The setting that is most accessible and relevant to the reader is the one that is grounded in realism.
In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the setting is shown to be realistic and is used as an effective way to highlight the relevance of his messages to the reader. The setting is shown through contrast and symbolism. The juxtaposition shown is between the setting of glamorous East Egg, West Egg and New York, and the desolate wasteland of the Valley of the Ashes. The setting is also made relevant to the reader on a symbolic level through the characters, such as the conflicts between Jay Gatsby of West Egg and Tom Buchanan of East Egg, the emotions the characters are grounded in realism. Fitzgerald uses the setting to present …show more content…
The emotion and judgment each character depicts, such as jealousy, are very real emotions that we feel daily, therefore can relate. Tom Buchanan is a typical resident of East Egg, a descendant of the ruthless generations that corruptly raised the American fortunes and pursed the American Dream. He depicts the consequences of the wealth and greed, and suggests that those who live the kind of lifestyle he does, hide an inner moral decay. When Gatsby, from West Egg comes along and tries to steal Tom’s wife, Daisy, he callously calls him, “a Mr Nobody from Nowhere,” just because Gatsby had no decadent past or pedigree. Tom who is “a force of unquestionable practicality,” he uses his social status to dominate those around him and has probably never had the need to struggle for anything due to his economic conditions. Tom lives a life doing things, “for no particular reason”, without purpose, only caring for power and wealth, “drifted here and there unrestfully wherever people played polo and were rich together.” This presents the trouble and lack of fulfillment in his life even though they have money and a lavish lifestyle. Gatsby, on the other hand, desires the life that Tom has, but is prevented from obtaining it due to his social status. He appears to have a formal manner, however his unusual phrases, “old sport,” and fake accent stress that even
In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the setting is shown to be realistic and is used as an effective way to highlight the relevance of his messages to the reader. The setting is shown through contrast and symbolism. The juxtaposition shown is between the setting of glamorous East Egg, West Egg and New York, and the desolate wasteland of the Valley of the Ashes. The setting is also made relevant to the reader on a symbolic level through the characters, such as the conflicts between Jay Gatsby of West Egg and Tom Buchanan of East Egg, the emotions the characters are grounded in realism. Fitzgerald uses the setting to present …show more content…
The emotion and judgment each character depicts, such as jealousy, are very real emotions that we feel daily, therefore can relate. Tom Buchanan is a typical resident of East Egg, a descendant of the ruthless generations that corruptly raised the American fortunes and pursed the American Dream. He depicts the consequences of the wealth and greed, and suggests that those who live the kind of lifestyle he does, hide an inner moral decay. When Gatsby, from West Egg comes along and tries to steal Tom’s wife, Daisy, he callously calls him, “a Mr Nobody from Nowhere,” just because Gatsby had no decadent past or pedigree. Tom who is “a force of unquestionable practicality,” he uses his social status to dominate those around him and has probably never had the need to struggle for anything due to his economic conditions. Tom lives a life doing things, “for no particular reason”, without purpose, only caring for power and wealth, “drifted here and there unrestfully wherever people played polo and were rich together.” This presents the trouble and lack of fulfillment in his life even though they have money and a lavish lifestyle. Gatsby, on the other hand, desires the life that Tom has, but is prevented from obtaining it due to his social status. He appears to have a formal manner, however his unusual phrases, “old sport,” and fake accent stress that even