Corruption In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

998 Words2 Pages

The American Dream, the hope for newfound wealth and success that many hold onto during their lives as they believe that they can achieve anything they set out to do. However, this “dream” may not be as ideal as it seems. In actuality, the American Dream has proven itself to bring along corruption rather than riches and happiness in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, where sin prevails all good in the world while the eyes of God hold no power against the corrupted American Dream. Through F. Scott Fitzgerald's use of the ominous motif of eyes in his novel “The Great Gatsby”, it is represented how the surreal American Dream has brought corruption to all those seeking the hope and wealth of it. As it has grown, its sins have accumulated in …show more content…

Over the course of the novel, eyes have been watching over the pure corruption of the world in complete isolation and eerie silence. One of the hauntingly quiet observers in The Great Gatsby is T.J. Eckleburg, an overshadowing billboard of two spectacled eyes placed in the dim valley of ashes. As he is first introduced to the death that lies within the valley of ashes, Nick notices “, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg” and their “blue and gigantic”(23) appearance. The extravagance of such enormous eyes juxtaposes against the bleak image that lies underneath its visage. Contrasting the two ends of this spectrum of wealth, Fitzgerald puts emphasis on both the poverty of the unfortunate landscape and the dominance of the overlooking eyes of Eckleburg. All the while, corruption, sin, and cheats sweep across the valley (infesting it along the way), only to be ignored by the seemingly powerful image. The ignorance of such corruption by the authoritative figure leads the reader to question its true power, as the billboard is represented as lacking enough strength to acknowledge the growing corruption …show more content…

This mysterious character is first introduced to Nick, our narrator, at his first attendance to the grand “Gatsby” parties. Rather than being in the crowd, indulging in alcohol, music, and overall extravagance, Owl Eyes is found “staring with unsteady concentration at the shelves of books” in Gatsby’s “ high Gothic library, panelled with carved English Oak” (45). From the start, this strange man stands out from the rest. Unlike the other party-goers, he is paying close attention to every detail around him, observing in the same manner as the previously mentioned Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. This resilience from the surreal, blurry life of constant celebration that so many American Dreamers follow through depicts how Owl Eyes is prohibiting the sin of wealth from infecting him. Instead, he plays a role of a watcher, a man who looks at the sin around him in pure concentration. However, despite having putting so much focus on the immoral lavish life that the indulgers around him live in, Owl Eyes ignores any plan of putting an end to it. At the end of the novel, this demeanor of watching over the scene with much intent is continued as Owl Eyes attends Gatsby’s lonesome funeral. Standing out from the rest once again, Owl Eyes is the only one besides Nick in attendance to the funeral for the recently fallen Gatsby. When thinking back to the many extravagant parties that Gatsby held throughout

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