Like his friend Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald spent the majority of the 1920s travelling through Europe. Though these excursions likely influenced his writing, Fitzgerald set The Great Gatsby in New York. The United States has long been thought of as the “Land of Opportunity” where anything is possible. New York is central to this idea of the American Dream; it’s a place where people move to make their dreams come true. Today, the novel is studied in myriad of literature classes and is recognized as a major American novel of the twentieth century. By using various symbols, Fitzgerald conveys significant themes of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby. One symbol Fitzgerald utilizes in The Great Gatsby is location.
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Fitzgerald uses weather to foreshadow the outcomes of various scenes. For instance, when Daisy and Gatsby are set to meet again, “The day agreed upon was pouring rain,” (Fitzgerald 81). The gloomy rain suggests that the meeting will not go well. Additionally, Gatsby tells Daisy, “If it wasn’t for the mist we could see your house across the bay,” (Fitzgerald 87). The mist implies that fog is concealing the view of the Buchanans’ residence. Fog is symbolism for confusion and signifies melancholy along with the rain. Gatsby does not recognize these signs and goes ahead with the meeting, thinking only of reuniting with Daisy. In perhaps the most poignant scene of the novel, Tom exposes Gatsby as fraud and Gatsby publicly declares his love for Daisy. In the moment, he is rejected by Daisy who confesses to having feelings for both Tom and Gatsby. Fitzgerald calls this day as “broiling” and “certainly the warmest, of the summer,” (104). The hot summer day compels the reader to acknowledge the pressure in the air. Heat often feels oppressive; people feel like they are suffocating and become irritable. On this summer day, tensions are running high; as a result, everything Gatsby has worked for falls apart. His American Dream dies when Daisy admits to loving Tom. The somber and then feverish weather mark the opposite of the American Dream. A beautiful, warm, sunny day with slight breeze is the idealistic day accompanying the American Dream; no such weather is illustrated in The Great
Fitzgerald uses weather to foreshadow the outcomes of various scenes. For instance, when Daisy and Gatsby are set to meet again, “The day agreed upon was pouring rain,” (Fitzgerald 81). The gloomy rain suggests that the meeting will not go well. Additionally, Gatsby tells Daisy, “If it wasn’t for the mist we could see your house across the bay,” (Fitzgerald 87). The mist implies that fog is concealing the view of the Buchanans’ residence. Fog is symbolism for confusion and signifies melancholy along with the rain. Gatsby does not recognize these signs and goes ahead with the meeting, thinking only of reuniting with Daisy. In perhaps the most poignant scene of the novel, Tom exposes Gatsby as fraud and Gatsby publicly declares his love for Daisy. In the moment, he is rejected by Daisy who confesses to having feelings for both Tom and Gatsby. Fitzgerald calls this day as “broiling” and “certainly the warmest, of the summer,” (104). The hot summer day compels the reader to acknowledge the pressure in the air. Heat often feels oppressive; people feel like they are suffocating and become irritable. On this summer day, tensions are running high; as a result, everything Gatsby has worked for falls apart. His American Dream dies when Daisy admits to loving Tom. The somber and then feverish weather mark the opposite of the American Dream. A beautiful, warm, sunny day with slight breeze is the idealistic day accompanying the American Dream; no such weather is illustrated in The Great