...Is everything all about wealth in The Great Gatsby? Throughout this novel, one of the main themes is the hollowness of the upper class. As explained in the novel, the East eggers are considered a part of the new wealth and the West eggers are considered a part of the old aristocracy. Is wealth the only thing that makes you a part of society? The book does not really expound on the lower class or how they live, so can you truly say there is one. Is this book only about the life of the upper class or the life of the “The Great Gatsby” himself as interpreted from the title? Initially, the first you see of wealth in the novel is when the difference between the East and West eggers is pronounced. Reading further into the novel, the only things that pop out to you is wealth and the mysterious Gatsby. Many people during this time are wealthy or trying to obtain a high status in order to gain wealth. For example, Myrtle Wilson wanted a high society life and the only way to get it was through Tom Buchanan. The only twist was that both were married. Myrtle loved her husband, but she craved and wanted more, which her husband, Mr. Wilson, could not give her. In addition, the affair with Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby is a great example. Daisy is a person whose only concern is money and being married to Tom gives her all the money she wants, but what happens when old love reappears with wealth on his side also. Wealth was the only thing people were thinking about during the 1920’s. This...
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...maintain his high status through lying; however, this dishonesty backfired and forced him to resign and lose his title as president. This is similar to characters in The Great Gatsby who lie to gain or keep a high social status. Social dishonesty in The Great Gatsby, by F....
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...In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick Carraway joins Jay Gatsby through a trail of lies, love, and deception. Jay Gatsby lives perfectly across the bay from Daisy Buchanan with the green light at the end of her dock leaving a reminder. In the book, Fitzgerald portrays Jay and Daisy’s relationship to be like Zelda and himselfs relationship. While showing the progression through the 1920s of wealth, it shows the differences in the social classes and how they looked at each other. The Great Gatsby shows symbolic messages throughout the reading such as Fitzgeralds past, the use of colors, and the American dream. Nick views himself as underclass, being surrounded by the rich, but that he will rise in his bond business. He becomes fascinated by his neighbor Mr. Gatsby mysteriousness and how he is so widespread known. At Tom and Daisy’s under their high living is love and despair. Tom likes living high but also having the power to broadcast his public affair. Tom’s lover Myrtle lives in the Valley of Ash, representing a much lower class. He shows Myrtle off in New York city to show how much power and authority...
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...Exploration of Marxist Criticism in The Great Gatsby The American dream can be summed up as such: The ability for any individual regardless of their initial socioeconomic status, to achieve great monetary and social wealth. In the capitalist society of America, the belief is to become rich is integral for all its citizens. This is opposed to the Marxist view on equality, since for a person to be wealthy another must inevitably be below him. The society in The Great Gatsby exemplifies the flawed aspiration to accomplish the American dream. Through the experiences of three prominent characters in the novel: Myrtle Wilson, Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby. The errors of the attempt to change ones class in a class-based system are personified. Myrtle...
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...Miles 1/5/17 English 11 Gatsby Essay Throughout The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates symbolism through color to paint pictures within the novel. In the backdrop of the roaring 20’s, a time of care-free extravagance and a new age of culture, lives one Jay Gatsby, “The Great Gatsby.” In reality, Gatsby is a poor man living a life of fantasy and corruption all for a “golden girl,” although no matter how rich he is, he is never able reach his dream, and dies tragically at the end of the summer. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses gold and silver to portray wealth as it corresponds with this obsession for prosperity and the pursuit of the American Dream, as well as his preoccupation with Daisy as a symbol of affluence and beauty....
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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 In the United States Declaration of Independence our nation founding fathers came up with the idea that “all men are created equal” in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However there has always been a great divide in our country’s society and class, with the top one percent nearly owning all of our nation’s wealth. With the majority of society being of middle and lower class population some of which are struggling to make ends meat living paycheck to paycheck. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby which takes place in the early 1920’s. There is also a great divide in class and society. You have the wealthy and arrogant east egg and west egg citizens who have either had money in their family past down from generations of inheritance also receiving a fine education at an ivy league school or you have the new money and live in west egg earning a living as a bootlegger or involved in other mob activities like Jay Gatsby who was raised on hardships growing up. But like most people in today’s society you have the valley of ashes which resembles our middle and lower class of people who may be hard working people yet they don’t have the financial benefits of being born into wealth. The American Dream of living a prosperous life and being rich and earning a high level of importance in society just to impress people or attract someone to you is something that all of the characters surrounding Nick Carraway have in common. They idealize fame and fortune...
