Ideas, values, and themes of modernist authors - Essay Example

Ideas, values, and themes of modernist Contrary to the Victorian period’s intellectuals convincing natives theywere capable of attaining their life’s goals, modernists proved otherwise. The latter portrayed utter pessimism evident in the world’s mechanisms meant to drag people from attaining their accomplishments, hence being in an extreme disarray and despair. Mainly, modernists utilized fiction and America as their works’ setting despite the then flourishing economy; to reveal its worst side in drowning numerous youths’ goals.

This is apparent in Scott Fitzgerald’s works (like The Great Gatsby) whose main characteristic theme comprised of youths’ goals dissolving in failure and disappointments (Fitzgerald 4). Since, the then period’s pleasure-hungry behavior among the youths, yielded to the increase of moral decadence, hence hindering them to see their dreams’ actualization. Fitzgerald’s work comprised of satirizing the then ideas, for instance, the “American Dream” besides showing the state’s inconsequential efforts meant to enable its natives to attain their accomplishments.

Similarly, William Faulkner in his works highlights evidence of the old slave-holding norm in the present world besides people witnessing the shattering of their lives’ dreams. Hence, satirizing regime’s mechanisms and ideas regarding equal opportunities availed the natives to actualize their “Dreams”. This is because the 1920s blossoming economy only favored the affluent whereas erecting bars such that the poor could not rise beyond the middle class. This is noticeable in his Absalom, Absalom!

Work where the protagonist is working hard work, though he eventually relapses to wallow in poverty (Faulkner 5). Correspondingly, Willa Cather though differing with the latter two, she persisted with former stylistic approaches. Her message encompassed fruitless struggles especially by Americans despite their varied talents, which is evident in her “ours of ours” (Middleton 84). Willa works reveal utter desperation and struggles from a small town to recognition in a state that has ironically availed mechanisms meant for its natives to thrive.

Work CitedFaulkner, William. Absalom, Absalom! Canada: HarperCollins, 2013. Print. Fitzgerald, F S. The Great Gatsby. London: Urban Romantics, 2012. Print.Middleton, Jo A. Willa Cathers Modernism: A Study of Style and Technique. Rutherford: Fairleigh Dickinson, 1990. Print.