Literary Argument:
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses corruption, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, and the development of Gatsby as a modern Christ to comment on the moral shortcomings of the 1920s.
Outline:
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses corruption, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, and the development of Gatsby as a modern Christ to comment on the moral shortcomings of the 1920s.
In The Great Gatsby, there is significant moral corruption seen in every character.
There is a very notable lack of religion among the main characters. Each of them has some form or corruption or sin affecting them.
Tom is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson, of which his wife is very aware.
“I thought everybody knew. . . Tom’s got some woman in New York” (Fitzgerald 15).
Tom has been carrying on an affair with Myrtle Wilson, with no regard to who knows or cares about his infidelity. Their entire relationship is based around dishonesty. Tom has strayed so far from God that he even blames the affair on Daisy’s religion (Fitzgerald 33).
Gatsby and Wolfsheim are running illegal schemes to finance their luxurious lifestyles, primarily bootlegging alcohol.
“When I asked him what business he was in he answered, “That's my affair,” before he realized that it wasn't the appropriate reply. “Oh, I've been in several things,”. . . “I was in the drug business and then I was in the oil business. But I'm not in either one now”” (Fitzgerald 90).
Gatsby built his life and image by running
Tom is rich, George is poor. George Wilson was a man that loved his wife and would've never cheated on her. Myrtle was the only woman in his eyes. But Tom was different, he cheated on his wife Daisy with George Wilson’s wife Myrtle. After George found out about the affair, George kept Myrtle in her room then kept her there for 2 days while he planned to move away.
Dylan Deffebaugh Per: 1 Gatsby Essay In “The Great Gatsby” the depictions of the characters affect the understanding of human condition based on immoral living. F. Scott Fitzgerald emphasizes that the “greatness” of ones delusions can lead an individual to cause pain to themselves and others. In the story Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, and Gatsby all show a sense of immorality.
Brylee Seagraves Elizabeth West Research paper F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby develops a theme of greed and constant discontent within the main characters through literary elements such as tone, symbolism, imagery, and dialogue. In the Great Gatsby the contemporary society of a prosperous America during the time after the war is portrayed by optimist values using money and greed. Money weakens the values of even the most humble upperclassman making him vulnerable to the greed and lust. Fitzgerald does an incredible job representing the characters in Great Gatsby to convey the theme of moral disregard throughout the tone of the story. Through his ever present symbolism, Fitzgerald foreshadows inevitable danger is to follow.
Myrtle Wilson, also married, hides her love affair from her husband, George Wilson. She is extremely unhappy with her husband claiming when they met, "[she] thought he knew something…but he was not fit to [even] lick [her] shoe" (39). It is evident how important class and wealth is to Myrtle. Once she found out her husband was not rich she became utterly dissapointed. But when she first met Tom, "he had on a dress suit and patent leather shoes and [she] couldn 't keep [her] eyes off him" (40). She is immediately attracted to Tom’s obvious wealth. Myrtle claims Tom Buchanan is the love of her life, that being said she uses Tom to escape the “Valley of Ashes.” She longs to live the American Dream amongst the wealthy, but struggles to keep up with the
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).
Myrtle is cheating on her husband, George, with Tom. George started to get
In The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, symbols are used to support the theme of corruption. During the Roarin’ Twenties. prohibition drove many Americans, especially around big cities, to disregard the law and become bootleggers. They threw large, extravagant parties in which morals were not present. Fitzgerald used the Valley of Ashes, the American Dream, and the Eyes of T.J. Eckleburg to symbolize the corruption of America.
New York City, overwhelmed with success, money and image in the 1920s was drowning in corruption. F Scott Fitzgerald composed a riveting novel, The Great Gatsby, which follows the journey of several characters dealing with love, greed, confusion and lust during the 1920s. Fitzgerald illustrates the corruption of the American dream by allowing us to follow the downfall of Jay Gatsby, revealing the reality of the American dream.
Gatsby cannot be classified as a truly moral person who exhibits goodness or correctness in his character and behaviour. Gatsby disputes most moral damage throughout the novel. Gatsby exhibits characteristics explaining the reason behind moral decay in society. Corruption and lies are responsible for the destruction of humanity. Gatsby’s whole life’s basically is a lie as he created a fake identity for himself. A whole new persona, Jay Gatsby is not even his real name. Gatsby
Tom was having an affair with Myrtle. He says, “I want to see you, and get on the next train.” She replies, “All right, I’ll meet you by the news-stand” (30). These
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, has been heralded as one of the outstanding novels of the Jazz Age. The characters that Fitzgerald created in this novel were laudable and disreputable. Therefore, these characters in the novel will be contrasted and elucidated.
Through Fitzgerald’s characterisation of the protagonists, the moral chaos within the society becomes evident, with a society of immense greed and wealth being born, revealing the dreaded materialistic trait within individuals in the society leading to drastic consequences. Similarly to the prodigious increase in wealth during the “roaring 20’s”, the luxurious society of New York revolves heavily around money, with “the rich getting richer and the poor getting children”. The materialistic trait is evident within the protagonist Daisy Buchanan - ‘a careless person”. We learn of Daisy’s materialistic behaviour through her decision to marry Tom Buchanan over Jay Gatsby “because she was
Throughout his novel, The Great Gatsby, Frances Scott Fitzgerald illuminates the true struggles of the 1920’s. People amassed fortunes overnight from merchandising illegal alcohol. Jealousy was a killer in a time where people just wanted to have fun. The parties were elaborate and eternal. However, this lifestyle was empty. Fitzgerald portrays the quest for happiness and self-fulfillment vicariously through his characters Nick Carraway, Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Jay Gatsby.
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.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the setting of New York in the nineteen twenties performs an extensive role in the novel. Although the nineteen twenties are a time of economic prosperity, they appear to be a time of corruption and crime as well. In New York, particularly, the nineteen twenties are a time of corruption and moral scarcity. The setting is during the Jazz Age as well, where popularity, fashion, and commerce are a primary inclination. The setting of The Great Gatsby efficaciously portrays the behavior of the characters in The Great Gatsby, as well as the plot and development. The setting assiduously delineates how themes, motifs, and symbols can fluctuate in relation to the time or location. The setting of The