Personal Characteristics In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

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Many people buy magazines and watch reality TV shows to catch a glimpse of the coveted lifestyles of the rich and famous. Society exalts wealth and frivolous expenditures on a pedestal which it labels as a ‘good life’. However, ordinary people really have no true knowledge of the lives celebrities and other wealthy individuals lead. Their careers and outward appearances can obscure their true character and personality from the view of the public. Many people fail to realize how wealth and a lifestyle filled with parties and other large can negatively affect the individuals who lead them in many different ways. Some may perceive celebrities as selfish individuals who care about nothing except themselves, while others may see perfect individuals who emanate style and class. Both of the assumptions base solely off of outward appearances, and obstruct …show more content…

In his 1920s novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes his language to demonstrate how preconceptions about lifestyles and people bar society from the ability to make accurate judgements about individuals from a first impression or glance at their lifestyle.

People fail to realize how parties and thrilling lifestyles do not necessarily hold any lasting depth or happiness for the people who attend them. At first, Gatsby’s “blue gardens” appeal to Nick, and he enjoys the “laughter” and “cheerful word” which characterizes Gatsby’s grand party (43-44). Fitzgerald’s diction creates a vivid image of the party and appeals to pathos, because the words build happy and excited emotions in the reader. The way Nick allows himself to become enthralled by the flamboyant lifestyle parallels how people in society gawk at the lives celebrities and the wealthy. Fitzgerald highlights the temporary pleasures which the parties try to capture such as laughter and enjoyable conversations. Once the night or event ends, so does

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