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Disillusionment In The Great Gatsby

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The Roaring 20’s Excess and Disillusionment Navigating the rapidly changing America, modernistic literature captures what it was like for society in the midst of the jazz age. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the 1920s era was shown in lavish, excessive ways. People were trying to find reason in life after the depressing events that led up to this time period. This want for change erupted into an epitome of expression, focusing on material riches and drive for social status. “Consumer culture” became popular, and advertisements all around pushed families to buy new, convenient items (History.com). Jobs and education were more available than ever, and many men were trying to take advantage of this new convenience. The Great Gatsby …show more content…

Although Gatsby attains an immense amount of wealth through dedicated work, he still faces class separation when he invites the Sloane’s and Buchanan’s over for dinner. Mrs. Sloane sarcastically ask him out for dinner, and he accepts but it is not a genuine invitation, "My God, I believe the man's coming, said Tom. Doesn't he know she doesn't want him?" (Fitzgerald 66). Gatsby cannot detect the social cues among the old money company, which alludes to the fact that he is not accepted. The West Egg which Gatsby lives in is seen as a clear sign that someone comes from new money. Old money/East Egg looks down on this as a boisterous party scene which is tacky and fake. To explain this idea, Nicks narration states about Gatsby’s party, “East egg condescending to West Egg, and carefully on guard against its spectroscopic gayety” (Fitzgerald 35). It is clear throughout The Great Gatsby that old money families provide a negative tone towards those of new money. And with money came reputation to figures trying to make it to the top. Once at the top, the Buchanan’s use their money and status to hide from both internal and external problems. Internal problems being their conflict about who they truly love, and externally being the affairs with Gatsby and Myrtle. When Gatsby dies, Daisy and Tom escape to Minnesota, “Then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness” (Fitzgerald 130). People who are above others financially, are careless to their actions because they believe money will always fix it. “No amount of money, lies, or material items can help them achieve perfection. The Great Gatsby is a novel that challenges the idea that true happiness comes from perfection” (Jeanpierre). The reoccurring false ideal of a perfect reputation, wealth, and success is expressed in The Great Gatsby using

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Gatsby's pursuit of Daisy, a member of this privileged class, is a reflection of his desire to advance socially and obtain acceptance from the privileged classes. Tom Buchanan, a member of the Old Money, serves as a vehicle for Fitzgerald to stress the sense of entitlement that comes with being born into a well-off family. Tom embodies the arrogance and cruelty of the upper class, using his wealth and power to control and manipulate those around him. Fitzgerald also critiques the American Dream through the character of Gatsby, who’s despite all his effort he is unable to escape his lower-class trappings, suggesting that the pursuit of wealth and status can lead to moral decay and disillusionment. Gatsby's obsession with his past and his longing for the unattainable Daisy ultimately leads to his tragic demise.

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Everyone has fantasized about being rich and all the luxury that comes with it. However, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writing of “The Great Gatsby” suggests how money ruins the lives of many. It ruins those who possess it and those who don’t. Fitzgerald explains through Myrtle Wilson, Jay Gatsby, and Daisy Buchanan that money and materialism causes us to lose sight of our values and what is truly important. Myrtle Wilson is very desperate to leave the Valley of Ashes.

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1920’s America was, perhaps, the most influential and prosperous time period that the United States has ever experienced. Not only was Wall Street climbing up higher and higher, but egos grew larger, lifestyles became more peculiar and less traditional, and physical possessions became an intrinsic part of life. It is in the midst of the chaotic and flashy 20’s that Jay Gatsby, the main character of The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald, finds himself. An affluent and cultured man, Gatsby has built up a dream around him full of physical objects and goals.

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The Roaring Twenties, known as the decade of the 1920s in the Western World, consists of dramatic changes in social values. The cultural differences between the 1920s and the Victorian era changes people's behavior, where they become more free-will, youthful and carefree, despite of being more conservative before. People are more open-minded and found satisfaction through the “open pursuit of sex, money, and booze” (Berman 53) as they suggest their wealth and status in the society. New York City had become one of the cities where materialistic wealth has become the key of happiness and the standard to judge people's success, further leading Americans to pursue each other in a negative, acquisitive way. Through the different scenes and characters of the famous novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald explores how the society twisted the original idea of

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For instance, Tom's wealth allows him to maintain his affair with Myrtle and use his power over both Myrtle and Daisy (Source A). The novel shows characters like Gatsby and Tom Buchanan using their wealth to assert their power and control over others. This demonstrates how money is important to have or earn while achieving this concept. Source E emphasizes the centrality of material success to the American Dream, with wealth seen as a means of achieving the "good life" and social mobility. The power of money in both The Great Gatsby and the American Dream reflects the broader cultural focus on materialism and consumerism during the Roaring Twenties.

