Diver And Great Gatsby Essay, Research Paper

F. Scott Fitzgerald is known as a writer who chronicled his

times. This work has been critically acclaimed for portraying the sentiments of

the American people during the 1920s and 1930s. ?The Great Gatsby? was

written in 1924, whilst the Fitzgeralds were staying on the French Riviera, and

?Tender is the Night? was written nearly ten years later, is set on, among

other places, the Riviera. There are very interesting aspects of these works,

such as the way Fitzgerald treats his so-called heroes, and to what extent we

can call them heroic. Gatsby and Diver are both presented as wealthy men leading

privileged lives. ?The Great Gatsby? was written before the Depression, and

the optimism and faith in the power of money within the novel demonstrates this

belief that people had. Notably, it is the characters? faith in riches, and

not Fitzgerald?s own. Gatsby is a self-made millionaire, making his money

through bootlegging. He has acquired vast amounts of money, and believes that

this money will help persuade Daisy to love him and leave Tom. This is

illustrated in Chapter five when Daisy is shown around Gatsby?s mansion at his

request. He shows her every detail, through from the gardens to his shirts and

?he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it

drew from her well-loved eyes?. Gatsby sees his money and possessions as

wonderful things, but they are also more than that, they are a means to an end,

the end being Daisy. He bough the house because of where it was in relation to

Daisy (across the bay), and he held the most amazing parties in the hope that

Daisy, or someone that knew Daisy would come. Gatsby, in effect, devoted his

whole life to the search for Daisy, and his money is a tool to help him find his

love. Diver?s attitude to money is very much a contrast to this. Money to him

does not represent freedom and choice, but a bind that ties him and constricts

him. Diver is conscious through the whole novel that he himself is not the

financially dominant member of his marriage, but Nicole, with her seemingly

endless riches. ?Tender is the Night? is written after the Wall Street Crash

and during the Depression, but Fitzgerald has moved his characters away from the

Depression of the United States to the French Riviera, where the Depression did

not leave such a deeply imprinted mark upon society. Diver is representative of

middle class America ? financially secure but not in a position to spend money

as Nicole does, buying from great lists, and ?everything she liked that she

couldn?t possibly use she bought as a present for a friend?. Instead, Dick

felt ?a discrepancy between the growing luxury in which the Divers lived, and

the need for display which apparently went along with it. Dick feels trapped by

Nicole?s money, and constantly tires to assert his independence from it, such

as when he and Nicole started out together, he supported them on his few

thousand a year. However, the Warren family undermined his independence, such as

buying the Divers their clinic in Zurich, in order to protect Nicole. Nicole

wants to own Dick, and once of the ways in which to do so is by her money

(?Nicole, wanting to own him ? encouraged any slackness on his part?).

People see the Divers for their money, such as Franz Gregorovious with his plans

for the clinic. It is not that Dick is adverse to the concept of money and

wealth, but he feels that he has become trapped by Nicole?s riches (he ?had

wedded a desire for money to an essentially unacquisitive nature ? he had

never felt more sure of himself ? than at the time of his marriage to Nicole.

Yet he has been swallowed up like a gigolo, and somehow permitted his arsenal to

be locked up in the Warren safety deposit vaults.?) Despite both these men

having vast amounts of money at their disposal, thus the theoretical ability to

do or achieve anything they want, neither of these men are happy. Interestingly,

neither of these men view their money as material wealth, but intrinsically

linked to their lovers. Fitzgerald does not put forward the theory that money

brings happiness, or can solve problems, but more often than not, brings more

sadness and joy. This contrasts nicely with the mood of the 1920s which was of

materialism, and also of the 1930s, where lack of money brought unhappiness.

