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Corruption In The Great Gatsby

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Between West Egg and Manhattan lies ‘a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat’. Home to the lower end of society, The Valley of Ashes in the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald effectively conveys the ideas that the American Dream has being corrupted by people’s greed for excessive luxuries and that the illusory nature of social mobility is limiting those in the lower classes. Perceived by Nick to be ‘a fantastic farm where ash grows like wheat’, the juxtaposition between The Valley of Ashes and ‘a fantastic farm’ is effective in the way that it conveys to the reader the effects of consumerism has on the environment. Not only are the ‘ash grey men crumbling’, their dreams can also be seen as ‘crumbling’ in the sense that they are stuck and cannot achieve any success. While those who are privileged live glamorously on the West and East Egg, those stuck in the valley have become victims of a corrupt American Dream and have little hope of rising up the classes. This conveys the idea that the forgotten lower classes are falling victim to the …show more content…

This adjective is effective in the way that it conveys the idea that the bond between The Valley of Ashes and George has deteriorated his health. He is also described by Nick to be ‘blonde, spiritless, anaemic and faintly handsome’. These adjectives all contribute to the fact that although George has the characteristics of a person who is destined to achieve success under the American Dream intended by the founding fathers, he has instead fallen victim to the corrupt version of it. ‘Hope’ is described by Nick to have ‘sprang into his eyes’ when he and Tom walks through the door, this metaphor is significant as it shows how materialistic the society has become. A lack of compassion and morality is often displayed by Tom who often regards those in lower classes as inferior, through acts displayed by Tom, Fitzgerald satirises the illusory nature of social

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F.Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, uses an array of elements to capture and display the reality of the 1920’s. The novel is based in New York during the Jazz Age. Fitzgerald shows the darker side of this era, the time of a changing world. The booming economy and easy wealth led to a world of materialism and corruption. Using various characters in The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald expresses the power of wealth, how it corrupts and changes people.

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Fitzgerald’s portrayal of the American Dream in the novel both compares and contrasts to that of Hughes’ portrayal in the poem through the usage of the literary devices of imagery, tone, and symbolism. Through the usage of imagery, The Great Gatsby paints a bleak picture of the failure of The American Dream on a disadvantaged group, while “I Too, Sing America” portrays it as something that can be improved upon. In the novel, a stretch of desolate land created as the result of industrial waste is described as “...a valley of ashes...where ashes grow like...grotesque gardens (Fitzgerald 23)”. This powerful imagery described the valley of ashes as a wasteland and a failure of the American Dream. The

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In the tapestry of American literature, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is an exploration of the American Dream against the backdrop of the Roaring Twenties, a period marked by unprecedented economic prosperity and social change. Through the vivid scenes of East Egg, West Egg, the Valley of Ashes, and New York City, Fitzgerald intricately weaves geographic location and social stratification. This narrative not only provides a dynamic background of the novel’s events but also symbolizes the varied social positions, lifestyles, and personalities of the characters, making the critique of the American Dream and the moral landscape of that era. In The Great Gatsby, East Egg is a place of old money, social elitism, and traditional values,

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This portrayal by F. Scott Fitzgerald reflects current global challenges. The Valley of Ashes exists in The Great Gatsby because it represents the moral decay caused by extreme wealth inequality. It also shows the decay of the American Dream. When people think of the ideal American Dream, they wouldn't think of The Valley of Ashes or the refineries in Salt Lake City. They wouldn't think of

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827 Words | 4 Pages

The Great Gatsby, a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, lives up to its namesake. The book explores numerous complex themes, ranging from the unattainable and destructive nature of the pursuit of an idealized past to the social inequality brought about by wealth, even among the wealthy themselves, and, relevant to this essay, the decadence and moral decline brought about by the corruption of the American dream. Two symbols represent this idea: the Valley of Ashes, which is a physical manifestation of the grotesque, ever-consuming nature of the American dream and drains the life of its poor inhabitants – and the billboard of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg who looms over the road of the valley, eyes watching, becoming a symbol of anything in a place devoid of meaning. They are symbols of an empty and vapid dream that is never satiated – always

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525 Words | 3 Pages

The Great Gatsby, which takes place during The Roaring Twenties, centers on the theme of corruption. The novel portrays that decade, also known as the Jazz Age, as a wild and carefree time period consisting of dancing, romance, and drinking regardless of enforced Prohibition laws. It emphasizes the dishonesty and misconduct of the characters as well, focusing on aspects such as affairs and murder. Throughout the novel, Nick Carraway frequently notes ashheaps and dust layers as he ventures toward New York City from Long Island. He refers to the halfway point between West Egg, where he resides, and New York as a valley of ashes; he describes clouds of impenetrable gray smoke and claims there is a layer of dust over the entire area and everything within the vicinity.

