Texts_in_Time_Comparison.

Regardless of the times people live in some values will always be shared by humans. The values of love and hope are two of them though love can be expressed in many forms. Such forms are past love, idealised love, uncertain love and many others some of which shown in the novel The Great Gatsby, written by F Scott Fitzgerald. Is set in the 1920’s a time when the traditional values of Americans were changing as women were gaining more rights and power and the world was getting closer to becoming equal. The “jazz age” as these times are referred to as, was a time of cynicism and corruption. Bootlegging or illegal trafficking of alcohol was common. But even though the concepts between right and wrong were becoming hazy the value of love still endured this confusing period as it had in the times before it, though the perceptions of it changed since the mid 19th century when Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote her series of love sonnets titles “Sonnets from the Portuguese”. Back then love was controlled, outwardly shown by the man as he wooed his love, the women were meant to stay mute, though Barrett Browning had other ideas as she publicly relayed her ideas on love and the intensity of the love she was feeling for her courter. Although this was not commonly done in the times the sonnets were still liked and admired as it was breaking away from conformity and giving women the right of having a say when before they had had little to none. In both these texts the value of Idealised love is present, idealised love is different from pure love in the means that it gives hope that more can be achieved than what is currently available. This is shown in The Great Gatsby by Mr Gatsby pursuing his past love, Daisy. He has a “romantic readiness” as nick states in the early pages of the book that allows him to gain strength to pursue his love for daisy against all obstacles through his faith in his idealised love for her. Similarly Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s romantic love became idealised love with its own values as part of it such as the joys of love and the realisation of love’s presence. The realisation of love’s presence is seen in the lines “guess who now holds thee” “death” I said, but there the silver answer rang “not death but love.” It is also seen in The Great Gatsby towards the end of the novel in chapter 7 when tom and daisy realise their love for each other even though they have both cheated on their spouse before. Uncertain love or uncertainty in love is also carried through the times. In the sonnets it is not that either partner has done something to bring on this uncertainty it is simply that Elizabeth is afraid that Robert will fall out of love with her and it is this reason that she, at first will not commit to admitting her full feelings for him. In sonnet fourteen she says “if thou must love me” this conveys that she is hesitant and feels uncertain as she contemplates their relationship. She has accepted that he loves her but yet suffers the possibility that it may change. Daisy and tom share this uncertain love. They tom has a mistress which daisy is aware of, this alone would cause uncertainty. On the other hand when Gatsby returns in Daisy’s life tom realises that there is something between. Daisy herself is seemingly uncertain to whom she loves as she is not allowed to hold a love for both men. Shown in the line “I did love him once...but I loved you two” Hope, the second value which people through the ages have shared. For in The Great Gatsby this is symbolised using the green light across the bay, first mentioned at the beginning of the story when Nick returns from East egg to find Gatsby with his arms outstretched looking towards the bay. “I glanced sea-ward and distinguished nothing except a single green light minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock.“ But later to be unveiled as the light as the green light at the end of daisy’s dock “I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock.” From the start the light symbolised Gatsby’s hope for Daisy’s love. His thoughts that as he often came to gaze at the light of his love’s dock, perhaps unknowingly daisy would gaze across the bay and see the winking lights which blazed through the nights of Gatsby’s parties. As we find out from Jordan “he half expected her to wander into one of his parties some night, but she never did”. Hope is also present in the “Sonnets from the Portuguese”. Her hope is one of the things which and hold her back from giving herself fully, as it is connected to the idea of idealised love which often can create false hope, the very thought that his love for her may be exaggerated in her head that his love for her may last less time than she sees it lasting terrifies her. Hence why she makes sure that his love is real seen in sonnet 14 when she asks him to “love her for nought except for love’s sake only” Things change over time, thoughts, ideas, concepts, values. Others stay the same or if not then stay present in people’s lives. Elizabeth Barrett browning shows that in her times the value of hope and love, though slightly more controlled and therefore sometimes considered primitive are a major part of people’s lives. Likewise the values of love and hope in people are strong and highly influential. People will do anything to achieve love and the joy that it brings to their life, this is otherwise known as the “American dream” on which Fitzgerald’s novel is largely based on and therefore are shared by people through the ages.