Carl Jung once said, “All the most powerful ideas in history go back to archetypes”. Many archetypes are present in many stories. Both in character and in situations. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald follows James Gatz. As seen in how the characters interact with each other, the character’s archetypes are revealed. Tom, Daisy, and Dan Cody. These characters represent the devil figure, the temptress, and the mentor. The devil archetype is Tom, Daisy is the temptress, and lastly, Dan Cody is the mentor archetype. Tom Buchanan is the devil figure in The Great Gatsby. Tom doesn’t offer Gatsby anything, but he is the counterpart to the eyes of T. J. Eckleburg. The eyes of T. J. Eckleburg symbolize God. God is always watching to see the bad things the characters are up to. …show more content…
Eckleburg’s eyes is when Nick meets Myrtle, the woman Tom’s having an affair with. Nick spots the billboard while driving in the Valley of Ashes and takes note of it “but above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic” (Fitzgerald 20). The eyes are watching, never intruding, but always watching. Here they are watching Tom and his lover. Tom is dragging down Nick by getting him involved in his bad behavior. Tom brings about bad things. His actions always spiral into big things. After Tom argues with Gatsby. Tom says to Daisy “Go on. He won’t annoy you. I think he realizes that his presumptuous little flirtation is over (Fitzgerald 104). This makes Daisy drive home in Gastby’s car. Tom's actions, provoking Gatsby and pushing Daisy away, ultimately bring about two deaths. The death of his lover, Myrtle, and
Doctor Eckleburg's eyes were referred to once again by Nick when he was driving in his car with Tom, Gatsby, and Daisy on a trip to New York City. "We were all irritable now with the fading ale and, aware of it, we drove for a while in silence. Then as Doctor T. J. Eckleburg's faded eyes came into sight down the road I remembered Gatsby's caution about gasoline." On the way to New York they remember that they need to refuel gasoline. It is at the gas station that it is learned that Wilson plans on moving his wife Myrtle out west due to the fact that he discovers Myrtles disloyalty. Nick senses an infidelity between Daisy and Tom Buchanan also. On the trip back from New York Gatsby and Daisy are driving together, and they accidentally run into Daisy. Tom suspects that Gatsby was the one that was driving; however it was really Daisy. The quote used to describe Dr. Eckelburg's eyes was an example of the symbolism of carelessness and corruption of society.
Nick Carraway, a young man from a comfortable background, moves from Minnesota to New York in order to pursue business. He rents a house in the West Egg district of Long Island, an area filled with the newly rich but considered unfashionable. Upon arriving, Nick visits his cousin Daisy Buchanan and her husband Tom whom he attended Yale with. The Buchanans live in the East Egg district, just across the harbor from West Egg and inhabited with those who come from wealthy families. While at his cousin’s house, he meets a cynical woman named Jordan Baker and learns about his legendary neighbor, Mr. Gatsby. In addition, Nick learns that Tom is currently engaged in an extramarital affair with a woman named Myrtle Wilson.
In the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there is an important theme in the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. These eyes watch over the events and characters of the novel like the eyes of God. Many things happen in front of the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg, like the vehicular manslaughter of Myrtle. There is one quote in particular that describes the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg. This quote has many different meanings to the reader, depending on which way you pick it open.
“You can’t repeat the past?... Why of course you can.” (110 This enduring quote from the famous novel The Great Gatsby by none other than F. Scott Fitzgerald stirs the mind and imagination in wonder of the very character who had uttered these words. Infamous Gatsby is the mysterious man behind the lavish and enthralling parties; a man who made his money and his image in that of a king. But, who is this mysterious man? How did he receive the great fortune of developing all of which he had possessed? He had it all, but we are on the outside looking in; did this man with everything really have nothing at all? If Jay Gatsby is the real person we see him to be, then James Gatz is nonexistent. The day that the world had gained Gatsby, it had also lost James Gatz. There is a mysterious motive behind every move Jay Gatsby makes; these meticulously planned out moves will ultimately lead to an unfortunate and untimely demise.
Throughout F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses an ensemble of characters to portray different aspects of the 1920s. The characters’ occupations and lifestyles represent the corruption, carefreeness, and prosperity of the Roaring Twenties. Perhaps most striking of this ensemble is the pompous bigot Tom Buchanan and the novel’s namesake Jay Gatsby. Set in the fictional towns of West Egg and East Egg on Long Island, New York, in the summer of 1922, the novel revolves around the protagonist Nick Carraway when he moves to West Egg. Upon arriving, he reconnects with his cousin Daisy Buchanan, and her husband Tom. He also encounters his mysterious neighbor Jay Gatsby, and eventually learns that Gatsby is an admirer of Daisy who tries at all costs to win over from her husband. Both of Daisy’s love interests are dimensional characters whose personalities are seemingly opposite; while Tom and Gatsby are contrastive, Daisy is one of the few common interests of the two men.
