Mid-Term Test

North-American Literature II
2022

Students: Garibaldi, Paola

Gómez, Ana
Salomón, Elena

Professors: Leonor Cozzolino

and
Luciano Quagliata

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Garibaldi, Paola - Gómez, Ana - Salomón, Elena

Mid-Term Test

2. The twenties are regarded as a paradoxical decade marked by tension

between progress and nostalgia. Find elements in the novel that reflect such
paradoxes. Show the role played by the past in The Great Gatsby and discuss
why Gatsby’s dream is finally assimilated with the dream of the early settlers?

With the culmination of World War I and the application of certain

technological advances, a period of economic prosperity came into place.
Likewise, the 1920s may be characterised as a time of hope and celebration.
As stated by Fitzgerald himself in The Echoes of Jazz Age, "It was an age of
miracles, it was an age of art, it was an age of excess, and it was an age of
satire.” (Fitzgerald, 1931, p. 2). Nevertheless, it was also a time of antithesis,
which was (joined) (?) through the introduction of the telephone, as it unified
the nation: the West and the East, the countryside and the metropolis, the
past and the future, looking back and forward. Along each telephone
conversation, Gatsby established a mysterious atmosphere, leading him to
the past driven by a nostalgic utopianism. The West and the past were
(represented by) the original settlers who firstly established the idea of the
American dream.

Such collective desire was personified, for instance, by Nick´s family.

Eventually, they could fulfill the American dream: “My family has been

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prominent, well-to-do people in this Middle Western city for three generations
[…] and started the wholesale hardware business” (Fitzgerald, 2001, p.4). On
the contrary, Daisy’s husband, Tom Buchanan, was one of those leisurely-
born characters. Correspondingly, his family’s wealth limited any type of
individual virtue, restricting him in his role as a football national figure 1.

This paradox between the past and the present/future was also
demonstrated when Tom left his ancestors’ house in the West (Western) and
started a new life with his family in the East. Just to emphasise his idea of
progress, he also changed his physical appearance.

Even though the automobile had been invented in the previous century
(siècle) (unncessary to use the French word), it represented the symbol of
American “mobility”. Additionally. Individuals were no longer stuck to a single
place; they could uproot themselves from their past. At the same time, cars
were a synonym of power, of “social mobility”.

(Being Gatsby the main character) (?) he has the dilemma of living,
consciously, in two different worlds. Furthermore, he has accomplished the
American dream by becoming a wealthy man, though still recalling his past.
He has learnt to value (recognizes) the power of money. Consequently, he
gets involved in illegal activities which were particular of those times 2.
Simultaneously, he still believes in the representation of love he had created.

However, no matter how rich Gatsby was, he was prone to (had a

feeling of) nostalgic reflection. He was seduced by a past (that he knew)
would never return and did not feel comfortable with the Victorian morality of
the Middle West. (Actually, he didn’t know he could not recover the past. This

1 “...one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty one that
everything afterwards savours of anticlimax.” (Fitzgerald, 2001, p.6)

2 “I handed the money to Katspaugh and I said: ´All right, Katspaugh, don´t pay him
a penny till he shuts his mouth´” (Fitzgerald, p.45)

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is what makes the story so tragic) In fact, Gatsby did not belong to this new
“Jazz Age”. He was alone in his overcrowded castle, no one even knew who
he was. In addition, he was rejected by the “old rich (ones)”. He was a
solitaire, a stranger in his own world as the myth of class equality was
destroyed. They were times of cynicism and dissatisfaction. Therefore, The
Great Gatsby may be perceived as a critique of the American Dream which is
the belief that anyone, regardless of race, class, gender or nationality can be
successful in America. (as the myth of the American dream developed in
many Americans a sense of omnipotence which had no correspondence with
the real world)

Gatsby failed in recognizing that the American dream was (is) dead.
He concentrated his youth in becoming rich but while doing so, his American
dream became just pure materialism. However, his (His) romantic illusion is
comparable to the ambition of the early settlers who wanted to start a
prosperous and free life full of possibilities. The main character had the aim
to recreate the past in the present, although the former was merely the image
he evoked. He lived in two parallel worlds: the new centuries with the
exacerbation of what the Jazz Age implied and the past characterised in the
intimate relation with Daisy 3. Like the early settlers, he was full of dreams,
dreams that were just pure fantasies. (The early settlers’ dream was not
necessarily pure fantasy) He raised an aspiration, which was only in his
imagination as it was not shared with anyone else. Daisy was not capable of
being her counterpart because she had changed, she became a woman of
her times. Good! There are some observations for you to consider..

