A person’s eyes can give away everything a person tries to hide, including their deepest and darkest secrets. People look at other people’s eyes to see what they think and how they feel because the eyes reflect those things, but they have the potential to give away even more than just that. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s rich book The Great Gatsby, he developes the eyes of his characters to show that a person’s eyes not only hint to a person’s personality and emotions but also reflect a person’s deepest secrets and desires leading to their in inevitable discovery.
F. Scott Fitzgerald begins to develop each of his characters by starting with a comment about their eyes, giving the readers a good sense of the personalities that should be expected from
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them. Nevertheless, Fitzgerald puts much deeper meanings into them than just their personalities. The true meaning of the eyes remains unclear for a large portion of the story leading to false acquisitions about the surface meaning, including that one needs to look no farther to find a deeper meaning. In reality, Fitzgerald uses the eyes of his character to express how eyes give insight to a person’s secrets and desires despite attempts to hide them. By the end of the book, the deepest and darkest secrets of all of the main characters became exposed and the eyes of the characters reflected those secrets for all of them. One of the characters important to the plot, Tom Buchanan, displays distinct traits that both express his personality as well as his secrets.
Fitzgerald tells the readers that Tom has “two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward” (Fitzgerald 7). Fitzgerald depicted Tom with dominate eyes because he does not attempt to keep secrets. The larger the eyes Fitzgerald describe a character as having, the less secrets they try to keep or hide. Throughout the novel it becomes clear that Tom does not try to hide the fact that he cheats on Daisy with Myrtle, made clear by how all of the other characters know about it including Daisy herself. Also he obtains the appearance of leaning forward because he always rushes forward in life without stopping to consider the consequences of his actions in advance, desiring nothing other than power and doing anything to get it. His dominant eye hint towards his desire for dominance and superiority over others even before his personality shows it, and then it becomes evident through his actions. Although Tom never actively tries to hide his desire for dominance, he still did try to not have the fact well know. However, no matter how much Tom kept that fact quiet, one look at his eyes could give it away. The size and appearance of the eyes can give away …show more content…
everything. Unlike to Tom, Daisy Buchanan’s eyes contain many more secrets giving important insight to the truth about her since she attempts to hide her true personality throughout the novel. Her “bright eyes” portrays her secret mischievous side (Fitzgerald 9). In front of company she plays the role of the perfect housewife and does not let her true personality and feelings show. In the company of others, she tries to talk about things that would interest them and if she says anything that might hint to her true feelings she phrases it so that it sounds like gibberish. However, as soon as Gatsby gets reintroduced into Daisy’s life, her more mischievous side appears with numerous hints towards her cheating on Tom with Gatsby. Her eyes reflect exactly how she behaves around Gatsby. She acts mischievous doing things that she knows she probably should not, like having an affair with Gatsby, and she acts free showing that she desires to have the freedom to do what she pleases. Her eyes are bright both because of liking mischief and because of her wild and free spirit. Fitzgerald makes predicting the mischievous side of her, before the book makes it more clear, possible, but in a way that is easy to misinterpret as bright with happiness or kindness making it misleading. As all these immoral actions take place, one pair of eyes watch over them all, the eyes of Doctor T.
J. Eckleburg. The eyes are illustrated as “blue and gigantic,” making them the largest eyes in the novel (Fitzgerald 23). The significance of the eyes is that they hold no secrets at all. Unlike Tom who has secrets but does not try to hide them, the eyes of T. J. Eckleburg have no secrets because they represent the eyes of God. Multiple references to the feeling that the eyes watch their every moves, as God sees everything that happens, creates the symbol of the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg representing the eyes of God. Not to mention that towards the end of the novel George Wilson looks up at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg and states that “you can’t fool God” (Fitzgerald 159). The eyes provide evidence that the eyes of the characters reflect their secrets. Fitzgerald only describes the color and size of the eyes while with his characters he describes them in more detail using at least one adjective. Their lack of need for additional description shows that the eyes do not need to reflect any secrets or hidden desires. Fitzgerald uses adjectives in all of the other descriptions because the adjectives give most of the hints as to their secrets and
desires. Overall, F. Scott Fitzgerald developed his motif of eyes throughout The Great Gatsby to represent more that a person’s personality, but their secrets and desires. The more a character develops, the more they become like what their eyes suggest and matching secrets unfold to create the backstory for the reflection in their eyes. Eyes do not have the single purpose of seeing, but also the purpose of reflecting everything that makes up a person, including their deepest secrets. Fitzgerald neglects to describe Gatsby’s eyes in the novel most likely due to the story consisting mostly of figuring out who Gatsby is and was and his eyes would give away the fact that he has many dark secrets and even give hints about the secrets themselves. Most people have the false assumption that secrets will stay secrets forever, but that thought blinds them from seeing that the secrets that they want hidden the most will become reflected on the first characteristic a person looks at when meeting another person, their eyes.
