Modernism In The Great Gatsby Analysis

The era of modernism brought with it many new things. New outlooks on the world, new interests, new ideas. The modernist writing contained all of that as well, one of the best examples being The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby shows modernism in many different ways, most of the ways through one of more of the characters and intense symbolism. Through the life and struggles of Jay Gatsby, along with his characterization, F. Scott Fitzgerald shows modernistic ideas of a loss of faith in the american dream and a rejection of the infallible hero.

In the Great Gatsby one of the strongest examples of modernism is in the disillusionment in the american dream that the novel portrays, shown through the struggles of Jay Gatsby’s life and relationships.

Jay Gatsby, starting out as a poor, penniless soldier, works his way to what he wants to accomplish albeit through ethically questionable means. On the surface it would almost seem as if he does achieve the american dream, but upon looking closer you find that is not true. Gatsby 's dream isn’t to have money, it’s to have Daisy. To have her, and her love, and have that all to himself. He wants to be with her and he wants to be happy, A goal he never achieves before his untimely death. Through Gatsby we take an almost rollercoaster like trip of ups and downs in hope in the american dream. It starts with him being young and in love and full of hope for the future, then begins to dip down a bit as he cannot return to Daisy and she

“The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God—a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that—and he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end.” (Fitzgerald 98) Gatsby started out life poor and unknown, and in order to become known and rich he had to not only deal in illegality, but also make a whole new version of himself. James Gats had to become JAy Gatsby before anything could happen. Jay Gatsby was not a hero by definition modern day definition. He was an ordinary guy, and one with a questionable moral conduct at that. Jay was willing to break the law and go pretty far into the dark side of society in order to achieve his goals and claw his way to the top. He was a flawed, corrupted character who got by on his charisma and good looks. A very large contrast from the pure hearted naive romance heroes who had a perfect moral compass and a heart of gold. The only good thing about him was his hope for the future and his pure love of Daisy, and even that doesn’t last. “My thesis is that the