Self-made Man in "Fifth Business" and "The Great Gatsby"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the basis of national identity and the self-made man in "Fifth Business" by Robertson Davies and "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, explaining that it is apparent in the characters created by the authors. The paper goes on to explain that, in the case of both Jay Gatsby and Boy Staunton, the elements of the self made are revealed through materialism and a quest for greater power. Gatsby obsessed about Daisy as his wife and foolishly thought by gaining wealth he might have her. Boy Staunton also thought along these lines, as he cared little for morality in the success he sought through selling sugar after the war.

From the Paper:

"By understanding how Jay Gatsby and Boy Staunton are self-made men, they invariably have great similarities in how they are ambitious and seek greater wealth in their drive towards upper class status. In many ways, Gatsby and Staunton offer nationalistic views of extreme capitalism, as they seek to attain the "American Dream.""

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