Picture this. It’s the age of anxiety. People and ideals are scattered about like lights in the sky, with WW1 looming over the consciousness of the people. In these times, a man named Francis Scott Fitzgerald sits over a desk pondering the events that he just barely avoided. This is the birthplace of a quite influential lovechild, The Great Gatsby. A book filled with the embodiment of the times, anxiety and worry dotting a big illuminated banner. The American dream-- quite the ambitious idea to tackle-- is something present in all, despite the label of ‘American’.The idea of just wanting something so bad, even obsessively so, is something Fitzgerald heavily criticizes. Fitzgerald’s use of duality strongly conveys the hypocrisy of the American
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In the same manner, Fitzgerald has many faces, he shows the reader them quite often through how he clearly communicates deceit. Vocalizing how personalities are fluid and not controlled by any outsider. An example can be seen in Gatsby when Fitzgerald describes him, after Daisy, as a man who was ‘broken up like glass’ (pg 148). As you can see, Fitzgerald wants to make a spectacle of Gatsby. He is such a strong figure, constantly pursuing his dream, but now he crashes to Earth. Fitzgerald likes to do this with his characters, showing a motif like duality after one thinks they truly understand them. An interesting case of this can be seen in Daisy. Daisy is presented as a pure girl, surrounded in the colors of white and gold. Practically a goddess in the novel, but contradicted by the descriptor of her voice ‘a death-less song.’. (pg 96) Fitzgerald takes this notion and twists it, revealing how Daisy truly is. Since Daisy is Gatsby’s …show more content…
For instance, the valley of ashes depicts the daily life of the lower class, described by Fitzgerald as ‘a dismal scene’ (pg 24), but readers only hear about the wealthy and their interaction with the place. Fitzgerald seems to want to highlight how the wealthy give these poor people an out per say. Allowing them (like Myrtle) to try and escape and achieve their “American dream”. This is Fitzgerald allowing the reader to get a quick insight on his thoughts towards the middle class and their dreams. Wealth is also discussed when Fitzgerald refers the ‘less fashionable’ West Egg and the ‘White palace’ East Egg (pg 5). The contrast between the two places is made very clear, as they represent similar but different classes. Those who had come into money during the war, and those who always had it. Fitzgerald uses duality here to exaggerate the difference between the two social groups and how they never join. Speaking of social groups, Daisy and Tom’s house is definitely a symbol of inner corruption, as the inside is described with words like ‘cheerful red- white Georgian Colonial’(pg 6). However, the events that transpire during the novel can lead to a reader distinguishing how not ‘cheerful’ the house is. All of these examples express Fitzgerald’s opinion growing because as he was writing the book he had developed opinions, but as he wrote on, he seems to become more cynical and skeptical of the ideas associated
In the same manner, Fitzgerald has many faces, he shows the reader them quite often through how he clearly communicates deceit. Vocalizing how personalities are fluid and not controlled by any outsider. An example can be seen in Gatsby when Fitzgerald describes him, after Daisy, as a man who was ‘broken up like glass’ (pg 148). As you can see, Fitzgerald wants to make a spectacle of Gatsby. He is such a strong figure, constantly pursuing his dream, but now he crashes to Earth. Fitzgerald likes to do this with his characters, showing a motif like duality after one thinks they truly understand them. An interesting case of this can be seen in Daisy. Daisy is presented as a pure girl, surrounded in the colors of white and gold. Practically a goddess in the novel, but contradicted by the descriptor of her voice ‘a death-less song.’. (pg 96) Fitzgerald takes this notion and twists it, revealing how Daisy truly is. Since Daisy is Gatsby’s …show more content…
For instance, the valley of ashes depicts the daily life of the lower class, described by Fitzgerald as ‘a dismal scene’ (pg 24), but readers only hear about the wealthy and their interaction with the place. Fitzgerald seems to want to highlight how the wealthy give these poor people an out per say. Allowing them (like Myrtle) to try and escape and achieve their “American dream”. This is Fitzgerald allowing the reader to get a quick insight on his thoughts towards the middle class and their dreams. Wealth is also discussed when Fitzgerald refers the ‘less fashionable’ West Egg and the ‘White palace’ East Egg (pg 5). The contrast between the two places is made very clear, as they represent similar but different classes. Those who had come into money during the war, and those who always had it. Fitzgerald uses duality here to exaggerate the difference between the two social groups and how they never join. Speaking of social groups, Daisy and Tom’s house is definitely a symbol of inner corruption, as the inside is described with words like ‘cheerful red- white Georgian Colonial’(pg 6). However, the events that transpire during the novel can lead to a reader distinguishing how not ‘cheerful’ the house is. All of these examples express Fitzgerald’s opinion growing because as he was writing the book he had developed opinions, but as he wrote on, he seems to become more cynical and skeptical of the ideas associated