The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The American Dream is dead. This is the main theme in F. Scott Fitzgerald 's novel The Great Gatsby. In the novel Fitzgerald gives us a glimpse into the life of the high class during the roaring twenties through the eyes of a moralistic young man named Nick Carraway. It is through the narrator 's dealings with high society that readers are shown how modern values have transformed the American Dream 's pure ideals into a scheme for materialistic power and further, how the world of high society lacks any sense of morals or consequence. In order to support this message, Fitzgerald presents the original aspects of the American Dream along with its modern face to show that the once impervious dream is now lost forever to the American people.

Colors can invoke feelings for people. Certain colors are attached to moods. Red can represent anger, green sometimes represents envy and blue can represent calm or even melancholy. Much art, music, and literature is dependent on color to convey the intended mood of the artist. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby, a man with wealth, power, and possessions is on a quest for the dream that he will never attain. He cannot have all that he already has plus the true love of Daisy. Fitzgerald creates his own unique motifs surrounding certain colors and uses these colors to emphasize the futility in Gatsby’s quest for this dream. Through the use

Parents always warn their children to steer clear from shady and unreliable characters. Real life situations are the target of this notion, but such a claim also stands true for literature. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, Nick, the narrator, is a shady character who disclosed no personal information about himself and expected the viewer’s trust in return. As a result, Scott Donaldson, in his article “The Trouble with Nick” deliberates his opinion over what a terrible person Nick is, however later determines that regardless of how shady Nick may be, he is still the only one fit to narrate The Great Gatsby. Some of Scott Donaldson’s views of Nick as an unreliable narrator may stand true; however, it is definitely agreeable that Nick Carraway is the only acceptable narrator for The Great Gatsby.

The green light is a significant symbol closely associated with Gatsby’s dream. Readers are first introduced to the green light near the very beginning of the novel; it is located at the end of Daisy’s dock. Nick, the narrator of the novel, sees Gatsby peculiarly reaching out towards the water, so curiously, Nick goes to further observe what Gatsby is looking at and he sees "...nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock" (25). The green light is a representation of Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for his future. Gatsby’s reaching for the light represents his struggle to reach his goal, regaining Daisy as his companion. Gatsby’s mission to win Daisy becomes broadly associated with the American Dream. As long as long as Gatsby continues admiring the green light his hopes and dreams will continue to exist. As the novel progresses Nick discovers more about his neighbor Gatsby. Nick learns that Gatsby bought his particular house because it was the closest he could get to Daisy across the bay. Gatsby’s believes his luxurious mansion and his life style is an essential component to help him fulfill his dream. The symbol of the green light becomes even more distinct when Gatsby decides to show Daisy it. He says, "If it wasn't for the mist we could see your home across the bay... You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock”

The 1920s was a decade of prosperity and advancement in the United States. It was an exciting age for social and cultural change. The Harlem Renaissance, the model T, prohibition, sports heroes, the role of women,new technologies, and booming stocks all helped influence the social changes in the "Roaring Twenties". People laughed, cried, partied, and dreamed more because the sky was the limit and everything seemed possible. No novel depicted the true essence of the profound era more than “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Published in 1925, “The Great Gatsby” is set during the Roaring Twenties, in 1922 and tells the story of one man 's pursuit of the American Dream. The narrator, Nick Carraway, is an upper class American man who

F. Scott Fitzgerald showcases characters illusions in the novel The Great Gatsby. Each of the characters gets wrapped up in the dream that they all wanted to live. The Great Gatsby is a novel about the American dream and the illusion is that one can be happy through wealth, power or fame. Gatsby, Myrtle, and George all had an illusion thinking they can live the american dream.

Throughout the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick uses the “I” in a past tense as he, the narrator, tells his story and at the end makes the realization that Gatsby and Nick share a commonality in life, therefore, Nick changes his world standpoint to include Gatsby, thus the “We” connection. In the beginning Nick starts off by telling us of the advice his father gave him (“Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, “he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”). From his father’s teachings, Nick learns about what morality is, to be tolerant of the under privileged resulting in his identifying with the wealthy, which begins his “I” perspective. Thereupon, at

To this day and age, nearly 100 years into the future, the 1920s are seen as a decade of good music, outrageous parties, and beautiful people. However, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the degeneration of society and people during that time due to their immaculate wealth and their glamorous lives is captured perfectly. The entire book seems to revolve around one major theme: the decline of the American dream and the perfect society that supposedly came with it. This is set apart from the other themes in the book because instead of being mentioned directly, it is hinted at by means of oratorical words and phrases. Throughout The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald successfully condemns the corruption of the jazz age through the use of

