F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” shows the contrast in how people thought prior to and during the 1920’s, especially regarding mindsets about God. Though generations before had held God to a high regard, “The Great Gatsby”, arguably a criticism of the 1920’s, shows the way those beliefs began to fade. People began to turn away from religion and instead towards materialism and personal desires.
Along with all the chaotic situations in the book comes the expectation that there will be some sort of justification. But judgment day never comes for Tom and especially for Daisy, who gets away with murder. After Tom and Daisy make their silent escape, Nick takes a step back and reflects on them, thinking that, “they smashed up things and …show more content…
People with genuine Christian/Catholic (and other branches of those) values and traditional hopes would look to some higher power to dole out the punishment, but since there is no justification, people are starting to believe that there is no almighty deity. Their beliefs could be further exacerbated by the irony of Wilson’s situation. Wilson is sure he is getting justification for his wife, even saying that “you can’t fool God” (Ch 8, pg. 95), but he ends up killing the wrong person as well as taking his own life, all for naught. The real criminal hasn’t been apprehended; she gets away with it, essentially “fooling God”. Wilson looks at a billboard with two large eyes on it and considers them to be God’s eyes, saying that “God sees everything”. His friend, Michaelis, points out that it’s just an …show more content…
Gatsby’s lavish parties overflow into his gardens and they’re supposed to be full of life. In biblical terms, one of the most frequently used literary symbols is the Garden of Eden, a God given eutopia. However, Adam and Eve commit the first sin in the garden and in “The Great Gatsby”, the garden proves to be not as perfect as it seems. At one of Gatsby’s parties, Nick notices that “except for the half-hour [Daisy had] been alone with Gatsby she wasn’t having a good time.” (Ch 6, pg. 63) While all the fun and activities are happening inside the party, Daisy rebukes the nirvana and has a better time outside. As she leaves the party with Gatsby, Daisy tells Nick to watch them from the garden “in case there’s a fire or a flood...or any act of God.” While she could be meaning this in a joking sense, the way Nick remains “watchfully” in the garden and the pause that exists in between “fire or flood” and “or any act of God” show some degree of seriousness. (Ch 6, pg.63) It’s clear that Daisy thinks that God’s work creates disasters; she adds “acts of God” as another term to the sequence of fires and floods, things that cause despair. Besides this, gardens in the book, whether they be Gatsby’s, Tom and Daisy’s or random ones in the valley of ashes, are described using terms such as “grotesque” (Ch2, pg. 14), “sunken” and even “burning”, a large contrast to the peaceful image depicted in the Bible. (Ch1,
Along with all the chaotic situations in the book comes the expectation that there will be some sort of justification. But judgment day never comes for Tom and especially for Daisy, who gets away with murder. After Tom and Daisy make their silent escape, Nick takes a step back and reflects on them, thinking that, “they smashed up things and …show more content…
People with genuine Christian/Catholic (and other branches of those) values and traditional hopes would look to some higher power to dole out the punishment, but since there is no justification, people are starting to believe that there is no almighty deity. Their beliefs could be further exacerbated by the irony of Wilson’s situation. Wilson is sure he is getting justification for his wife, even saying that “you can’t fool God” (Ch 8, pg. 95), but he ends up killing the wrong person as well as taking his own life, all for naught. The real criminal hasn’t been apprehended; she gets away with it, essentially “fooling God”. Wilson looks at a billboard with two large eyes on it and considers them to be God’s eyes, saying that “God sees everything”. His friend, Michaelis, points out that it’s just an …show more content…
Gatsby’s lavish parties overflow into his gardens and they’re supposed to be full of life. In biblical terms, one of the most frequently used literary symbols is the Garden of Eden, a God given eutopia. However, Adam and Eve commit the first sin in the garden and in “The Great Gatsby”, the garden proves to be not as perfect as it seems. At one of Gatsby’s parties, Nick notices that “except for the half-hour [Daisy had] been alone with Gatsby she wasn’t having a good time.” (Ch 6, pg. 63) While all the fun and activities are happening inside the party, Daisy rebukes the nirvana and has a better time outside. As she leaves the party with Gatsby, Daisy tells Nick to watch them from the garden “in case there’s a fire or a flood...or any act of God.” While she could be meaning this in a joking sense, the way Nick remains “watchfully” in the garden and the pause that exists in between “fire or flood” and “or any act of God” show some degree of seriousness. (Ch 6, pg.63) It’s clear that Daisy thinks that God’s work creates disasters; she adds “acts of God” as another term to the sequence of fires and floods, things that cause despair. Besides this, gardens in the book, whether they be Gatsby’s, Tom and Daisy’s or random ones in the valley of ashes, are described using terms such as “grotesque” (Ch2, pg. 14), “sunken” and even “burning”, a large contrast to the peaceful image depicted in the Bible. (Ch1,