Theme Of Marriage In The Great Gatsby

The biblical and cultural building block of marriage is hope. In a traditional wedding ceremony, vows are exchanged from each partner with an assumption, hope, and trust that these vows will be kept sacred. However, in the twentieth century this expectation changed. F Scott Fitzgerald represents this sociological change through characters in his novel, The Great Gatsby. In his novel, there are two prominent married couples: the Wilsons and the Buchanans. Myrtle Wilson and Tom Buchanan are a prime example of infidelity in the twentieth century..
Both Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson are violating their wedding vows by being involved in a sensual relationship with each other, whilst being married (Ch 2, Pg 17). According to the Christian Bible,

adultery is considered a sin that is specifically outlawed in the Ten Commandments. Because this sin is practiced through numerous people throughout the novel, the reader can assume that religion does not play a large role in the lives of young people in the 1920’s. Adultery is also a category of how people respond to marriage. Specifically, it is categorized as a “withdrawing”. Thus, an adulterer would “withdraw” from their married relationship with their partner and pursue a relationship with another person, similar to what Tom and Myrtle did in New York (Ch 2, Pg 15).
Communication is a key component in a successful relationship of marriage. If there is a lack of communication between two partners, the marriage can not be successful. “Communication” includes speaking a partner’s love language. Love languages include words of affirmation, gifts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch. Usually partners do not speak the same language, or react to different languages the same. In Tom and Daisy’s relationship, Tom did not communicate with Daisy. In fact, he interrupts her statements regularly (Ch 1, Pg 5). Because the two did not marry for “love”, they will not be able to adapt to each other's love languages. Thus, their marriage is not successful, yet they stay together to maintain an appearance (Ch 9, Pg 87).
As time periods pass, society’s definition of “marriage” alters. In fact, in the twenty first century many couples choose not to marry, yet they raise a family. The Great Gatsby is a prime example of the evolution of culture in the early 1920’s.