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...2013 Class System in the Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald Topic: F. Scott Fitzgerald Purpose: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s stories show the demise of the “American Dream” by Demonstrating that the American class system determines your manner, Lifestyle and character 1. Introduction: Fitzgerald believed the American dream was false and distorted. 2. Stories showed the decadence of the Jazz Age but with a jaded view 3. 1920s a. About the time period b. “The Jazz Age” c. Wealth d. Social values e. Fashion 4. Works by Fitzgerald a. This Side of Paradise b. The Great Gatsby c. The love of the last tycoon 5. Symbolism a. Great Gatsby i. Green light ii. Valley of ashes (poor’s lack of values, unfaithful’s lack of morals) iii. Beat up car b. This Side of Paradise i. Speed and cars ii. Alcohol as means to forget c. The Love of the Last Tycoon i. Car ii. Sheep /people iii. Light/darkness as reality/fantasy 6. Theme a. American dream b. Class system c. Relationships 7. Conclusion The death of the “American Dream” was a notable part of the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. His use of symbolism and extensive writings on the large gap between the social classes demonstrated why he felt this way. According to his writings, Fitzgerald was of the opinion that where a person fell in the class system...
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...Snyder 8 May 2013 For the Love of Money In The Great Gatsby, a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, money is shown as a boundary between classes. The 1920’s became known as the party period and was during the highest point of the stock market. Fitzgerald shows how money is important through old money and new money. Fitzgerald portrays how the higher class rank is seemed to have a “better” life, while people continuously take advantage of them, are constantly trying to be pleased, and how they are fooled by the lower class trying to pretend they are from the higher class. Those we are in the higher class are taken advantage of by the people. Higher class people often find themselves in situations where the lower class wants something from them. While George Wilson is talking to Tom Buchanan about his car, he says, “But I need money pretty bad, and I was wondering what you were going to do with your old car” (Fitzgerald 123). Otherwise, Wilson does not spend much time talking to Tom. Only when Wilson needs something, does he decide to talk to Tom. Jay Gatsby is a man whose parties were known by everyone. Though, when the time of his funeral arises, no one shows up; “The minister glanced several times at his watch, so I took him aside and asked him to wait for half an hour. But it wasn’t any use. Nobody came” (Fitzgerald 174). Anyone who is anyone comes to Gatsby’s parties, just to say they are there. No one actually cares about Gatsby, and they all take advantage of him and his kindness...
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...Gatsby’s Archetypal Quest for Daisy, the Monetary Prize In The Great Gatsby, the characterizations of Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, particularly in the flashback of when they first met in Chapter VIII, expose the absence of love that lies beneath the glitz and glamour of wealthy living. When seen through an archetypal lens, Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy can be seen as an Archetypal quest where the “golden girl” is a treasure, rather than a love interest (Fitzgerald, 120) (Delahoyde, 1). To Jay Gatsby, Daisy is materialistically the ultimate peak of wealth to be obtained, a metaphor best illustrated in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s choice of descriptive words that portray her in the same way that money might be defined. Daisy is a princess “high in a white palace the king’s daughter”, beautiful and comfortably assured a life of ease due to her wealthy place in society (Fitzgerald, 120). In this novel she is more a material, a monetary symbol, than a person, and this best proved in Chapter VIII (Delahoyde, 1). In a flashback of Gatsby’s to when he first knew and loved Daisy, his descriptions paint a picture of her “gleaming like silver, safe and proud above the hot struggles of the poor” (Fitzgerald, 150). In this glowing portrayal that showcases Daisy’s beauty and power, (both things that she was born with, that she did not earn) her appearance and social class is all that is focused on, she is merely an outward image. From the point of view of a man that supposedly loves her, there...