Gatsby and Diver are both seen by their peers as luck men living an ideal life

as socialites, entertaining people endlessly, blessed with great fortunes

(?lucky Dick, you big stiff?). What more could they wish for? They lived in

big house, socialise and provide for others, and appear to enjoy their lives,

but do they? Their idealised lives seem, to them, vacant and directionless, a

never-ending stream of parties and faces. For Gatsby, his life will never be

perfect unless he has Daisy. For Dick, his life is slightly more complicated,

torn between his desire to be autonomous, his desire to cure Nicole, and his

fear that a cured Nicole will no longer need him. Dick?s desire to control

others is representative of his desire for order which is shown by his voice

that ?promised that he would take care of her [Rosemary]?, and she also saw

him as a ?model of correctness?. Dick also provided a structure for Nicole

to put her faith in, and therefore get better. Dick?s faith in form and order

comes from another time, and does not fit in with the anarchy and chaos of a

rapidly evolving America. It does not hold with the sense of the disintegration

of society which Fitzgerald saw happen before his eyes. Instead, he is ?the

last hope of a decaying clan? and ?the exact furthermost evolution of a

class? ? a man who is eventually destroyed by not being able to keep up with

the times. Gatsby also has a relationship with the idea of order. He had,

according to Nick, ?one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal

reassurance in it?. Gatsby wished to find in Daisy ?some idea of himself?

with which to counter a life which had become ?confused and disordered.?

Order and chaos pervade ?The Great Gatsby?, with Nick declaring his belief

that codes of conduct are needed to control human behaviour. He wishes for the

world ?to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever?, and

Gatsby also seems to be lost in the world of parties he has created, and not

quite in control, despite his efforts. Gatsby does not need to control his

parties, but he does his life, which he has desperately tried to map out in his

own way, despite what others may say (Nick saying, ?You can?t repeat the

past!? to which Gatsby replies, ?Why of course you can!?). Both Gatsby and

Diver?s need and belief in order is in contrast to the company they keep, such

as, in Dick?s case, Mary Minghetti (North) and Lady Caroline Sibley-Biers, and

in Gatsby?s case, the parties he throws. Notably, it is not their actual

desired company, but the company they are associated with through friends or

events. Gatsby searches for Daisy in these parties, not ladies who fall in the

pool, and Dick was friendly with Mary whilst she was married to Abe, but not

while she consorted with Lady Caroline. However, Mary turns to Dick, bringer of

order to chaos, to sort out their problems when they are arrested. It is

interesting to see that while Dick?s downfall becomes more and more apparent,

his acquaintances become more and more wild, highlighting the disintegration of

both society and Dick, and that Dick?s demise must be linked to his inability

to adapt to this anarchic and chaotic mood. Gatsby and Diver are great

entertainers of their peers. Diver seems to thrive on the company of others, of

controlling social situations perfectly and, and the peak of his social climb,

people clamour to be with the Divers. Dick, according to Mary, could ?keep a

party moving just by a little sentence or a saying here and there.? He could

make people enjoy themselves and each other, almost effortlessly, and because of

this, people remember him (?It?s one of the finest memories in my life ?

the most civilised gather of people that I have ever known? ? Royal Dumphrey).

His parties were always memorable, though it is questionable whether they were

civilised. One of the earliest scenes in ?Tender is the Night? is the party

which ends in a duel, and whilst in Paris Rosemary notes that she can now say

that she has been to a wild party. However, it is only after the departure of

the Divers is when these parties degenerate into disorder and chaos, underlining

the idea that Dick is a bringer of order. To please other people seems to please

Dick, but it also wore him out (?one of his most characteristic moods was upon

him, the excitement that swept everyone up into it and was inevitably followed

by his own form of melancholy?). Rosemary is one character within the novel

who is particularly enchanted with the Divers, especially Dick. She constantly

tells her Mother, who is also her chief confidante, how ?Perfect? the Divers

are, and Tommy protects them from rumours by telling Mrs McKisco that ?it is

inadvisable to comment on what goes on in his house?. Tommy seems to be the

only character willing to protect the Divers, especially Nicole. Despite their

fantastic social life, the Divers seem to end up friendless in their own lives,

on the outside than the leaders of the inside social circle that they once were.

Gatsby is also seen as a great socialite, but on a different level. Where the

Divers were masters of smaller, personal parties, Gatsby regularly threw wild

extravagant revels. However, Dick and Nicole were the obvious and open hosts,

Gatsby remained elusive, and almost none of his guests could actually recognise

him. Instead, he was the hidden host, observer of the gaiety that he provided,

forever on the lookout for something, someone. Gatsby?s past is shrouded in

mystery – some think that he is a German spy, others that he has killed a man.