Daisy’s infamous line, when all the pieces begin to line up for Gatsby’s demise. It is also the line that sets the theme for the entire novel. Who is Gatsby, where did he come from, and what does he want? These are the inquiries that boggle the readers throughout the novel. Gatsby was like a monster created by his own Frankenstein, Daisy and Nick Carraway, is the ominous narrator, god, the eyes that were always watching and making judgments upon others. During the Jazz Age in New York, it was a time of little frugality and great extravagance. “It was in such a profusion around you.”(p.3) and the prodigality was attained in each class through lust (Tome and Daisy), deceit (Gatsby and the world), and murder (Wilson and Myrtle) of Jay Gatsby.

Buzz Aldrin once said, “I think the American Dream used to be achieving one 's goals in your field of choice - and from that, all other things would follow. Now, I think the dream has morphed into the pursuit of money: Accumulate enough of it, and the rest will follow.” The American Dream is a way for people to start over and have opportunities to become successful and achieve their dreams. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald writes a story of enormous wealth, from old money in East Egg, to new money in West Egg. Gatsby Lives in West Egg, while Tom and Daisy live in East Egg. Fitzgerald writes about three characters in which have trouble finding true happiness with themselves and others without flashing their money

Throughout both novels, the reader sees a motif which is that of corruption. Corruption is dishonest or fraudulent conduct. The Great Gatsby is a book about love, corruption and the American dream. We find this through the eyes of the narrator of the story Nick Carraway, who is the cousin of Daisy and a character within the novel. Daisy is married to Tom, and even though Daisy knows that Tom has affairs behind her back she still stays marries to the man. However Jay Gatsby, whom the book is revolved around, was once a part of Daisy’s life before he had to head off to the war. Never the less Gatsby returned and tries his best in order to regain the love of Daisy. However the novel divides Gatsby and Daisy by the social class of ‘old money’

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby in 1925, creating a tale that surrounds itself in the booming culture of wealth, and its counterpart, corruption. Fitzgerald details a long list of deceitful characters waxing and waning between their selfish needs and their outward appearances, however there are two characters who exemplify this most accurately; Tom Buchannan and Nick Carraway. The two men have different intentions with their horrible behavior but the impact remains the same, enforcing a similar amount of despicability granted to the both of them.

In The Great Gatsby, cars symbolized power, status and extravagant lifestyles. The character, Gatsby, valued cars much more than just vehicles when compared to others such as Nick, and the incident with Mrs. Wilson. It represented true influence through envy and riches. Mainly Jay Gatsby valued cars not for the worth of driving them but for the attention and values it gained him from his peers. Gatsby is very rich and wanted everyone to know that, “He was looking with admiration at his car… “Haven’t you ever seen it before?” I’d seen it. Everybody had seen it. It was a rich cream color, bright with nickel, in its monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes, and terraced with a labyrinth of windshields that mirrored a dozen suns” (Fitzgerald 64). Gatsby’s lifestyle was portrayed by his possession of mainly lavish cars, but also anything he can afford. He fed of the idea that owning such expensive cars and houses allowed him to gain the upmost status and influence amongst his peers. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby as tool of representing the rich in the 1920’s. In this era, status and influence was the upmost important attribute one must have in order to be considered amongst society. This status gave way to recognition from many in society and in order to stay at this level, one must do the absurd and try to gain anything and everything that has tremendous value, (cars in this case). Gatsby knew that he would have no value or praise amongst his peers if

The 1920’s, also known as the “Roaring Twenties” and “Jazz Age”, marked an era of social changes and cultural differences in the United States. It was a time where women weren’t seen just for their “housewife” roles, but for their new rights and freedoms. Technology was expanding, prohibition against alcohol developed, and the cultural civil war began. All of these racy changes that developed in the decade of the 1920s are expressed in the book, The Great Gatsby. (History)

One phrase that an American is bound to hear at some point in his or her life, is the American Dream, but most don’t fully understand that concept. The majority of people never really have, they always think it’s supposed to be tangible, but it’s not. In his novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald criticizes many aspects of American culture. One aspect that he criticizes very strongly is the American Dream. Fitzgerald shows the misconception that many have of what the Dream really is. He also shows that heritage is the most influential factor as to whether or not someone would manage to live the Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the book to show how many Americans do not fully understand what it means to have the American Dream.