COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Alfredo Salazar is the male protagonist of the story Dead Stars. He is the son of Don
Julian and a man of bachelor. Francisco Reteche of the story Zita is one of the major characters
in the story. He is a teacher from the city who came to Anayat to teach the children there. Jay
Gatsby of the film The Great Gatsby is a man, approximately 30 years old who live is an
extravagant life. He likes throwing parties in his mansion for the purpose of luring Daisy to come
to the party. Daisy is the girl who Jay Gatsby fell in love with.
Jay Gatsby in the film is a mysterious man at first. When the story goes on, his physical
looks are slowly shown. He is a tall, white and a good, clean looking man. He is charming,
fabulously wealthy and a dreamer with a sole purpose of fulfilling the most unrealistic dream- to
recapture the past. Francisco Reteche of the story Zita is a good looking mysterious man from
the city. Unlike Jay Gatsby, Reteche is not a rich guy as what we can see in his profession.
Francisco Reteche is broken hearted man as Zita of the city betrayed him. His life was full of
pain and decided to go to Anayat to forget Zita of the city. Alfredo Salazar of Dead Stars like
those two male characters mentioned above is also a good, rich and smart looking guy. Unlike
Reteche and Gatsby who in the story remain loyal to their love ones, (referring to the girl they
love) Alfredo Salazar did not stay loyal to Esperanza. He felt boring with her and because of that
he flirts with Julia Salas.
Zeitgeist is the beliefs, idea and spirit of a time and place. American zeitgeist in the
roaring 20s changes including fashion, music, entertainment, culture and the liberation of
women in the society. At this time, Philippine is part of the American colonization. During the
American period in the Philippines, one of the most significant changes happen is the
development of education.

Filipinos are taught in English and are introduced to American

modes of thought, culture and ways of life which is embedded to the Filipino. As a direct result,
Philippine literature could not escape being imitative to the American models of writing
especially during its period of apprenticeship. Back to the different male characters in the story
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and film, Jazz Age is reflected in the attitude and/or philosophy in life of these characters by
changing their lifestyle, the way they live and act. On the three different characters, Jay Gatsby
is the remarkable one that is reflecting an attitude and philosophy of a Jazz Age life. Jay Gatsby
lives in a wealthy life. He gives wild extravagant parties at night and drives his yellow flashy
mobile. He is also involved in bootlegging and other questionable business activities. For the
other two characters, it is not as embossed as of Jay Gatsby primarily because of the setting
where the story took place. Compare to the film The Great Gatsby, the setting of the film took
place on where the so called Jazz Age happen. Also the story of the film is written in the period
of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
These three male characters have different responses to their female antagonist. These
responses yielded two different depiction of femininity. Francisco Reteche and Jay Gatsby have
different reactions to their female antagonist. Reteche leaves the city to forget Zita while Gatsby
still loves and did not attempt to forget Daisy even though Daisy is already married with Tom.
However, these two characters pointed out how full of materialistic ideas and desire women
minds are. I did not know that the poise and pomp of wealth dies by itself quickly.This line
implies that Zita of the city left Francisco Reteche because of money and all material things
money can provide. Jay Gatsby made himself wealthy man to impress Daisy. I cannot
remember the correct and accurate line for this but as what I can remember in the film, Daisy is
crying while reading the letter of Jay Gatsby because in the letter, Jay confesses the truth that
he is not a rich guy. From that, Jay find all the means and ways to made himself fabulously rich
with the sole purpose of recapturing the past. Alfredo Salazar on the other hand shows
unfaithfulness toward to his relationship with Esperanza. Even though Alfredo is not faithful,
Esperanza is loyal to him. If a man were married, why, of course he loves his wife; if he were
engaged; he could not possibly love another woman. This line proves how Esperanza is being
loyal with Alfredo.
For Alfredo Salazar, love is puzzling. This is how Alfredo views love. It can be seen in
some of his line in the story. Lovehe seemed to have missed it. Or was the love that others
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told about a mere fabrication of perfervid imagination, an exaggeration of the commonplace, a

glorification of insipid monotonies such as made up his love life? Was love a combination of
circumstances, or sheer native capacity of soul? In those days love was, for him, still the eternal
puzzle; for love, as he knew it, was a stranger to love as he divined it might be. At first, Alfredo
felt boring about their relationship with Esperanza. After he met Julia Salas, he makes his move
and flirt with her. He is telling Julia that he loves her but because of the engagement with
Esperanza; he is forced to do what he had to do. After several years, Alfredo met Julia. Right
there he realized that he is not feeling in love anymore with Julia. On the other hand, Jay
Gatsby views love as love it is everything. After Jay Gatsby knew that Daisy left him because
Daisy already knew that he was a poor guy, he make his everything that he could to make his
self wealthy. He joined bootlegging and questionable illegal business activities. To be able for a
man to do that, it requires a very high devotion of loves towards the girl. Francisco Reteche
views love as haunting. Remember in the story when Reteche is dressing up Zita of Anayat.
Francisco is dressing her the way Zita of the city dresses up. It was as if he saw somebody
there whom he was expecting, for whom he had waited, prayed. This line implies that the
memories of Zita from the city are still nagging him and he cannot forget about it.
The men of today definitely can relate to Alfredo, Francisco and Jay. Love in this
new generation is also not different from that time. Like Alfredo who has a weakness and
unreasonableness which is innate flaws of human. Love in this generation is greatly influence by
selfishness or greed. Men of today instantly jumped into relation just thinking about the
happiness that the relation would bring to their selves. They seldom about the changes that will
happen someday that make them change their mind and quit with their relationship. With
Francisco and Jay, maybe more of the average men can relate with them. Average in the sense
that they have only enough to provide (money and the things they have) for their selves. Girls
who are materialistic tend to choose men who are richer than the average men although they
are more ideally a good partner with the girl.