Theme Of This Side Of Paradise And The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writings largely focus on the American aristocracy during the 1920s. The ‘20s became alternatively known as “the Jazz Age,” a term coined by Fitzgerald with connotations encompassing the prosperity, frivolity, and decadence of the upper class. The atmosphere and mindset of lavish excess are preserved in the plots and characters of Fitzgerald’s writings. Although Fitzgerald’s protagonists are wealthy, there is a noticeable distinction between those who come from “old money” and those who are considered “new money”. Amory Blaine, of This Side of Paradise, and Jay Gatsby, of The Great Gatsby, exemplify this difference.

The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel written by a renowned American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. The magnificent tale is told through the eyes of Nick Carraway and it is through his perceptions of characters that influence our thoughts of the entire story. Fitzgerald allows Nick to see both worlds and sides of conflict, as he is the moral center of the book. Even though the protagonist can be considered as an unreliable author, readers tend to agree with his sincere perceptions distinguishing between right and wrong, good people and bad people, truths and lies and reality. However, this quality does not interrupt the fact that he is an unreliable author. Revolving around the criticism of the ‘American dream’, Fitzgerald clearly uses Nick Carraway

In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses tone, diction, syntax and imagery to voice Nick's perception of the world around him. In this passage his use of language is used repetitively to convey Jordan Baker, Daisy and Tom Buchanan's lives. On the outside it may look like they all are living a perfect and ideal life, however Fitzgerald's illuminating use of language highlights how far from perfect their lives truly are.

     In the text, The Great Gatsby, the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald leads us to sympathize with the central character of the text, Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald evokes our sympathy using non-linear narrative and extended flashbacks as well as imagery, characterization and theme. Through these mediums, Fitzgerald is able to reveal Gatsby as a character who is in an unrelenting pursuit of an unattainable dream. While narrative and imagery reveal him to be a mysterious character, Gatsby's flaw is his ultimate dream which makes him a tragic figure and one with which we sympathize.

Imagine a world where one side of the equator was filled with wealth, happiness, and content. Now imagine the other side of the equator filled with poverty, sadness, and death. These two completely opposing halves enhance each other's descriptions and make one think of each side more deeply about the concept. This same scenario is also present in one of America’s favorite novels based upon the 1920s and the American dream. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald juxtaposes two contrasting places, the Valley of Ashes and New York City, using imagery to magnify the difference between reality and a fantasy, which is central to the meaning of the work.

While the words authors use play an important role in ensuring the reader’s comprehension of a novel, the ordering of these words also contribute to this understanding. The ordering of these words is considered “syntax”. Fitzgerald utilizes syntax to direct the reader’s focus towards pressing matters within his novel, The Great Gatsby. Repetition is a psychologically supported method of gathering the reader's attention. Gatsby repeats the word “understand” twice (1-2). This repetition is intended to force the reader so contemplate what Daisy used to understand, and when she understood it. “Understand” also

F. Scott Fitzgerald is mostly known for his images of young, rich, immoral individuals pursuing the American Dream of the 1920’s (Mangum). This image is best portrayed in his greatest novel, The Great Gatsby, alongside his principal themes, “lost hope, the corruption of innocence by money, and the impossibility of recapturing the past” (Witkoski). Fitzgerald was identified as a modern period writer because his themes and topics were inconsistent with traditional writing (Rahn).

Various rhetoric used in literature can be very powerful. Through the use of tools like diction, tone, and imagery, the author can create a more impactful story that affects the reader in many different ways. In the book, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the scene where Michaelis is attempting to comfort Mr. Wilson after Mrs. Wilson's passing leaves a lasting impact on the reader due to the author’s use of diction, tone, and imagery.

A page of The Great Gatsby cannot be read without a form of figurative language hidden within the text. The literary devices used in the passage on page 78 of this novel significantly contributes to the overall message, giving readers a better visual of Nick’s growing image of Jay Gatsby and how his conversation with Jordan Baker changed greatly. The imagery specifically adds to the setting and surroundings of the passage; therefore, this gives an idea of what the mood of the conversation should be. “…the clear voices of little girls, already gathered like crickets on the grass, rose through the hot twilight…” (Fitzgerald 78). An image is given of young girls playing at dusk and enjoying the simplicity of their youth. The reader is also presented with a somewhat longing from Nick, of missing the simpler days. Fitzgerald provides the reader with vivid visuals that have deeper meanings.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, portrays the life of a man who is truly focused on one dream: to reclaim the love of his life. Fitzgerald illustrates the problem of being so single-minded through Gatsby’s ultimate demise. His slow evolution and reveal of the character of Gatsby leads to a devastating climax once his dream fails. Fitzgerald uses extended metaphor and sharp diction to depict Gatsby’s crumbling life in his last moments.

Oftentimes society gets so caught up in achieving greatness that it is blinded to the obstacles of reality. The American Dream can sometimes be so unachievable yet so alluring that people cannot help but strive after it as if it were their destiny. Fitzgerald highlights this phenomenon in his novel The Great Gatsby through many characters and their pursuit of their own American Dreams. Fitzgerald uses figurative language and contrasting diction to show his cynical attitude about the pursuit of the American Dream and the blindness of those who believe in it.

    F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is a superbly written and an intrinsically captivating novel that deals with the decline of the American Dream and how vapid the upper class is. To illustrate and capture the essence of these themes, Fitzgerald uses characters Gatsby, who epitomizes the actual American Dream, and Daisy, who is based on the ideal girl. Yet, as these characters grasp the topics Fitzgerald wants to convey, there is something inherently like missing from the story as a whole. To fill this void, Fitzgerald utilizes minor characters as a means to move the plot along, develop characters further, and build upon the themes present in the novel. One such

“He smiled understandingly - much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in a life.” (48) This quote introduced in chapter 3, and produced by Nick is a prime example of Fitzgerald's use of descriptive writing presented in his book The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald's sensory - oriented writing style allows the reader to feel as if they are a character in the story, by describing sight, smell, taste, feeling, and sound. Fitzgerald's complex style of writing literally makes the words jump off the page and become realistic; just with the short excerpt presented earlier Fitzgerald allows the reader to mentally preview what it would be like to witness a smile as such from Jay Gatsby. Traditionally while a reader analyzes the story the lexicon provides help; in Fitzgerald's novel his complex diction does much more including creating positive and negative connotations and an atmosphere.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a story that has many different themes. Fitzgerald shows the themes that he uses through his character’s desires and actions. This novel has themes in it that we deal with in our everyday life. It has themes that deal with our personal lives and themes that deal with what’s right and what’s wrong. There are also themes that have to do with materialistic items that we deal desire on a daily basis. Fitzgerald focuses on the themes of corrupted love, immorality, and the American Dream in order to tell a story that is entertaining to his readers.

This passage located at the falling action of Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, after Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan’s argument (page 128-129) focuses on Gatsby recounting his initial courting of Daisy Buchanan. It contributes to the development of the novel, for it is the first time that Gatsby confronts his past and reveals his desperation to preserve his dream of attaining Daisy, which, the reader senses through Fitzgerald’s ominous tone, is coming to a hopeless end. Through Fitzgerald’s portrayal of Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship and Gatsby’s unconscious illusions, the passage addresses the themes regarding the arrogance of the rich, and the illusionary nature of the American Dream.