In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald discusses many themes of the 1920s, with a specific focus on the rich and idle class, the “old money,” those whose wealth allows them to be careless and destructive without consequences. In the novel, this group of people is characterized by Tom and Daisy- a couple who moves leisurely through life, destroying relationships and lives without knowing or caring. Tom’s privileged upbringing has made the concepts of morality and responsibility completely foreign to him, and he is the driving force in this mutually corrupt relationship: his disregard for everything except his own personal pleasure shapes the interactions between him and Daisy. Daisy on the other hand is a blank slate, a mirror of her surroundings, an empty-headed, whimsical girl who just wants to have fun. The carelessness afforded to her by Tom’s money and influence, and, by extension, Tom’s own habits of carelessness, molds Daisy into a sad shell of a person. Daisy is not inherently corrupt and destructive, as Tom is, but it makes no difference as Tom has already passed the worst of his characteristics onto her. Indeed, it is Daisy, not Tom, who performs the ultimate sin at the end of the novel, and it is Daisy, not Tom, who shirks away from taking responsibility for this terrible deed and instead allows innocent lives to be destroyed for her actions. Daisy and Tom are the perfect couple. Neither cares the slightest bit about the other and so both live absurd, dreary lives, thinking they have found happiness, while instead both have become disinterested with the ease of living they enjoy. This disinterest makes Tom and Daisy the victims of the wealth and influence that are so commonly seen as desira... ... middle of paper ... ...The Great Gatsby. 1925. New York: Scribner, 2004. Print. Lance, Jacqueline. “The Great Gatsby: Driving to Destruction with the Rich and Careless at the Wheel.” Studies in Popular Culture 23.2 (2000): 25-35. JSTOR. Web. 4 Apr. 2014. Ornstein, Robert. “Scott Fitzgerald’s Fable of East and West.” College English 18.3 (1956): 139-43. JSTOR. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. Schnieder, Daniel J. “Color-Symbolism in The Great Gatsby.” University Review 31 (1964): 13-18. Vashon Island School District. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. Uenishi, Tetsuo. “Are the Rich Different?: Creating a Culture of Wealth in The Great Gatsby.” Japanese Journal of American Studies 22 (2011): 89-107. Wadax. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. Wang, Ya-huei. “A Psychoanalytic Interpretation of Gatsby’s Faulty Perception of Reality in The Great Gatsby.” Voice of Academia 7.1 (2012): 62-71. Universiti Teknologi Mara. Web. 6 Apr. 2014.
During Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, it is apparent to be an absurd time for the wealthy. The shallowness of money, riches, and a place in a higher social class were probably the most important components in most lives at that period of time. This is expressed clearly by Fitzgerald, especially through his characters, which include Myrtle Wilson, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and of course, Jay Gatsby. This novel was obviously written to criticize and condemn the ethics of the rich.
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.
Dillon, Andrew. "The Great Gatsby: The Vitality of Illusion." The Arizona Quarterly 44 Spr. 1988: 49-61.
Cohen, Adam. "Jay Gatsby is a man for our times" The Literary Cavalcade New York: Sep 2002. Vol.55, Iss.1; Pg.1-3
Steinbrink, Jeffrey. "‘Boats Against the Current’: Morality and the Myth of Renewal in The Great Gatsby." Twentieth-Century Literature 26.2 (Summer 1980): 157-170.
Gross, Dalton, and Maryjean Gross, eds. Understanding "The Great Gatsby": A Student Casebook to Issues,
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.
The settings in The Great Gatsby reflect the socio-historic context of the novel and the nature of different characters’ pursuits of happiness. Gatsby’s residence defines him as a member of the nouveaux riches as its description makes his property seem tastelessly new, as suggested by the ‘thin beard of raw ivy’ that unattractively exposes efforts to appear aged, and characterless as a ‘factual imitation of some Hôtel-de-Ville in Normandy’ implies it is a plain copy with no creativity expended for its creation. The interior of Gatsby’s home ...
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, fatal conflicts occur due to a ubiquitous notion of boredom within the upper class. Despite common conceptions, it is apparent that an abundance of revenue becomes detrimental to the aristocratic society. Such a life of luxury promotes materialism, and leaves Tom and Daisy with the impression that wealth is the ultimate security. The idea of limitless boundaries allows for the protagonists to go about their lives however they please. Eventually, the daily routine becomes monotonous, and Fitzgerald’s characters seek new excitements.
Lehan, Richard. "The Grotesque End Product of the American Dream." In Readings on The Great Gatsby. edited by Katie de Koster. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press. 1998. 104-110.
Witkoski, Michael. "The Great Gatsby." Magill’S Survey Of American Literature, Revised Edition (2006): 1-2. Literary Reference Center. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Ed. Matthew J. Bruccoli, New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1925
‘The Great Gatsby’ is social satire commentary of America which reveals its collapse from a nation of infinite hope and opportunity to a place of moral destitution and corruption during the Jazz Age. It concentrates on people of a certain class, time and place, the individual attitudes of those people and their inner desires which cause conflict to the conventional values, defined by the society they live in. Gatsby is unwilling to combine his desires with the moral values of society and instead made his money in underhanded schemes, illegal activities, and by hurting many people to achieve the illusion of his perfect dream.
Lewis, Roger. "Money, Love, and Aspiration in The Great Gatsby." New Essays on The Great Gatsby. Ed. Matthew J. Bruccoli. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1985. 41-57.