Theme Of Pride In The Great Gatsby

Many writers in the 1920’s struggled with the change that they saw in the world, but there were also writers who wished to embrace and evoke the social amendments. A reoccurring theme in the literature of this time is exploring individuality and having pride in who you are. This includes things such as living in the present, moving past racism and redefining gender roles. Examples of this theme can be found in many works written around the 1920’s, including The Great Gatsby, poetry by Edna St. Vincent Millay, Hills Like White Elephants, Harlem Renaissance poetry, and Respectable Woman. For many, this period was a time of pushing boundaries, especially for African-Americans who had migrated north looking to get away from the harsh Jim Crow laws of the south. The Great Migration spurred The Harlem Renaissance, a time of inspirational and revolutionary poetry about the effects of racism and ways to move past it; the poets finally felt free to express …show more content…
In the novel, Gatsby has reinvented himself to the point where he is no longer an individual, but a materialistic shell. “He was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of movement that is so peculiarly American… This quality was continually breaking through his punctilious manner in the shape of restlessness.” In attempting to project the image of the perfect gentleman to impress Daisy, whose relationship with Tom is completely superficial, Gatsby lost his own sense of self and morals, earning his wealth through bootlegging. Instead of striving to better themselves as individuals, the characters’ only concern are their images, or a selfish need to be more wealthy than others. An example of this is how “East Egg” is seen as superior to “West Egg,” for no other reason except that East Egg has more wealth. Fitzgerald is attempting to show how this shallow quality will not bring prosperity, but