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The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Good Essays

Ecclesiastes 1:2 reads, ‘“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”’ (Life Application Study Bible: New Living Translation. Eccl. 1.2). Dating back to 935 BC, King Solomon, the Teacher, claimed unabashedly, confidently, the truth of life – it is meaningless. Solomon was a man who had it all. Power, riches, fame, wisdom, and concubines were all at his disposal. Somehow, despite having all of the world’s pleasures at his fingertips, Solomon was unsatisfied and empty. His life felt meaningless. This same dissatisfaction is obvious in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. Set in the 1920’s, the novel is filled with extravagant wealth, parties, sexuality, alcohol, and fame, but each of these prominent pleasures are short lived and meaningless. The narrator, Nick Carraway, learns so from his own experiences and the experiences of those around him. Comparatively, Nick and Solomon share the same observations throughout their time spent experiencing worldly matters. As Solomon perceived the meaninglessness of dreaming, Nick witnessed the futility of Gatsby’s fantasy with Daisy. As Solomon perceived the meaninglessness of ambitious labor, Nick witnessed the futility of Gatsby’s hard work to attain Daisy. As Solomon perceived the meaninglessness of good people suffering and the wicked prospering, Nick witnessed the futility of Gatsby taking the blame for Daisy’s and Tom’s mistakes as the pair of them carelessly moved on. Observing the meaningless

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