How Does Butler Use Power In The Great Gatsby
Butler and Fitzgerald’s depiction through literature of how power is the needed in order to have the American Dream.
Butlers and Fitzgerald both use power as a theme in their literature. Power is a creative term because it can mean many things, power can be defined as the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others over the course of events. It may also be defined as political or social authority of control that is exercised by a government which would allow me to expand on race and classes. Power is important to analyze when analyzing the American Dream because both author’s use power as a symbol of receiving love, money or a source to fulfill their desires, which is what the American Dream consists of. I want to use a book written by Frederick Douglass and a book written by Peter Bufett title “Life,” In my analysis to expand on power and what the results of power may be.
In the book titled The Great Gatsby, written by, F. Scott Fitzgerald the
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Kevin says “Mr. Weylin doesn’t like the way you talk. I don’t think he’s had much education himself, and he resents you…. Weylin was warning me that it was dangerous to keep a slave like you- educated, maybe kidnapped from a free state- as far north as this”(Pg. 80 Butler). Kevin highlights the fear that a white man has about an educated back then. In the book, Narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglass, gives insight of what impacts learning can have on a slave that would threaten a white man dream. Douglass explains what his slave master Mr. Auld said about a slave learning. Mr. Auld said “If you give a nigger a inch, he will take an ell. A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master- to do as he is told to do. Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world”. (Pg.63
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