...When Nick Carraway came back from the east after the summer of 1922, he was disgusted with what he’d seen. Only one man was exempt from his disgust, that man being Gatsby. In the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald creates an America society that contradicts everything America prides itself on which is lack of aristocracy and equal opportunity. The United states is a country that was so great due to the idea of the American dream, which the founding fathers of the nation built the country on. Fitzgerald utilizes deep characterization and symbolism to elaborate themes of the American dream to display what the American dream truly stood for and what it has become. Throughout the plot we come to recognize themes of American dream, through deep insight into characters and what they represent in the American society. After Nick...
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...The Great Gatsby, which people consider as Fitzgerald’s best literary work, portrays the journey of a man in acquiring success and love throughout the Jazz age. The protagonist is Jay Gatsby who attempts to win Daisy Buchanan’s love a high-class woman by using illegal ways to become wealthy. This paper uses themes as a literary device as it relates to The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald. The most important underlying themes of the novel however are honesty and dishonesty, American dream, class, violence, gender roles, and moral decay. Theme of honesty and dishonesty: As compared to other works, the theme of honesty in Fitzgerald’s novel fails to distinguish compassionate characters from the uncompassionate ones. Honesty and dishonesty is a major...
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...“The Great Gatsby” represents the American dream. Typically, the American dream is rising through the social ladder and obtaining wealth. This can be achieved in multiple ways. Unfortunately, wealth or wanting wealth can lead to corruption. Occasionally, if a someone wants to live the American dream, they will do anything to achieve it. Also, once living the American dream, some people think too highly of themselves. Next, corruption comes in many forms. Two include: corruption of the mind and corruption through money. Mainly, Myrtle, Tom and Gatsby fall into one of the two categories. Myrtle’s mind is corrupted, Tom mind is also corrupted, and Gatsby is corrupted by money. First, Myrtle’s mind is corrupted by Tom, a wealthy man. At the...
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...Diana Montes Ms. Hart American Literature 8th of April, 2015 Corruption in the government system and in the 1920’s Mexico is a country that has become known to be very corrupt to its people, and this is mostly because of its Institutional Revolutionary Party, also known as PRI. This political party dominated Mexico’s political institutions for approximately seventy years. Many of its members that have served in Mexico’s government have corrupted Mexico in some way. Some of them have taken money from the country for their own selfish needs and robbed their own people. The main theme in The Great Gatsby is “Excessive wealth and materialism leads to carelessness, corruption, and destruction.” In connection to that, Mexico’s Institutional Revolutionary...
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...Two of the omnipresent themes within ‘The Great Gatsby’ are glamour and corruption . A key debate about two of these themes is whether they are co-existing or mutually exclusive ideas. What is the meaning of corruption? An air of compelling charm , romance , and excitement , especially when delusively alluring . The quality of fascinating , alluring , or attracting , esp. by a combination of charm and good looks. Gatsby's "Career" Lack of integrity or honesty (especially susceptibility to bribery); use of a position of trust for dishonest gain; moral perversion . Inducement (as of a public official) by improper means (as bribery) to violate duty (as by committing a felony). Gatsby's Parties Gatsby throws massive, extravagant parties regularly, as evidenced by the ‘ juice of two hundred oranges ’ being extracted every week for his party guests. ‘ leaving the door in pulpless halves ’ – a reminder of the wasteful results of glamour and Capitalism Gatsby's house is a ‘ colossal affair by any standard ’ with a marble swimming pool, private beach, a Rolls-Royce in the drive and forty acres of land. Gatsby's parties have ‘ buffet tables garnished with glistening hors-d’oeuvres ’, an orchestra, a cocktail bar, and not to mention hundreds and hundreds of celebrity guests. Fitzgerald subtly combines this sense of glamour through Gatsby’s parties with the idea and theme of corruption. This is seen through there...
