Cultural Context | Sample answer

“The world in which a character lives shapes the

person that they become”. Compare the way in which
the worlds of the three texts that you have studied for
your comparative study shape the characters in those
texts. Support the comparisons you make by reference
to the texts. (2016 mock)

Cultural Context refers to the world of the text and how the characters in the text live and behave
in this world. At times characters may be restricted by their world, but it can also liberate them and
offer them choice. The characters of Gatsby in ‘The Great Gatsby’ (TGG), a novel by F. Scott
Fitzgerald, Michele in ‘I’m Not Scared’ (INS), a crime mystery film directed by Gabriele Salvatores,
and the little girl in ‘Foster’, a novella by Claire Keegan, are all shaped by their worlds to varying
degrees. The setting, along with the importance of money, morals and relationships in these
worlds contribute to shaping characters which are both complex and noteworthy.

TGG is set in 1920’s New York, in an affluent suburb full of glitz and glamour, success and wealth.
The well-off setting of the text is enough to impress anyone, and the central character of Gatsby is
no exception. He is infatuated by this materialistic, shallow neighbourhood and this fuels his desire
for wealth. Gatsby’s longing to achieve the ‘American Dream’ that his neighbours had secured
ultimately causes him to develop into a greedy and self-orientated man, desperate to succeed, “his
dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it”. Conversely, there is little
glamour nor wealth in the worlds of INS and Foster. Set in 1970’s Southern Italy in the fictional
town of Acqua Traverse, Michele’s world in INS wouldn’t appeal to the most humble of home
makers, a direct contrast to the world of Gatsby. However, this barren, impoverished landscape
has an impact on some of the central characters that is similar to the impact of West Egg on
Gatsby, in the sense that it is the motivating force behind many of their immoral actions. Michele’s
parents feel that they have no other choice but to kidnap a young boy if they want to provide for
their family. This is reminiscent of Gatsby’s view that the only way he can make his fortune is by
the illegal means of bootlegging. The central characters in both texts feel that they fade into the
background of their settings, and thus their immoral actions will go unnoticed, “they came and
Cultural Context | Sample answer 1
went without having met Gatsby at all”. The girl in Foster also seems to go unnoticed in her home
setting, as is seen when her Dad forgets to leave her suitcase with the Kinsellas and fails to say
goodbye, “without every mentioning that he would come back for me”. This leads her to feel lost in
her world and shapes her view of herself that she is not worthy of her parents’ love, “She says you
can keep me for as long as you like”. Although the setting of 1980’s rural Ireland in Foster
geographically could not be more different to those of TGG and INS, it does possess similarities in
terms of how the setting shapes the characters. The girl in Foster comes from an unhappy home
setting, where she feels uncomfortable and out of place. This feeling of being uncomfortable with
one’s home setting is also seen in Michele, who is uncomfortable with his parents’ decision to
kidnap, and in Gatsby, who struggles to fit in with the ‘old money’ inhabitants of East Egg.
However, while this causes the girl in Foster to appreciate love when her home setting changes to
that of the Kinsellas’ house, and shapes Michele’s views on the importance of morality, a similar
positive effect is not seen in Gatsby. Gatsby’s failure to fit in leads him to turn to bootlegging as a
way of acquiring money, and ultimately leads him to develop into an immoral person. The morals
present in the world of each of the three texts also greatly influences the development of
characters.

