Examples Of Judgement In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald uproots the intertwined judgements of individuals and society in East and West Egg during a summer closely after the war. In society, judgements arise to take over the actions and thoughts of each person. Each character has experienced a different upbringing and lives a different life ranging from privileged folks who are filled with money to those living unfortunate lives in the valley of ashes. In a novel spanning less than a year, Fitzgerald writes in Nick’s as he recounts his experiences with people who are like a rainbow of colors tainted with blackness of the judgemental society and thrown onto a broken palette where judgements overshadow ambitions and struggles. Fitzgerald uses the relationship

between society and individuals to prove that humanity continues to lose control of its mortality and fall victim to a cycle of hypocrisy and judgement.
Fitzgerald uses the dust surrounding Gatsby to show that the judgement which society holds penetrates through the defense built by one's ambitions by preying on their vulnerabilities.

Gatsby utilizes his aspirations to build a wall around him to stack up as an invincible barrier against the judgements of society. However, while Gatsby becomes engrossed in continuing to build his wall higher and higher, he fails to see its flaws, allowing the “foul dust [to float] in the wake of his dreams” (Fitzgerald 2). The “foul dust” represents society’s judgements of Gatsby, which clouds his vision, allowing Gatsby’s thirst for validation to overpower his will to build on his ambitions. Despite Gatsby’s financial stability and success, he becomes vulnerable to the pressures of society and allows them to manipulate his mind, showing that once the arrow of judgements has struck, it instantly affects even the “biggest and baddest”. The “foul dust” can easily enter into Gatsby’s mind because he remains in a childlike state and becomes preoccupied with the idea of perfection, fostering Gatsby’s microscopic views of his dreams. Eventually, Gatsby’s footing on his ambitions slips as the judgements of society, like the “foul dust”, floats around Gatsby to quietly yet viciously tear down his triumphs. Each judgement which Gatsby faces from society pecks away at the once-invincible wall and eventually brings upon the downfall of Gatsby as the societal pressures seep in through cracks on the

wall.
Fitzgerald uses Doctor T.J. Eckleburg's advertisement above the valley of ashes to portray the tendency of members of society to overlook then fall into the discriminative world around them. Dr. T.J. Eckleburg is represented by a set of eyes on a billboard advertisement which towers over the valley of ashes— a dumping ground for rotting dreams and filled to the brim with rickety ladders to success. Fitzgerald writes, “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… [which] are blue and gigantic— their retinas are one yard high” (Fitzgerald 23). The billboard does not just overlook the valley of ashes; the billboard overshadows the valley of ashes as though it is trying to cover up the destruction and suffering facing the people beneath it. The image of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, looking down upon the valley of ashes with blue eyes, is an allusion to the racial divide which exists in society due to preconceived notions and judgements. Dr. Eckleburg represents those favored in society, especially with his blue eyes which have historically been linked to supremacy. Those in the valley of ashes are all lumped together into one area, all facing the same judgements, like soulless objects with no identities. These judgements striking the valley of ashes become so periodic that they become a part of life; these judgements become natural both for society to shoot off and those in the valley of ashes to receive. Judgement has been ingrained in mankind since birth, each step in life further strengthening prejudices rooted deep in mankind, too difficult to shake off. All the while, the vigilant eyes of Dr. Eckleburg look on, isolated from the hardships which continuously face society, becoming worn down as time passes, showing that continuing ignorance taints one’s conscience and leaves them with a gnawing guilt which soon leads to a deteriorating conscience.
Just like the guests at Gatsby’s party, society places hypocritical judgements against others to comfort their own atrocious acts. At one of Gatsby’s party, one of Gatsby’s guests says, “He’s a bootlegger”, while “moving… between his cocktails and his flowers” (Fitzgerald 61). When Gatsby’s guests describe him as a “bootlegger”, they show humanity’s susceptibility to overlook their own evils in their judgement. Though Gatsby may receive the alcohol through illegal means, since the novel takes place during prohibition, by drinking that same alcohol, the guests become just as corrupted as Gatsby. Fitzgerald uses the repetition of the word “his” to add Gatsby’s presence in his materialistic objects, like Gatsby is there to sponge each accusation which the guest’s throw toward his name. The flowers represent the purity of Gatsby, contrasted by the cocktail which represents the corruption in Gatsby’s life, especially since the novel takes place during prohibition. Gatsby’s label as a bootlegger along with his presence through juxtaposing objects like the flower and cocktail shows that society judges based only on the evil in others to feel a sense of moral superiority.
Nick’s judgement translates to his false belief that he is morally upright, creating an unbreakable cycle and showing that the first step in change in the future is a shift in perception of the past. Nick almost has a fascination with the ways in which evil takes its root in men. Right of the bat in the beginning of the novel, Nick states, “I was privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men” (Fitzgerald 1). Nick enjoys the glimpses of others’ life which he is granted but ends up misusing that trust when he forms judgements through what he learns. However, Nick does not take note of his natural judgements at all and perceives himself to be morally superior to those whom he is surrounded by. On his perceived cardinal virtue, Nick says, “I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known” (Fitzgerald 59). Nick, though educated and well travelled, fails to provide a narrative free of judgements, allowing his perspective to act as a filter between the reader and the characters. The judgement of Nick continuously clouds his mind and prevents him from looking at life through more than a microscopic view.
Fitzgerald uses the narration of Nick to contrast morality and society, showing that once morality loses control and judgements take over in society, life repeats itself. By writing the novel through the eyes of an unreliable narrator such as Nick, Fitzgerald communicates that a curiosity for gossip conditions life to run through the same track over and over again. In a struggle between one’s morals and one’s place in society, the latter always triumphs due to the tangible power it holds. Morality builds a strong force within a person; however, the size of that force cannot even compare to the power of connections formed in a hierarchical society. To conclude the novel, Nick writes, “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” (180). Fitzgerald uses alliteration of the “b” sound to symbolize the repetition of the same act which is like a cry for help. As long as one holds onto their judgements, change becomes an illusion because people in society are trapped between their self image and their actions. Just like Nick, once judgement becomes the main guide to one’s life, the map forms an eternal circle.
Judgement is already rooted too deep in society since the very beginning of life. Children learn to judge themselves and others just as they learn to read and write. Throughout time, the discriminative judgement of others has taken precedence over one’s own ambitions. These judgements not only overshadow successes, they overshadow struggles and lead to hypocrisy through an interest in gossip. In the end, morality should triumph; but, it does not. Judgement continuously seeps through each person’s moral senses, beginning with the cracks created by one’s own curiosity.