‘In literature, love can transcend any social convention or taboo’

This question would be an example of a comparative question where the student would need to compare two pieces of literature in one essay question and discuss their similarities or differences. I will use ‘The Great Gatsby’ as an example text for one half of the question. The first step is to answer the question, and then afterwards explain the relevant evidence to support the student’s reasoning. In The Great Gatsby, this statement is not true – Gatsby is killed and Daisy returns to her seemingly loveless marriage with Tom. They are unable to close either their physical difference or class differences in order to rise above social convention and be together. Fitzgerald makes this clear through the setting of the novel, as not only do Daisy and Gatsby live separated by an expanse of water between East and West Egg, Gatsby is also unable to be with Daisy as he is not ‘old’ money and is shunned by the inhabitants of East Egg because of his ‘new’ wealth. Likewise, the love Myrtle has for Tom cannot transcend the taboo of being simply a ‘mistress’. Myrtle’s delusions of her relationship with Tom created by the lies he has fed her are abruptly ended at the hands of Daisy (albeit accidentally) when she hits and kills Myrtle in Chapter 7. The fact Daisy and Tom stay together unphased by the deaths of both Gatsby and Myrtle suggest that the ambition of breaking taboos or social conventions is an unequal burden for lovers and one that cannot be ultimately overridden. Here, specific examples drawing from chapters, themes, and structure in the book are used to create a compelling argument for why the student may disagree with the question posed.