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Jay Gatsby is supposed to represent the 1920s itself. In what ways is he the embodiment of the "Roarin' Twenties" or the"Gilded Age"? How is he different?
What does the cover of the book represent?
(The mysterious, gypsy-like face with those strange eyes.) People say that one's eyes are the window to one's soul. If the face represents Daisy, who in turn represents the 1920s, then what is this saying about the 1920s?
Any other thoughts?
hi mary, its been years since ive read gatsby...but i hope someone answers your post!
Fitzgerald contstructs Gatsby as an embodiment of America and the American Dream that the country is known so well for. The American Dream is the idea of independence, prosperity and self-reliance, fused with the opportunity to attain wealth and position within society, all through the means of hard work and labour. Historically, the American Dream represents believing in the goodness of nature. On the surface, this dream seems to offer people the prospect of achieving success, despite religion, race or history. However, Fitzgerald uses Gatsby (and his lifestyle) as a vechile to argue that the American Dream is actually an ideological and empty concept that can be aimed for, but never reached; or at least that the American Dream is full of corruption.
Some points which you may want to look at:
1. Gatsby's lavish car - “It was a rich cream colour, bright with nickel…triumphant with hat boxes and super boxes and tool boxes”. It is clear that Gatsby values his car, as it is a symbol of everything that he believes in- money, wealth and the subsequent acceptance that he believe that he gets from it. Interestingly, the words “rich”, “bright” and “triumphant” also describe Gatsby himself, merging the two together to portray him as a symbol of materialism. The word “triumphant” is particularly good at describing Gatsby, as it suggests a smug, self-satisfied attitude, almost as if he has ‘won’ in life. The fact that Daisy is riding in his car means that, he thinks, he is one step closer to her falling in love with him again, and him stealing her from Tom. However, it is almost as if Gatsby’s car is too nice, so when Daisy drives it, something is bound to go wrong. As expected, it does, and she accidentally hits Myrtle Wilson, leading to her death as nobody stops to help her. It can be argued that this illustrates how materialism, wealth and greed are all bad, because they lead to horrific consequences and ruined lives. In this case, the car is a metaphor for Gatsby’s view of the American Dream, and Fitzgerald uses this to show how this view is immoral and wrong.
2. The billboard of the eyes of T. J. Eckleburg near the petrol station. This suggests that the characters are always being watched, or that they are constantly on show; ergo they have to act in a conformist way to achieve any of their aims and values.
3. The green light in the distance- Gatsby “longs to reach it” and this again shows the corruption of the American Dream. Green is the colour of money, envy and infection, and if we see this as a metaphor for what Gatsby hopes to achieve as his ‘dream’, then we see how Fitzgerald demonstrates that an American Dream based on Gatsby’s principles of wealth and social acceptance is wrong. Interestingly, once Gatsby is dead, Nick looks out from the shore and we learn that there are now “hardly any lights”. This could symbolise that with the death of Gatsby, the American Dream of wealth and greed has also died. A different interpretation may be that with no lights, there is no hope. This would mean that Gatsby’s life could be seen as important and that it meant something in the larger scheme of things. Perhaps Gatsby has a good quality after all- his determination and hope. It could be that Fitzgerald is showing that there can be hope even in the bleakest of situations, and that we should always look for this. This ties in with the idea that the American Dream is an ideological concept that can never be reached, yet provides hope for many people.
4. Gatsby is described as a “son of God," yet this is only to illustrate the fact that he is merely human, therefore removing any God-like quality from him. Infact, many critics argue that Gatsby’s death is merely the completion of the death of his soul. This is because he fails to understand that the adolescent dream of wealth that he created when he was seventeen needed to change when he grew into a man. However, his dream did not change and this means that he cannot find true happiness, so his soul is lost. Therefore, once his body is gone, there is nothing left of Gatsby at all. Gatsby defies God and all that is right in order to gain his wealth, and this is arguably another way that he looses his soul. To achieve the richness that he believes he needs to win Daisy, he turns to bootlegging and criminality, but this fails to work. Therefore, all of his crime was in vain as it did not gain him what he hoped that it would. Consequently, Gatsby can be seen as the epitome of corruption within the American Dream as he was using dishonest and fraudulent means to achieve his dream.
5. The final passage in The Great Gatsby is heavy with river imagery, and Nick compares human life to “boats against the current”. This is important because rivers only flow in one direction, they have only one path that they follow. This means that Fitzgerald is demonstrating how human life must go against the current to achieve the true American Dream of happiness. He shows that it may be a struggle, but that it is necessary if we are to avoid an unhappy life like Gatsby’s
Sorry if I have rambled a bit, I was just writting everything down as I thought of it! Anyway, hope this helps!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Antiquarian
True, they did catch me at my most generous! However, given the nature of the question I doubt it is much more than a high school student studying a novel that they cant be bothered to read; in which case, I havent really helped at all because they still wont understand any better and be able to write/talk about the novel.