However, Gatsby does not entertain for the sake of it, he takes no real joy in

the proceedings. Instead, it is a mechanism to find Daisy, the driving force of

almost everything he does. In the spirit of entertainers, Diver and Gatsby are

only linked by the happiness they bring others through their parties, and the

fact that despite their social appearance, they both lead lonely, almost

friendless lives. Gatsby and Diver are both intensive socialites, even if in a

kind of reclusive manner, and certainly in Dick?s case, the excessive like

leads to his demise through, among other reasons, alcoholism. There are also

other mentions of ridiculous behaviour which went on at Gatsby?s parties, but

it would be unfair to say that in these two novels Fitzgerald was simply writing

cautionary tales concerning the risks of excessive alcohol and socialising.

Although Fitzgerald was passing judgement on the times in which he lived, he was

writing about more than alcohol and the ridiculous critics often associated with

it. Diver?s and Gatsby?s demise has more to do with a loss of control and

broken dreams than too many parties. Dreams, hope and romance play key parts in

the personalities of both Gatsby and Diver. Gatsby possessed ?an extraordinary

gift for hope?, and Fitzgerald seems to feel that this is what set him apart

from his society. Gatsby has ideals. He had a dream which he not only desired,

but did so so strongly that he based his entire life around life. Obviously

Daisy is the immediate goal, but according to Nick, Gatsby?s dreams and

aspirations ?had gone beyond her, beyond everything?. Daisy, Nick says,

wouldn?t satisfy Gatsby ? ?he knew that when he kissed this girl, and

forever wed this unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would

never romp again like the mind of God?. Gatsby is constantly dreaming, but

more than dreaming, he is actively striving towards something better, be it

Daisy, or something less tangible. This drive separates him from the

?laissez-faire? attitude of Daisy, tome and Jordan, who seem bored of their

lives and its ?sophistication?. Perhaps it is this dreamer-like quality that

compels Nick to call Gatsby ?great?. Dick also has ambition and drive, but

somehow goes wayward, and does not achieve ?greatness?. Dick is intelligent

and he was seen by many as a brilliant psychologist, but becomes entangled with

a love affair with a patient, Nicole, that effectively ends his career. Dick

strives to heal Nicole, but this dream traps Dick, and then the success of his

work to strengthen her actually underlines his own personal demise. Dick?s

hopes are not as clear-cut as Gatsby?s, but the base ideals of most are within

him, if hidden and corrupted by society (?he used to think that he wanted to

be good, he wanted to be kind, he wanted to be brave and wise, but it was all

pretty difficult. He wanted to be loved, too, if he could fit in.?). It is

interesting that Dick sees himself as an outsider to society, and that he, like

everyone else wants love and care, as if he doesn?t feel loved by Nicole. This

quotation also marks Dick?s attitude of not being quite good enough by his own

standards, and the fact that he doesn?t feel strongly enough to work it out is

in contrast to Gatsby who will do anything for his dream. However, like Gatsby,

Diver is a romantic (?the silver cord is cut and the golden bowl is broken and

all that, but an old romantic like me can?t do anything about it?), in

contrast to his peers and society. Of the two men, Gatsby is definitely the most

idealistic, and this represents the optimism of his time, with Diver not having

the same naive gift of hope. Gatsby and Diver are alike in their romanticism and

ideals, and then demise represents the futility of ideals in an increasingly

corrupt and materialistic society. Gatsby?s dream is to be with Daisy, to

marry her and spend the rest of their lives together. He obviously loves her a

great deal, and his love is what drives him. For many, ?The Great Gatsby?

can be seen as a tragic love story. However, when Gatsby imagines his life with

Daisy he knew before the war. Since then, both Gatsby and Daisy have changed,

and in Gatsby?s mind, Daisy has been transformed into an ideal woman, an ideal

which, through no fault of her own, cannot live up to. However, Daisy has been

claimed by another, and although she may still love Gatsby, it is not as simple

as Gatsby seems to think. The limitation Gatsby?s attitude to Daisy can be

shown in the manner he acts towards Tom, and the forthright way in which he

tells Tom that ?Daisy?s leaving you?. He is the dominant one in their

relationship, but he is also childish and naпve to suggest that Daisy

never loved Tom. It is this idea, which taints her attitude toward him, and

opens up the vulnerability which Tom is able to attack, namely the mystery

surrounding Gatsby?s past. By bringing up Gatsby?s business, Tom is able to

expose this weakness, and thus have him lose Daisy. Gatsby knows the effect of

these revelations namely in the way ?he looked ? as if he had killed a

man?. She herself ?was drawing further and further into herself?.

