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¶ … Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a work that is timeless in its relevance because it questions whether the endless pursuit of wealth can ever really result in happiness and peace. In doing so, the novel is as pertinent to society today as it was when it was first written. In fact, even though the novel is situated in the 1920s, the characters, emotions, and situations are so true to life that the novel acts as a mirror for its readers to look into and reflect on the images that they see. Thus, Fitzgerald leads his readers into re-examining the very nature of humanity's search for Eden, which is usually motivated by a desire to seek material and emotional happiness. The belief that material and emotional happiness are correlated has led to humanity searching for an external Eden whereas, as Fitzgerald reveals in The Great Gatsby, this quest is nothing but a fallacy. Fitzgerald demonstrates the fallacious nature of the belief that the possession of wealth and social standing leads to emotional happiness by highlighting the corrupting influence of money on all economic and social classes, sparing none, in achieving the intended purpose of his work.
Fitzgerald's intent leads to the assembling of a host of characters drawn from virtually all segments of society, which allows for a perfect unity of effect in establishing the fact that human society is governed by a social structure and culture that measures a person's worth largely by his or her material possessions....
Such a culture leads to very few individuals escaping from the tangle of lies and deceit that seem to inevitably accompany the web that the world of money spins. Strangely, this includes people who are born with all the advantages of inherited wealth. For instance, both Nick Carraway and Tom Buchanan do not lack for money. Yet, they differ in that the former holds steadfast to his values while the latter abuses the power of his position. This is apparent in Nick's "staggered" reaction when he learns that Wolfsheim had fixed the World Series: "...one man could...play with the faith of fifty million people." (Fitzgerald, p. 78) In direct contrast, Tom Buchanan is seen as brutal and totally devoid of any morals, confident that the power of his money will protect him from the consequences of his actions.
Tom Buchanan's world view is also reflected in Daisy Buchanan who has arguably gained wealth and social standing via legal means. Gatsby's "golden girl," (Fitzgerald, p. 127) in fact, displays her dubious morals even before she procures the prestige of being Buchanan's wife. After all, she gives up her love for Gatsby for the mere price of a pearl necklace. Both the Buchanans are portrayed as utterly self absorbed and shallow people: "They were careless people...." (Fitzgerald, 187) Yet, Daisy has the nerve to judge Gatsby's party as vulgar and offensive. Indeed, the Buchanans are the caricature of social snobs who constantly look down on the have-nots and even…
Works Cited
Fitzgerald, Scott. F. "The Great Gatsby." New York: Scribner, 1995.
Gatsby had built up this incredible illusion of what Daisy really was, and had gone off the deep end in throwing himself after her. Weinstein (p. 25) quotes from pages 102-103 of the novel: "There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams -- not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion." It is typical of Fitzgerald to
He is so enraged by the way she died, with the driver not even stopping to try to help her, that he determines that God wants him to kill the driver. If this event had not happened, George would have known that murder for any reason was wrong. George, however, has been blinded by grief. In the end, all the characters have demonstrated moral ambiguity. Gatsby has made his money
Scott Fitzgerald and the Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald, born on the 24th of Sept 1896, was one of the greatest writers, who was well-known for being a writer of his own time. He lived in a room covered with clocks and calendars while the years ticket away his own career followed the pattern of the nation with his first fiction blooming in 1920s. "His fictions did more then report on
Great Gatsby -- a Theoretical Analysis The Great Gatsby is one of the legendary novels written in the history of American literature. The novel intends to shed light on the failure of American dream that poor can attain whatever he wants and emphasizes on the hardships presented by the strong forces of social segregation. In order to understand this novel, there are various theories which tend to be helpful in order
Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald intended to create in the title character a uniquely American figure, one whose relationship to love, wealth and success was complex and shot-through with irony. Despite the fact that Jay Gatsby is certainly flawed, he is in the end a character for whom we feel great sympathy, in no small part because we (as American readers) can understand the psychological balancing act that Gatsby
Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby examines the concept of the American Dream, understood by the protagonist Nick Carraway as the pursuit of success and individuality. The character of Gatsby is the embodiment of the Dream, and his death is symbolic of the death of the dream itself. Gatsby's death arose from his hollow pursuit of Daisy, and Carraway likens this to the death of the American dream as