The Great Gatsby Compared to the Wasteland - 1255 Words

Fitzgerald s Great Gatsby and Elliot s The Wasteland are two stories that similarly express the modernist post-war disillusionment. Both stories comment pessimistically on the direction that our world is moving in from the post-war modernist perspective. Both men looked past the roaring twenties, and realized that this time period was actually a moral wasteland. The final paragraphs of The Great Gatsby sum up their mutual lack of faith in American culture to improve. Fitzgerald uses a number of both direct and indirect ways to comment on what has happened to America. The green light is a recurring symbol in this book that has many deep meanings. Beginning in the first chapter, when Nick compares the green bulk of America rising†¦show more content†¦The people who first came to America had the green in their eyes as well, and they were corrupted by the opportunities that America had to offer. This paragraph also shows that it was the green light and the dreams of Gatsby which cut down the pure fertility of this place in lieu of riches and materialism. The paragraph continues to discuss the natural brilliance of America, and that the people who came were initially amazed by this. This amazement was evanescent, and the people who came to America began to follow the green light, resulting in this wasteland. And as I sat there, brooding on the old unknown world, I thought of Gatsby s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in the vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night. In this paragraph Nick looks back to Gatsby and his pursuit of the green light. He says that Gatsby s pursuit of daisy was corrupted by materialism, and that his dream was close enough that he could feel it. Nick expresses a longing for the past in this paragraph, and expresses that inShow MoreRelatedSymbolism Of The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1130 Words   |  5 Pagesmeaning to the mind of the readers. The reader is forced to think, make connections, and succeed in adding a new meaning to the novel. F. Scott Fitzgerald is a master of hiding deeper meanings behind a text as clearly showcased in the novel The Great Gatsby. The â€Å"iceberg theory† describes that only around 20% of the story is directly revealed through text. In comparison to an actual iceberg, that is usually the portion of the floating ice mountain that is visible above water. The other 80% of theRead MoreThe Equality Myth Essays656 Words   |  3 PagesIts pretty hard to tell what does bring ha ppiness. Poverty and wealth have both failed. --Kin Hubbard, Sociologist The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald is as much a novel about social hierarchy as it is about class-consciousness. Throughout the novel we are bombarded with images of extravagant wealth and shuddering pauperism with the elite upper class using those around them as stepping-stones to their own selfish happiness. The novel makes a point to differentiate between classesRead MoreEssay Symbolism in The Great Gatsby864 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel, The Great Gatsby, there is lots of reflection on symbolism, and especially colored symbolism. In this novel symbolism is a very important factor, it shows the difference between the different characters and scenes in the novel. The color green influences the story a lot. Green shows many thoughts, ideas, attitudes, and choices that Gatsby has throughout the story. White too plays an even more important role in the novel as it is used to represent some of the characters, it also talksRead MoreLions And Sheep By. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby1096 Words   |  5 Pagesare prime examples in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby of an ascendant and inferior. Tom is a vastly wealthy man who foils George’s personality and traits. He asserts dominance on George by taking his wife as his mistress. He and others push George to submis sion as well. Tom is naturally born into wealth and prosperity where George has no choice but to labor his way to what little claim he has in the world. He resides in a desolate wasteland of a setting in a run down garage unlike Tom, whoRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Great Gatsby Essay1060 Words   |  5 PagesReview Sheet 1. Title: The Great Gatsby Significance of title: The title of the book is ironic in the sense that Gatsby, the main protangonist of the story, has gained wealth and celebrity like status in the West Egg only with the help of shamming others and deceiving those around him. In the end, Gatsby is dead and the empire of wealth and reputation has shattered despite how great he is. 3. Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald Characters 4. Protagonist(s): Jay Gatsby 5. Antagonist(s): 1.Tom BuchananRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Great Gatsby 1138 Words   |  5 Pagespeople in the United States. The novel The Great Gatsby documents this time period with a precise attention to the culture clash that resulted from this era. This culture clash is emphasised by the climax of the novel, with a conflict between Gatsby and Tom Buchanan. The division of East and West Egg due to geographic and sociopolitical factors provides the initial preconceptions necessary to spark the main conflict of the novel between Tom Buchanan and Gatsby. The most important fact in establishingRead MoreEssay on Symbols of The Great Gatsby 1249 Words   |  5 PagesFitzgerald captured this era in his book, The Great Gatsby. Through his many symbols he illustrates the hopes, the forgotten God, and the oppressed Americans of the Twenties. The symbols in The Great Gatsby help convey several different themes, from wealth to loss of morals, to poverty. The green light in The Great Gatsby is an ambiguous symbol. The green light is deceiving at first, tricking the reader into thinking it is merely a symbol of hope. â€Å"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiasticRead MoreEssay about The Great Gatsby and The Sun Also Rises 2160 Words   |  9 Pageson the surface. Despite the highs experienced by much of the country, it wasnt without its problems. Crime violence was benevolently running the streets and the Speakeasies beyond the reach of full Prohibition, the world was being set-up for The Great Depression, and America was brimming with members of the Lost Generation. This generation and the hypocrisies and idiosyncracies of the American Dream inspired a rising and influential set of artists, poets and writers, and a list of best-sellingRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1198 Words   |  5 Pagescity in his novel The Great Gatsby. The setting is on Long Island and New York City in the early 1920’s sho rtly before the start of the great depression. This novel continually compares the fictional cities of East Egg and West Egg. These cities represent the two different sides of Long Island. The repeated comparison of the society and class distinction on the East side versus the West side of Long Island shows the difference that earning your wealth has on your morality compared to being born intoRead MoreA False Image Of Freedom : The American Dream1515 Words   |  7 Pagesnow, and has inspired them to seek a lifestyle that excels their current one. However, this idealistic belief possesses a biased and dishonest nature that is undetectable to those blinded by this idea . F. Scott Fitzgerald, through his novel The Great Gatsby, lifts the veil on this American Nightmare, and shows readers it’s true nature. Rooted directly to the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the concept of the American Dream claims that all men are born equal and possess the right to pursue happiness