J. D. Salinger and Scott Fitzgerald both portrayed hypocritical societies in their novels...?

Question

The Catcher in the Rye and The Great Gatsby, they portrayed a deceptive society with many superficial people. My question is why? What is the purpose of writing about this so called deceptive society?

Answer 1

Haven't read Catcher, but The Great Gatsby was a depiction of decadent America in the 1920s. It shows how the author felt about how society was. Jay was a vibrant, caring man and Nick developed respect and friendship for him.

Other characters were empty people. No loyalty. No connections. Nick and Jay meant substance. They showed the important things that people needed to hold on to, and the things that America was losing.

Answer 2

A historical critic would have an easy time answering this question.  F. Scott Fitzgerald was from the so-called Lost Generation (see http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topi... for details), which was characterized by a sense of disconnect from U.S. society.  Many of the authors in this period moved to Europe to express their discontent and connect with other creative people--and, of course, to drink during prohibition.  J.D. Salinger, born in 1919, came of age during the Great Depression: it is thus unsurprising that his literary outlook is sardonic and pessimistic.  

From a perspective of "purpose," this is more difficult.  What is the purpose of any literature?  Is it teach and inform?  To instruct morally?  To warn young people of dangers of later life?  Or is it to create something of beauty?  To create something of interest?  To create something enjoyable?  These are the biggest literary questions of all time.  Plato had an answer; Longinus had an answer; Kant had an answer; Alexander Pope had an answer.  You can pretty much expect that anyone who has contributed to the body of literature at any point in the history of written works has an opinion here.  

What did Salinger think?  What did Fitzgerald think (I really don't know, despite having spent a quarter studying him!)?  Who knows for sure?  They probably even have some mixed feelings.

So I ask you: Why does it matter?  Why can't you, as the reader, take from it what you like without necessarily understanding the underlying motives of the author?  Were they good novels?  Did you enjoy them?