The 1920’s in the United States of America was a time that was equally stained by vanity and greed. F. Scott Fitzgerald paints a startlingly vivid picture of this period in his literary magnum opus, The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald articulates his stark commentary on the vain lifestyles of Long Island’s wealthiest, along with the effect they have on their surroundings, with the use of symbolic features like a green light shining over a bay, an oppressive billboard, and the poverty-stricken barren wasteland before. The shining green light across the bay from Jay Gatsby’s home is centric to his own personal conflict throughout the story. Gatsby’s entire motivation for achieving wealth and building a new identity. All for the love of a woman.
