Aidan Spataro Mr. Jefferson English 3P 3/13/24 The American Dream, The Wealthy, and Lack of Morality. The 1920s was a captivating time of new technology, music, fashion, and culture. The 1920s is commonly known as the “roaring” twenties due to dramatic changes in society. Not everyone experienced the “roaring” side of the twenties. People living in impoverished areas such as farms, rural towns, and labor towns did not get to experience the fascinating 1920’s. In the novel, The Great Gatsby the author F. Scott Fitzgerald, uses literary elements such as Symbolism, Setting, Plot, and Character to criticize the American dream, the lack of morality, and the wealthy. Fitzgerald criticizes the wealthy by using literary elements such as symbolism and …show more content…
They pass by a small town by the name of Valley of Ashes. Nick is observing through the train windows as he sees a large billboard that reads Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. Nick explains, “The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic—their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose. Evidently, some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice in the borough of Queens, and then sank himself into eternal blindness, or forgot them and moved away. But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground” (Fitzgerald 24). Nick sees the eyes of Doctor Eckleburg and describes them in a very particular way. Fitzgerald uses the eyes to represent God. In the 1920s people didn't worship God, which Fitzgerald demonstrates by the billboard being old, rusty, and rundown. Fitzgerald also uses the place where God is to show how he only watches over the poor, less fortunate group of people. People in the 1920s went crazy and broke the law as if it didn’t exist. In addition, during chapter three, Nick and Jordan are looking for …show more content…
A stout, middle-aged man, with enormous owl-eyed spectacles, was sitting somewhat drunk on the edge of a great table, staring with unsteady concentration at the shelves of books'' (Fitzgerald 45). Nick and Jordan walk into Gatsby's library and find a man, drunk with large owl-eyed glasses. As Fitzgerald already portrays God as being left out and forgotten, he also uses Owl Eyes to portray Jesus as being part of the ‘roaring’ twenties. The Large spectacle worn by Owl Eyes is a close resemblance to Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. Owl Eyes is drunk during the story and says he has been drunk for the past week, showing that even Jesus has been forgotten and has even started to enjoy the life of the twenties. Fitzgerald critiques the lack of morality in the 1920’s by showing that God and Jesus have been forgotten. Fitzgerald also criticizes the American dream by using literary elements such as symbolism and plot. At the end of chapter one, Nick is getting home from the Buchanon's house, Nick sees Gatsby on the edge of his dock reaching for something out in the water. As Nick thought to himself, “I could have sworn he was
Let’s be real, we’ve all had dreams of being rich. Growing up in the 2000’s, I was lucky to get introduced to the World Wide Web: a place where people who know about business go to sell their goods or services and become millionaires. Fast forward eighteen years later, and some of the start-ups of the early 2000’s are now worth billions of dollars. Take Jeff Bezos’ Amazon Book Selling Company for example, or Elon Musk’s PayPal. The internet is still a good way to grow a business and potentially make
The American Dream--which says, "that this country is the land of opportunity and that anyone can achieve success through hard work" (Fitzgerald)-- has been altered to fit people's priorities and ambitions. In The Great Gatsby many lived the idea of the dream, some earned their wealth, where others were given it. The American Dream is still very much achievable; however, it has been perceived differently over time. The sources provided show that with hard work anything is achievable-The American
Throughout history it becomes apparent that all the great stories: The Odyssey, Great Expectations, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are all founded on a similar theme. The same plot line, a hero, most often the protagonist, faces danger and adversity to the highest extreme but always comes out on top. He is depicted as the pinnacle of human triumph and in essence, demonstrates a fundamental strength that all men should strive to achieve. These stories were, “ full of darkness and danger. And
The rumors about Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani being more than just friends won’t stop and now a source close to Blake is even sharing that there could really be something there between these two. US Magazine shared that The Voice coaches really are flirting on the show and that it could turn into something more. This sources makes it sound like Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton are not officially a couple yet. One insider says that they “are the real thing.” Shelton and Stefani are both newly single
Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, explores the themes love, lawlessness and fraud, three prominent themes throughout America during the 1920’s. The novel delves into the life of Jay Gatsby and its triumphs and tragedies, as narrated by Nick Caraway. Descriptive language infatuates the audience with Gatsby and leads them to believe he is great. However, some revelations via first person narration soon throw into question whether he is indeed great or not. Through the application of
Near his elegant lawns, Gatsby has multiple gardens full of “the sparkling odor of jonquils and the frothy odor of hawthorn and plum blossoms.” The entirety of his lawns and gardens takes up an astounding “forty acres.” The entrance to his house is fronted by “marble steps.” The
the novel The Great Gatsby may be pulled from the Senior English reading list as part of the implementation of the upcoming Senior Australian Curriculum. After reading The Great Gatsby myself, I realised that its timeless theme are relevant to modern readers and its aesthetic features can serve as a language model for students. As a result, this classic text is of
American Dream in roaring twenties is perfectly illustrated in Scott Fitzgerald’s fiction work titled the Great Gatsby. People in this era were spending money lavishly and living life to the fullest because they had this motto, that who knows if tomorrow we would die and let’s just have some fun, due to living in post-war decade. They liked to throw a big party just like the charater Gatsby and tend to dress strikingly just like what is potrayed in Daisy. Climbing up the social status is actually
generation, and through his talent of storytelling we live together with the characters of each story or novel. The main theme of his works is the concept of the American Dream and the American life that fully reflected in his popular novel The Great Gatsby. The American Dream could not but became
In “The Great Gatsby”, F. Scott Fitzgerald brings a view of the American society in the 1920’s. The 1920’s were a time of drinking, parties, and having a good time. Many people strove for success, so they could be apart of the upper class. It was very difficult for people to be self-made in the twenties, because most Americans who were in the upper class were born rich. Fitzgerald denounces the American Dream because the characters were from old money, new money, and working class. They all fail
The novel, The Great Expectations surrounds the protagonist Pip's journey from childhood into adulthood and his unconditional love towards rich girl, Estella whom he has been in love with since his younger years. She soon becomes the centre of his life, for everything he does, is to claim her love. He receives a fortune from an anonymous benefactor which then places himself as socially equal to his beloved. However, Pip’s journey faces many complications and his somewhat delusion to thinking he and
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald examines core American values and addresses the hypocrisies and contradictions which are fundamental to the American Dream. Fitzgerald is credited with writing the quintessential American novel, one which has not been surpassed to this day. Gatsby, through its use of symbols and subtle, engaging scenes manages to communicate a excellent commentary on the state of the American Dream during the quickly changing times of the 1920s. With the constant changes and improvements
Throughout your life you have almost certainly heard of someone pursuing or chasing the American dream, but is the American dream what it once was? The Great Gatsby a realistic fiction by F. Scott Fitzgerald revolves around Jay Gatsby a ostentatious and mysterious young man who lives on a part of Long Island, New York called West Egg. He pursues his love Daisy from before he went off to fight in a war by using immense wealth he acquired through gambling and selling illegal liquor during prohibition
this pursuit of the American Dream, Jay Gatsby. Gatsby believed in the American Dream. He believes that through hard work and dedication, any man can accomplish their dream. Although some may argue that Gatsby attained wealth through his own hard work, Gatsby was actually given a gift of wealth through taking part in illegal activities such as bootlegging, and this gift came with complex consequences, both positive and negative. The material wealth that Gatsby did acquire had some very positive effects
The Great Gatsby Paper In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby he shows how the class with more money is not what you think they are. In a fairytale world, you have a never- ending supply of cold, hard cash, and every dream can instantly become a reality.. People believe that money can buy happiness, or that money can help them achieve the illusive “American Dream.” Fitzgerald shows how this is not reality. Jay Gatsby was not always rich and “well known” throughout the East Egg.The Great Gatsby