Fitzgerald uses devices like Dr T. J. Eckleburg, The Valley of Ashes, The Green Light, cars and colours in ‘The Great Gatsby’ to convey varying themes such as hope, longing, foreboding and one of the main themes, corruption, specifically corruption of the American Dream.
Ever since Henry Ford unveiled the first model T in the early 20th century cars have been viewed as status symbols and it is no different in ‘The Great Gatsby’. The cars used by Gatsby and Tom highlight their disparity, and also emphasise the rift between old and new money. For Gatsby, cars are one of the methods available to him to show his wealth as he owns many, one of which is the vividly yellow Rolls Royce with ‘monstrous length’ and is ‘terraced with a labyrinth of wind-shields …show more content…
(1) The ‘monstrous length’, yellow colour and ‘labyrinth of wind-shields’ represent Gatsby’s need to show off his affluence, a classic trait of the ‘nouveau riche’ in society that were seen as vulgar in their extravagant showing of wealth. The reason that the car is yellow is likely to attract or is a homage to Daisy, as for Gatsby, Daisy represents his desire, but also money. However, the fact that the car is yellow signifies Gatsby’s corruption with his involvement in bootlegging and has a sense of fraud, because yellow is an imitation of gold hinting that Gatsby’s pursuit of and current wealth is shallow and only an imitation. In contrast, Tom owns a sleek coupé, which is high end and elegant, yet also modest as it would blend in with the commonly black cars seen in 1920s America. He also has a lack of interest in cars, as shown by the fact that his garage was converted into stables. This represents ‘old money’ and highlights Gatsby’s misguided attempts to fit in with the wealthy, as when he is invited to go riding, he can only reply that he ‘has never owned’ a horse, revealing his inadequacy. Moreover, cars are closely linked with recklessness, particularly the recklessness of the rich and are used to create foreboding of Myrtle’s death. Prior to Myrtle’s …show more content…
J. Eckleburg, that Wilson calls ‘God’. The eyes of Dr T. J. Eckleburg are ‘vacant’, ‘look[ing] out from no face, but, instead from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose’. (2) The portrayal of his eyes looking down upon the Valley of Ashes with yellow glasses shows God looking down on a morally corrupt wasteland and doing nothing about it, only maintaining a ‘watchful vigil’, suggesting that God is no longer watching over people as his eyes are ‘vacant’. Fitzgerald uses Dr T. J. Eckleburg to criticise society and capitalism, which has separated people from God, as shown by the fact that he is looking through yellow spectacles, which show the rampant corruption in society, due to the desperate chasing of the American
Ever since Henry Ford unveiled the first model T in the early 20th century cars have been viewed as status symbols and it is no different in ‘The Great Gatsby’. The cars used by Gatsby and Tom highlight their disparity, and also emphasise the rift between old and new money. For Gatsby, cars are one of the methods available to him to show his wealth as he owns many, one of which is the vividly yellow Rolls Royce with ‘monstrous length’ and is ‘terraced with a labyrinth of wind-shields …show more content…
(1) The ‘monstrous length’, yellow colour and ‘labyrinth of wind-shields’ represent Gatsby’s need to show off his affluence, a classic trait of the ‘nouveau riche’ in society that were seen as vulgar in their extravagant showing of wealth. The reason that the car is yellow is likely to attract or is a homage to Daisy, as for Gatsby, Daisy represents his desire, but also money. However, the fact that the car is yellow signifies Gatsby’s corruption with his involvement in bootlegging and has a sense of fraud, because yellow is an imitation of gold hinting that Gatsby’s pursuit of and current wealth is shallow and only an imitation. In contrast, Tom owns a sleek coupé, which is high end and elegant, yet also modest as it would blend in with the commonly black cars seen in 1920s America. He also has a lack of interest in cars, as shown by the fact that his garage was converted into stables. This represents ‘old money’ and highlights Gatsby’s misguided attempts to fit in with the wealthy, as when he is invited to go riding, he can only reply that he ‘has never owned’ a horse, revealing his inadequacy. Moreover, cars are closely linked with recklessness, particularly the recklessness of the rich and are used to create foreboding of Myrtle’s death. Prior to Myrtle’s …show more content…
J. Eckleburg, that Wilson calls ‘God’. The eyes of Dr T. J. Eckleburg are ‘vacant’, ‘look[ing] out from no face, but, instead from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose’. (2) The portrayal of his eyes looking down upon the Valley of Ashes with yellow glasses shows God looking down on a morally corrupt wasteland and doing nothing about it, only maintaining a ‘watchful vigil’, suggesting that God is no longer watching over people as his eyes are ‘vacant’. Fitzgerald uses Dr T. J. Eckleburg to criticise society and capitalism, which has separated people from God, as shown by the fact that he is looking through yellow spectacles, which show the rampant corruption in society, due to the desperate chasing of the American