In a famous poem by Thomas Gray the well known phrase “Ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise” was used to describe the happiness the Author found in not knowing real consequences. This is similar to the Characters of The Great Gatsby, the great american novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, who have more money than they can spend and feel as if they are exempt to the lawand can buy their way out of any situation. What they are also unaware of is the constant supervision they are under, whether it be a divine force watching them, like the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg on the billboard, or their servants and butlers constantly cleaning up after them in their household. They don’t see the pain they cause them, the grueling hardships and disgust others feel as they pick up the debris they leave behind everywhere they go. Nothing goes unseen in this Novel, blindness is a common disease among the rich who turn a blind eye towards the decay and corrupt society and culture that they are separated from with their mounds of wealth and impregnable mansions. Ignorance is hinted at throughout the book and is displayed by the characters constantly, “blinded by the glare of the headlights”. (59). This quote could be perceived literally and one could say the character was only blinded by the headlight. I feel as if the meaning is deeper in the fact that the headlights could be used to described the flashy wealth of the time period which blinds everyone from seeing the nefarious greed of the wealthy. The rich would be driving the car with the high beams aimed at the drunk and blinded people to distract them from their recklessness. Every main character is oblivious to certain baggage that prevents them from looking forward and thinking about conseque... ... middle of paper ... ... to identify what everyone is unable to see either because they don't want to, or they are just completely oblivious. Daisy chooses to be blind to her husbands scandalous activities and like Jordan they are both trapped in their own little world because its where they are most comfortable. Gatsby only sees the past and doesn't think about the future because of how Daisy isn't his now. This leads to the overall theme that we shouldn't avoid things because they are alien to us or harrowing, we need to confront reality and what is fact or fiction and not attempt to disguise it at the sake of our personal beliefs or comfort level. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1995. Print. Gray, Thomas. “Ode On A Distant Prospect Of Eton College.” Poetry X. Ed. Jough Dempsey. 16 Jun 2003. 16 Mar. 2014 .
The thought of having an immense sum of money or wealth brings certain people to believe that money can buy almost anything, even happiness, however in reality, it will only lead to loss and false hope. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, writes a story about a man named Gatsby who is a victim of this so-called false hope and loss. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald clearly demonstrates and elaborates on the relationship between having money, wealth, and one's ethics or integrity by acknowledging the idea that the amount of money or wealth one has attained does affect the relationship between one's wealth and one's ethics whether or not in a pleasant manner. Although money and wealth may not be able to buy a person happiness, it surely can buy a person's mind and action, given that a wealthy person has a great deal of power. Fitzgerald analyzes the notion that even though many people dream of being both rich and ethical, it is not possible, and therefore, being poor and ethical is much better than trying to be rich and ethical.
...s motivation to reach into Daisy’s heart is the downfall that lead to Gatsby’s persistent nature which concentrate solely the past, Also, emptiness of existence with realization to taint ideal, Gatsby’s heart fill with illusions. As a great man his death overflows with generosity and kindness that people did not notice. The good man Gatsby’s death is a tragic, but in the end it’s another meaningless loss that buried as a lonely hero.
Stories can be interpreted many different ways when one happens to be trapped in a section of their lives. Their point of views and emotions all greatly affect the way they think and react. Especially in Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, people commonly act in their best interest rather than thinking about the impacts of their actions. The wealthy ones can easily do whatever they like without too heavily worrying about their consequences; however, the huge gap between the poor and the rich further encourage the rich to be blindness of their actions. Throughout The Great Gatsby, the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg symbolize the failure of the American dream, God watching over mankind, and serves as a warning.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby provides the reader with a unique outlook on the life of the newly rich. Gatsby is an enigma and a subject of great curiosity, furthermore, he is content with a lot in life until he strives too hard. His obsession with wealth, his lonely life and his delusion allow the reader to sympathize with him. Initially, Gatsby stirs up sympathetic feelings because of his obsession with wealth.
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
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby’s conflicts between passion and responsibility demonstrate that chasing empty dreams can only lead to suffering. Gatsby’s motivation to achieve his dream of prosperity is interrupted when his fantasy becomes motivated by love. His eternal struggle for something more mirrors cultural views that more is always better. By ultimately suffering an immense tragedy, Jay Gatsby transforms into a romantic and tragic hero paying the capital price for his actions. Gatsby envokes a deeper Conclusion sentence
At first glance the story is about love but once you get a bit deeper the truth shines through. It’s about the fantasy of fulfilling unachievable dreams, the selfishness money invokes, and the violence associated with power. Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom never fulfill their potentials in life. They are either trying to achieve their unachievable dream, or they are to wrapped up in themselves and their money and power.
