The Great Gatsby Identity Theme

F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “The world only exists in your eyes. You can make it as big or as small as you want”. He sticks with this philosophy in his work The Great Gatsby. This book is written through the perspective of Nick Carraway and in this way we are made to see the world as he does. There are many themes in this novel but some of the most important and recurring ones are society and class, isolation, and religion. Fitzgerald explores these themes in the book with the help of his characters, most importantly Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Tom Buchanan. Though it may not have been intended Fitzgerald manages to reflect the themes and beliefs of the time not only through the themes in The Great Gatsby, but also …show more content…
Our course also studied the importance and changes in class and society throughout time. We have studies what it takes to be in the higher classes and how societies see class and function as a whole. If we were to observe this novel from the perspectives used in class. We would notice a large wealth disparity, a large importance place on class, and a rigidness of society implying difficulty in moving up. Another theme in The Great Gatsby was isolation. Gatsby keeps himself completely isolated except for when he throws these parties in hopes of seeing Daisy. When him and Daisy finally get together, they don’t want anyone to know because she hasn’t left Tom yet and so he completely isolates himself. He sends home all of his staff and the only people he really sees during that time are Nick and Daisy. This ties into the themes of the course because Nick observes the way Gatsby interacts with society in the same way we observe the relationship between certain nations and the rest of the world. For example, when we observed the relationship between Haiti and the world before and after the Haitian Revolution. They too ended up isolated. Last but not least, this …show more content…
Fitzgerald understood this and that is why he used his characters to better express and emphasize these themes. The relationships between Daisy, Gatsby, and Tom showcase to the reader the theme of society and class. Part of the reason that Daisy did not marry or wait for Gatsby was because of his ranking in society. This was also a major reason that Daisy did marry Tom. He was wealthy, respected in society, and was in a higher class ranking. These things were important in society and Daisy just wanted to fit in and so she chose the man who by these standards was the better match. After Daisy’s marriage to Tom, Gatsby was determined to win her back and he thought the only way to do that was to improve his class standing and make himself known and respected in society. He threw parties to gain social favor and in an attempt to see Daisy and possibly win her back. Gatsby also happens to display the theme of isolation. He mainly keeps to himself unless he is throwing parties to attract Daisy’s attention. When he finally gets it he isolates himself even more. He stops throwing parties, gets rid of most of his staff, and spends almost all of his time either with her or thinking of her. The only other person he really sees or acknowledges during this time is Nick. The theme of religion can be seen in all of the characters and