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Fitzgerald continues to critique and emphasize the corrupt madness induced by the desire for wealth, and its effect on the surrounding environments. Fitzgerald creates environments that clearly mirror the corruption and craziness of wealth. Environments like The Valley of Ashes represent the corruption of wealth and lack thereof; the “valley of ashes— a fantastic farm where...ashes take the forms...of men who move dimly and already crumbling through powdery air” (27). The Valley of Ashes has become a haven, of sorts, for those who can not afford life in the city or the suburbs; it is a place for the poor who want to move up in life, but can’t. The use of the word fantastic— here, meaning nightmare-like, as in a fantasy— displays the horror of The

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1245 Words | 5 Pages

The impact of the striking settings in the Great Gatsby can overwhelm the reader at first, with its flowery descriptions and cryptic imagery. However, when the settings are fully understood, there is a symbolic meaning Fitzgerald is trying to convey through the settings of the places that are visited within the Great Gatsby. There is a realization when the reader looks deeply into the reality of the 1920s through Fitzgerald’s book. Fitzgerald uses the characterization and symbolism of the settings in the book to convey the theme of how the glitter and glamor of the 1920s overshadows the deeper ugliness that hides itself below the surface. Fitzgerald uses the Valley of Ashes to represent the despair and destruction felt from the extremely

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536 Words | 3 Pages

Today, I’d like to explore the Field of Inquiry of Power, Politics, Justice. I would like to explore the idea of corruption with power, especially when power is abused by those who hold it. In my first English work ,The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and in my translated work, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi we see that power is abused and people often become corrupt due to the amount of power they hold. The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fizgerald shows mainly examples of corruption especially through this main character in the novel, the specific type of corruption used is that of many and the powers that it holds over people.

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453 Words | 2 Pages

We also learn about Nick from his descriptions. To conclude the feel of this novel, Fitzgerald introduces the theme of the pursuit of wealth so early in the story because it’s important to understand how it connects with the American Dream. The valley of ashes is a desolate land between West Egg and New York City that consists of dumping of industrial ashes. This place is literal and symbolic in one, it symbolizes poverty and hopelesness in such a way. These characters are helpless, they are suffering just like the environmental is.

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1261 Words | 6 Pages

The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic 20th century story -that period was also known as the “roaring twenties”- which critiques the vision of the American Dream people in general have. At that time, the idea of a free market, and industrial revolution provided the opportunity for many to seize the market and people were starting to see that they could become rich without having any type of restriction. New York city was the centre of this wealth-creating society. After the war, this movement generated new opportunities and ambitions for people wanting to start a wealthy upper class life. That period of time was all about alcohol, partying, gambling, fashion, and money.

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1268 Words | 6 Pages

It also serves to portray the materialistic society that surrounds them (The Colors of Society - Camouflaged Discontent).” The characters portray such class and wealth along with fake happiness. The Valley of Ashes looks at how they feel on the inside which Daisy and Gatsby both ooze with discontent with how they’ve made decisions and how their lives did not turn out how they dreamed. Next, at one of Gatsby’s many house parties Nick makes a list of “grey names, and they will give you a better impression than [Nick’s] generalities (Fitzgerald 61).”

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487 Words | 2 Pages

The Great Gatsby portrays the rapid decay of the American Dream where “the pursuit of a...higher quality of life [is defined] through hard work, determination, and devotion” (Benjamin Franklin). The gap between the rich and the poor, can be seen when comparing West Egg and the Valley of the Ashes or Gatsby and the Wilsons. The 1920's were a time of moral corruption and by extension, caused the deterioration of the American Dream. The society of the roaring twenties judged a person’s success by their material possessions, wealth and social status. By placing materialist values on the character's lives, the book positions the audience to interpret money as the cause of the American Dream’s corruption.

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208 Words | 1 Pages

The Great Gatsby In Scott Fitzgerald book “The Great Gatsby”, lying and cheating is the crime in the book. In the book Gatsby is the perpetrator and Daisy is the victim. In chapter 4 Gatsby lying about “I did old sport … most of it in the big panic”(95).Gatsby was lying about how he got his big house. Another lie told in book Gatsby told Tom “But I’ll say I was”(151).

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300 Words | 2 Pages

As part 4 of our English language and literature course, we have been studying the novel, The Great Gatsby, by an F. Scott Fitzgerald. In this novel, Fitzgerald portrays the hollowness of the idea of wealth, and how it can bring both corruptions to an individual as well as the society. In my pastiche, I have chosen to write about how the corruption and the immorality of the materialistic world had affected Nick over 11 years after Gatsby’s death. To portray this, I have written about Nick very first visit to West Egg again for Gatsby’s 11th funeral and here are some stylistic features that I have imitated.

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