Maya Angelou and Jay Gatsby

Maya Angelou and Jay Gatsby

The two works of art are similar in many aspects though they also hold quite a number of differences when it comes to the characters and the themes covered in the works.

Maya Angelou's work is more of an autobiography since it tells of the life experience of the character called Marguerite's also called "My" or "Maya" and the challenges that she undergoes. This character is highly agreed I various literary works to be the author immersed in the novel and talking of her challenges in the life path. It is also considered a Bildungsroman since it traces her life as she grows from naivety through to maturity.

On the other hand The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is considered a plain novel and not an autobiography. The novel's setting in terms of time is at the later age of Gatsby after he has served in the military during the WWI while that of Maya is from a tender age to the age of 17 years old.

Due to these differences in time setting, there are various differences that come into play between the main characters in the two novels. Gatsby has the quest for a luxurious life that transcends his class; this is why at some point in time he fakes the riches just to be able to win over Daisy who was from a richer background. Gatsby is an escapist from reality and wants to bend the truth. In a stark contrast, Maya does not engage in frivolous activities to get into a lavish lifestyle but accepts the position, economically, that the grandmother Momma is in. she faces the poverty reality and does not fake any rich class belonging even in the face of aggravated racism that surrounded them in Stamps, Arkansas.

In the case of Gatsby, he struggles to gain self-actualization and making a statement in the society about his status in a bid to rebut the discrimination and racism that there was. This is why he throws several parties to peers and invites women whom he would like to impress. On the other hand, Maya struggles against racism and life situations through engaging in education. She faces the true nature of racism in Arkansas at that time. Indeed she is moved from one state to another in pursuit of her safety but keeps striving hard to overcome the racism stigma through education, a totally different approach from that of Gatsby.

The character Maya is also shaped by the writer Maya Angelou to be a figure of symbol and a role model for the African-American women, a figure of resilience and perseverance. She goes from a stage of being a victim of racism bowed by inferiority complex to a self-realization stage where she responds to acts of racism in a manner suggesting that she is fully aware of her identity and origin. This ability to be a role model to the other women under the same situation is the reason why the writer seeks to perpetuate the life of Maya through her giving birth at the end of the novel and beginning to give meaning to another life that is to be lived in a positive aspect. This is the direct contrast to the character Gatsby who lives a lavish lifestyle and reckless relationships hence he is terminated at the end of the novel by being shot to death without any kin remaining to take over the lifestyle. This is an indication of the abhorrence that the writer had about the lifestyle that Gatsby led and the surrealism that clouded his approach to life challenges and racism. In short, Maya finds her identity while Gatsby loses his identity at the end of the novels.