: an organism as helpless out of its narrow range as the sea-anemone torn from the rock. (p. 301)
This passage, which obviously represents Lily’s own thoughts, undoubtedly comes closer to the true reason for her failure. But the fact that she compares herself to a sea-anemone ? which immediately reminds the reader of a water lily, alluding to Miss Bart’s Christian name ? “torn from the rock” by some outside force she could not expect to exist indicates a certain overestimation of her possibilities to defend herself against the forces constantly surrounding her.
Summary of Chapters
1 Historical Introduction: Provides a context for the Gilded Age and the subsequent transformation of New York City into a global metropolis through industrial and demographic shifts.
2 The House of Mirth: Analyzes the tragic social decline of Lily Bart, exploring the conflict between her personal pride and the rigid expectations of high society.
3 Manhattan Transfer: Examines the fragmentation of New York City and the lives of its inhabitants through a modernist lens, emphasizing chance and superficiality.
4 The Great Gatsby: Investigates the romantic idealism and subsequent ruin of Jay Gatsby, contrasting his aspirations with the cold, materialistic reality of the East.
5 Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, arguing that despite different narrative approaches, all three authors present a pessimistic view of the city as a space where lasting happiness is elusive.
Keywords
New York City, Gilded Age, Golden Twenties, The House of Mirth, Manhattan Transfer, The Great Gatsby, social class, urbanization, materialism, tragedy, satire, Lily Bart, Jay Gatsby, Ellen Thatcher, American dream.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this study?
This study focuses on the depiction of New York City in three American novels—The House of Mirth, Manhattan Transfer, and The Great Gatsby—to reveal how the urban setting influences the personal fates of the protagonists.
Which time periods does the book cover?
The book covers the period spanning from the late nineteenth century, known as the Gilded Age, through the first quarter of the twentieth century, including the transformative Golden Twenties.
What is the central research question?
The research explores how the specific socio-historical and geographical setting of New York City dictates the trajectories of the characters and how these authors utilize their setting to critique the American societal structure.
Which scientific methods are applied?
The study employs literary analysis oriented on plot structure, narrative techniques, and thematic interpretation, supported by historical and sociological context regarding New York City’s development.
What are the main topics discussed in the main body?
The main body discusses the transition of New York society, the importance of outward appearance and social success, the role of chance and coincidence in the city, and the struggle to maintain personal identity amidst systemic pressures.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
Key terms include urban landscape, social mobility, materialism, moral decay, modernism, and the American dream.
How does the author characterize Lily Bart’s downfall?
Lily Bart’s downfall is characterized as a product of her own hybris and her inability to navigate the rigid, profit-driven expectations of the society she inhabits, leading to her social and eventual literal demise.
In what way does Dos Passos differentiate his narrative style from Wharton?
Unlike Wharton’s more linear and character-driven approach, Dos Passos utilizes a kaleidoscopic, modernist technique to portray the city as a decentralized, chaotic space, reflecting its modern complexity.
- Quote paper
- Thomas Bednarz (Author), 2002, From the Gilded Age to the Golden Twenties: New York in Selected American Novels, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/14397
