Fast Food Nation vs. The Great Gatsby

Fast Food Nation is a book about how and why the fast food industries affect our daily lives and the whole society; the Great Gatsby is one of the great love stories of our time. There are some obvious differences between these two books. First, Fast Food Nation is a non-fiction that analyzed how the fast food industry flourished, occupied, and injected into our nation; the Great Gatsby is a novel of a tragic love story took placed in the 1920s. Second, the author of FFN used facts to demonstrate his observations and thoughts. The language he used was precise and factual. However, Mr. Fitzgerald made a romantic love story instead of stating the facts. He used aesthetic and illusive words in order to show the feelings and thoughts of those characters.

Most people think that these two books have nothing in common; I don’t think so. Each of the books is a reflection of the society at that time. We can see those imprints of that time period. For example, in the Great Gatsby, the characters got involved in WWI, illegal liquor dealing, and the lavish lives of West Egg’s elite. It is obvious that the author himself tended to admire those fancy ways of living, which reflects to the American’s money-worship age. As for the FFN, it is clear that the word “fast food” is a tag of our time. The issues about immigration, food safety, and obesity are all under the spotlights. Although the genres of these books are totally different, from some points, these two authors shared the same writhing style. Both of them used to describe the atmosphere to help expressing the feelings and emotions they want the readers to have. Foreshadowing and ironies are also in their favor. At last, they wrote their books for the same reason--- to promote changes in this sick and weak society. They tell us the tragedy, what ever it is how horrible the working condition in the slaughterhouse is or how money changed and destroys people’s life, and they let us think about it, remind us don’t make the same mistake. They uncovered the dark side of our society, hoping us to turn on the light and make this world a better place.