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...The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a 1925 novel about complex characters and their intricate relationships. Both the characters and their relationships are central focuses in the purpose of the book; however, those focuses can be understood differently in terms of the unique values of Eastern and Western cultures. An understanding of the text can change drastically based on those interpretations. Jay Gatsby is a prime example of a character that is subject to diverging interpretations. Gatsby’s significance in the text makes a reader’s analysis of him incredibly important to understanding the text. A central theme is observed in his character: “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone...remember that all the people in this world haven’t...
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...to do. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the observant narrator Nick Carraway moves out east to New York’s bright West Egg, in hopes of pursuing a fresh start with his new career in the bond business. Nick becomes utterly mystified by his new neighbor, the one and only Jay Gatsby, whose entire life revolves around his longing for something he cannot have, Daisy Buchanan. As Nick begins to acquaint himself more with East and West Egg, and the people who live there he learns how deceiving the glamorous lifestyles are truly that wealthy Americans appear to be living. In every chapter Fitzgerald uses colors as prominent symbols and thematic...
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...Even though the characters search wholeheartedly for the American Dream in this novel, it is an unachievable goal that only leads to corruption of the people. Each individual character is negatively affected by the dream itself. Moreover, Fitzgerald created his characters to show the effect the Dream has on people. Fitzgerald accurately portrayed the era he lived in by creating characters that were obsessed with the idea of obtaining money, love, and their social status. “They’re such beautiful shirts, it makes me sad because I’ve never seen such – such beautiful shirts before” (Fitzgerald, 89). Daisy says this when she was at Gatsby’s house, and he brings out beautiful silk shirts. Daisy doesn't actually cry purely because of the shirts’...
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... In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the American dream withers away like a rose in the hot sun. The green light, through its unattainability, symbolizes Gatsby’s yearning for Daisy, money, and favorable reception. The corruption the American dream has on James Gatz represents destructive tendencies the pursuit of the American dream has on people's moral character. The American dream is unachievable, nothing can be so perfect as one could imagine. The American dream dies throughout the book and is untouchable because the fact that it will never live up to expectation. The green light represents our constant desire to achieve the American dream, as Nick describes it, “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine morning— So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” (182). In these concluding words of the novel, Nick returns to the motif of the past to dreams of the future. Using metaphors, Fitzgerald describes the current as tearing them backward as they attempt to push on toward the green light. The futility of their journey emulates the inability to achieve the American dream, no matter the effort or timeless hope put in. In a very similar manner, the green light is physically sought out by Gatsby. Nick sees Gatsby, “stretched out his arms toward the dark...
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...and accomplishment. F Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, is an effective critique on the corruption that surrounds the American Dream. It is also a commentary on the warped view of Western hedonism and idealized lifestyles. The dream is portrayed strongly through the characters, depicting undignified ways to obtain wealth, the amoral social interactions and the illusion of affection and false fellowship. Thus exposing the unscrupulousness, self-absorption and disillusionment that lie at the wake of the American Dream. Fitzgerald critiques on the ideal of ‘self-made’ men (financially) and how through sheer desperation, men stray from conformity and followed a deviated path in order to reach wealth. The American Dream is the belief that regardless of one’s socio-economic background, an individual could still reach financial triumph through hard work, education and drive-which has been the belief of the American society. According to American sociologist Robert K. Merton, American society has generated common desires and pressures for material possession-which is how success was measured- those who fail to succeed by conformity or valid means, resort to devious acts to do so. Fitzgerald comments on this aspect of his society through the portrayal of Gatsby in the novel; who employed unorthodox ways of obtaining wealth in order to gain his incommunicable desire for Daisy’s affection. His illegal background was hinted by Gatsby himself: “… You see, I carry on a little business...