Symbolism in The Great Gatsby Symbolism is what makes a story complete. In "The Great Gatsby" Fitzgerald cleverly uses symbolism. Virtually anything in the novel can be taken as a symbol, from the weather, to the colors of clothing. characters wear. There are three main symbols used in The Great Gatsby, they are The East and West Egg, the green light at the end of Daisy's dock, and the eyes of Dr.T.J. Eckleburg.
“The Great Gatsby” is a book about Jay Gatz, as narrated by Nick Carraway. I believe the story has a good a number of literary archetypes that helped make it a little more interesting than it already is. We follow Nick for the most part, but Gatsby or James Gatz is the more important character in the story, as it all has to do with him. He’s essentially chasing after a girl he met right before he joined the army, she goes by the name Daisy Buchanan. She happens to be Nick Carraway’s cousin, which is why Gatsby spent a lot of time with Nick. Without Nick Gatsby probably would’ve never gotten the chance to be reintroduced to Daisy.
Authors in all stretches of literature develop characters in order to give the reader greater depth into the plot and into the nature of conflict that is occurring. Often times, there are characters that are viewed as dominant within the novel, and seem to feed off of those around them. These very characters are essential to the development of the plot line, as they generally serve as a foil to the main character, although often times, this foil is hidden until the end of the book. Francis Scott Fitzgerald does this exceptionally well, as he does a wonderful job of developing characters into this foil role throughout the book. This is seen most obviously in the characters of Tom and Daisy Buchanon, and Fitzgerald describes the extent of their thoughtlessness at the end of the book by writing, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together and let other people clean up the mess they had made…” (Fitzgerald 179). In Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, he describes Tom and Daisy Buchanon as careless due to their manipulation and use of other characters, including Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, and even each other, to result in negative outcomes for those affected.
In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the main characters Tom and Gatsby are both similar and different in their attitudes and their status. Both Tom and Gatsby have attained great wealth and live in very lavish conditions. They differ greatly, on the other hand, in the way that they acquired this wealth, and the way in which they treat other people. Even though both characters have great amounts of wealth, they are almost complete opposites due the way in which they acquired their wealth.
Symbolism in The Great Gatsby Symbolism is able to produce immense emotions. Fitzgerald applies symbolism to three of the most significant characters in "The Great Gatsby" to illustrate incisive sentiments. Fitzgerald's description of Tom Buchanan's colossal house signifies Tom and his values. The red and white colors of the Buchanan mansion represent Tom's personality. Red customarily exemplifies impurity and boldness, while white signifies Tom's superior attitude towards other individuals.
Scott Fitzgerald was a writer who desired his readers to be able to hear, feel, and see his work. He made it his goal to be able to make readers think and keep asking questions using imagery and symbolism. The Great Gatsby was not just about the changes that occurred during the Jazz Age, but it was also about America’s corrupted society which was full of betrayal and money-hungry citizens. It was the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg that overlooked all the corruption that occurred throughout the Valley of Ashes. It was the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg that serves as a symbol of higher power who witnesses everything from betrayal to chaos in Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
Throughout the world, societies can become cruel and unjustified machines. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the morality of a society is clearly revealed through the choices and consequences its characters experience. The two societies within the novel, West Egg and East Egg, create an atmosphere of mixed ideals and morals, so completely opposite of each other. Three examples will be given to support the above thesis. Firstly, Jay Gatsby, arguably the main character, is involved in a number of criminal activities. Secondly, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, are a true symbol of how the morals of their society are revealed through their actions. Finally Nick Carraway, the narrator, is truly and innocent in a society gone mad. These three points will be elaborated below.
Five thousand years ago lived the immoral societies of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Middle East. The people of these corrupt cities were sinners who lead luxurious lives and seemed like they had it all, even though soon they would lose everything. Their immorality and lack of awareness is what caused God to send fire from the heavens and destroy the towns as punishment. Parallels can be drawn from ancient times to the story of The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald uses the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg to symbolize God watching down and to express the theme of immorality in society and the loss of spiritual values in the American dream.
Italo Calvino, an Italian journalist and author once said “A classic is a book that had never finished saying what it has to say.” To me, a ‘classic’ is the literary work of the first rank, one of demonstrable enduring quality which is still relevant and continues to inspire emotional responses from readers. Good morning / Afternoon Mrs Nicholls. It has come to my attention that the novel The Great Gatsby may be pulled from the Senior English reading list as part of the implementation of the upcoming Senior Australian Curriculum. After reading The Great Gatsby myself, I realised that its timeless theme are relevant to modern readers and its aesthetic features can serve as a language model for students. As a result, this classic text is of
Fitzgerald has used Tom in The Great Gatsby, to demonstrate the power that men had during the 1920s. In order to understand Tom's purpose in the book, it must be known that he has been purposely set up as a character the reader does not like. Fitzgerald has done this, as he does not like men whose lives mirror Tom's. Tom is a violent man, who is completely in control of the women in his life. He shows how disrespectful some men were to women. For example, he breaks his mistress Myrtle's nose.