For anyone who knows me, they know I love The Great Gatsby. first off I think the book is very good and I think the movie is even better. anywho, with that in mind, while I was reading the part in Cecilia Valdes about the party hosted by Mercedes, I found a lot of similarities between that party and the party that Gatsby hosts in F. Scott Fitzgeralds book. First off, I found similarities between the party guests. In the Great Gatsby, the guests are all kinds of people, different people from everywhere. some are poor and some are rich; some are famous, others are school boys. However, no one has an invitation. Nick Carroway seems to be the only one who received an invite and no one really seems to care whether or not people had been invited. In Cecilia Valdes, the only people invited seem to be the band, Cecilia and her friend, Leonardo, and Cantalapiedra. aside from that, people just start showing up. Similar to the Great Gatsby, the people who show up are from all different classes. there are whites and mulattos and blacks all there and, though they don't really seem to interact, they are still all in the same place and for the same reason.
Another similarity, I found, is between Cecilia and Daisy. Daisy is described as admired by all, and Gatsby specifically has these parties hoping that, someday, she will show up. Daisy is told to be a very beautiful woman who, upon arriving, is basically the center of the party. she is always accompanied by someone, whether it be Tom Buchanon, Gatsby, or Nick. She has boys falling for her left and right, though she is married to Tome Buchanon. Cecilia is very similar. She is very beautiful and dressed very well when she shows up to Mercedes Party. She is also always next to someone, this person being Nemesia at Mercedes party. She has boys falling all over her, particularly Pimienta and Leonardo. Whatever she does, everyone else wants to do. if she is dancing, everyone follows, when she sits down, everyone assumes that its time to eat and sits with her. she didn't want to leave the dancing early because she didn't want people to assume that she got tired and had to sit down, because that obviously is very terrible to do and you mustn't do that at a party (sorry guys, that was my touch of sarcasm for the blog).
However, with this comparison in mind, I found a lot of differences. The overall messages of the books are completely different. In Gatsby, I find the overall message to be not to live in the past, you have to get past the past (I'm funny sometimes) and move on. But in Cecilia Valdes, the purpose of the story to show the differences between the social classes in Cuba and how they interact. In Gatsby, Jay Gatsby throws all these parties in the hopes that Daisy may arrive some day so they can fall in love. in Cecilia Valdes, it is Mercedes "saint's day" or birthday, so that is the purpose of her party. Also, in the Great Gatsby, almost everyone was not invited to his party. In Cecilia Valdes, it was split mostly in half between those who were invited and those who were not.
Overall, when I was reading chapters 4-6, I was reminded greatly of the Great Gatsby. But I am not saying they are the exact same thing. I just thought the similarities were pretty cool and interesting how really the definition of a "party" and "the popular kids" is not really different over the years.
First off, I would have to disagree with you. I love The Great Gatsby, too, but I liked the book better than the movie. ;) Anyway, I love all the connections you’ve found! I think you could go further and compare Cecilia to Gatsby himself. Both strive to be seen as part of the upper class, but they’re not: Cecilia, because she is a mulatto, and Gatsby, because he is “new” money, not “old.” Also, both attract a lot of gossip: everyone gossips about Gatsby and where they think he came from, how he got his money, and why he throws extravagant parties every weekend; and people gossip about Cecilia and who they think her parents are.
ReplyDeleteI love how you made the link between The Great Gatsby and Cecilia Valdés. I think the most prominent connection you made was between Cecilia and Daisy. As you mentioned, Daisy is always the center of attention, always accompanied by some high standing man, and her actions guide those of others which is very similar to Cecilia. Daisy is also very attracted to wealth. In the story she finds great pleasure from the imported silk t-shirts that Gatsby showers her with and at the conclusion of the story, she betrays Gatsby in favor of the high-class and secure life-style that her not-as-loving husband Tom can provide. I find this to be very similar to Cecilia’s tendency to be focused only on the white elites. She has made it clear that her ultimate goal is to marry amongst the elite class and that she will not settle for any mulattos, despite the fact that she is one herself. This overbearing obsession with the rich and wealthy is seen in both ladies. While Daisy cast off Gatsby, Cecilia overlooks Pimienta. Their lifestyles are destructive to those around them, and yet they both continue.
ReplyDeleteI also had this initial connection!! I did not make as many connections as you did though. I loved the movie with the party scenes, so awesome! The connection with Cecilia and Daisy was an interesting connection, with tom for daisy and Pimienta for Cecilia both yearning for someone they could never have because they are not high enough status in society, but are with men that are seen by society as more acceptable like tom/Leonardo. I also thought the movie was better than the book!
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