Examples Of The Prodigal Son In The Great Gatsby

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The word “prodigal” originates from Latin roots that together mean “to drive forth.” It signifies the quality of one that drives forth his/her money by spending with reckless abandon, which is present in the Biblical parable the ”Prodigal Son.” A father has two sons, the younger desperately impatient to receive his inheritance. So, the prodigal son demands of his father to receive his inheritance before he passes away. In other words, the son diminishes the tragedy of his father’s eventual death to a null by hastily requesting possessions he may need right now. Astonishingly enough, the father grants his son’s wish, reflecting God’s indulgence toward his people, even when they behave so selfishly. Next, the son gather’s his inheritance and abandons the Holy Land in order to …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, is the epitome of a “self-made” man. He rose from an impoverished childhood to become excessively wealthy by participating in organized crime, “bootlegging.” He always longed for wealth and sophistication, but all for the sole purpose of winning Daisy back from Tom Buchanan. Gatsby’s means to this end – his monstrously ornate mansion, weekly lavish parties, Rolls-Royce and pink suit - make him a perpetrator of avarice.
Once Gatsby’s dream of Daisy fades away –similar to the iconic representation of the fading green light on the dock- so does the “driving forth” of Gatsby’s money. His dream of her disintegrates, much like the American Dream that was prominent in the 1920s. Thus, Fitzgerald portrays that not only Gatsby is guilty of this thirst for wealth, whether it have a purpose or not. Many Americans in this time period were subordinates of the sins of avarice and prodigality. The Seventh Canto of Dante’s Inferno is home to Gatsby, the newly rich inhabitants of West Egg, and many others alike. While Gatsby embodies West Egg, the Prodigal Son embodies East Egg – old aristocracy - easily inheriting and recklessly spending

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