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Literary Analysis Of'The Great Gatsby
American social classes in the 1920s
Literary analysis for the great gatsby
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The Great Gatsby can be regarded as a social satire and an
observation of The American Dream
The Great Gatsby is observed as a social satire of the United States
in the roaring twenties, where Fitzgerald exposes the American Dream
as a flawed fantasy merely generated by over-indulgence. America was
established in the conception of equality, where any individual could
have equal opportunities and success on the substratum of their
abilities and effort, which can be described as the American Dream.
The former president Abraham Lincoln confirmed this surmise, as he
himself was an impoverished, disadvantaged little boy who became
president through his efforts. The Great Gatsby is set in the
twenties, which was a period of contradictions and inquietude. The
ghastly shock of the war was just ended, and it was now time for
people to forget their wretchedness and have fun. This created a
society obsessed with materialism and prodigality which eliminated
moral values and traditional beliefs, and became engaged in a life of
pointless extravagance and indulgence. The ‘Great Gatsby’ can be
regarded as a social satire and remarks on the downfall of moral
values and excessive indulgence of society.
When different characters in the novel are viewed, it is obvious that
not all have the same social standings in society. Nick’s father
comments on this when he says “ whenever you feel like criticizing
someone, just remember that all the people in this world have not had
the advantaged that you’ve had (pg.1)”. The Buchanans were, actually,
born into a typically wealthy environment, which is symbolized by the
sanctioned affluence of East Egg. Gatsby and the Wilsons do not belong
in the distinguished society; and when Gats...
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...e two contradistinctive societies with insurmountable
force. The American Dream is a well sought for thing, which leads many
to go over the limits to achieve it, even in just having the
opportunity of being wealthy.
The Great Gatsby notifies the decayed moral values and unnecessary
materialism brought about by the American Dream. However, it proves
that no amount of wealth and authority can pursue acceptance. A
society that relies on wealth, social standings and material
possessions head nowhere in life, as Tom and Daisy prove in he novel.
The ideal of the American Dream still consists in today’s society,
whether it being in the form of possessions, wealth or love. Yet one
thing still holds true about American Dream; every individual desires
something glorious in life, and each person attempts to gain it,
whether being successful in attaining it or not.
In the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald attempts to criticize American ideals through the use of the American dream, wealth, and corruption.
A fine and daring ideal in the 18th century, and at the heart of what America hoped that it stood for. 'The Great Gatsby' examines how this dream existed in the early 20th century and whether or not it had been accomplished. The American Dream permeated all of society, and so every one of the characters in the book is in some senses a reflection of the the world envisaged by Jefferson and Washington, and even before them by those first people fleeing to a new life in the New World.
Death is something that comes to everyone at some point in their lives. No one knows when they will die until it happens. Some are prepared for death and others are completely blind sided by death. In the novel “The Great Gatsby”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is killed by the character Wilson, because of rumors that Gatsby Killed Wilson's wife Myrtle as well as having an affair with her. Many people are to blame for Gatsby death including: Tom Buchanan , Daisy Buchanan, Nick Carraway and even Jay Gatsby himself! In order to determine who was most responsible for Jay Gatsby's death we must analyze each character and the role he/she played in the death of Jay Gatsby.
The American Dream had always been based on the idea that each person no matter who he or she is can become successful in life by his or her hard work. The dream also brought about the idea of a self-reliant man, a hard worker, making a successful living for him or herself. The Great Gatsby is about what happened to the American Dream in the 1920s, a time period when the many people with newfound wealth and the need to flaunt it had corrupted the dream. The pursuit of the American Dream is the one motivation for accomplishing one's goals, however when combined with wealth the dream becomes nothing more than selfishness.
The American Dream states that with hard work people come rich. Fitzgerald questions this value. Gatsby’s story presents the unrealisticness/falsehood of the tradition/original American dream.
While everyone has a different interpretation of the "American Dream," some people use it as an excuse to justify their own greed and selfish desires. Two respected works of modern American literature, The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman, give us insight into how the individual interpretation and pursuit of the "American Dream" can produce tragic results. Jay Gatsby, from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, built his "American Dream" upon the belief that wealth would win him acceptance. In pursuit of his dream, Gatsby spent his life trying to gain wealth and the refinement he assumes it entails. Jay Gatsby, lacking true refinement, reflects the adolescent image of the wealthy, and "[springs] from his Platonic conception of himself" (Fitzgerald 104).
