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Comparing and contrasting west and east egg in the great gatsby
Fitzgerald's use of symbolism in the great gatsby
Fitzgerald's use of symbolism in the great gatsby
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Color is an essential part of everyday life and the world around us. Colors convey meaning when words cannot. In The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald uses color as a literary device to progress the story, create setting, mood, and develop and develop characters. Fitzgerald’s use of color shows the differences in class by describing the character, their surroundings, and their possessions with color.
From reading The Great Gatsby and tracking the presence of the symbol with location, it has become present that through the book, all of the places/the majority of the places mentioned either symbol something with money or fulfillment. For example, West Egg is all about people who have “New Money” and made something of themselves from what they didn’t have, East Egg is all about people who have “Old Money” in which they live off of their family members’ money. Another common place mentioned in the text is the Valley of Ashes, this symbolizes the moral and social decay with people who aren’t as wealthy as other. Lastly Gatsby’s mansion which symbolizes fullness but also emptiness and his love for Daisy. So, in the novel The Great Gatsby, written
When hearing about the lives of the characters living in East Egg, Fitzgerald focuses on the materialistic values, which emphasizes the shallowness of the characters; that materialistic values are in fact the only values that they have. The shallowness and the need for artificial acknowledgement can be seen on page 13 where Tom Buchanan shows his mansion to Nick; “’I’ve got a nice place here’, he said…… ‘It belonged to Demaine, the oil man.’ ….. We walked through a high hallway into a bright rosy-coloured space..” The only thing important to Tom Buchanan is to show how grand his mansion is, and Fitzgerald exposes this in a brilliant and yet subtle way
“Hope. It is the only thing stronger than fear” (President Snow, Hunger Games) The Great Gatsby uses symbolism to explore the effect of hope, however in this case, for the worse. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby proves the corruption of the American Dream by alluding to the green light, the Valley of Ashes, and the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg.
The Roaring Twenties, a time known for prosperity and wealth, was also the precursor for the Great Depression. In the American classic, The Great Gatsby, the author nearly foreshadows the fall of the wealthy class. By showing the corruption of the higher socioeconomic class, and the problems with the poverty of the age, the novel shows an atypical view on the nineteen twenties. While F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, focuses on the life of the prosperous on the outskirts of New York City, “the valley of ashes,” serves to show the contrast of a significantly different lifestyle. Through his use of symbolism, Fitzgerald adds a sense of carelessness and selfishness to the wealthy characters of the novel to illustrate his hostile view
Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities, a literary device which authors employ to create meaning in their stories. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is set in the Jazz Age, a period of great social change that is very much symbolized throughout the novel. Fitzgerald’s self-obsessed and ignorant characters perfectly encapture the moral corruption of the era. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald employs the billboard, the green light, and the valley of ashes as symbols to advance the plot of the novel as well as to elevate the quality of the novel.
Fitzgerald uses these characters to expose this life with their selfish actions. The first quote about wealth is in the beginning of the chapter 1, “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had. ” (Fitzgerald
The impact of socioeconomic status can be examined through a myriad of lenses. F. Scott Fitzgerald aims to show the relationship between socioeconomic status and power. Throughout The Great Gatsby, Tom’s character shows that socioeconomic status is equivalent to power within the novel. Tom puts great pride and emphasis on his socioeconomic status and wealth.
Not only does the amount of wealth affect social class, but the type of wealth also affects it. It even affects where people live and who people marry as seen with Gatsby and Daisy. The characters social standing affect who they interact and how they are perceived by others. Fitzgerald highlights the different class structures like “New rich” and “Old rich” and the impact of wealth on the people’s lives in those classes. He also shows the superficial nature of the characters and highlights the value placed on wealth.
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).”
Throughout life, many people display the extreme effect social class can play on one's personality. In Fitzgerald's "Winter Dreams," he emphasizes the complications of social status in the 1920's and the negative implications that come from the aggressive pursuit of the American Dream. Throughout Fitzgerald's work, he illustrates the accumulation of one's wealth causes one to lose sympathy for others through characterization, diction, and tone. In "Winter Dreams," Fitzgerald emphasizes the negative effect of wealth on one's sympathy for others through the use of characterization.
Throughout the story, Fitzgerald uses three vastly different geographical areas to show the separation between classes. The Valley of Ashes, where the poor live, is described as a “desolate area of land ... [where] spasms of bleak dust drift endlessly” (Fitzgerald 23). The poor people are trapped here, and no matter how hard they work, they can never escape this grim existence. The idea of no social mobility, and having no control over one's life, reflects the Naturalist view of society.
Fitzgerald uses myriad symbols such as a valley of ashes, a billboard, and a green light across the bay from Gatsby’s mansion, to convey his themes and influence the plot. A valley of ashes is used to convey the theme of the inequality of wealth that was so widespread in the 1920s. Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s husband, and Nick Carroway go on a drive to visit Tom’s mistress. Myrtle lives in an apartment above her husband’s workshop, in the coal and ash covered mining town on the outskirts of New York City. Fitzgerald, in narrator Nick
Fitzgerald expressed that social class defines a person and their personality. You can’t escape the social class you were born into, and you can’t fake it either. Your roots will always show through. The overall message Fitzgerald was trying to send to the reader is to accept your social status and don’t take it for granted. Someone will always be better than you, therefore accept what you have and be
Fitzgerald brings attention to the extravagant lives of the wealthy, the privilege they claim and the false sense of superiority they project. We are moved to assess the true nature of these characters. We acknowledge the duality of their characters; the part of themselves that are revealed to those around them and their true nature. The attempt