In American society, love, social class, and ambition are in the present life of Americans. Both books "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald and "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Hurston, are examples of Gatsby and Janie and their strive to reach the American dream. Both Gatsby and Janie are searching for love. Gatsby has found his love for Daisy, but he can’t have her because of there differences between social classes. On the other hand, Janie spends her journey searching for sense of herself and someone who treats her as equal. Despite the beginning of their past life they both reach the appearance of wealth and fortune. For Gatsby, his character is a delusion created by those who spread rumors just by seeing him throw the lavish parties. Gatsby's wealth is only a front because he was given the house from wealth and illegal dealings with Meyer Wolfsheim. Janie's character changes throughout the story in search of her identity. Janie inherited money from the death of her second husband. But the money doesn’t mean much to her ever since she met Tea Cake but still uses her money to provide for the both of them. Gatsby and Janie faced challenges on the search for their American Dream. In
Loving someone is a wondrous experience, giving life light and a sense of fulfillment. But frequently the love does not last, causing deep emotional pain and a new dullness to life. In F.Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald repeatedly uses the motif and imagery of the eyes to present how much the lack of love can affect the happiness and joy in a person’s life. When people are separated and possibly reunited, their eyes seem to show the emotional turmoil that was caused by the time apart.
Reading through the novel The Great Gatsby, it becomes evident that Dr. Eckelberg symbolizes God and oversees events that occur. The characters in the novel refer to "the eyes of Dr. Eckelberg" often. Doctor T.J. Eckleburg symbolizes three things. He symbolizes the corruption of society; his eyes represent the eyes of an omnipotent God, and he implies carelessness and mistreatment.
The recurring themes of society, class, and self identity can be seen throughout many different writings of the 20th century. Two of these writings include, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. Both novels focus on the protagonist's goal of achieving equal rights in their own environment while at the same time trying to figure out who they are in the world. In the early 1900s, when “Their Eyes Were Watching God” takes place, slavery had very recently been abolished (relatively speaking) and the lasting effects of segregation take a toll on Janie, the protagonist. In the Great Gatsby, although Jay Gatsby is white, and thus does not have to deal with the factor of race, he struggles with many different aspects of American Society, mainly the class system and the American Dream. The American dream depicted by F.Scott Fitzgerald is a desire to gain wealth and prosperity. However, at the same time the book does not suggest that wealth equates to success. Even though Gatsby does have material wealth, he is not successful in gaining what he wants to be happy. Despite his material wealth, Gatsby is never united with the love of his life, Daisy. This shows that even though Gatsby has achieved the dream of wealth and prosperity, he has not achieved his final goal. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie too believes in the American Dream, and similarly to Gatsby, it is not a dream of wealth and prosperity. For her, it’s a dream of Freedom in all aspects of life. Both characters however, spend much of their time trying to conform to the rest of the world and essentially be like “everyone” else instead of trying to be distinct individuals. Societal norms of the early 1900s tak...
Try to imagine living life during the infamous roaring 20’s. This time was filled with lavish parties, illegal alcohol, bad morals, and really vibrant jazz music. A person living during this time would most likely be a person who deeply cared about their social status and what other people thought of them. Due to the ending of the Great War, economic prosperity for the upper class, and rapid social changes, many people throughout America began to throw away their beliefs and values for the exciting and exuberant life the 1920’s offered. There is no doubt that many people during this time were doing horrible, unmoral things and its clear to see that they believed no one was watching over them as they constantly “sinned.” In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author shows us the loss of spiritual values throughout America, the emptiness of the American Dream, and the corruption that filled the hearts of many Americans by the use of the motif of eyes.