Finally, Gatsby realised that time cannot be recovered. From the very
beginning he acknowledged this idea as he said: “In my youngest and most
3 “They had never been closer in their Monty of love, nor communicated more
profoundly one with another, than when she brushed silent lips against his
coat´s shoulder or when he touched the end of her fingers, gently, as though she
were asleep.” (Fitzgerald, p.95)

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vulnerable years'' (Fitzgerald, 2001, p.3). These are Nick’s words. If we focus
on how Nick imagines Gatsby’s last minutes in the swimming pool before he
is shot, we tend to believe Gatsby never quite lost his faith, not completely. He
remains incapable of conceiving of the world without Daisy .until his death..

Good answer. However, there are some observations for you to consider..

3. Comment on Faulkner’s use of time in “A Rose for Emily”. Discuss the

purpose behind juxtapositions in time, as reflected in the story. Show how
they enhance the reader’s role in literary analysis. Reflect on how the Stream
of Consciousness technique contributes to this end. What would the story lack
if the narration had been linear?

It seems that the old proverb “time flows away like the water in the
river” cannot be applied to William Faulkner’s use of time in “A Rose for
Emily”. Indeed, it has been characterised by a delayed manner in the
structure of the story due to the fact that a linear order is disregarded. It has
been told in reverse, starting from the present and recalling the past. The
present, which is poor and grey, is just the future in the past where significant
events have happened so they can stand lastingly. Actually, the present is not
as relevant as the past since the preceding actions have become a legend.
Therefore, the main character in this story is submitted to her past. She is not
what she is but what she used to be. Emily is an old aristocratic lady and the
best exponent of Faulkner’s deep south: she is trapped in the southern
lifestyle previous to the defeat in The Secession War. She is the past besides
being described by this collective narrator as a monument which is a
continuous reminder from the past (withal) (?) her death highlights the end of
the past. Present and past are antagonists, only the powerful judgement of

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death implies a relative victory of one over the other (another). By murdering
Homer who represents a threat considering that he does not fit in her world
Emily stops the flows of time inside her mind while externally time is
unstoppable. In effect, this collective narrator does not respect any chronology
focusing on the experience which lasts in the memory and does not allow
logical temporal succession. (The mind is a perpetual present) Here,
transformation and renovation are forbidden. So a static present stuck in the
past is the essence of the main character: Emily Grierson, a survivor of an
extinct world. This author’s technique is known as Stream of Consciousness
where time is a perpetual present integrating the past into the present while
evoking experiences continually as chronology is excluded. However (,)
intricate this strategy might be, it hooks the reader, fostering its interest to
unveil the climax at the end of the story whilst demanding an active
participation as a consequence of the complexity of the structure of the story.
Considering what was exposed before, it can be said that if the narration had
been linear, the story would have lacked the reader’s interest and the
unexpected effect of unveiling the mystery holds throughout all the extension
of the fiction. To sum up, (In summary), William Faulkner’s particular style can
be portrayed as the presence of the past in the present (where memories
have placed in a main position) (Explain or rephrase) (on the basis of the
narration).

Good answer.

6. Discuss the significance of dreams in Of Mice and Men. Explore George’s and
Lennie’s attitude towards their common dream. Also comment on the
significance of dreams for other characters in the nouvelle. Explore how their
attitudes differ in terms of scepticism or hope. Reflect on how the motif of the
dream is linked to the theme of solidarity. Also show how the theme of

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solidarity is an expression of the historical period when the story takes place.

