The Development of The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby can be argued to be F. Scott Fitzgerald’s best novel. Written in the 1920s, it reflects both the time period as well as different aspects of his own life, such as his marriage. The Great Gatsby is composed of multiple complex motifs, such as eyes and materialism, which develop throughout the novel by the use of symbolism and diction, and reveal Fitzgerald’s belief that the American Dream is dead, or is not completely achievable.
Firstly, eyes are used throughout the novel. However, they are a symbol, not a character. The eyes of Dr. T.J Eckleberg, specifically, are “blue and gigantic-their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow …show more content…
Gatsby came “...in a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold-colored tie…” (84). Here, Fitzgerald shifts to analyzing clothes, which is more materialistic than a party because clothing is tangible. However, he chooses color archetypes to describe the materialism. Gatsby’s gold-colored tie represents his prestige and wealthiness, which are two characteristics Fitzgerald clearly describes. Gatsby’s white flannel signifies his purity and innocence. He truthfully is innocent in attempting to reel in his golden girl. The silver describes his modernity. Although his mansion maintains character, Gatsby also acquires modern objects. Three simple colors speak loudly about Gatsby’s material wealth, which is precisely why Fitzgerald chooses them. To represent his view of the American Dream, Fitzgerald sets up these characters with enormous material wealth - which is one version of the Dream. By choosing Nick as the narrator, Fitzgerald describes the story from the outside looking in, and Nick despises the wealthy characters at the end. It illustrates that although these characters have wealth, they are not all truly happy because many became married, but despise their …show more content…
Eyes develop by becoming symbols themselves, manifesting in a character, and then manifesting a place, each holding a deeper meaning than the last. Materialism develops through diction by the party, clothes, and bodies, each being described more than the last. Both motifs echo his marriage, successes, and failures in his life. By developing the motifs throughout the novel, Fitzgerald believes that the American Dream is either dead or unreachable - whether or not wealth is a factor, and even if a part of it seems to have been achieved, there is always more to reach for, and the endpoint is the starting
Firstly, eyes are used throughout the novel. However, they are a symbol, not a character. The eyes of Dr. T.J Eckleberg, specifically, are “blue and gigantic-their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow …show more content…
Gatsby came “...in a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold-colored tie…” (84). Here, Fitzgerald shifts to analyzing clothes, which is more materialistic than a party because clothing is tangible. However, he chooses color archetypes to describe the materialism. Gatsby’s gold-colored tie represents his prestige and wealthiness, which are two characteristics Fitzgerald clearly describes. Gatsby’s white flannel signifies his purity and innocence. He truthfully is innocent in attempting to reel in his golden girl. The silver describes his modernity. Although his mansion maintains character, Gatsby also acquires modern objects. Three simple colors speak loudly about Gatsby’s material wealth, which is precisely why Fitzgerald chooses them. To represent his view of the American Dream, Fitzgerald sets up these characters with enormous material wealth - which is one version of the Dream. By choosing Nick as the narrator, Fitzgerald describes the story from the outside looking in, and Nick despises the wealthy characters at the end. It illustrates that although these characters have wealth, they are not all truly happy because many became married, but despise their …show more content…
Eyes develop by becoming symbols themselves, manifesting in a character, and then manifesting a place, each holding a deeper meaning than the last. Materialism develops through diction by the party, clothes, and bodies, each being described more than the last. Both motifs echo his marriage, successes, and failures in his life. By developing the motifs throughout the novel, Fitzgerald believes that the American Dream is either dead or unreachable - whether or not wealth is a factor, and even if a part of it seems to have been achieved, there is always more to reach for, and the endpoint is the starting