The Great Gatsby, written in 1925 by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, focuses on a man named Jay Gatsby who lives a wealthy life that most people would dream of having. The novel has impressed numerous critics with the usage of language like diction, metaphors, and allusions but more so of the imagery, which affects the mood and emphasizes the importance of certain events in “The Great Gatsby”. “Imagery is usually thought to use particular words to create a visual representation of ideas in a reader’s mind, but it is also the use of figurative language to represent objects, actions, and ideas in a way that makes it appeal to the reader’s physical sense” (Bavota 1). Arguably, through the mesmerizing language that F. Scott Fitzgerald creates The Great
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On a billboard between West Egg and the city in New York in an area called “The Valley of Ashes”, the pair of eyes is “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 nonexistent nose...But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood over the solemn dumping ground” (Fitzgerald 23). His eyes parallel to that of God, though such a figure is nonexistence in the lives of the “lost generation” for they have replaced God with materialism. Because religion which was once held important in societal values no longer plays a role in identity of those illustrates the loss of decency and purity among its citizens has distorted and corrupted the Americans Dream. America lacked morals and faith in God in the 1920s. As T.J Eckleburg’s eyes look out to West Egg, the reader can put Gatsby in place of T.J Eckleburg and come to a conclusion that Gatsby was looking at his corrupted self in the luxurious West Egg where his true self was really in a barren land made of ashes. Critic Tom Burnam reasons that the eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg is “a symbol of Gatsby’s dream serve both as a focus and an undeviating base, a single point of reference in the midst of a monstrous disorder” (Burnam …show more content…
His inability to win Daisy over and the small amount of mourners at his funeral displays Gatsby’s empty ambition. It is clear that Gatsby intent was to gain a pretentious amount of wealth to impress Daisy and win her over. After achieving riches by questionable methods, one can see that Gatsby is no longer interested in winning Daisy over rather Gatsby is obsessed about showing off his materialistic wealth. After meeting Daisy for the first time in many years, Gatsby “took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them, one by one before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel” to convey how he has become a man of power in society (92). This act of showing off portrays how Gatsby veered off from his original intent of loving Daisy, instead we witness the metamorphosis of a beast infatuated with tangible items. One would expect Gatsby to embrace Daisy out of burning love, but instead he proceeds to toss shirts to the point where Daisy states, “They’re such beautiful shirts”, she sobbed her voice muffled in the thick folds” (92). The tears sobbed represent how Daisy realizes that they can never be together due to their different worlds. In addition, Gatsby truly believes he can turn back the hand of time with his wealth. Again, his inability to realize his flaws will soon lead him to his
On a billboard between West Egg and the city in New York in an area called “The Valley of Ashes”, the pair of eyes is “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 nonexistent nose...But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood over the solemn dumping ground” (Fitzgerald 23). His eyes parallel to that of God, though such a figure is nonexistence in the lives of the “lost generation” for they have replaced God with materialism. Because religion which was once held important in societal values no longer plays a role in identity of those illustrates the loss of decency and purity among its citizens has distorted and corrupted the Americans Dream. America lacked morals and faith in God in the 1920s. As T.J Eckleburg’s eyes look out to West Egg, the reader can put Gatsby in place of T.J Eckleburg and come to a conclusion that Gatsby was looking at his corrupted self in the luxurious West Egg where his true self was really in a barren land made of ashes. Critic Tom Burnam reasons that the eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg is “a symbol of Gatsby’s dream serve both as a focus and an undeviating base, a single point of reference in the midst of a monstrous disorder” (Burnam …show more content…
His inability to win Daisy over and the small amount of mourners at his funeral displays Gatsby’s empty ambition. It is clear that Gatsby intent was to gain a pretentious amount of wealth to impress Daisy and win her over. After achieving riches by questionable methods, one can see that Gatsby is no longer interested in winning Daisy over rather Gatsby is obsessed about showing off his materialistic wealth. After meeting Daisy for the first time in many years, Gatsby “took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them, one by one before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel” to convey how he has become a man of power in society (92). This act of showing off portrays how Gatsby veered off from his original intent of loving Daisy, instead we witness the metamorphosis of a beast infatuated with tangible items. One would expect Gatsby to embrace Daisy out of burning love, but instead he proceeds to toss shirts to the point where Daisy states, “They’re such beautiful shirts”, she sobbed her voice muffled in the thick folds” (92). The tears sobbed represent how Daisy realizes that they can never be together due to their different worlds. In addition, Gatsby truly believes he can turn back the hand of time with his wealth. Again, his inability to realize his flaws will soon lead him to his