Mirrors never lie. They reveal each and every intricate feature of a person, which otherwise would not be visible to him/her. Mirrors reflect how one looks on the outside. However, what sheds light on one’s innermost appearance? For centuries, literature has served as rearview mirror for our society reflecting the culture, morals, and beliefs of our past. Literature shows us who we were, who we are, and who we could be. This feature is reflected through the use of both themes and literary devices. For example, the theme of oppression is displayed in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby; this shows us some of the real-life attitudes displayed toward women, lower social classes, and non-white races.
One of the reflections Fitzgerald reveals to us is the oppression of women. He accomplishes this by exposing the injustices that they had to encounter. After World War I, women had gained not only new jobs, but also the right to vote. This gave the women of the 1920s freedom and independence (Hanson 55). However, in The Great Gatsby, women are depicted as objects (Affroni) that are weak, impure (Tunc 74), and mostly dependent on men (Affroni). Contrary to the modern woman, most of the women in the novel were reliant on men to satisfy their financial needs because they did not have jobs (Affroni). This bounded them to their husbands and limited their freedom in a time of endless possibilities for women. Nonetheless, not only did this restrict their freedom, but it also kept them from reaching their full potential as members of the society (Affroni). One of these women could have had a unique talent that could be beneficial to the workforce. However, because they did not have to support themselves through a job, they were never able to ...
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Hanson, Erica. A Cultural History of the United States Through the Decades: the 1920s. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1999. Print.
Schreier, Benjamin. “Desire’s Second Act: ‘race’ and The Great Gatsby’s Cynical Americanism.” Twentieth Century Literature. 53.2 (2007): 153+. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 4 Apr. 2014 .
Stocks, Claire. “‘All men are [not] created equal’: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby: Claire Stocks illustrates how the narrator’s bias towards this novel’s hero is central to the critique of belief in the ‘American Dream’.” The English Review. 17.3 (2007): 9+. Student Edition. Web. 4 Apr. 2014. .
Tunc, Tanfer Emin. “The Great Gatsby: The Tragedy of the American Dream on Long Island’s Gold Coast.” The American Dream. Eds. Bloom, Harold and Blake Hobby. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009. 67-69. PDF.
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
The character of Gatsby and Fitzgerald’s commentary on the logical fallacies of the American Dream are closely intertwined, which is why Fitzgerald goes to such great lengths to separate the two. By distinguishing Gatsby from the flaws he possesses allows the reader to care for Gatsby, and the impact of his death all the more powerful when it finally occurs. By making Gatsby a victim of the American Dream rather than just the embodiment of it, Fitzgerald is able to convince his audience of the iniquity of the American Dream by making them mourn the life of the poor son-of-a-bitch
Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Views- F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Print.
Raleigh, John Henry. "F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby: Legendary Bases and Allegorical Significances." F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Arthur Mizener. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1963. 99-103.
Through the use of symbolism and critique, F. Scott Fitzgerald is able to elucidate the lifestyles and dreams of variously natured people of the 1920s in his novel, The Great Gatsby. He uses specific characters to signify diverse groups of people, each with their own version of the “American Dream.” Mostly all of the poor dream of transforming from “rags to riches”, while some members of the upper class use other people as their motivators. In any case, no matter how obsessed someone may be about their “American Dream”, Fitzgerald reasons that they are all implausible to attain.
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
Possnock, Ross. " 'A New World, Material Without Being Real': Fitzgerald's Critique of Capitalism in The Great Gatsby." Critical Essays on Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1984. 201-213.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is an absurd story, whether considered as romance, melodrama, or plain record of New York high life. The occasional insights into character stand out as very green oases on an arid desert of waste paper. Throughout the first half of the book the author shadows his leading character in mystery, but when in the latter part he unfolds his life story it is difficult to find the brains, the cleverness, and the glamour that one might expect of a main character.
The 1920’s was a time of great change to both the country lived in as well as the goals and ambitions that were sought after by the average person. During this time, priorities shifted from family and religion to success and spontaneous living. The American dream, itself, changed into a self centered and ongoing personal goal that was the leading priority in most people’s lives. This new age of carelessness and naivety encompasses much of what this earlier period is remembered for. In addition, this revolution transformed many of the great writers and authors of the time as well as their various works. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, perfectly symbolizes many emergent trends of the 1920’s. More importantly the character of Jay Gatsby is depicted as a man amongst his American dream and the trials he faces in the pursuit of its complete achievement. His drive for acquiring the girl of his dreams, Daisy Buchanan, through gaining status and wealth shows many aspects of the authors view on the American dream. Through this, one can hope to disassemble the complex picture that is Fitzgerald’s view of this through the novel. Fitzgerald believes, through his experiences during the 1920’s, that only fractions of the American Dream are attainable, and he demonstrates this through three distinct images in The Great Gastby.
In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald explores the idea of the American Dream as well as the portrayal of social classes. Fitzgerald carefully sets up his novel into distinct social groups but, in the end, each group has its own problems to contend with, leaving a powerful reminder of what a precarious place the world really is. By creating two distinct social classes ‘old money’ and ‘new money’, Fitzgerald sends strong messages about the elitism underlying and moral corruption society. The idea of the American dream is the ideal that opportunity is available to any American, allowing their highest aspirations and goals to be achieved. In the case of The Great Gatsby it centres on the attainment of wealth and status to reach certain positions in life,
Many people refer to the United States as the“Land of Equality”. The nation has become a melting pot of people from different cultures, backgrounds, and of different ethnicities. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1920s work of fiction, The Great Gatsby, young bond salesman Nick Carraway moves from Minnesota to the affluent West Egg neighborhood in New York City. While there he befriends Jay Gatsby and agrees to set him up with his second cousin Daisy, who is Gatsby’s former lover. Unfortunately, Daisy is already a happily married woman. Despite this, Gatsby is determined to achieve his dream as his obsession for Daisy grows stronger by the day. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes the theme of obsession to allude to the movements of lower
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is set in the 1920s when the Jazz Age was at its peak, and immigrants seeking fast fortune set their eyes to the United States to obtain the American Dream. Fitzgerald’s theme throughout the novel is the idea that the American Dream that many individuals set out to obtain a rags to riches story is a myth. Gatsby and George Wilson are portrayals of those who strive to gain wealth as fast as possible, and will do anything in their power to get what they want. As society framed the American dream as an optimistic form of pursuing your goals, Fitzgerald makes a stubble nod and racial hierarchies that were formed from this idea. Though they represent individuals striving for a better life, their goals and social status within the community are immensely different, and their deaths at the end of the novel symbolize the death and decline of the American dream.
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald took place in the 1920’s when the nation was undergoing rapid economic, political, and social change. Looking through different literary lenses the reader is able to see the effects of these rapid changes. The marxist lens reflects the gap between rich and poor while the feminist lens showcases the patriarchal society.
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.