Gatsby?s dream has crashed, and this is a critical turning point, namely the

beginning of the very swift downfall, the drive ?toward death?. Gatsby

places absolute importance on his love and possible relationship with Daisy.

Although Diver never really seems to express the same obvious undying love for

Nicole that Gatsby appears to feel for Daisy, his demise also begins with the

breaking down of his already dysfunctional relationship. In the way that Gatsby

had created Daisy in his mind, Dick created Nicole as her psychologist, and he

delights in her progress. However, she is his creation, and the signs that he is

losing control of his creation help send him spiralling downward. The stronger

Nicole grows, the less she needs Dick, and eventually she leaves. Although this

seems negative, the Diver?s relationship was never balanced, Dick controlled

Nicole?s mind through his psychology, and Nicole controlled his life through

her money. Nicole owned Dick, ?who did not want to be owned?, and this

control gave a very disturbing edge to their relationship. A possibly even more

disturbing element of Dick and Nicole?s marriage are the two roles he plays

? husband and healer. ?The dualism of his views of hers ? that of the

husband, that of the psychiatrist ? was increasingly paralysing his

faculties.? Dick, once so brilliant at playing either of those roles (he was

known as a brilliant psychiatrist) now cannot apply either to Nicole?s

situation, and neither his love not his academia can help her. She has worn him

down too much, and there is a definite element of truth when she says, ?some

of the time I think it?s my fault ? I?ve ruined you.? It is interesting

to note that Dick, a brilliant psychiatrist, does choose Nicole, a patient.

There is her obvious beauty and charm, but Dick realises the complications of

the situation. Why does he let himself marry Nicole, a marriage in which the

difficulty of his role is clear? The answer must reside in Dick?s innate love

of order, and his need to be in control of situations, whether they are parties,

patients, or even his own marriage. The terrible irony is that Dick does not

control Nicole, but Nicole Dick, with her illness which he has to tend, and her

money which he needs. Both Dick and Gatsby?s tragic endings are closely linked

to their failed love. Neither Gatsby nor Dick manage to survive in the world

that Fitzgerald has portrayed. Both also lose their dignity to some extent,

Gatsby by being found lying in a swimming pool, and then by an unattended

funeral; Dick by fading into the obscurity of a GP in New York State, never

managing to settle in one place. Which of these two endings seems to have more

dignity? Gatsby?s final ending is undignified, being in a swimming pool his

house being defaces, but this is short term, and Fitzgerald does not let this be

our last picture of Gatsby, instead ending with the epic vision of the future,

of ?boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past?. Gatsby

does not leave friends behind, he leaves a legacy (?One of the taxi drivers in

the village never took a fare past the entrance gate without stopping for a

minute and pointing inside?), and an impact on Nick Carraway that was so great

that he was compelled to write about him. Gatsby also dies spiritually intact

(?his dream must have been so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it?).

He knew that he had lost Daisy, but he probably did not know the true extent of

his loss, with his apparently unending capacity for hope. Gatsby?s death was

the result of a revenge for the death of Myrtille Wilson, but it was Daisy who

killed her, not Gatsby. The extent of his love for Daisy results in his death,

and he dies with his dream. Diver does not die, but is almost buried alive. He

loses his wife, therefore his money, and also his reputation. He leaves behind

his existence on the Riviera to forge ahead on his own. It appears that Tommy

forces Diver out, but before Tommy suggested anything to Dick, it is evident

that this relationship with Nicole was over. ?The case was finished. Doctor

Diver was at liberty?. This is the culmination of a social fall from the very

peak of society to being mocked, and being seen as a ?dissipated doctor? who

is ?not received anywhere anymore.? Diver?s social fall should be compared

to Gatsby?s as to see which is the more dignified and heroic. One key part is

the element of control. Gatsby did not have control of the car which killed Mrs

Wilson and he did not have control of Mr Wilson, who shot him. Therefore one can

suggest that of the forces which led to Gatsby?s demise, Gatsby played a

passive role, and events were to blame, and not him. Of course, he should not

have let Daisy drive, but how could he have known what was to follow? The timing

of Gatsby?s demise is also important ? it all takes place within twenty four

hours ? from Daisy telling Gatsby that she did love Tom, and Tom revealing

Gatsby?s past, to Mr Wilson shooting Gatsby. This short space of time leads

even more to the idea that Gatsby cannot be held responsible for his death, but

to a certain extent, Dick can be held responsible for his demise. It is apparent

from the end of Book Two in ?Tender is the Night?, when Dick hears of his

father?s death, that he is losing control of himself and events. He meets

Rosemary and the McKiscos on the ship, and Rosemary says, ?oh, such a shame.