The lack of morals in the worlds of TGG and INS have contrasting effects on the central
characters. In TGG, characters show little respect for ethical living and seem content to break the
rules if it allows them to climb the social ladder, “He’s the man who fixed the World’ Series back in
1919”. Gatsby himself is seen to display a flippant attitude towards the rules of society when he
gets away with speeding by “Taking a white card from his wallet, he waved it before the man’s
eyes”. The sheer fact that the authorities accept Gatsby’s superior social status as an excuse for
his breaking of the rules, “Know you next time, Mr. Gatsby”, shapes Gatsby’s opinion of himself
that he can do as he pleases and causes me to dislike him as a character. In the world of TGG,
morals are abandoned for the purpose of acquiring wealth, where as in INS they are abandoned
for more justifiable reasons. Michele’s parents’ abandon their sense of right and wrong when they
decided to kidnap Filippo in the hope of being paid a ransom. While this is by no means
acceptable, they are motivated by the fact that they want to provide for Michele and his sister,
unlike Gatsby who breaks the rules merely to show his social power. Michele’s parents are aware
of the immorality of their actions, and this causes them to develop into irritable and stressed
people, “Papa was the bogeyman”. Living immorally also has a negative effect on the girl’s parents
in Foster. Dan gambles and drinks, “my father lost our red Shorthorn”, which causes him to
become an irresponsible parent and leaves him with no choice but to foster out his eldest
daughter. However, her father’s immoral lifestyle ultimately has a positive impact on the girl as by
Cultural Context | Sample answer 2
being sent to live with the Kinsellas, she learns the value of moral living in a more caring
environment, “I have learnt enough, grown enough”. The immoral actions of her parents help to
develop the girl, similar to how Michele’s parents’ immorality opens his eyes to the importance of
being a good person. Michele witnesses the terrible effects that his parents’ unjust actions have
had on Filippo, and this shapes him into a caring person who feels obliged to help the other boy, “I
came here for you. I came all the way here for you”. Although Gatsby is an adult and the other two
central characters are children, he fails to acquire the insight that Michele and the little girl have on
the value of moral living. I believe Gatsby’s failure to recognise the fault in his own actions stems
from the fact that society as a whole in TGG behaves in this dishonest manner, thus making it
difficult for Gatsby to see the value of a just world. The lack of morals in Gatsby’s world blinds him
to the importance of being a good person and causes him to become a somewhat corrupt in his
ways, “I wondered if there wasn’t something a little sinister about him”. The girl in Foster is
somewhat fortunate in that, unlike in the world of TGG, there are people in her world, such as the
Kinsellas, who live good lives and pass on their values to her, “Where there’s a secret there’s
shame, and shame is something we can do without”. The values passed on by others have an
enormous influence in developing a character into either a moral or a dishonest person. The
immoral behaviour in all three texts is so often financially based, and the importance of money in
each of the worlds plays a major role in shaping the characters.

The society presented in TGG is centred on money and its importance in the characters’ lives.
Gatsby’s sole purpose in life becomes making his fortune, even if it is through illegitimate means,
“He’s a bootlegger”. Unfortunately, this obsession with wealth is to his detriment as it leads him to
abandon all his morals in his quest to become rich and improve his social status, “I didn’t want you
to think I was just some nobody”. There are clear parallels between how money is acquired in both
TGG and INS. Characters in both worlds seek to earn money through illegal methods – Gatsby by
bootlegging and Michele’s parents by kidnapping Filippo. However, while Gatsby requires wealth
for selfish reasons, Michele’s family require money to survive on a basic level. The lack of money
in Michele’s home has led him to become a humble person, who doesn’t always have the best of
everything, but makes the best out of everything. This is clear when he advises his sister to put
salt on her dinner of a tomato to make it taste nicer. However, the same cannot be said about the
effect that having an excess of money has on Gatsby. Gatsby throws elaborate parties, “house lit
up like world’s fair”, to show off his wealth to his neighbours and is eager to impress them. This
abundance of money ultimately blinds Gatsby to the fact that he cannot buy his way into
someone’s heart, and thus shapes him into quite an ignorant character, “You can’t repeat the
past”. Gatsby is completely consumed by his wealth; however, Michele has the insight to realise
Cultural Context | Sample answer 3
that it is more important to be a good person than it is to have money, “Why did you put [Filippo] in
there? I don’t get it”. Similar to Michele, the lack of money in the girl’s world in Foster ultimately
shapes her in a positive way. The lack of finances in her family home results in her being fostered
out to the Kinsellas, who undoubtedly have a most positive influence on her. Through watching the
Kinsellas share what they have with others, “Just ‘cos I’ve none of my own [children] doesn’t mean
I’d see the rain falling in one anyone else’s”, she learns the importance of being generous. This is
reminiscent of how Michele understands that it is important to share with Filippo, “Look what I
brought you [cake]. It’s crumbled but”. The lack of money in both INS and Foster shapes the
central characters into generous, kind hearted people, whereas Gatsby’s abundance of wealth
leaves him greedy and selfish. The presence or absence of money in each of the three texts has
an impact on the characters’ relationships, which also play a key role in shaping the person they
become.

