• Home Page
  • The Illusion Of Happiness In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Illusion Of Happiness In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Superior Essays
Show More
The 1920s were a time of partying and revelry, but things were not always as glorious as they seemed. In The Great Gatsby, the rich seem to be happy, but F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbols and characters to reveal that this is not the case. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg symbolize the unhappiness hidden behind a facade of wealth. He also uses the colors yellow and gold to symbolize the difference between false happiness from wealth, and real happiness. The character of Jay Gatsby is completely oblivious to this difference, which ultimately leads to his failure. Myrtle wilson stats to realize that wealth in not the key to happiness, but refuses to believe it, and instead forces herself to act like she is happy. In The Great Gatsby, F.Scott Fitzgerald uses symbols and characters to establishes the theme that wealth can only be used to construct an illusion of happiness, it can never create real happiness.
The eyes of T.J Eckleburg symbolise the unhappiness behind the illusion of wealth. Eckleburg 's eyes are located in the valley of ashes, and have been “dimmed a little by many paintless days” …show more content…
The symbols of yellow and Gold serve to illustrate the difference between true happiness and the imitation happiness wealth brings. Myrtle Wilson does not believe that happiness can be gained without wealth, so she makes herself even more miserable than she originally was by having an affair with Tom, who is rich. Dr. TJ Eckleburg 's eyes symbolise the dreariness the rich keep hidden behind their wealth. Gatsby does not notice this, and reaches the conclusion that money can bring happiness, and therefore dies alone and forgotten. Almost everyone in The Great Gatsby believes money to be the most important thing in their lives and therefore fail to see the things that truly bring

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Pursuit Of Happiness In The Great Gatsby
    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Pursuit Of Happiness In The Great Gatsby

    Pursuit of Happiness What is happiness and how do we measure it? We mostly know when we are happy and when we are not happy. But, is there a way to achieve happiness if we are not? People define happiness in so many different ways and also prescribe variety ways to achieve happiness (Taber).…

    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Disillusionment In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
    • 2691 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Disillusionment In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

    Fitzgerald summed this idea up well in The Great Gatsby by saying, “Americans, while occasionally willing to be serfs, have always been obstinate about being peasantry” (57). Even if one didn’t have the means to have the best of everything, it was still expected of them. Myrtle was enraged when she found out her husband didn’t wear his own suit to his wedding. “He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in…and the man came after it one day when he was out…I gave it to him and then I lay down and cried…all afternoon” (Fitzgerald, 24).…

    • 2691 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Does Money Buy Happiness In The Great Gatsby Analysis
    • 1579 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Does Money Buy Happiness In The Great Gatsby Analysis

    Does money truly buy happiness? Many people don’t believe that it does, but in The Great Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan lives her life searching for money that she can hide all of her problems in. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, A wealthy man named Gatsby throws outrageous parties to attract his old love, Daisy Buchanan, who lives across the New York Sound with her wealthy and arrogant husband Tom. The novel revolves around a group of affairs and lies told by all of the characters in the story. In the end, most of the characters realize the hard way, that money doesn’t buy happiness but in fact ruins most of their lives.…

    • 1579 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Self-Indulgence And Egotism In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Self-Indulgence And Egotism In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

    The gift of humility is something that would be hard to come by during the 1920’s in the American northeast. One character in The Great Gatsby that shows the vice of overindulgence is Mrs. Daisy Buchanan, the cousin of the main character and narrator, Nick Caraway. In one scene from the book, Nick mentions Chicago and Daisy asks, “Do they miss me?”(Fitzgerald 9). She shows how much of a narcissist she is here by the fact that she is concerned about someone’s opinion in a city over five hundred miles away. Another critical character in the book, Mr. Jay Gatsby, shows his own insecurities by throwing lavish soirees to distance himself from his rural upbringings (“Great Gatsby Captures” SRC).…

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Great Gatsby Color Symbolism Essay
    • 1513 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Great Gatsby Color Symbolism Essay

    Color plays an important role in the way we perceive society. People relate colors to certain emotions, as an example, one may say that they are “green with envy” or when they are “feeling blue” when they are sad. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author uses color symbolism throughout the story to represent different aspects of each situation. Fitzgerald uses the color green a great deal in the storyline. It represents Gatsby’s dream and hope to live happily with the love of his dreams, Daisy Buchannan.…

    • 1513 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Examples Of Optimism In The Great Gatsby
    • 1635 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Examples Of Optimism In The Great Gatsby

    F. Scott Fitzgerald shows many weakening points in the idea of the American Dream using the book The Great Gatsby through the topics of American being a land of bounty and beauty, the belief in progress and optimism, and triumph of an individual. He disproves the idea of America being a beautiful land with unlimited opportunities by showing the reader the hardships of the people living in the Valley of Ashes. Fitzgerald denies the belief of progress and that everything eventually getting better and easier, by showing the separation of the people who are working hard and trying to accomplish the American Dream, compared to the people who have already attained wealth through their family. There is a lot of optimism contained in the concept…

    • 1635 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    T. J. Eckleburg Symbolism In The Great Gatsby
    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages