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...“The Great Gatsby”, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays a world filled with rich societal happenings, love affairs, and corruption. Nick Carraway is the engaged narrator of the book, a curious choice considering that he is in a different class and almost in a different world than Gatsby and the other characters. Nick relates the plot of the story to the reader as a member of Gatsby’s circle. He has ambivalent feelings towards Gatsby, despising his personality and corrupted dream but feeling drawn to Gatsby’s magnificent capacity to hope. Using Nick as a moral guide, Fitzgerald attempts to guide readers on a journey through the novel to illustrate the corruption and failure of the American Dream. To achieve this, Nick’s credentials as a reliable narrator are carefully established and reinforced throughout the story. The American Dream is a sensitive and beloved topic in American culture. Discussing its failure and corruption needs to be done gently and morally. Fitzgerald understood this, and therefore acknowledged the need of a kind and cordial narrator within a materialistic society. Enter Nick Carraway, who on the first page lets readers know “In consequence, I’m inclined to reserve all judgments” pg 7. This statement already serves to set Nick up as a decent and honest man that can be trusted. To back up this statement Fitzgerald included a short section regarding Nick’s family and background. The Carraway’s claim themselves to be loyal Americans. However, when...
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...The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story that contains several strong felt themes within it for example, betrayal, social divide and loneliness among others. One of the themes that leaves a great impact in the novel is the American dream, which is shown to the readers through the life of Jay Gatsby. As a result of the tragic end of the story, many people question whether Fitzgerald dismisses the whole idea of the American dream. The American dream is best described as the belief that all people in America regardless of their nationality, their race gender or social class can become wealthy. It assumes barriers like racism, xenophobia, economic inequality and gender wage gap, which exist in the country. The Great Gatsby was however written in...
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...Men who set their future goals based off past experiences, will end up destroying those dreams by themselves. “Through Gatsby, Fitzgerald attempts to correct Americans’ misconceptions about the American dream” (Dilworth 119). The Great Gatsby was written during the “Jazz Age” and prohibition era. Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota and died on December 21, 1940 in Hollywood, California. He attended Princeton University in 1913 and in November 1917, with graduation looking unlikely, he decided to accept a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He later went on to marry Zelda Sayre and had a daughter named Frances Scott Fitzgerald (born in 1921). In his novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald demonstrates...
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...Angelique Arrizon American Lit. 11 Period 3 Fitzgerald’s life and its connection to The Great Gatsby During the Jazz Age in 1925, The Great Gatsby was written by Francis Scott Fitzgerald. It was a novel that served as a portrait of the frenzied post- WWI society. It was a novel noted for its remarkable way in which the author captured a cross section of American society. Reflecting mostly on the way Fitzgerald lived, the characters in Gatsby live in a time of corruption. Tom Buchanan’s infidelity, Nick Caraway’s fascination with the lifestyle of wealth, and Jay Gatsby’s idealism of riches are all a reflection of the lifestyle that the author, F. S. F. and his wife Zelda led in the roaring 20’s. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda had had marital problems as well as Tom and Daisy Buchanan did. Like Tom, Fitzgerald had a mistress. Tom insisted that he “[wanted Nick] to meet [his] girl,” he did not care about how uncomfortable it would make Nick to meet the woman he was fooling around with (p 28). Tom and Daisy moved around multiple times similarly to Fitzgerald and his wife. Both couples lived in Chicago, but an incident caused the Buchanans to move up Northeast to New York. “They were careless people Tom and Daisy” just like Zelda and Scott, “they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back to their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together and left other people to clean up the mess they had made.” (p 179) Always running from their problems...
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...dramatic expansion in wealth and prosperity. However, with the Wall Street Crash in 1929 the U.S.A. experienced an economic depression that destroyed millions of livelihoods. This eventful period of American history led many to question the American Dreams place in modern America. This research paper will examine the interpretation of the American Dream in literature between the Progressive Era at the start of the twentieth century and the 1950s economic and social boom. In order to do this the paper will examine the novels The Jungle, The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman. These three novels all examine the American Dream in different decades. Written in 1906 by Upton Sinclair The Jungle is a novel that portrayed the life of immigrants and the working class in early-twentieth century America. The novel was published during the muckraking decade and its depiction of poverty, unpleasant living and working conditions and the corruption of those in power led it to be called “the Uncle Tom’s Cabin of wage slavery.” A socialist Sinclair believed that by the start of the twentieth...
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