What?s it all about anyhow? ? Why bring it to me?? to which Diver replies,

?I guess I?m the Black Death. I don?t seem to bring people happiness

anymore.? This conversation shows how even Dick himself is aware of his fading

talents, but there is a sense of confusion within Dick, that he doesn?t even

know what to do about it. Dick is finally being tested, and failing. One of

Dick?s main problems is his alcohol intake, which becomes more and more

apparent to people, such as Franz Gregory and Tommy, who says that Dick is not a

person who should drink. Dick?s drinking began as a social exercise, but grows

and grows until it controls him. As a result of Dick?s failures, both

socially, professionally, and with Nicole, Dick drinks more and more, but he

does not feel out of control (?Dick blamed himself only for indiscretion?).

It is the incident with Morris who accused Dr Diver of drinking whilst on duty

that brings about an end to Dick?s psychiatric career, but even after this,

Dick continues to drink excessively whilst with Nicole on the Riviera. Alcohol

is symbolic of a world that Dick cannot control, but still wishes to be a part

of. Society moves on and changes, and Dick cannot keep up. Fitzgerald uses

alcohol as a mechanism that highlights Dick?s demise, and its inherent links

with society. Dick turns to drink as he loses faith in himself, Nicole, and

society in general. This loss of faith means that Diver drifts away into

nothing, and fades from view. Our last image of him is in the distance, out of

focus, fading into nothing. He has gone from being at the height of social order

to a social drop out in a society where money, alcohol and social excess are the

norm, but where he cannot keep up. Gatsby and Diver live in fast moving, chaotic

societies, where morals are bent and ideal broken. Fitzgerald has not created in

either man an obvious hero, as both men are presented as having many faults, but

I think that it is fair to say that they are ?heroes?, despite their

drawbacks. They are both romantics in an unromantic world. Both these characters

are seen as old fashioned in a swiftly changing America. However, Fitzgerald

seems to applaud these characteristics, by portraying the other characters in a

more negative light. The only other character with these novels who could be

seen as heroic is Nick Carraway, and some see him, and not Gatsby, as the hero

of his novel. However, Carraway himself feels that Gatsby is ?great?, mainly

on account of his ?extraordinary gift for hope?. This hope sets Gatsby apart

from everyone else Nick has ever encountered, and despite Gatsby representing

?everything which I have an unaffected scorn?, this idea of hope remains the

most prominent and absolute. Gatsby cannot be seen as heroic in the traditional

moral sense ? he made his fortunes from bootlegging, he involves himself with

unscrupulous characters such as Meyer Wolfshiem, and befriends Nick and Jordan

not because he likes them, but on account of their link with Daisy. But despite

all this, and the half-scornful, half-admiring descriptions we receive dorm

Nick, we still believe in Gatsby, and Gatsby?s character, because of his

capacity for hope and love. There is also something admirable about the way

Gatsby did progress from being a nobody to a millionaire, epitomising the

American Dream. However, Fitzgerald does not shy away from showing that America

does have classes within society, and Gatsby, despite his newfound riches, will

never be able to become a part of the society in which he lives. Like Diver, he

finds himself on the outside looking in. Diver, like Gatsby, has heroic

qualities, but he does not have strong enough a character not to be dragged down

by the society in which he lives. Essentially, Diver is a good man. He has a

desire to please others, to help, and to love. These are certainly admirable

qualities. I think that Fitzgerald has created in ?Tender is the Night? a

novel in which the ?best? character, or hero, is dragged down by the force

that society exerts on him. It is the breaking down of a good character to

become a shadow of his formal self. The hero in *censored* struggles against

these changes, but, ultimately, he succumbs. Dick is not as heroic as Gatsby,

and I think that Fitzgerald intended Dick to be seen as lacking compared to

Gatsby, because he lacks the hope that Gatsby has. He sees that he has been

defeated, and doesn?t fight as hard as he could to recover himself. However,

this seeming lack of will power could be seen as a measure of just how much

society has taken a toll upon Dick?s character. Gatsby can be seen as

?great?, but Dick, unfortunately for him, falls somewhat short of this

accolade, and instead can be seen as a good man who has been broken. Gatsby,

with all his powers of hope and dreams, can be viewed as an unfortunate man, but

there is also the idea that Gatsby can be perceived as more than a character,

