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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Decent Essays

To what extremity would one go to pursue love? Are those actions justified? Or does love and passion simply bind one’s self from the immorality and repercussions caused by one’s actions? These types of questions directly encompass the character, Jay Gatsby from the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The actions taken by Gatsby support one of the major themes prevalent in the novel: immorality. Immorality at the time this novel takes place-- the 1920’s-- seems to reflect not only the characters in the book, but also relate to the changing social dynamics of society which even further the extremity of Gatsby’s self-indulgence and questionable acts at the time. In the novel, Fitzgerald continuously mentions the green light and its relevance to Gatsby and the continuing theme of immorality, “He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute far way, that might have been the end of a dock" (Fitzgerald 21). This quote shows Gatsby’s longing for the ‘green light’ which is evidently, on the end of Daisy Buchanan’s dock, which symbolizes not only Gatsby’s desire and obsession with Daisy, but it also is the symbol of all of Gatsby’s actions that he takes in order to achieve Daisy -selling bootlegged liquor to become wealthy. These steps taken by Gatsby symbolize immorality because the novel takes

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