Application Of How To Read Literature Like A Professor In The Great Gatsby

Without applying concepts from How To Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster to The Great Gatsby, it is as if you are reading a completely different book. Foster’s book teaches readers the necessary skills to analyze literature and understand the intended meaning behind various references. Although the skills gained from the application of How To Read Literature Like a Professor can be used in each and every piece of literature written, I will solely apply them to The Great Gatsby. Concepts such as decoding symbols and understanding the impacts of irony and geography in How To Read Literature Like a Professor can be applied to The Great Gatsby. Chapter 12 in How to Read Literature Like a Professor discusses the occurrence of

Thomas Foster emphasizes that symbols have many different interpretations that are determined by our “individual history.” Factors such as race, gender, religion, and education contribute to our “individual history” to give every reader a differing perspective on literature. Symbols are used throughout The Great Gatsby to further develop themes of the decline of the American Dream, class and societal differences, and the difficulty of time. For example, one evolving symbol in The Great Gatsby is the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. At the beginning of the novel, the light represents the dream Gatsby has to be with Daisy, but as the possibility of attaining his dream diminishes, we see the symbol change. It now represents an unattainable dream inside of everyone that is continuously sought after. Another recurring theme in The Great Gatsby are the looming eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. These eyes represent a higher power that is observing the immoral events that occur in the book. The Valley of Ashes symbolizes the poor lower class who suffers at the benefit of the wealthy. The Valley of Ashes could also represent the devastating effects of The American Dream. As mentioned in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, symbols can have various interpretations which adds depth to the

Although the original setting mentioned is important, the setting characters are in throughout the story is useful to notice. In The Great Gatsby, the plot line is developed alongside the concepts of the East and West Eggs. The people living on the East Egg side are referred to as the “old money” because their wealth has been in their family for generations, but those living in the West Egg side have only newly acquired their fortune. The American Dream is slowly dying because the people of the East Egg do not have the same drive typically associated with the American Dream. There has been no need for those with “old money” to practice determination and hard work because everything they have has been handed down to them. Understanding the historical and cultural context literature is written in is essential to fully understand the story and nothing demonstrates this better than The Great