The Great Gatsby and Fast Food Nation

There are many subtle similarities between the books Fast Food Nation and The Great Gatsby. First of all, they are both pieces of American literature. Both books were written by American authors, and discussed very American issues. Fast Food Nation was more concerned with fast food, a large part of the diet of many Americans, while The Great Gatsby pointed out the flaws of the American dream. On further note, the diction in both books appears as very descriptive in both books. In Fast Food Nation, I remembered reading the book, feeling a hollow emptiness in my stomach as some of the glaring facts of the fast food industry were revealed. Likewise, in the Great Gatsby, the writing style of F. Scott Fitzgerald made it very simple to create mental pictures of what was happening within the book due to its sheer descriptiveness of the narration within. Probably the last of the most noticeable similarities would be the ways in which the ideals of each book were conveyed. They were bold, brash, and in your face. In Fast Food Nation, that was easy to see, as Eric Schlosser conveyed the dark, lingering truths of how the fast food industry was dominating diets and landscape, as well as grimacing revelations on the cleanliness of the actual food. In The Great Gatsby, some may have found Daisy's affair with Gatsby to have been shocking, but even more so would have to be his funeral. Gatsby threw house parties often, and was affiliated with many well-to-do people. Following his death, at his funeral, only his friend Nick Carraway and a single drunk man showed up. One would have expected far more out of someone who appeared to be loved by all. Those are some of the similarities between the books, Fast Food Nation and The Great Gatsby.