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The great gatsby theme essay introduction
The great gatsby theme essay introduction
Great gatsby themes and motifs
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The American Dream is something everyone wants to achieve, but leaves many people changed with different ideals and figures of worship. In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the billboard of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, which looks upon the Valley of Ashes, creates an ominous and mysterious tone to the story. This billboard serves as an impactful religious perspective to show that capitalism takes over the importance of God to these people, but that God is still in the back watching these events unfold. To begin, this passage is very well written, making it seem as just a strange billboard, watching over the middle /lower class and providing no significance to the novel. One part of this passage describes the billboard saying, “They …show more content…
Clearly the most symbolic piece of the novel, this billboard helps showcase Fitzgerald’s main idea that he wanted to get across when writing this novel. The eyes embody the corruption of society, and show a depth of mistreatment and human carelessness. Therefore, the American Dream is corrupt because materialism is considered the most important goal, even more than religion and God. A few minutes before Tom and Gatsby get into a fight, Nick remarks the eyes stating, “over the ash heaps the giant eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg kept their vigil, but I perceived, after a moment, that other eyes were regarding us with peculiar intensity,” (124). These other eyes that Nick mentions were clearly the eyes of God, because God sees everything and watches over just how badly materialism affects people like Daisy and Tom. God knows that all they believe in is the power of possessions and wealth, and do not care about anyone else, but themselves. Also near the end as Wilson is explaining the argument he had before his wife’s death it says, “‘I took her the window and I said, God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing.’ ” After what Wilson says Michaelis notices, “with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of T.J Eckleburg […].” “‘God sees everything,’ repeated Wilson,” (159.) The billboard’s eyes are the reason why Wilson believes he must work so
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.
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).
The Great Gatsby shows us the decline of civilization with the loss of thought for God and religion. God is merely mentioned at all in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, except for the eyes of T.J. Eckleberg on the billboard. This notion suggests that capitalism is above God among the rich and powerful. The rich and powerful are blind to the notion of God and religion.
Throughout the Great Gatsby, the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg are used repeatedly throughout the story as a god-like figure. The eyes of this billboard look out over the Valley of Ashes and watch quietly as demoralizing events occur: “God sees everything,”
out towards a green light. At the time it is not revealed to us that this
In novels, the use of symbols makes the story interesting and essential to the readers. Symbols are messages that the author uses to communicate with the reader for a deeper understanding, although sometimes it can only be discovered if analyzed. Fitzgerald connects the different symbols throughout the novel to pinpoint an elaborate meaning towards the story yet it does indicate a pleasant meaning. A symbol such as “color” or “money” can be less complex than it seems. Whereas a symbol as complicated as the “eye” can mean more than it’s suggested for. Throughout The Great Gatsby symbolism represent color, the existence of eyes and money.
Doctor T.J. Eckelburg’s eyes symbolize God watching down on the Valley of Ashes, judging over society and their actions. The colossal eyes are all seeing and all knowing, scrutinizing all the corrupt lifestyles and values amongst the characters in Gatsby. Fitzgerald’s use of diction in creating the mood, centering around T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes, supports the immorality and the carelessness seen in the community. Nick goes on to state, “But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under the sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground,” (24). This line illustrates how the billboard has been neglected throughout the years, which suggests that God has been neglected as well, abandoning America and leaving behind the empty eyes of T.J. Eckleburg just as the people who abandoned their spiritual values in order to gain material wealth....
Jay Gatsby is one of the few characters that has come significantly close to being successful in achieving his version of the American Dream, while others were scrounging to have a stable state of living in the “Jazz Age”. F. Scott Fitzgerald shows how the richer occupants in the East Egg have little to none tolerance for the lesser few in West Egg. The symbolism of the green light, billboard and Valley of Ashes assists the plot and emphasizes the themes in the novel.
Signs, billboards, and advertisements entice people to buy new products. Some of these signs are projected to stand as mirrors and reflect the choices and actions that people make. Throughout the 1920s, people gradually took charge and spent beyond their means, not taking a second glance to perceive what the purpose of these signs were. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald distinguishes the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg on a billboard to convey remorse for the loss of spiritual values within the people in their quest to achieve wealth, signifying the meaninglessness of the world and how their blindness overtakes them.
World War I brought new views on religion to the United States, it ended just before the 1920s so these views were carried over. Some turned to god, while others turned away. Morals were changing in that people spent their time and money on completely different things now. Religion had been the basis of many people’s lives before this, making this way of thinking and acting brand new. In The Great Gatsby, Doctor T. J. Eckleburg’s eyes symbolize god and how traditional religion and morality are sinking away from everyday life.
It is the place where Tom discloses to George that the car that killed Myrtle was Gatsby’s ultimately sealing his fate. All of these misdeeds are watched over by the glaring eyes of T.J Eckleburg. Wilson explicitly states the relationship between the billboard and god in discussion with Michaelis after Myrtles death. He says "I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God. ‘God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!” (Fitzgerald, 152) whilst staring out the window and towards the billboard. All of the “immoral” activity occurring under the watchful eyes of T.J Eckleburg suggests god now watches over a “sinful” land, full of corruption and
The Great Gatsby does an excellent job showing the reader the neglect for spiritual values in America, and how Americans believed there was no greater power watching over them. Throughout the 1920’s by using the famous eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. Dr. T.J. Eckleburg was an optometrist in New York. His choice of advertising is strange but extremely symbolic to the theme. In the Valley of ashes, his eyes are painted on a billboard that looks down on everyone. These eyes are constantly watching the people slowly give up their values and beliefs. It’s obvious that the eyes on the billboard are consistently watching the people toss away their values because of how the billboard is designed. Nick describes the sign like this, “The eyes are blue and gigantic- their ...
Symbols and Symbolism in The Great Gatsby - Symbolism and the Truth That Lies Between
Symbolism in The Great Gatsby Symbolism is what makes a story complete. In "The Great Gatsby" Fitzgerald cleverly uses symbolism. Virtually anything in the novel can be taken as a symbol, from the weather, to the colors of clothing. characters wear. There are three main symbols used in The Great Gatsby, they are The East and West Egg, the green light at the end of Daisy's dock, and the eyes of Dr.T.J. Eckleburg.
Though success lies at the heart of the American dream, Fitzgerald deftly portrays the ease with which this sacred idea can become tainted by commenting on the corruption of wealth. Gatsby exemplifies the American dream in his ideals, in this case the desire for success and self-substantiation; however, this dream become corrupted because he is not able to distinguish the acquisition of wealth from the pursuit of his dream, embodied by Daisy, and is tainted by the illicit foundations of his wealth as well as his desires for an unsuitable married woman. Fitzgerald uses the symbol of the green light at the beginning of the novel to represent Gatsby’s dream and even uses the light to introduce him for the first time. “He [Gatsby] stretched his arms out towards the dark water in a curious way, and as far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward- and distinguished nothing but a single green light, minute and far away”(Fitzgerald 26). The author uses the light to represent the American dream; initially the color green represented fertility, which plays a prominent role in the dream, but as the story progresses the green light grows to symbolize money. In his essay “Money, Love, and Aspiration”, Roger Lewis discusses the means by which Gatsby amasses his wealth and poisons his dream.