Modernism Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald shows many examples of modernism. Fitzgerald shows many modernism techniques like loss of control, alienation, corruption of the American Dream, breaking society’s rules and feeling restless. Fitzgerald also shows modernism through the fragmented writing.

In the novel The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald descomteratits the idea that people are unable to accept their true reality so they tend to put them self into the a false reality that they believe is true. This idea can be examined through three different literary devices; character, symbol and motif.

1. What is revealed when Nick says that people aren’t actually invited to Gatsby’s parties, that they just sort of go there?

"'Her voice is full of money,' [Gatsby] said suddenly. That was it. I'd never understood before. It was full of money- that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals' song of it...High in a white palace the king's daughter, the golden girl" (127). This jarring reference to the intoxicating allure Daisy Buchanan holds over Jay Gatsby is the essence of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Gatsby, throughout the novel, is utterly infatuated with Daisy in an extravagant, idealistic, and narcissistic fashion. Gatsby's former lover from his days as a military officer in Kentucky, Daisy – radiant with glamour, prestige, dignity, sophistication, social grace, and all the blessings bestowed by the gods

Many of the most trying and eye-opening experiences America had ever encountered took place during the years of 1919 and 1930; ranging from the end of the war to the stock market crash, the nation stayed together and developed many inventions and ideas that would drastically change the future of America. Most of the time when people speak about the 1920s they describe them as roaring. They have mental pictures that reflect women in flappers dancing with wine glasses filled to the brim in one hand and a lite cigarette in the other hand. They imagine men in expensive tuxedos buying lavish and luxury items such as cars and mansions. They think of works of literature such as The Great Gatsby that depict the 1920s as a place where people were free to do what they wanted when they wanted, whether it was legal or not. The twenties are considered a time where people had more money than they needed and they spent it accordingly. However, that is not the entire concept of the 1920s. The twenties were not just a time of over spending. They were a time of fear. People had never had nor seen this much money in circulation. They had especially not grown custom to witnessing people spend the money on items they did not need.

In Jack Clayton's film adaptation of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the director uses several visual techniques to emphasize and heighten the illusion of the American dream. These visual techniques include: Framing, color, lighting & space.

The main characters in both F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and William Shakespeare's Macbeth appear stable and successful on the outside, but inside they are engaged in a constant struggle with their dreams. Gatsby tries to win back the girl of his dreams by becoming something he's not, a member of high society; while Macbeth believes the prediction of the witches that he will be king and spends his life trying to make it come true. Both characters are willing to risk everything in pursuit of their respective dreams, including committing crimes. Both are motivated to take these risks by a woman. And both inevitably suffer premature demises.

"They were careless people...they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money...and let other people clean up the mess they had made..." (P. 179). During the 20s, many people's American dream was to go out, party and be free, the roaring 20s. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an explanation of how people acted. People went to parties, lived in luxurious homes, criticized each other, and wanted to achieve their dream by trying to live it. The Wilson marriage is a failure because it's one-sided. Myrtle is always wanting the best, Wilson really loves Myrtle but it isn't reciprocated and the valley of ashes is symbolic of their relationship.

“In a decade that roared with social amends” it was often referred to as the Roaring Twenties. Two famous literature pieces are very similar connecting key events and issues from this time period. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Ken Allen’s “Roaring Twenties” both utilize conflict, foil and symbolism to help the readers acknowledge the influence of class and money over the characters during the Roaring Twenties.

In the book The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Daisy Buchanan is a perplexing character. She is charming and pretty, yet her personality is almost robotic. Daisy has no sincere emotions; she only knows social graces and self-preservation. A materialistic society makes Daisy a jaded person who lacks any real depth.

The development of American Literature, much like the development of the nation, began in earnest, springing from a Romantic ideology that honored individualism and visionary idealism. As the nation broke away from the traditions of European Romanticism, America forged its own unique romantic style that would resonate through future generations of literary works. Through periods of momentous change, the fundamentally Romantic nature of American literature held fast, a fact clearly demonstrated in the fiction of F. Scott Fitzgerald. In an era of post-war disillusionment, when idealism succumbed to hedonistic materialism, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s romantically charged novel,

It is often said that certain literary works and characters within such works represent real-world issues. In the work The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the character of Gatsby is shrouded in ambiguity to the reader, providing them with a possibility for personal interpretation. In the work, Gatsby’s character develops from a character representing materialism and a fixation on status to one filled with humility and selflessness for his romantic devotion towards the character of Daisy. Through this shift, the reader is provided with insight in order to draw parallels between Gatsby and two distinct periods in American history. The materialistic side of Gatsby, driven by wealth and his status in Long Island, represents the moral corruption and materialistic desires of America in the 1920s, whereas the romantically devoted Gatsby represents wartime America, devoted to sacrifice and nobility. The contrast within the life of Gatsby allows for a profound insight into the significance of the work as a representation of changing American values.

    F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby is generally regarded as an excellent novel which expresses much more than the superficial plot. The Great Gatsby could be, however, more complex than the average reader might imagine. The Great Gatsby is often interpreted as the corruption of the American Dream. In this framework, the Buchanans are viewed as the example of irresponsibility and degradation, and Gatsby the embodiment of idealism and sentimentality. In this essay, I want to offer another reading of The Great Gatsby in Freudian frame of reference.

Society has evolved to the point where money is the biggest factor in our lives. People spend an incredible amount of time at their workplace for that miniscule pay raise. Money also plays a role in our relationships with the people around us, seen in the fact that people of similar economic status tend to congregate. This desire to gain more money causes conflict, mainly between people who have a great deal of money, and the people who struggle financially. There are many examples of conflict between the different economic classes. Class conflict in Russia led to the Russian Revolution, and class conflict in France led to the French Revolution. Economic status is also the cause behind many ordinary crimes. This conflict, both between and within classes, is exemplified in The Great Gatsby, which shows that conflict occurs because of the differences among the classes and the strive to rise to a new class, known as the American dream. In order to effectively reduce conflict in any form, something must be done to eliminate the distinction between the different economic classes.

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is the embodiment of the American dream, oozing essences of wealth, power, and popularity amidst the 1920s. However, Gatsby’s power, unknown to most, is merely a facade--a facade built by the power of Aristotle’s ethos; it is his embodiment of the utmost perfect and morally construct man. Down to his diction, his wealth, and his education, Gatsby persuades countless people with his educated persona. Gatsby holds willpower, also known as arête, as he builds an empire, merely for just a single person, Daisy. Throughout his journey, he goes through multiple hoops and schemes in order to rise as an underdog, using his newfound principles as a willpower to continue throughout his journey. Gatsby sacrifices his prior ethics for Daisy’s happiness, also known as eunoia, for she is the only figure present in Gatsby’s life. He embodies notions that appeal to her, focusing only on her happiness and none of his own sensical wellbeing. With this, Gatsby's ethos slowly begins to crumble as Daisy and Nick appear in his life, forcing him in a competition for her affection and a belief to rhetoric. Particularly on chapter seven, Gatsby’s ethos ultimately fails. This leads to his downward spiral and destruction as people begin to see through the transparency of his words and actions.