Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

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The need to have a purpose is one of the most powerful forces felt by humanity and has driven human survival for thousands of years. The Lost Generation lost their sense of purpose in life after the colossal expense of human life they witnessed during the First World War. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a story of the lives of the Lost Generation and their struggles with their need to have a purpose. The characters in The Great Gatsby symbolic of the Lost Generation demonstrate the human need to have a purpose in life. Jordan Baker’s characterization and actions demonstrate humanity’s craving for a purpose. Jordan was part of the Lost Generation because of her reckless lifestyle and lack of caring for other human beings. As …show more content…

This can be seen when Nick tries to change the topic of conversation and Tom says, “It’s up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things” (12). Tom espoused these ideas because, despite all of his wealth, he lacked a purpose in life. Like Jordan Baker, Tom adopted the purpose of making himself better than others in order to attempt to fulfill the human need for a purpose. Without this idea to think about and support, the fact that he had no real purpose in life would have caught up to him and Tom would have been lost in the world. His racism and support for segregation were a result of his need to have a purpose in life. In addition, Tom’s affair with Myrtle was caused by his need to distract himself from the need for a purpose. This can be inferred from when Tom said, “Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back” (131). Tom’s description of his affairs demonstrate that he never stopped loving Daisy but that he simply grew bored with domestic life. The life he had and his lack of purpose crept up behind him as he grew bored, and in order to continue his distraction from his lack of purpose, Tom began the affair. The entertainment it provided and the thrill of having an affair combined to distract Tom from his lack of purpose in life. The need to have a purpose was so strong that he began …show more content…

This can be seen when she stopped waiting for Gatsby because “she wanted her life shaped now, immediately - and the decision must be made by some force… that was close at hand” (151). Daisy’s life at her home in Louisville became increasingly tense after the war as she lost her purpose in life and Gatsby would not return to distract her. She felt compelled from within to find a way forward through life to prevent her lack of purpose from reaching her. Tom successfully distracted her, so she married him rather than waiting for Gatsby. Daisy’s decision to leave her love for another man demonstrates the strength of the human desire to have a purpose. Furthermore, Daisy’s decision to go along with Tom’s plan and allow Wilson to kill Gatsby exemplifies the power of the desire to have a purpose. This can be seen from Nick’s description of his view of Daisy and Tom, which was that “there was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture, and anybody would have said that they were conspiring together” (145). The day after Nick saw them conspiring, Gatsby was killed by Wilson, who somehow found out that Gatsby owned the yellow car. Daisy’s agreement with Tom’s idea to have Gatsby killed demonstrates her lack of value for human life. In addition, it shows the recklessness with which Daisy lived, which was a symptom of her not having a purpose in life. Daisy’s

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