Past and Present: Human Nature Portrayed in American Literature The very root of human nature has been debated for as long as humans have been civilized. The topic became ever more intriguing in literature over the last few centuries, as The United States of America was founded. The idea of a common human nature is very debatable and is open to interpretation, which can be seen through various authors’ representations of human nature. While each individual is entitled to their own interpretation as to what human nature is, many classic American works convey a common theme. These classic works are: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, and A Separate Peace by John Knowles. It is apparent in American literature that human nature is driven by the egotistical need to control a given situation, therefore, dominating human relationships. The first novel in which humans’ inherent nature can be seen is The Great Gatsby. The work, which is set during the roaring twenties, allotted a great deal of detail to describing Jay Gatsby and his estranged love, Daisy Buchanan 's relationship. As Gatsby is still very much in love with Daisy, he aggressively tries to win her back, as shown towards the end of the novel. “Daisy, that’s all over now,” he said earnestly. “It doesn’t matter any more. Just tell him the truth — that you never loved him — and it’s all wiped out forever...You never loved him” (Fitzgerald 141). This quote shows Gatsby’s inner most thoughts about their relationship. Gatsby is aggressively attempting to take control over Daisy, who is unstable and in apparent pain. At this time, he is trying to make Daisy say that she never loved Tom, even though she had at one time. By doing this, Gatsby is forcing Daisy to deny her actual feelings just so he can feel more confident in their relationship. His chosen force shows the paramount of his egotism. Gatsby is so selfish that he would rather have Daisy painfully lie about her feelings than simply live with the fact that at one time Daisy had loved another man. It is because of this selfishness that Daisy becomes hysterical and eventually causes the death of Myrtle in the automobile accident. In addition to Gatsby, Stanley from A Streetcar Named Desire also exemplifies human’s controlling nature. The play A Streetcar Named Desire also accurately portrays the common themes of human nature. The work is centered around protagonist Blanche DuBois, who attempts to uphold her facade of being a high class woman, as she spends the summer with her sister and brother in law, Stanley. Stanley, a brutish and controlling man strongly dislikes Blanche, who often criticizes his methods of sustaining control over Stella. This can be seen over the smallest of actions, and stage direction. While intoxicated, Stanley bellows, “Well, you can hear me and I said to hush up...[yelling] Sit down” (Williams 147). This is a prime example of Stanley’s alpha male nature. He must have control over Stella in every situation, even insignificant ones such as the volume of her voice. The stage direction indicating that he was yelling also shows his authoritative nature in their relationship. Any time Stella wants to do something that Stanley does not agree with, he instantly becomes violent to get what he wants. The tone of
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Even when reflecting on his time during the war and Phineas’ death, Gene admits that he killed his enemy before his duty. Gene states, “I never killed anybody and I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy. Because my war ended before I ever put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at school; I killed my enemy there” (Knowles 204). All of Gene’s actions were part of his egotistical plan to beat Phineas and dominate their relationship. The way in which Gene characterized Phineas as his enemy also made his actions justifiable internally. In Gene’s eyes, Phineas was a serious threat to him, both socially and academically.Gene’s human nature responded to the threat by trying to control and eradicate the threat. This egotistical need to control Phineas’ success drove Gene to fluctuate the tree and eventually kill Phineas. It is this need for control that drives human
Even when reflecting on his time during the war and Phineas’ death, Gene admits that he killed his enemy before his duty. Gene states, “I never killed anybody and I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy. Because my war ended before I ever put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at school; I killed my enemy there” (Knowles 204). All of Gene’s actions were part of his egotistical plan to beat Phineas and dominate their relationship. The way in which Gene characterized Phineas as his enemy also made his actions justifiable internally. In Gene’s eyes, Phineas was a serious threat to him, both socially and academically.Gene’s human nature responded to the threat by trying to control and eradicate the threat. This egotistical need to control Phineas’ success drove Gene to fluctuate the tree and eventually kill Phineas. It is this need for control that drives human