It is often said that literature is a voice for social commentary. How is this true of at least two of the works that you have read?

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby both explore their contemporary contexts. In both, they introduce narrators into an alien context; Conrad explores late nineteenth to earlier twentieth century colonialism through Marlow who recounts his experiences in the Belgian Congo where Fitzgerald explores the roaring twenties through Nick Carraway. However, both opt for different styles of social commentary. For instance, Conrad explores the contradictions between what was perceived as a civilising mission and the actual barbaric reality. He does this through the repeated juxtaposition of external appearance and actual reality and through the repeated use of religious imagery. Fitzgerald focusses upon the superficiality of his characters and the excesses of hedonism. Both Conrad and Fitzgerald remain deeply critical of their contemporary contexts, challenging what were seen as the social and cultural norms of their times through these techniques. Conrad describes the Brussels as a "white sepulchre", symbolising the simultaneous grandeur and sinister nature of the civilising mission. Fitzgerald contrasts the lavish lifestyle of the eponymous character, Jay Gatbsy, with his lies and semblence of inherited wealth and sophistication.