The Great Gatsby is such a prominent novel of the 1920s. Many authors and critics have written on the impact of the novel even up until today. Fitzgerald expresses multiple themes to show the time and its importance. F. Scott Fitzgerald, in The Great Gatsby, reveals wealth, hope, and the demise of the American dream as major themes of his novel. Fitzgerald, interestingly enough, brings the importance of money into this novel early and refocuses on it often. Nick starts off the novel saying, " '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' "(Fitzgerald 3). He remembers his father noting this to him at a young age and has been mulling …show more content…
The life Gatsby lived is so well expressed in the words spoken about the 1920s, "F. Scott Fitzgerald would later describe as 'the greatest, gaudiest spree in history' "(Avey). Not only was the time extravagant, but so were those in lived in it and liked to show off their wealth. Gatsby, extravagant as it gets on the outside, used his wealth to try impress his one true love. Yet, this luxurious life style seemed to never live up to its hopes and dreams. All the money in the world couldn't buy Gatsby the one thing he wanted, Daisy. Hope is the the desire for something specific to happen. For the characters in The Great Gatsby, it seems that hope has been lost. The post World War I society was full of disillusioned and uncertain beings, many of which are resembled in the novel (San Jose State University). Gatsby is the poster child for disillusioned and uncertainty. Gatsby's entire life revolves around his hope in Daisy. The famous green light symbolizes Daisy, but more importantly Gatsby's hopes and dreams of what they could be. We see Gatsby's hope throughout the novel being revealed through the green light. The first time Nick actually sees Gatsby it is when Gatsby is on the end of his dock reaching towards the green light. This shows how far off Gatsby is from reaching his beloved. Later on in he novel we come across the light again where Daisy and Gatsby are on the dock, and Fitzgerald says, "Daisy put her arm
Money plays an important role in everyone’s life, but having money doesn’t mean you can buy happiness or love. A person being wealthy, having all that money can cause fame and popularity, but true happiness can never be obtained. If you have money you can buy any happiness you want. But no one thinks about the opposite side of it. If you don’t have that money, because money is something you get if you’re destined to have it. Money can be a source of limited happiness, but not for lifetime. Money does have value, but you don’t need that to be happy. It’s not necessary to have money to be happy. Sometimes people with money, can be careless, they don’t care about others. They only think about themselves, only about their happiness. This causes
People in the 1920s wanted everything times 10 and Fitzgerald saw this and wrote it into his novel. People were impressed by this show of wealth and this is conveyed greatly by the way Gatsby lives and by how he throws his massive parties. Gatsby hopes that Daisy will notice these monstrous parties and come back to him. People in the 1920s drank, had sex, and spent money all in massive excess. While this may have had a positive economic impact it was at the cost of the world’s moral fiber. Gatsby has a huge excess of money and time but instead of using it wisely to help others and make the world better he just squanders it all on fun and frivolous
Nick Caraway moves from Minnesota to the West Egg neighborhood on Long Island to pursue a career in the bond industry. He lives in a tiny house wedged between large, expansive mansions. His neighbor, Jay Gatsby, is a well todo man with a mysterious past. Everyone in town knows Mr. Gatsby for his huge wild parties, but no one is quite sure where he has acquired his wealth. Across from Gatsby’s mansion, Nick’s cousin Daisy lives with her husband Tom Buchanan. Daisy and Tom have a complex relationship where neither of them are happy, but they will not separate even though both have been unfaithful. Tom has a mistress in the city whom is not unbeknownst to Daisy. Gatsby and Daisy have a romantic history from when Gatsby was in the army. This is the motivation behind Gatsby’s desire to acquire all his wealth. Gatsby throws his parties in an attempt to get Daisy’s attention, but Daisy is completely unaware that he is her neighbor until Nick brings them together. Though Nick is not a considerably wealthy man himself, his relationship to the Buchanans, and now Gatsby, are enough to keep him relevant in the social circles of East Egg and West Egg. Nick’s connection to Daisy also makes him highly attractive to Gatsby as all he wants is some form of an interaction with Daisy and involving himself with Nick is an easy way for Gatsby to make his way into Daisy’s life again. Money is power in the Great Gatsby, as it influences everyone’s status, aspirations,
During the 1920s, many people thought money was the key to happiness. They thought money could only have a positive impact on their lives and keep them content. However, these people neglected to realize the negative effects that wealth would have on both themselves and the large impact that it has on society. Amidst their joy, they were unable to see that and wealth does more harm than it does good. F.Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, illustrates his perspective on the 1920s. This story takes place on Long Island in the Summer of 1922 and follows the life of narrator Nick Carraway and the many interesting encounters he has with his friends, such as Jay Gatsby as well as Tom and Daisy Buchanan. Fitzgerald is able to convey these negative
The story of The Great Gatsby is a novel that consists of a historical American context during the Harlem Renaissance. This was an excellent novel published in the 1920’s and was considered one of the best novels of its time. The author F. Scott Fitzgerald was an incredibly talented poetic author. Fitzgerald was able to emphasize and create the mood of the generation in a political time. The novel The Great Gatsby is a remarkable novel but also a very sad one. The novel took place during an age or era known as the “Roaring Twenties” which was a time of American wealth. Politics and corruption at the time is possibly what made Gatsby to be the business man he was.
