Many literary critics today argue that The Great Gatsby is a timepiece novel that embodies life in the 1920s. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald perfectly captures the subjective morality of the 1920s in Gatsby. The 1920s saw the rise of Existentialism- the belief that people choose their own paths and own beliefs. Fitzgerald focuses on how the characters create their own moral guidelines and lenses based on other people, rejecting traditional institutions and moral systems. F. Scott Fitzgerald accurately portrays the 1920s in The Great Gatsby using Nick’s philosophy of reservation and the didactic symbolism of T. J. Eckleburg, in order to present the subjective morality of the 1920s.
Through Nick Carraway’s philosophy of reserving judgement, …show more content…
J. Eckleburg symbolize how modern people must find the best and most accurate viewpoint without judging others, capturing the attitude of the 1920s. When Nick first sees Eckleburg when crossing the Valley of Ashes, he narrates, “The eyes… look out of no face, but… from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles… his eyes, dimmed… by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground” (Fitzgerald 24). Nick’s description has two major implications. First, “The eyes,” though “enormous yellow spectacles,” look on and appear to judge the “dumping ground.” Second, “The paintless days” temper the eyes, symbolizing a person’s experience. Eckleberg exemplifies how both spectacles, a lense, and paintless days, experiences, give a person his/her moral viewpoint. Additionally, the eyes simply “brood on,” seemingly uncaring, at the wasteland. Even with his unparalleled experience, Eckleburg does not seem to care about the state of the “dumping ground,” revealing the lack of objectivity in society. He simply does not judge others, even with his abundant experience. Therefore, Eckleburg symbolizes Fitzgerald’s embrace of subjectivity in The Great Gatsby. In Sanders’s literary criticism, he explains Eckleburg’s relevance to American people. He writes, “What Doctor Eckleburg is advertising… is a view that ‘our perceptions, connected by our experience, must serve as guides for us, and we must seize every opportunity to widen their range and increase their accuracy’” (Sanders 26). During the 1920s, most Americans adopted the belief that everyone has his/her own moral paradigm and are neither true nor false. Fitzgerald uses Eckleburg to spread the message that people should only seek to “widen their range and increase their accuracy,” never judging what others do. The Eckleburgian vision rejects the traditional morality of the 1800s and embraces subjectivity. Thus, Fitzgerald accurately depicts the
Through Nick Carraway’s philosophy of reserving judgement, …show more content…
J. Eckleburg symbolize how modern people must find the best and most accurate viewpoint without judging others, capturing the attitude of the 1920s. When Nick first sees Eckleburg when crossing the Valley of Ashes, he narrates, “The eyes… look out of no face, but… from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles… his eyes, dimmed… by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground” (Fitzgerald 24). Nick’s description has two major implications. First, “The eyes,” though “enormous yellow spectacles,” look on and appear to judge the “dumping ground.” Second, “The paintless days” temper the eyes, symbolizing a person’s experience. Eckleberg exemplifies how both spectacles, a lense, and paintless days, experiences, give a person his/her moral viewpoint. Additionally, the eyes simply “brood on,” seemingly uncaring, at the wasteland. Even with his unparalleled experience, Eckleburg does not seem to care about the state of the “dumping ground,” revealing the lack of objectivity in society. He simply does not judge others, even with his abundant experience. Therefore, Eckleburg symbolizes Fitzgerald’s embrace of subjectivity in The Great Gatsby. In Sanders’s literary criticism, he explains Eckleburg’s relevance to American people. He writes, “What Doctor Eckleburg is advertising… is a view that ‘our perceptions, connected by our experience, must serve as guides for us, and we must seize every opportunity to widen their range and increase their accuracy’” (Sanders 26). During the 1920s, most Americans adopted the belief that everyone has his/her own moral paradigm and are neither true nor false. Fitzgerald uses Eckleburg to spread the message that people should only seek to “widen their range and increase their accuracy,” never judging what others do. The Eckleburgian vision rejects the traditional morality of the 1800s and embraces subjectivity. Thus, Fitzgerald accurately depicts the