1994. In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in the work. You may wish to discuss how the character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid plot summary.
In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald includes a character that we know of by the name Owl-Eyed Man. The Owl-Eyed Man does not appear very often in the story, but all of his apperances are significant to the story as a whole. Fitzgerald introduces us to the Owl-Eyed Man early in the story. He is first seen reading in the library of Gatsby's house at one of his parties. Owl-Eyes believes that Gatsby is superficial and along with his personality, the books in the library are also fake. He suggests that similar to Gatsby, the books look nice on the outside but they are filled with blank pages. This assumtion gives the readers one opinion of Gatsby, and most likely the opnion of many other people including the guests at the party. As Owl-Eyes discovers that the books are actually real, he begins to see Gatsby in a different light. Nick Carraway's reaction of Owl-Eyes affects his first impression of Gatsby and the guest he has at his parties. After the party Nick sees Owl-Eyes getting out of a car that was driven into a ditch. The drunken crash changes the impression of Owl-Eyes. He is no longer an intelluctual figure, but a man that is involved in depreciating means of soceity.
The eyes appear again, but this time on a billboard. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg that watch over the Valley of Ashes can be related back to the Owl-Eyed man. Although this isnt the same concept, the eyes serve similar purposes. The eyes on the billboard watch over everything, they see it all. They represent the unfiltered view of society; they watch everything that goes on and nothing can be hidden from their sight. Just like Owl-Eyes it represents the sight of knowledge. Nick is first startled by the billboard and he isnt sure what to make of it, similar to his first encouter with Owl-Eyes. The billboard contributes to the theme that someone is always watching, even when one might think not.
At the end of the novel, there are few people to show up at Gatshy's funeral, and the Owl-Eyed Man is one of them. The Owl-Eyed Man was one of the few who truly understood Gatsby, or he understood him more than any other character. He was able to see something that noone else was able to see in Gatsby. His glasses, are a symbol of intelligence, and his name, Owl-Eyed Man, also contributed to this. He is wise like an owl, therefore he was able to see what others couldnt.
This was an interesting essay.
ReplyDeleteI've read "The Great Gatsby" before, but I never really focused on the Owl-Eyed Man. It was cool to see another facet of that novel.
Now, onto critique.
You don't really seem to have an introductory paragraph. Your first one seems to delve straight into analysis, which is in body paragraphs. This makes your essay seem like it lacks a thesis (which it may), and will make the point of your essay hard to understand.
I would split your first paragraph up into two. You could end with the point about intellectualism and the nature of Gatsby. From there, you could talk about Owl-Eyes' true nature.
Also, I would add more analysis into the essay. You made some very astute observations, but only analyzed at a surface level. I would talk about how his presence aided the meaning of the novel as a whole, or something of that manner.
I agree with Sam that your essay is lacking an introductory paragraph and a basic thesis. Because of this, I feel that you may have lost focus--your second paragraph seems to be falling away from the prompt a bit. It is nice that the eyes can be related to Owl-Eyes (and I think that is a very interesting analysis) but I think you were supposed to be focusing more on the individual character's effect. You also had a few typos (i.e. "noone"). Make sure that you are double checking your work before posting. Also, I believe The Great Gatsby should be italicized (which I am actually unable to do while leaving a comment).
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ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting essay. I've skimmed the book before, but i'm not terribly familiar of it. Having said that your owl-Eyed example is a very interesting and fresh take on the book. As for the essay as a whole I would strongly urge you to include an introductory paragraph. Your essay was nice but it lacked a definite structure, something that I would have like to see. To me it seemed to wonder from place to place. If you put a thesis as a separate entity it would help better the flow and structure of the essay.
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