Is your life revolved around how much money you have, what you can buy, or what you look like? In The Great Gatsby, the lives of the characters are revolved around the importance of money and the materials they own. Tom and Daisy Buchanan are two very important people that let their money control their lives, such as Daisy marrying Tom solely for is money so that she will be provided for her entire life. Gatsby is a prime example of all the wrong reasons of wanting to accomplish the American dream. He wanted to impress Daisy, so he lied and cheated his way to the top in order to prove to her that he was worth it, and now that he has money, he allowed it to take control of him and his true purpose. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald allows the
Gatsby’s aspirations reflect the time period. The “Roaring Twenties”, as it is called, was a period of prosperity, and the Americans were obsessed with acquiring wealth, and thought that “those who have wealth should be splendid, happy people”
The world is full of powerful forces that control people from all corners of the globe, but one of the most powerful and far-reaching force is money. Money is something that controls multiple people's lives and their decisions, sometimes people revolve their lives around money. Just like in the real world, in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, money is a large concept in the book and is a motivator for multiple characters. The Great Gatsby is about Nick as he follows the story of Jay Gatsby and his quest to gain money and uses theses riches to win over his past lover, Daisy. Gatsby is not the only character that uses money to get his way or is materialistic, as multiple
During the time in our country's history called the roaring twenties, society had a new obsession, money. Just shortly after the great depression, people's focus now fell on wealth and success in the economic realm. Many Americans would stop at nothing to become rich and money was the new factor in separation of classes within society. Wealth was a direct reflection of how successful a person really was and now became what many people strived to be, to be rich. Wealth became the new stable in the "American dream" that people yearned and chased after all their lives. In the novel entitled the great Gatsby, the ideals of the so called American dream became skewed, as a result
After a time of prosperity, the roaring 1920’s became a decade of social decay and declining moral values. The forces this erosion of ethics can be explained by a variety of theories. However, F. Scott Fitzgerald paints a convincing portrait of waning social virtue in his novel, The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald portrays the nefarious effects of materialism created by the wealth-driven culture of the time. This was an era where societal values made wealth and material possessions a defining element of one’s character. The implications of the wealthy mindset and its effects on humanity are at the source of the conflict in The Great Gatsby, offering a glimpse into the despair of the 20’s. During a time
Fitzgerald discusses the desire for material possessions in The Great Gatsby by explaining the fact that Americans judge people by the possessions and the money they have. For example people pictured Tom as a god because of his wealth. Because of his wealth he could commit crimes, have affairs, cover up stories all by being wealthy. Nick explains “They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or
Being famous and having money is every kid’s dream. Throwing money around like it grows there is an endless amount is everyone's dream. As many may be the solution to numerous issues, it does not solve the problems of the heart. Since many people do not understand this concept, it is the worst pain, the aching of the heart. This lesson is what Jay Gatsby should learn, how his whole life he thought he could win over a girl with all his money and expensive shirts. In The Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald, diction displays how money cannot buy happiness and is not the solution of the heart.
As human beings, what takes priority in life? Is it money? Money often drives people’s behavior. People don’t realize that it’s not necessary to be wealthy to enjoy life and live happily. Many of the characters portrayed in The Great Gatsby, displayed their desire for money throughout the book. Each character had a different outlook on money, but they each had something in common, they all wanted to acquire more. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, the characters’ and community’s obsession, perception, and attitude toward money was prevalent.
In the award winning book, The Great Gatsby, some of the characters are unsatisfied with their lives, whether they were rich or poor, employed or jobless, had a good reputation, or bad, their families, and even their personal histories. Those who have read the excellently written book, most of the characters are pretty wealthy. People tend to think that happiness if having what they want physically, like goods and money. But even the wealthiest people tend to be depressed or unhappy with the life they have. Characters in that category include Mr. Wilson, Daisy, and Mr. Gatsby himself. Happiness isn’t acquired by wealth, it’s acquired by love and being able to be content and stable with their daily lives.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is by far one of the most interesting yet congested books I have ever read. I feel as if the story is shifting as soon as I was able to tell what was happening. One idea that was constant was the themes, symbols and motifs used throughout. Love and the seduction of money, to me, were the most influential themes that I noticed in the book.