but as a symbol of America. Fitzgerald originally wanted to call the book

?Under the Red, White and Blue?, bringing in the definitive image of the

American flag. Certainly, Fitzgerald is very concerned with the state of America

within his novel, and I think that Gatsby himself represents American ideals

under a great amount of pressure from changing times. America is said to be a

classless society, yet Fitzgerald shows a world of many class distinctions,

highlighted by the differences between Tom Buchanan and George Wilson. Gatsby

can never be at ease with Tom either, because of the divisions of class between

them, despite living in the New World, where every man is equal. Fitzgerald

realises that despite the U.S?s supposed self-assurance, she still looks East

toward Europe for approval. This is symbolized by the shirts that Gatsby has

imported, and his Rolls Royce, both of which are seen as symbols of quality and

wealth. Post-war America cannot remove the influence that Europe has, and create

her own society. Europe features even more strongly in ?Tender is the

Night?. The Divers live in Switzerland and France, and whilst it is hard to

see whether Dick represents America itself, the novel has an American theme, and

concerns American people and American ideals. Occasionally, the novel mocks the

America abroad, who do not have the same repose that Europeans seem to have, but

Diver himself believes in America (?It?s American ? Dick believes in

it?). In ?Tender is the Night? Fitzgerald seems to be examining the role

of the American abroad, and he seems to suggest that at this particular moment

in time, Americans are not ready to live in Europe. They have not developed

enough confidence and self-belief to be comfortable once taken out of their own

setting, and frequently become lost or out of control. Europe has a different

way of life from America, and requires different attitudes. Fitzgerald notes

that the American attitude is not compatible with the European way of life. It

is also interesting to note that many psychiatric patients come to Europe to be

cured, a sign that America still looks to Europe for reassurance and care,

despite military success in the war. Although America may be bigger and stronger

that Europe, Europe is still seen as more mature and refined, and the movement

of American culture to Europe only brings chaos and disorder. A strong feature

of American culture is the American Dream, which features strongly in ?The

Great Gatsby?. The American Dream can be seen in two ways ? that it

represents the limitless possibilities at what America means, and that she is

free from any limits set by past experiences, or that one?s self is equated

with one?s wealth, and that freedom and possibility come only with money.

Gatsby seems to aspire to both ideas, but it is the belief in the first that

makes him ?great?. Gatsby has tried to recreate himself, and has shedded his

past, in the way that America has tried to shed her European past and influence.

Fitzgerald takes his idea of the tow interpretations of the American Dream, and

presents it in a paradoxical fashion, in that the material success that Gatsby

has achieved means that his belief in the ideal will fail. Presenting America

and the American Dream in this manner demonstrates Fitzgerald?s fading belief

in his country and its values. Diver is representative of the middle-class

American becoming rich, and again failing to settle in a society with definite

class divisions. Diver works hard, and is talented, and, subscribing to the

American ideal, he should succeed in life, but he does not. Diver?s eventual

riches do not come from his hard work, becomes less interested in his job,

thanks to his marriage, and drifts, because he did not believe in the ideal.

Again and again, Fitzgerald underlines the importance of faith and hope, without

which America and the American Dream mean nothing, and it is impossible to

survive without. Diver and Gatsby can both be seen as the failure of the

American Dream, and thus that the America that was supposed to be a place where

everything is possible, where freedom and liberty come above all else, is

failing herself. In Jay Gatsby and Dick Diver F. Scott Fitzgerald has presented

us with tow men who should not fail, who, if there is any justice in the world,

should succeed in what they do. However, they do not. Granted, they are not

perfect, but they are more heroic and noble that the other characters they are

surrounded with. The reason they do not survive is because they are

old-fashioned men, with old fashioned, romantic ideals, and they are destroyed

by the cruelty and superficiality of modern America. Fitzgerald does not paint a

very reassuring picture of his home country, and these two novels display his

personal fears about American society. ?Tender is the Night? and ?The

Great Gatsby? are two novels grasping the mood of the moment, and Gatsby and

Diver are two men who cannot keep up.