The theme “blind pursuit of an ideal is destructive” is the main message of The Great Gatsby. Gatsby is on a blind pursuit of happiness. His ideal is to be with Daisy as he was in the past. Although, you can not ever really grasp the past and have things the same as they once were. This pursuit is destructive because Gatsby can not be satisfied with Daisy anymore. He really longed for an image of the past and how he and Daisy used to be, but she is not the same as she once was. Her past self is unobtainable but Gatsby is persistent. Gatsby vision of Daisy is unrealistic and much better than her true self. Nick stated in the book, “Daisy tumbled short of his dreams- not through her own fault, but because of his colossal vitality of his illusion”.
“Money can’t buy happiness” is a saying that is often used to make one understand that there is more to life than wealth and money. Jay Gatsby was a man of many qualities some of which are good and bad. Throughout the book of “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, we learn of his past and discover the true qualities of Jay Gatsby. Starting from the bottom, with little money, we learn of why Gatsby struggled so hard all his life to become wealthy and what his true goal in life was. When reading this story, the true reasons behind Gatsby’s illegal actions reveal themselves and readers can learn a great life lesson from this story and the actions the characters take. Readers can see through Gatsby’s contradictions of actions and thoughts that illustrate the theme of the story, along with his static characteristics, that all humans are complex beings and that humans cannot be defined as good or bad.
The Great Gatsby is an emotional tale of hope of love and “romantic readiness”(1.2) that is both admirable and meritorious .Yet, the question of Daisy ever being able to measure up to Gatsby’s expectations is one that reverberates throughout the course of the novel. Be that as it may, Daisy is never truly able to measure up to Gatsby’s expectations because the image of Daisy in Gatsby’s mind is entirely different from who she actually is. Even during his younger years, Gatsby had always had a vision of himself “as a son of God”(6.98) and that “he must be about his fathers business, the service of a vast, vulgar and meretricious beauty”(6.98). Gatsby’s desire for aristocracy, wealth, and luxury is exactly what drives him to pursue Daisy who embodies everything that that Gatsby desires and worked towards achieving. Therefore, Gatsby sees Daisy as the final piece to his puzzle in order realize his vision. Gatsby’s hyperbolized expectation of Daisy throws light on the notion if our dreams as individuals are actually limited by reality. Since our dreams as human beings are never truly realized, because they may be lacking a specific element. Daisy proves to be that element that lingers in Gatsby’s dreams but eludes his reality.
Illusion Vs. Reality in The Great Gatsby "A confusion of the real with the ideal never goes unpunished," is how Goethe states not to mistake fantasy for reality. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, many of the characters live in an illusory world, though few can see reality. Fitzgerald presents Jay Gatsby as a character who cannot see reality. Can't repeat the past?
In life, what we perceive tends to show misconception in how the thought plays out. A good example would be the character Jay Gatsby in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s American classic: The Great Gatsby. Gatsby was unable to distinguish between his love for Daisy, a reality, versus the illusion that he could recapture her love by establishing and inventing a fraudulent past. He believed he could repeat the past, and acquire a flaunting wealth. In the novel, Jay Gatsby seems incompetent in establishing a difference between the realities of his life versus the illusion he made out.
Everyone in the world is different. People have come to acknowledge the variety of differences that comes to surround one today. Differences do not always mean race or religion, but rather the individual characteristics that make up one specific person. Everyone has characteristics of themselves that are either the best or the worst. The good traits are usually concealed and hidden because people mainly focus on the negative sides of people. Conversely, the worst trait is more visible and apparent to the eye. In literature, the same applies, but the bad trait leads to larger ramifications for a character and others around them. In F. Scott Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby, the recurring trait of recklessness is found throughout the classy and lavish denizens of
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.
Scott Fitzgerald was a writer who desired his readers to be able to hear, feel, and see his work. He made it his goal to be able to make readers think and keep asking questions using imagery and symbolism. The Great Gatsby was not just about the changes that occurred during the Jazz Age, but it was also about America’s corrupted society which was full of betrayal and money-hungry citizens. It was the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg that overlooked all the corruption that occurred throughout the Valley of Ashes. It was the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg that serves as a symbol of higher power who witnesses everything from betrayal to chaos in Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.