Wow, that's really insightful.
Actually, I had already finished the novel before starting the thread. I just wanted to discuss the the symbols and layers of the book.
I never thought about the river thing. That's pretty cool.
I know- it's only recently that I thought of the water separating gastby and his dream. is his death (shot in his pool) supposed to be connected to this?
The river idea struck me as well. In the novel Gatsby is described as the "son of God" or Jesus. In Nick's first glance at Gatsby, he sees Gatsby reaching out. Nick states that Gatsby "stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way" (25). This brings out the idea of that the dark water is all the sinners Gatsby is looking at. He is reaching out to these sinners in order that he might save them. This shows the importance of the river as a symbol as well as strengthener for the idea of Gatsby as the "son of God". This brings up the question in what other ways is Gatsby the "son of God"?
Well I don't really see Gatsby as a Christ figure, if that's what you're asking, decimsimia.Quote:
Originally Posted by decimsimia
Although Gatsby could very well be a Christ figure, if God is actually James Gatz, then Gatsby is his son or successor. And Gatsby's sole purpose in life is to fulfill his creator's, Gatz's, desire--obtaining Daisy. When Gatsby "stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way," he is physically yearning for something across the river. We know that it is toward Daisy that his arms are pointing. We also know that there's a green light there, if I'm not mistaken.
Is that right? It's been a while since I picked up this text.
hey guys,
mzmarymack i agreed with you. I dont think Gatsby set as a Christ figure
Even though, the nick described Gatsby as the absoulte successor, Gatsby showed some of mistakes that can be made by human. Gatsby's purpose to obtain Daisy could not be accomplished. The fact that Gatsby was killed and a few people went to his funeral criticized the human who only desired material ,not real value things such as love
I have read this book a few times and have a few thoughts of my own I’d like to share.
I’ve always thought that Jay Gatsby’s story represented the decline or decay of the American dream, not the American dream itself. I think Fitzgerald was saying the pursuit of the American dream had become the pursuit of money just for money’s sake and not for any noble reason. Gatsby’s money was obtained by immoral and criminal ways in order to obtain something (Daisy) that was actually unattainable. I’ve always wondered whether Daisy would have chosen Gatsby anyway, as his money was “new” money and Tom’s money was “old” money - also shown by the West Egg and East Egg symbolic locations. Daisy also lets Gatsby take the blame for Myrtle’s death and chooses to remain with Tom which also, it seems to me, shows that she would never have chosen Gatsby. Daisy also represents what is wrong with wealth for wealth’s sake (which is what she chose in choosing Tom) - she is shallow, fickle, disloyal and indifferent.
I always thought that the green light represented Daisy. Gatsby is reaching toward the light - his goal of obtaining Daisy. I think the water that separated them also represents just how far apart she is from him in character, not just geography. Although his money was obtained in a criminal manner, he is morally above her as he is capable of true feelings of love, devotion and loyalty. She is not.
The final lines of the book (which happen to be my signature) represent us as all rowing toward a goal in our life. Gatsby was rowing toward Daisy, but his inability to get over the past (that the affair they had was over) kept him from getting anywhere. She was not an achievable goal - nor was she a worthy one. She “eluded” him in the past and keeps eluding him, “but that’s no matter” - “one fine morning” he believes she will be his.
like Fankie Anne said, The Great Gatsby definitely criticized the American who became more focused on money and materialist value.
Each West Egg and East Egg symbolized the old and new money. And Daisy was the one of the people showed the decay of American dream. Daisy was fasinated by money that made her happy.
"They are such beautiful shirts, " she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds.
It's been a while since I read Gatsby. What I really like about it is its indeterminate quality. Like a lot of great works it doesn't yield much to analysis, I'm thinking of Shakespeare, Joyce,T.S. Eliot here. It has an ambience, an nebular quality, a feel of its own which makes it a unique and unforgettable read.
And what about the famous line about Daisy, that she "had a voice like the sound of money"?
The "son of God" quote is really interesting. I also disagree that he is a Christ figure -- if he is it would be too unsubstantiated to be meaningful. Also, Nick is a closet homosexual, or bisexual, so I doubt he would conceive of Gatsby in that way.
However, I think the phrase points to the insignificance of Gatsby's father (biological father) in the course of his upbringing. It's as if he sprung from God's loins (as if this alone could explain how such a remarkable person came from such a boring father). Perhaps this touches a tender note for Fitzgerald: in his semi-autobiographical first novel, This Side of Paradise, Amory's father is similarly unremarkable. It may be that Fitzgerald's own father was this way. (I believe he was middle-class, and his being laid-off in Scott's childhood probably left an impression.) In Gatsby, This Side of Paradise, and Scott Fitzgerald's own life, we see the thematic idea of the son disowning the father, repudiating the proverb "Like father, like son."