Relationships in TGG hold little value for the central characters, which shapes them into lonely,
cold people. In this patriarchal society, adultery appears to be the norm, “Tom’s got some woman
in New York”, and people have little respect for each other. This is a direct contrast to the value
placed on relationships in both INS and Foster. In INS, familiar relationships are so highly valued
that Michele’s parents are willing to break the law in order to provide for their family, “Do you love
your father? Then forget all about it”. The value placed on relationships somewhat shapes them
into criminals as they are so desperate to look after their family. Although they do not break the
law to protect their relationships in Foster, they are nonetheless very highly valued. This is evident
when the little girl discovers she must leave the loving home of the Kinsellas and return to her own
family, “I stand there and stare at the fire, trying not to cry”, revealing the value she places on her
relationship with her aunt and uncle. Through living in a home with loving relationships, she has
learnt that it is okay to cry and show emotion. The relationship the girl has with the Kinsellas is
based on her genuine love for them as people, whereas Michele’s relationship with his family is
based on the fact that they are related. This causes some conflict for Michele as he is torn
between doing the right thing for Filippo and doing as his parents asked, “If you go back there I’ll
give you the trashing of your life”. This somewhat strained relationship that Michele has with his
parents leads him to mature very quickly and develop his own moral standards, as is seen when
he keeps returning to see Filippo. Living with the Kinsellas has a similar effect on the girl in Foster
as their influence has caused her to mature and learn the value of moral living, “It was my perfect
opportunity to say nothing”. On the other hand, relationships in TGG are based on looks and
wealth opposed to being based on any human connection, “Her voice is full of money”. Gatsby
purposefully abandons his parents who were “shiftless farm people” in order to form new, more
Cultural Context | Sample answer 4
socially acceptable relationships. By valuing relationships based on appearances and wealth,
Gatsby develops into a conceited person who has no true friends, “I believe that on the first night I
went to Gatsby’s house I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited”. A genuine
love for the other person, which is so clear in relationships in Foster and INS, is evidently missing
from relationships in TGG. This lack of love in Gatsby’s relationships ultimately results in the
failure of his ‘American Dream’ and in him dying alone, “it wasn’t any use. Nobody came”.
Something that the central characters in all three texts have in common is that their relationships,
or lack of, develop them into characters worthy of our pity. I personally pity Gatsby for being so
grossly misled in his belief that money was the key to successful relationships, “Gatsby believed in
the green light”, however I pity Michele and the little girl for different reasons. I cannot but develop
a profound sympathy for the tough decision that both Michele and the little girl have to make, in
which they are torn between being faithful to their birth parents, but also wanting to maintain the
new relationships they have formed. Ultimately, these decisions that they have to make regarding
the path that their relationships will take helps to shape them into strong minded and independent
people, which gives me great hope for their futures, “the sun, for the most part, was shining”.

It is my opinion that in all three texts, the world in which the characters live helps to shape the
person they become. While in both INS and Foster, the worlds of the texts ultimately shape the
characters in a positive way, Gatsby’s world in TGG has a profoundly negative impact on the
person he develops into. I thoroughly enjoyed studying the worlds portrayed in INS and TGG,
however the cultural context depicted in Foster fascinated me. In my opinion, the world of Foster
highlights how much of an affect the world around us has on our lives and who we are as people,
“the two lights are blinking as before, but with another, steady light, shining there also”. The
cultural context portrayed in Foster highlights to me how our setting, our morals, money and our
relationships all help to shape the people we become, but ultimately it is up to us to decide what
path we want to take with our lives. Like the little girl in Foster, we must take what we are given
and do our best to make good of this. All three texts opened my eyes to the important role that
both our worlds, and our own viewpoints, have in shaping the people we become, and this is a
lesson that I will always carry with me.

Cultural Context | Sample answer 5