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...vacuum cleaners, and radio. These inventions were the “must have” items that everyone was now required to own. But this idea of needing more and not worrying about the consequences, led to the Great Depression, one of the hardest economic times in American history. This idea of mass consumerism and materialism is also apparent in The Great Gatsby. Gatsby’s character was largely influenced by his wealth and his need for more. Illustrated by Gatsby’s need for Daisy Buchanan that resulted in his decline and ultimately his death....
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...through prohibition. Many people stood for wealth and climbing the later of success. People believed in achieving wealth and social status through hard work. People in their time period made delicious on the the whim such as getitng involved in the stock market. Stocke market could led it major wins and major lossses. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote a tragic tale full of obsessions, longing for social mobility, and the American Dream. Jay Gatsby has many unhealthy obsessions throughout the novel. But the most infamous obsession is his love for Daisy. Gatsby believes in a sick way that he is hers and she is his. It was love at first sight for him. Gatsby believes that they are practically married. In The Great...
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...Beginning that Keeps Gatsby from Daisy After reading The Great Gatsby, many people would try put the responsibility of Gatsby onto the shoulder of the corrupted society and the cowardice of the heroin, Daisy. However, money worship is never absent during any time; and cowardice exists in every man and women, even though when they are in love. But not all the people in love are kept away from their beloved ones. Therefore, I think it is the humble beginning of Jay Gatsby that leads to his tragedy of losing love. Some may object that there are countless people born in poor families, but the point is that every poor family is different from each other. It is Gatsby’ poor family that leads to his fail instead of others. Furthermore, it is this kind of family that keeps him out of his fantasy from the very beginning. First, the poor family brings Gatsby the sense of inferiority. Five years ago when Gatsby first met Daisy and fell in love with her, he could have married her, for Daisy was very well in love with him at that time. Although he had no wealth at all, he could build his career with the support from Daisy’s family. However, out of his inferiority, Gatsby choose to leave Daisy without a word after the war to build up his career. Five years later, when the married lover, Daisy, mentions that she wants to run away with Gatsby from the current life, it is Gatsby himself who refuses the chance. Gatsby is eager for a life with a large amount of wealth and a high social status. He...
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...04/30/09 Social Boundaries F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a story that portrays the foundation and continuing evolution of American society’s social normalities and structure. Set in the mid 1920’s, the story reveals undeniable evidence and implication into the reality of social separation between the “sophisticated” and unsophisticated worlds. The story follows one man, Jay Gatsby’s, futile attempt to work his way from the poorly perceived, insignificant, and menial lower class to the so-called “sophisticated” and recognizable group of society, simply to win the favor of a love never lost. As a result of Jay Gatsby’s chase of an unattainable goal and the events that follow, it is evident that although love is a free affair, it can come at a high cost. Ultimately the novel exemplifies the misguided American dream, that all of life’s happiness, desires, and satisfaction can be fulfilled through wealth. Fitzgerald divides the ensemble of characters into two distinct groups, the “sophisticated” and the unsophisticated. Take for instance the valley of the ashes, which symbolizes the most menial facet of society, the hard working blue collar men of industry with no identity and no money, “obscured from sight by an impenetrable cloud.”(Fitz 27) However, the distinction comes not from wealth alone, but rather a temperament of money, or perhaps old money versus new money or no money. This is apparent when Gatsby and Nick, the narrator, converge on the idea that Daisy’s...
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...To most high school students, The Great Gatsby is probably the most familiar American Literature unit. To many scholars, it is also one of the greatest classics of the twentieth-century. Published in 1925, The Great Gatsby, narrates a tale of a man named Jay Gatsby and his journey to steal back the girl of his dream, Daisy Buchanan, from her husband, Tom Buchanan. Then, an ironic car accident destroys their relationship, and Gatsby dies heart broken, taking a false blame for the accident for Daisy. The author of the novel is American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. He was born in Minnesota in 1896, dropped out of Princeton in 1917, and published his first novel titled This Side of Paradise in 1920, which enabled him to marry Zelda Sayre; the couple...
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