    T. J. Eckleburg Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

    Eckleburg is an important symbol that guides the storyline of the novel from the start to finish. It becomes more noticeable during the climax, when Myrtle was killed, what they eye actually symbolizes as. For instance, a quote states, “Standing behind him Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg which had just emerged pale and enormous from the dissolving night. “God sees everything,” repeated Wilson” (167). Wilson becomes crazy after Myrtle’s death.…

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Greed In The Great Gatsby
    • 1041 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Greed In The Great Gatsby

    From the way one lives to the way one dresses, money seems to be a very important factor in the way people lead their lives. In Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, aspirations of unobtainable goals lead to unhappiness. The settings of Gatsby in West Egg, Daisy in East Egg, and Myrtle in Valley of Ashes all have different effects on the characters’ morals and values. Scott Fitzgerald paints a picture of West Egg as a place where greed runs prevalent, which in turn shapes Jay Gatsby’s covetous personality.…

    • 1041 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Relationship Between Myrtle And George Wilson In The Great Gatsby
    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Relationship Between Myrtle And George Wilson In The Great Gatsby

    Myrtle and George Wilson were once two passionate lovers, caring for nothing else in the world but each other. However, Myrtle’s selfish aura led her to fall in love with not a man but a thing: money. She became dissatisfied with her husband and decided to move on to someone more enticing, someone wealthy like Tom Buchanan. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the Wilsons are discontent with their lives as they become unsatisfied with one another and turn to lives of avarice, portraying the theme of greed when money is involved.…

    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Corruption Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Corruption Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

    The corruption of the American Dream is a prevalent theme in classic literature, as it highlights the falsified illusions of social mobility and power commonly promoted during the early twentieth century. The motivation for socio-economic inclination is generally consumed by materialism and shallowness in an effort to satisfy the constant lack of self fulfillment, which inevitably leads to self destruction. Many people blindly accept the idealistic concept of social and economic mobility only to discover its unattainableness. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the corruption underlying the pursuit of the American Dream through Jay Gatsby. In an effort to captivate Daisy’s attention, Jay Gatsby publicly displays his wealth and…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    What Is The False Sense Of Happiness In The Great Gatsby
    • 1454 Words
    • 6 Pages

    What Is The False Sense Of Happiness In The Great Gatsby

    In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald uses the narrator, Nick, an outsider who is befriended by his neighbor Jay Gatsby, to tell the readers of Gatsby’s life. Gatsby is a wealthy man living in West Egg who is known for his extravagant parties. As Nick gets to know Gatsby, he begins to see the loneliness that hides within Gatsby. Five years before Nick meets Gatsby, Gatsby has a love affair with a woman named Daisy. As the novel continues, it becomes clear that Gatsby is still holding onto a false sense of hope that he and Daisy will be together again.…

    • 1454 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Social Conflicts In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Social Conflicts In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

    Gatsby is so infatuated with Daisy that he believes the end justifies the means. In other words, he doesn’t care how he accomplishes it as long as he receives his happy ending with Daisy. Finally, while both Gatsby and Myrtle follow the “end justifies means” philosophy, a great juxtaposition can be identified in relation to the actions and beliefs of George Wilson. Wilson’s character is stuck, trapped in his garage in the Valley of Ashes. He survives in a lifeless and unnoticeable existence.…

    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Theme Of Blind In The Great Gatsby
    • 1045 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Theme Of Blind In The Great Gatsby

    Eckleburg had the “yellow spectacles” on to see clearly (23). Gatsby was a man blinded by his love for Daisy. Daisy was blind for her precious money and reputation. Wilson was blind to his wife having an affair. Myrtle was blind to never realizing that Tom will never love her.…

    • 1045 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Examples Of Sexism In The Great Gatsby
    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Examples Of Sexism In The Great Gatsby

    Myrtle is very disloyal as well because she cheats on her husband, George, for the luxury of wealth and the happiness that materialism brings her. Myrtle’s apartment is located in an area of absolute hopelessness and I feel that this setting represents the corruption of society as a whole, and describes the lifestyle Myrtle lives in . It can be seen at this point that the characters in the novel are obsessed with the idea of class and privilege. When it is mentioned that Gatsby is staring at a green light, it seems as if he is striving to retrieve something, which makes me ponder as to what he desires and what is the significance of the light. Tom’s racism is shown when he introduces the book that he is reading, “ The Rise of the Coloured Empires” as he says that the Nordiac race, including himself, are threatened by the rise of other inferior races.…

    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Theme Of Injustice In The Great Gatsby
    • 1143 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 8 Works Cited

    Theme Of Injustice In The Great Gatsby

    Tom uses this to his advantage as he uses George’s naivety to cover up Tom’s affair with Myrtle. However, not only does Tom use George, but he also uses Myrtle and her want for attention. She submits herself to Tom not only to satisfy his lust, but also as an outlet for his anger (D8). This helps to create the image of the wealthy being powerful (G11). Throughout The Great Gatsby, the wealthy are able to get almost anything they want because of money, even the patronage of other human beings.…

    • 1143 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 8 Works Cited
    Superior Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings