Great Gatsby Essay

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Great Gatsby Essay

Introduction

The Great Gatsby novel was written in the year 1925 by Scott Fitzgerald, an American author. The story predominantly concerns the young and secretive billionaire Jay Gatsby and his desire and captivation with the fine-looking girl Daisy Buchanan. The novel explores subjects of decadence, perfectionism, opposition to adjustment, social turmoil, and excess, producing a portrayal of the Roaring Twenties and is known as a warning tale concerning the American Dream. The novel dramatically emphasizes the impacts of wealth and greed for material things on individuals and social behaviors. What are the implications of money and income, is described in an ever-green way. Everyone in the novel is money-obsessed, whether they were born with money (Daisy, Jordan, Tom and Nick to a less significant extent), whether they made a riches (Gatsby), or whether they are impatient for more (George and Myrtle) which eventually marks the social and relationship failures.

One theme of the novel is related to the American Dream. The novel comments on the situation of the American Dream in the 1920s. It depicts how the American Dream went from an impression that anyone could realize great achievements in America with hard work and determination, to an idea that one needs to keep hoarding physical fortune in the pursuit for happiness and self-actualization.

Another major theme of the novel is difference of cultures and sub-classes. Hoarding on the riches and materialistic idea, the Great Gatsby draws clear discrepancies between the kinds of riches one have; inherited money or earned money. Also, there is a clear difference among the standard of living of the rich, who live on Long Island and travel quickly to Manhattan, and the working class people caught in between, stalled in Queens. By the end of the novel, the key appearances who have not inherited money such as Gatsby, George, and Myrtle, are all dead, whereas the inherited-money club is still living.

Discussion

The novel is set on the thriving Long Island in the year 1922, and the novel delivers a dangerous communal past of the United States America through the Roaring Twenties in its illusory description. The era is renowned for prevalent financial affluence, the growth of jazz music, flapper ethos, technological advancements in cinemas, radio and music shaping a genuine mass culture, and stealing, alongside with other unlawful activities, is reasonably portrayed in Fitzgerald's novel. Many of these social advances are used in the book to develop Gatsby's stories, even from the simplest of details.

Fitzgerald's experience of appearing in parties at mansions on the Long Island inspired The Great Gatsby's background. Much of the happenings in Fitzgerald's lifespan are replicated during the novel. Fitzgerald is a young gentleman from Minnesota, resembling Nick went to Yale, and was schooled at in Princeton from ivy league school. Fitzgerald was alike to Jay Gatsby in that he felt deeply in love when he was posted far away from home in the army and got trapped into a life of dissolution trying to present himself to the young girl he adored. The girl finally approved to marry him, but her inclination towards riches, freedom, and fun led her to the postponement of their wedding until he could demonstrate some achievements. Similar to Nick in the novel, Fitzgerald found this new way of life seducing and thrilling, also like Jay Gatsby, he at all times admired the very wealthy. In various ways, this novel embodies Fitzgerald's effort to challenge his conflicted outlooks about the Jazz Age. Fitzgerald like Gatsby was obsessed with a girl who signified everything he desired, even as she steered him in the direction of everything he loathed.

This novel is an artwork that articulates the quality of art such as the depiction of life, reality, and beauty. The representation and symbolism used in the novel delight the senses and minds of the reader and leaves a lasting impact. The subject of fraud of the wealthy class is still relevant. The themes used in the novel are timeless and universal. The picture of idealism and love depicted in the novel is mythical and stands the test of time, class and individuality, which is why it is an essential part of American literature. Fitzgerald novel is a masterpiece with amazing metaphoric quality and unique style. This is why the Great Gatsby is considered as one of the best novels in American history because of its ever-green description of social decadence, true love, idealism, symbolism and portrayal of class differences and greed. It is greatly signified in the literature of American education, and the quotes are still used widely (Curnutt, Kirk, 2004). This novel has impacted many people worldwide including writers and movie directors as well.

Chapter one of The Great Gatsby gives some background about WWI, a tense time in America. This is related, since the 1920s is displayed as a period of hollow decadence amongst the rich, as supported particularly by the festivities stated in the novel. The novel displays how the American Dream went from an impression that anyone could realize achievement in this state through hard work and persistence, to an impression that one needs to accumulate physical wealth in the pursuit for contentment and joy. The novel is fairly of a interpretation on the situation of the American Dream in the 1920s.

