Context In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Close Analysis of a text and knowledge of context can enrich our understanding of a text's meaning. To what extent do you agree with this in relation to The Great Gatsby?

The message of numerous literature novels are connected to the context of the time and can enlighten readers to understand the meaning. This is true of the novel, The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and first published in 1926. It highlights a materialistic and consumerist society where social and moral values were slowly decaying. Portrayed through the eyes of the narrator, Nick Carraway, itillustrated the world , the people surrounding him and their values; starting with Daisy and Tom Buchanan and the infamous Jay Gatsby, a man chasing after his first love. …show more content…

Much of the population in post World War 1 America adopted more modern values to replace their outdated Victorian values, specifically in their loss of faith in religion and their journey to only seek happiness and pleasure. Both hedonism and nihilism were major movements which contributed to the decline in the low value of life instilled in many people, as much of the society were engrossed in the idea of pleasure and happiness and sought to only pursue them. A large number of individuals at the time were part of bootlegging, which was the sale and production of alcohol during a period of Prohibition which restricted the selling of alcohol. Consequently, many individuals lost their jobs and were forced to engage in this illegal activity, which many unemployed people endorsed. Also the rise in consumerism allowed people to solely live to buy and spend - this lead to materialistic values as is represented in Zelda Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald's wife. World War 1 also contributed to the loss of religion as many soldiers were killed during war which led them to believe 'God is dead'. One of the outcomes of the rise of hedonism and nihilism was the loss of the value of life - when Gatsby is explaining to Nick about how Daisy killed Myrtle,"Well, first Daisy turned away from the woman toward the other car, and then lost her nerve and turned back. The second my hand reached the wheel I felt the shock - it must have killed her instantly". This emphasises the low value of life as seen through Daisy's actions which killed an innocent person without a second's thought. Furthermore, this also reflects Daisy's hedonistic views by eliminating the person who caussed havoc on to her relationship with Tom. Moreover, Daisy's nihilistic and hedonistic values are direct representation of the society in 1920s America, as much of the society also disregarded the value of life This illustrates why I think that the

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