A Study of F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Beautiful and Damned and The Great Essay

A Study of F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Beautiful and Damned and The Great Gatsby - Essay Example On the other hand, there are those who believe that people are not obliged to be proactive when it comes to living their lives, as people are not forced into doing anything as a result of free will, and because everything has already been "written" by some higher being; therefore, there is nothing people can really do to change the track their lives are taking and are about to take. For example, when one attempts at something and fails, adopting the previously mentioned way of thinking, he or she will take things in a different way, as that person believes that his or her fate has already been drawn and that there is nothing that can be done to change it. Two of the most renowned works of F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Beautiful and Damned and The Great Gatsby, both deal with these issues . Before one delves deeper, it is important to note that these two terms can be and are actually used interchangeably. The dictionary definition of both terms state that fate is "the principle or determining cause or will by which things in general are believed to come to be as they are or events to happen as they do; an inevitable and often adverse outcome, condition, or end" (Merriam-Webster, 2006) and that destiny is "a predetermined course of events often held to be an irresistible power or agency" (Merriam-Webster, 2006), both definitions pertaining to the same idea. This essay will examine some key events in both The Great Gastb... Taking into account the previous definitions of fate, one cannot help but ask, as Schopenhauer did in some sections of The World as Will and Representation: Do humans have any choice with regard to their lives The freedom of choice is brought about by free will. But using the strictest definition of the word fate, how does free will come into play Does the existence of and belief in fate mean that this kind of freedom is disregarded, so to speak There are those who believe, however, that there is a difference between fate and destiny, wherein the consequences of an individual's actions and decisions bear a heavier weight. Through this kind of thinking, it is believed that fate is something that happens to man, giving him or her no choice with regard to his or her fate. On the contrary, destiny is that which man wishes to achieve; something toward which man strives. The Beautiful and Damned was published in 1922. Taking the work's title into context, the word "Damned" actually depicts the protagonist and his fate. Fitzgerald's description of the actions and characters in the novel reveal a pessimistic picture of life in America in the 1920s. The time, place, and circumstances the characters in the novel were born into appear to be the determining factor to the misery they suffer and yet these facts were out of their control. With the definition of fate, it can be said that these things are already written from the beginning, and completely and deeply affect a person's life. This particular work is about a generation of individuals who lived after the First World War. Because of such circumstances, it is believed that these