The years before the Great Depression were a time of great prosperity and innovation. In “ The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, he illustrates an extensive view of the complex American Dream. He utilizes characters in his book to also highlight themes of facades, materialism,superficialism, and emptiness to show the true disillusionment of the 1920’s. Additionally, just as authors use themes to portray timeless emotions and experiences, music often has a way of reinforcing these ideas in an easily digestible way. The theme that is portrayed in Chapter 3 of “The Great Gatsby” is one of superficialism which is represented by the guests at Gatsby’s lavish parties by the way they interact with each other. This specific theme relates to the …show more content…
Another theme that is shown in Chapter 3 of “The Great Gatsby” is emptiness brought upon by the excess of wealth. Jay Gatsby is a prime example of this due to his luxurious lifestyle and the immense parties that he throws, yet remaining mysteriously lonely and separated from everyone else despite having everything a man could ever want. In the book, Nick illustrates “...My eyes fell on Gatsby, standing alone on the marble steps and looking from one group to another....” which shows that even with the party raging around Gatsby he still seems like an outsider, feeling as though there is still something missing despite having it …show more content…
In addition, another theme that is presented in Chapter 4 of “The Great Gatsby” is the theme of facades and how people use them to cover up their past or their true lifestyle, similar to how Jay Gatsby appears to be an extremely wealthy man with an assertive personality, but in brief instances where he interacts with others such as Nick Carraway, he leaves a mysterious and confusing impression on them, leaving them to doubt his true identity and resulting in Gatsby resorting to showing proof of his achievements or adventures. Here, Gatsby explains, “‘I’ll tell you God’s truth.” His right hand suddenly ordered divine retribution to stand by. “I am the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West — all dead now. I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford, because all my ancestors were educated there for many years. It is a family tradition.’ “ Despite the overwhelming amount of evidence, it is still not enough to convince Nick, which leads him to believe he is now truly hiding something