The Great Gatsby is a Modernist novel by the author F. Scott Fitzgerald. It deals with the situation of society in the Roaring Twenties, in the volatile time between World War I and the Great Depression. The Great Gatsby is a story that wrestles with a lot of themes, two of which are isolation and unattainable desires.
One theme in this book is the loneliness and shallow connections that characters make. Gatsby frequently has hundreds of people at his house for parties, but it is often remarked that they know nothing about him, nor do they care to. Gatsby 's isolation is exemplified when you reach the end of the novel. His funeral is attended by Nick, his father, the priest, and the library man. Even after Nick personally informed …show more content…
Not even Meyer Wolfsheim attended. Daisy and Tom actually moved away, not telling anyone where they were going. He also has no connections with his family, at one point claiming that he did not have any. Gatsby is not the only isolated character in this novel. Nick isolates himself in a way. He is let in on all of the secrets. He knows about Daisy 's affair, Tom 's affair, Gatsby 's illegal doings, and most other secrets that pop up in the book, but the fact that he is involved with so many secrets holds him apart from the others. He does not actually get involved in the goings-on, he just observes. Even in his relationship with Jordan, he is distant and claims that he does not really love her, evidenced here: "Then it was something more. I wasn 't actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity" (57). Tom isolates himself from Daisy by his affair with Myrtle, shown by him physically leaving Daisy at the table at dinner time. This corresponds …show more content…
They are reaching for what is just beyond their grasp, in spite of or even because of the fact that it is unattainable. Gatsby spends several years trying to reclaim the love of his youth, Daisy. Even after she is married and they become distant, he throws lavish parties to try to lure her to his mansion. His dream is so unattainable not only because Daisy is married, but because his dream of her is not consistent with her reality anymore. Nick speculates: "There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams - not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion" (95). Tom 's unattainable goals are control and power. He is not satisfied with the luxurious lifestyle he holds, no, he needs more than that. He frequently mentions white superiority, makes a snide comment about women, and talks as if he were trying to control Daisy, Myrtle, and Gatsby. One of the examples of his underlying need for control is this: "It 's up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things" (13). He does not actually have very much control at all. If he did, he wouldn 't have to show it off like he does. Myrtle 's unattainable dream is being one of the social elite. She attempts to get away from her poor mechanic husband and pretend that she is a wealthy socialite by going out with Tom and having him buy her nice things.
One theme in this book is the loneliness and shallow connections that characters make. Gatsby frequently has hundreds of people at his house for parties, but it is often remarked that they know nothing about him, nor do they care to. Gatsby 's isolation is exemplified when you reach the end of the novel. His funeral is attended by Nick, his father, the priest, and the library man. Even after Nick personally informed …show more content…
Not even Meyer Wolfsheim attended. Daisy and Tom actually moved away, not telling anyone where they were going. He also has no connections with his family, at one point claiming that he did not have any. Gatsby is not the only isolated character in this novel. Nick isolates himself in a way. He is let in on all of the secrets. He knows about Daisy 's affair, Tom 's affair, Gatsby 's illegal doings, and most other secrets that pop up in the book, but the fact that he is involved with so many secrets holds him apart from the others. He does not actually get involved in the goings-on, he just observes. Even in his relationship with Jordan, he is distant and claims that he does not really love her, evidenced here: "Then it was something more. I wasn 't actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity" (57). Tom isolates himself from Daisy by his affair with Myrtle, shown by him physically leaving Daisy at the table at dinner time. This corresponds …show more content…
They are reaching for what is just beyond their grasp, in spite of or even because of the fact that it is unattainable. Gatsby spends several years trying to reclaim the love of his youth, Daisy. Even after she is married and they become distant, he throws lavish parties to try to lure her to his mansion. His dream is so unattainable not only because Daisy is married, but because his dream of her is not consistent with her reality anymore. Nick speculates: "There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams - not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion" (95). Tom 's unattainable goals are control and power. He is not satisfied with the luxurious lifestyle he holds, no, he needs more than that. He frequently mentions white superiority, makes a snide comment about women, and talks as if he were trying to control Daisy, Myrtle, and Gatsby. One of the examples of his underlying need for control is this: "It 's up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things" (13). He does not actually have very much control at all. If he did, he wouldn 't have to show it off like he does. Myrtle 's unattainable dream is being one of the social elite. She attempts to get away from her poor mechanic husband and pretend that she is a wealthy socialite by going out with Tom and having him buy her nice things.