Many people like flappers went against the standard and did not listen or go by the rules. Written during the Jazz Age period, Fitzgerald wrote the novel The Great Gatsby, and ironically, it is one that explores the concept of an omnipresent God which readers can guess comes from the author’s knowledge of Catholicism and Christianity. First and foremost, the Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are representative of an omniscient God. The Great Gatsby begins chapter one with a description of “The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic – their irises are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose” (Fitzgerald 23).
There are many American novels that yield insights into human nature, but few are as honest or intriguing as Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is brilliantly composed, and involves many different personalities, but it is at the core of this novel that we find the dark secret of humanity: deception.
The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel based on Gatsby’s dream and hope. In order to enrich the story, symbols are used to emphasize what the author is saying and they create a curiosity in the reader as they are frequently used throughout the story. These three symbols – green light, valley of ashes and the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg are not connected to each other but each of them represents important things in the story.
allow Fitzgerald to give more background to each character and to allow the reader to
The American Dream is only achievable based on your motivation to succeed, your process in which you achieve your dream can be more important than your actual dream. Sometimes it's the journey that makes or breaks you and not the destination. The Great Gatsby, written by Fitzgerald, is based off the idea of the American Dream, and whether it's achievable to all Americans. Many seem to have their own opinions and thoughts on the idea of the American Dream. The idea of the American Dream is sought after by just about anyone. This topic is often mentioned during times of sorrow and death ,as well as through many platforms such as poems, speeches, novels, and essays. Gatsby
Everyone has secrets; everyone has something they want to keep unnoticed. As with every aspect of life, some secrets are meant to be kept private just as some secrets will inevitably be revealed. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are multiple characters whose lives are filled with concealed truths. Many of the characters, including the infamous Gatsby with his strained fantasies and the brute Tom with his distorted ideals, shroud their corruptions in cloaks of deceit and buried secrets. The characters of Fitzgerald’s classic novel all have secrets that they would rather remain unknown. Through the characters of The Great Gatsby, it is visible that the true meaning of a secret is something that is kept hidden from other people.
The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are perhaps the most important symbol in The Great Gatsby. The eyes can be taken as the eyes of God or even as us, the observers. We are observing the characters in what they do and analyzing them as an example of what is wrong or what is right. In this case, we are observing Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. We are observing their conducts and deciphering whether their actions are wrong or right.
He wears a mask of being a family man, when in reality he doesn’t pay attention to his family at all. He has a mistress in New York named Myrtle and he goes to see her often, but wears a mask to disguise the fact that he isn’t a great husband and family man. In the scene were Gatsby wants Daisy to tell Tom she never loved him Tom puts on a mask of being a of loving Daisy so much and he tells her that, but he actually cheats on her all the time with more than one women (Fitzgerald 139). It’s proven that he has had more than one affair when they are in the apartment with Gatsby, Nick, Jordan, and Daisy brings up Chicago (Fitzgerald 139). Tom also wears a mask of being an amazing rich man that has everything he could ever want to have. In reality he doesn’t have everything and he isn’t happy and you can see this in his jealousy of Gatsby and in the affairs he has showing he’s not completely happy with
The eyes of T J Eckleburg represent the loss of moral and social values in America, the hollowness of the American Dream, and the corruption of people. T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes stare down at everyone around them, including the main characters that pass by it on their trips to New York City. In this way, the symbol of the eyes reveals the corruption of the American Dream through the people that the eyes are watching. The eyes ‘watch’ as Gatsby goes to luncheon with Nick to meet Wolfshiem, the dishonest man who helped fix the World Series. The eyes too have watched Tom go into the city...
The line of attack we use in order to identify individuals around us is an intriguing thing. Our perception is forever shifting, forever building, and affected not only by the person’s actions, but by the actions of those around them. In Scott F. Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby Nick Caraway’s perception of Jay Gatsby is always changing. All the way through the novel, Nick’s perception of Gatsby changes from him perceived as a rich chap, to a man that lives in the past, to a man trying to achieve his aspirations but has failed.