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Gatsby realizes this, and craves the adoration and respect of the “old money” citizens. While he may feel some of the fondness they had when they were young, Daisy’s status is a significant motive towards his obsession. His chauvinistic gestures of parties and flashy cars are only set to prove to Daisy, and even himself, that he is just as wealthy as the East Egg citizens and should be respected as such. Gatsby verifies that money is the primary factor to his endearment towards Daisy when he remarks that "her voice is full of money" (Fitzgerald 128). With that money comes esteem, which is

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For an example, throughout the passage, Fitzgerald uses diction to portray Gatsby as an isolated and mysterious man. " Sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby at all...(pg.41). " As the host of many upscale parties, it is ironic Gatsby himself does not attend the event. Instead, he finds pleasure from overseeing those who seem to be enjoying the party. In addition, to satisfy his desires, Gatsby frequently flaunts of his wealth to others- thus revealing his insecurity .

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Even though “The Great Gatsby” was written nearly a century ago, many of the themes it has can still be seen in today’s society. During the time the book was written, the economy was in a condition of prosperity because the war ended which lead to technological advances and large profits for businesses. As a result, the dynamics of society changed also. The main focus of the media were on people with fame and wealth. This shows the interests and values of what most people had in the U.S. back then.

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The 1920s were affected by WWII in several ways, which are shown in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The 1920s was a time period of a great change in people’s behavior and social class. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famed novel The Great Gatsby reflects on the 1920s can help summarize the 1920s into three main characteristics, Disillusionment, the Rise in New Money, and Business Replacing Religion. Disillusionment, which is the loss of faith in one’s values and ideals, is a main characteristic of the 1920s because, during and after WWII many of the American citizens beliefs and ideals were being undermined by horrible acts committed during the war.

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In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald characterizes the 1920s as an era of decayed social and moral values. One of the major themes explored in this novel is the Hollowness of the Upper Class. The entire book revolves around money including power and little love. Coincidentally the three main characters of the novel belong to the upper class and throughout the novel Fitzgerald shows how this characters have become corrupted and have lost their morality due to excess money and success and this has led them to change their perspective towards other people and they have been portrayed as short-sighted to what is important in life. First of all, we have the main character of this novel, Gatsby who won’t stop at nothing to become rich overnight in illegal dealings with mobsters such as Wolfsheim in order to conquer Daisy’s heart.”

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Many of the main characters in the novel who come from old money frown upon Gatsby and his lack of social skills and manners. Gatsby's desire to belong to the alluring world of wealthy socialites puts him in uncomfortable situations, such as the dinner party Tom Buchannan, Mr. Sloane, and other

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After the unsettling times of World War I, people lost most of their faith in the government and society. Shortly afterward, the Modernist era emerged and took over literature as a response to how our country was greatly changed. By cause of this loss of faith, modernist literature displayed many variations of disillusionment. When one is disillusioned, one must recognize that their previous belief is now untrue, contrary to what many people may believe. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, the theme of disillusionment is represented through the use of narrator Nick Carraway who shows the disillusions of “the American Dream”, the upper class and their marriages become apparent to the reader.

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The author characterizes the wealthy by juxtaposing Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, the two affluent characters in the novel. Fitzgerald juxtaposes them by first revealing both as wealthy, introducing them closely, and highlighting their different natures through how they earned their wealth and through the plot to show how the wealthy class with old money is soulless. Although both Tom and Gatsby are prosperous, only Tom is depicted as heartless since he has old money and was in the wealthy class his entire life. Gatsby, however, has new money and since he earned it, he is not described as soulless because he wasn’t always in the wealthy class to where he is adapted their heartless nature. These differences correlate with their personality and with how Fitzgerald condemns the wealthy with old money as callous.

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The Disillusionment of the American Dream is evident in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The main characters that exhibit this through their lives are; Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson and Mr. Jay Gatsby. All of these characters hold on to their dream, but all of these characters are somehow let down. The first character, Daisy Buchanan, has the dream of love. She grew up in a very wealthy home.

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Unfortunately, by doing so, Gatsby makes it quite obvious that he is not old money. Old money does not act like Gatsby does; old money does not throw parties every night, they keep their money to themselves due to the fact that they are used to it.

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