Gatsby had a less rich past, which marks him look like the proof of the reality of the American Dream, but for Gatsby, the epitome of his dream is Daisy and not wealth and success. Even though everything Gatsby has possession of, comprising imaginary sums of money and a mansion, his love Daisy is the ultimate status symbol for Gatsby. The quote "Daisy's voice promises money," is unambiguously associated to fortune, it is not tough to debate that Daisy herself looks for the American Dream. Also, Nick pronounces Daisy as "High in a white palace the king's daughter, the golden girl," describing Daisy as a reward or attainment of some dream much like the American Dream.

When Gatsby and Daisy join up and start an affair, it looks like Gatsby possibly will realize his objective. Nonetheless, everything eventually comes crashing down as Daisy does not let go of Tom, Myrtle is murdered, and George crumbles and murders Gatsby and afterward himself; that leaves the "strivers" of dreams lifeless and the ones with inherited money safe. Besides, it is learned that Gatsby did not even accomplish all his riches as of hard work, as the American Dream would require instead, the fortunes were earned through wrongdoing.

At the end all of these the consumerism, covetousness, the motor cars, festivities, and houses, also the Prohibition movement led to class tussles among the well-off and the underprivileged, a wealthy artificial class of folks, and erroneous opinion of the relationship between wealth and pleasure. For instance, although Daisy and Tom may superficially symbolize the American Dream, their absence of moralities, obligation, and daydreams all eventually dispute that. The view of the American Dream changed, and the impression that wealth and riches lead to contentment was undoubtedly not the case for Daisy and Tom. This is true for Gatsby as well. His criminal work was all just a justification to make money and grow closer to Daisy, nonetheless once more, money was not able to buy Gatsby contentment.

The author Scott Fitzgerald explores in “The Great Gatsby” the theme of hollowness in the upper class with his main character, Gatsby. This hollowness can be seen in the attitudes and behaviors of the characters and can be derived from the statements made in the novel such as:

"Get some more ice and mineral water, Myrtle, before everybody gives to sleep."

Also "What'll we do with ourselves this afternoon?" cried Daisy, "and the day after that, and the next thirty years?"

During the novel, one can get a clear sense that majority of the characters that are privileged to have wealth and high status in the society, seem not to be happy and are always in search of something. The characters Daisy and Tom both have been wedded for about five years look to improve a damaged marriage. Daisy character is still dependent and shallow. Tom has never been truthful and has hardly any moralities. The relationship between Daisy and Tom is concealed up with their riches. Gatsby also has hollowness in his character. Gatsby`s inspiration for being rich was to win the affection of Daisy.

Fitzgerald shows explicitly in this book, how people get corrupted and lose their ethical compass due to the surplus of riches and certain accomplishments and how they become destroyed by supremacy and achievement that it changes their attitude towards others. The posh class is portrayed in the novel as short-sighted to what is meaningful in life, kinfolk, ethical values, morality, and courtesy in their relations with other individuals, their relatives, and in professional dealings. Tom Buchanan is presented as an insensitive, prejudiced, small-minded man who exercises his authority to control other people in doing what he desires to do with no respect for what is ethically and morally correct. Gatsby races to become rich immediately in criminal businesses with thugs such as Wolfsheim.Furthermore, the novel explores social gender outlooks as a subject, representing Daisy as a highborn white female from East Egg during. She must stick to certain social expectations. Much of Daisy's adoptions, eventually culminates in the calamity of the story and despair for everyone who were involved, this is minimally accredited to her arranged character as a "beautiful little fool" who is wholly dependent on her partner for financial and social safety. For example, it could be argued that the decision of Daisy to stay with her spouse in spite of her emotional state for Gatsby can be attributed to the standing, safety, and luxury that her marital status to Tom offers.

Conclusion

To conclude, The Great Gatsby indirectly and directly focuses on the influence of wealth and income in this world and how these things changes people’s goals and lives. Most of the times people get corrupted by dreaming about ultimate wealth and prosperity, also, they forget about the importance of relationships and society as a whole which leads to hollowness and sadness in the end.

In the novel, though Daisy and Gatsby come from very dissimilar upbringings, they are comparable since both of them are addicted to success; their impractical outlooks and endless need to look to the future stops them from being blissful. With these chyaracters Fitzgerald is trying to show the readers how the American dream can never make someone happy because the person will always want more and practice immoralities to find content. The novelist is depicting that to be contented people do not need to have never-ending goals, but instead, they need to learn how to appreciate the present-day and people around them, rather than to be consumed on how abundant the future will be. The writer represented the American dream as somewhat erratic that might very well never make one satisfied and happy, the writer showed some faith in the idea and held to the philosophy that no matter what status one comes from, it is at all times conceivable for them to realize success.

Works Cited

Curnutt, Kirk, ed. A historical guide to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Oxford University Press on Demand, 2004.