“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist”. In this quote, French literary figure, Charles Baudelaire, encapsulates the prevalent lies that lurk beneath the surface of our contemporary society. This theme of deception and illusion emerges in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel “The Great Gatsby” and Ben Wheatley’s film “Rebecca” and these mediums accentuate the emptiness and futility of the Interbellum period (McCombs, 2019). Both narrative forms introduce characters, such as Jay Gatsby from “The Great Gatsby” and Maxim De Winter in “Rebecca”, who engage in deceptive and frivolous acts driven by their materialistic ideals and a desire to be accepted within the upper-class society. These enigmatic individuals…show more content… Moreover, it was common for these characters to be victims of deception as there was a disparity between appearance and reality. The portrayal of this theme in the respective texts was a recurring motif as individuals had disregard for themselves and their inferiors. The superficial facades of wealth and glamour in The Great Gatsby and Rebecca mask the inner turmoil of Jay Gatsby and Maxim de Winter, leading them to resort to lies, deceit, and frivolousness as they fall victim to deceit themselves and employ it to construct false narratives. The acts of deception in the literature are intrinsically tied to the detrimental effects of superficiality. Both historical texts expose that wealth and glamour do not portray genuine fulfillment in life. Fabrication of romantic idealism Both The Great Gatsby and Rebecca depict the superficial facades of wealth and glamour through acts of deception and romantic idealism which contribute to their sense of emptiness. (Bierce, 2015) elucidated that Fitzgerald employs the illusion of unrealistic and idealised perceptions of love in the Interbellum period through the fabricated identities of Jay Gatsby and Maxim de
