The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald’s use of Motif
In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the motif of cheating to make his theme of lying and deceit become more evident to the reader. Throughout the novel, characters cheat on each other, cheat the laws of society, and cheat their way to wealth. Fitzgerald wanted this theme to be very evident to the reader because Fitzgerald wanted readers to see the consequences the characters had to face because of the choices they made.
Fitzgerald utilizes the relationship between Myrtle and Tom in order to demonstrate the consequences of their affair. Tom’s wife, Daisy is extremely hurt that “Tom has some girl in New
York” because she knows that as her husband his responsibility is to be …show more content…
This couple however had to face more dire consequences and ultimately resulted in the death of Myrtle and then later on, George. Fitzgerald uses this theme of lying and deceit throughout the novel to show that there are consequences for every choice. Fitzgerald displays this through characters cheating on each other, but also he shows this through characters cheating the law.
This novel takes place in America during the time of the prohibition, meaning alcohol was banned. Readers know that characters like Gatsby cheated the law and ban of alcohol.
This is obvious because at Gatsby’s parties everyone gets roaring drunk and this includes even the main character, Nick, as he is roaring drunk when he discovers Jordan in one of Gatsby’s gardens during the novel. Later on in the novel when Daisy attends a party at Gatsby’s with Nick and while there the alcohol is everywhere, in fact “a tray of cocktails” even seemed to “float” towards them (Fitzgerald. 43). With these examples of cheating and being deceitful, of course comes consequences, luckily this time not as dire. Nick admits throughout the novel that he becomes embarrassed by his drunkenness at Gatsby’s parties, and for a man that cares