Dreams and aspirations give one something to look forward to and work for.
They are a source of motivation, determination and inspiration which have a powerful
impact in one’s decisions. In Of Mice and Men, the theme of dreams is explored from
the beginning of the story, through the conversation Lennie and George have about
the farm they hope to have in the future. For the main characters of Steinbeck’s
famous nouvelle, dreams represent their yearning for freedom, the ability to make
their own decisions and therefore the possibility of starting a new gratifying life.

George and Lennie set their heart on a new life in their own farm, which turn their
lives into journeys with a purpose. The fact that they keep their mind on the shared
dream may mitigate their daily hardships as they invoke and visualise the
daydreamed farm whenever they have to face traumatic and difficult situations. This
fact is revealed when George says “O.K. Someday—we’re going to get the jack
together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and
some pigs and—”(Steinbek,1974:8.) This phrase showcases that the long-awaited
new farm represents Lenny and George’s fervent hope of leaving behind their hard
life as migrants farm workers who work from a place to another to meet their basic
needs. Thus, their common goal serves as a significant stimulus to cope with the
struggles and challenges of their tough daily (everyday’s) journeys as well to work
hard in order to improve their lives. This exposes the difficult times people had to
face during the Great Depression era.

The idea of pursuing a dream does not only concern the main characters of
Of mice and men, but also influences other characters in the nouvelle. Although
these characters are (encountered) by George and Lennie, their attitudes towards
the dream are different. In the case of Candy, the desire to spend his days with
George and Lenny in the dream farm distracts him from his daily miserable reality,
as having a place to fit in would mean security for an old man like him. For Crooks,

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the new farm will provide him with a sense of self-worth, acceptance, and stability.
All in all, human dignity is a vital aspect of each of the men's dreams: George,
Lennie, Candy, and Crooks. It is important to highlight that most of the labourers in
the story have the desire to achieve the dream to own land but only George and
Lennie dream of owning a land together. Moreover, their common dream also
symbolises George’s symbiotic relationship with Lennie, which is essential for their
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mutual safety and sustenance. During the Great Depression, when people are for
themselves to survive, George and Lennie decide to assume the responsibility to
take care of each other. This brotherhood of humanity is perceived as unusual by
some of the characters in the novel.

To conclude, it can be said that dreams have a great significance in the acts
and outcome of the characters of Of Mice and Men as they give meaning to their life.
Moreover, the story reveals the struggles, miserable working conditions, and poverty
that Americans suffer during the historical period in which the story takes place. The
novel also illustrates the solidarity and brotherhood that characterise George and
Lennie who need each other to overcome difficult living conditions, prejudice and
inequality.

Good answer

Bibliography

Doyle, B. L. (2006). Tragedy and the Non-teleological in “Of Mice and Men.” The
Steinbeck Review, 3(2), 79–86. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41582018

4 Doyle, B. L. (2006). Tragedy and the Non-teleological in “Of Mice and Men.” The Steinbeck Review,
3(2), 79–86. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41582018

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Faulkner, W. (2007). A Rose for Emily (Tale Blazers: American Literature).

Perfection Learning.

Fitzgerald, S. F. (1931). Echoes of the Jazz Age. Retrieved from:

https://pdcrodas.webs.ull.es/anglo/ScottFitzgeraldEchoesOfTheJazzAge.pdf

Fitzgerald, S. F. (2001). The Great Gatsby. Great Britain: Wordsworth Edition.

Gray, R. (2012). A History of American Literature. Chichester, West Sussex.

Wiley-Blackwell

Magny, C. E. (1972). Faulkner on Theological Inversion. In H. Ungar (Ed.), The Age

of American Novel; the film aesthetic of fiction between the two wars (pp. 189-236),
Warren.

McDonnell, J. The Century Americas. Time in the 1920s. ABC News. The History
Channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN7ftyZigYs

Steinbeck, J. (1993). Of Mice and Men (Reissue ed.). Penguin Books.