“Gatsby turned out alright in the end.” Yes, because someone who ends up murdered in their own swimming pool, shot by a lackluster man, taking the blame for a crime he never committed for someone who quickly turned her back on him, is defined as “alright.” I never understood why Gatsby was the one to die. I thought he was the hero of the novel. Fitzgerald was a romantic; he was the American Dreamer. The novel was the epitome of the American Dream. The hero never fails; the underdog always wins. Isn’t that what we have always been taught? How could such a great man die? And why was Gatsby the only one pointed out as “alright?” I mean after all, most of the characters’ lives remained unchanged. Daisy and Tom resumed their marriage. Nick returned to the Midwest. Jordan continued her career. Gatsby was one of the only people who portrayed the repercussions of the events. How could someone that readers are supposed to root for die tragically, and on a false claim, nonetheless? Why did Fitzgerald murder Gatsby? But, after some research I realized Fitzgerald NEEDED Gatsby to die.
Many authors use irony as a way of questioning the reader or emphasizing a central idea. A literary device, such as irony, can only be made simple with the help of examples. Irony can help a reader to better understand certain parts of a novel. F. Scott Fitzgerald helps the reader to recognize and understand his use of irony by giving key examples throughout The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s lush parties, Myrtle’s death, Gatsby’s death, and the title of the novel to demonstrate how irony plays a key role in the development of the plot.
The Great Gatsby: The Destruction of Morals. In The Great Gatsby, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald shows the destruction of morals in society. The characters in this novel, all lose their morals in an attempt to find their desired place in the social world. They trade their beliefs for the hope of acceptance.
In conclusion, The Great Gatsby is an accurate representation of the American Roaring Twenties through the historical depiction of the American Dream, flapper girls, and the Prohibition. This movie shows the time period where the war just ended and America was eager to dream of obtaining wealth as well as having a materialistic life. Similar to Gatsby, America later pays the price for their materialistic mind. In the end of the movie, Gatsby is killed which is a parallel to the death of the American Dream that will never become a reality.
During Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, it is apparent to be an absurd time for the wealthy. The shallowness of money, riches, and a place in a higher social class were probably the most important components in most lives at that period of time. This is expressed clearly by Fitzgerald, especially through his characters, which include Myrtle Wilson, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and of course, Jay Gatsby. This novel was obviously written to criticize and condemn the ethics of the rich.
Wealth, material possessions, and power are the core principles of The American Dream. Pursuit of a better life led countless numbers of foreign immigrants to America desiring their chance at the vast opportunity. Reaching the American Dream is not always reaching true happiness. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby achieves the American Dream, but his unrealistic faiths in money and life’s possibilities twist his dreams and life into useless life based on lies.
From his lavish parties to expensives cars, Gatsby embodies the American dream because he aims to constantly aims to construct a satisfactory life that includes Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby grew up on a desolate Minnesota farm along with his unwealthy parents with the desire to thrive. Even as a child, he held the mentality of “improving his mind”(173), which evolved into an undying obsession with Daisy. The naïve dream that Gatsby has a child ultimately becomes his fatal flaw, as it causes him to ignore the evil realities of society. In his later life, meeting Daisy, who lived superior to his penniless self, causes him to focus towards gaining money for her
The Great Gatsby As A Tragedy A hurried read of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby can generate. a tragic impression of the past. The deaths of three of the main characters and The failure of Gatsby and Daisy's romance can be viewed as tragic. However, a deeper analysis of the book reveals a much deeper tragedy. The relentless struggles of Gatsby parallel Fitzgerald's.
‘The Great Gatsby’ is social satire commentary of America which reveals its collapse from a nation of infinite hope and opportunity to a place of moral destitution and corruption during the Jazz Age. It concentrates on people of a certain class, time and place, the individual attitudes of those people and their inner desires which cause conflict to the conventional values, defined by the society they live in. Gatsby is unwilling to combine his desires with the moral values of society and instead made his money in underhanded schemes, illegal activities, and by hurting many people to achieve the illusion of his perfect dream.