In Indian Camp, the son witnesses a birth which constitutes a euphoric feeling of happiness which is immediately shattered by the father committing suicide. In The Great Gatsby, a similar situation happened. Gatsby is murdered by Wilson under false pretenses, and then Wilson ends his own life, “It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson’s body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete” (Fitzgerald 162). With the book named, “The Great Gatsby”, the expectation would be for Gatsby to end the novel living a prosperous life, but the novel ends with a twisted murder-suicide of the novel’s icon. The death’s dictate a destruction of happy endings which is shown throughout the Modernist period. Another theme of the novel which ties into unexpected loss, is depression. A symbol for depression is the valley of ashes, “This is a valley of ashes-a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air” (Fitzgerald 23). The valley of ashes is meant to signify the masses which don’t have the luxuries of the few wealthy individuals. Labeling the men who roam the valley of ashes as, “men who move dimly and already crumbling …show more content…
Although Tom can be seen as the protagonist on the surface, which could impact the perception of The Great Gatsby being a Modernist novel, it is proven among amounting evidence that this is a false assumption. Both writings are marred with wounds and unexpected loss; especially amongst male characters which highlights the burden on men. As these three themes are repeatedly proven in both novels, The Great Gatsby proves to fit the archetype of Modernism literature set by Indian