Abstract
This study explores the theme of disappointed expectations in the novels The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Using various studies of psychology and cognitive science, I examine the mental processes by which the characters in the two novels form their expectations, are disappointed when they do not live up to reality, and experience subsequent depression. I then hypothesize that the cause of their unrealistic expectations is their inability to properly read and understand the narratives presented by the world around them, both stories told by others and fictional narratives such as other novels. This misreading of reality based on fiction, I posit, leads to the faulty expectations that are the foundation of most disappointment and depression. In the final chapter, I compare the endings of the two novels to explore possible coping mechanisms for anxiety, depression and expectation, suggesting that through better reading methods reality can be better understood and better withstood.