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Examples Of Idolatry In The Great Gatsby

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Golden Calves: The Repercussions of Idolatry in a Great American Novel
In the Lutheran doctrine Large Catechism, written in 1529, Martin Luther writes, “That to which your heart clings and entrusts itself is, I say, really your God,” (Luther, The First Commandment). Luther discusses the First Commandment, a sacred religious rule. The most common Biblical symbol for idolatry is the Golden Calf. The Golden Calf was a calf statue made of gold that the Israelites worshipped instead of God. In this story, the Israelites were explicitly worshiping an idol; however, any person who is attached to and worships an imperfect thing is worshiping a false idol–their personal Golden Calf. Idols end up guiding everyday decisions and actions, and since the idols are earthly, they are imperfect, leading to imperfect decisions. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, warns of the dangers of idolatry through the repercussions the characters face for worshiping imperfect things.
“Idolatry” is a term used to describe …show more content…

Nick also appears to have some form of religion in his life. After Myrtle dies, Wilson keeps saying that nothing can be hidden from God, yet whenever he says this, he stares at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg (Fitzgerald, Chapter 7). Nick has referenced the eyes in the past, specifically during a gathering at Myrtle and Tom’s apartment. Nick narrates, “Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening streets” (Fitzgerald, chapter 2). Through temptation and chaos during the party, Nick’s attention focuses on the “casual watcher”, who Fitzgerald implies is Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. Fitzgerald is using T. J. Eckleburg as a symbol of God. Nick does not face any problems throughout the novel. Since Nick does not have any Golden Calf, he does not

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826 Words | 4 Pages

“Instead of being the warm center of the world, the Middle West now seemed like the ragged edge of the universe—so I decided to go East and learn the bond business” (Fitzgerald 16). Throughout the novel Nick sees rich people being careless, like Tom and Daisy, and poor people being exploited, like Myrtle and Gatsby. He eventually decides that “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made…” (Fitzgerald 179). Nick is appalled by Tom, Daisy, and Jordan and the last thing he says to Gatsby is: “They’re a rotten crowd… you’re worth the whole damn bunch put together” (Fitzgerald 154).

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Midterm Essay According to protagonist Edna Pontellier in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, “outward existence which conforms, the inward life which questions.” In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick Carraway demonstrates a character who conforms outwardly while questioning inwardly. The tension created by Carraway’s outward conformity and inward questioning supports the idea “corruption comes when wealth is valued over relationships” is revealed.

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785 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the passage, Fitzgerald adds depth to Nick’s character, establishing motivation for his actions, for example, now Nick’s motivation to accompany Tom to meet Myrtle even though he didn’t want to, was because the trip meant he had something to do and that someone, in this case Tom, wanted him. The passage also provides insight, which explains why Gatsby, a self-centered man who initiated contact with Nick for personal gain, and Nick, a shy, socially awkward man who wants to be wanted and desires an effort-free companion, are

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472 Words | 2 Pages

Perez2 Another motif Fitzgerald uses to highlight that appearances are deceiving is the motif of lying/cheating. Nick is “one of the few honest people” that he has ever known (Fitzgerald 59). When Nick states this he is lying to himself. The entire book he is judging others and he thinks of himself as better than others when he is actually not.

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1452 Words | 6 Pages

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was published in 1925. The 1920s were known as the Jazz Age and even the Roaring Twenties. The girls of this time wore their hair differently and wore clothes often much shorter than had been seen. They tended to expose their legs and knees which shocked the older generation. The growth of jazz lead to new dances being created which further angered the older generation.

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686 Words | 3 Pages

Michael Fecht Mrs. Myers Academic English II 5/21/18 Immorality in the Great Gatsby Money dictates how people act and how they go about their day. It is very crucial; everything costs money. In the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, everyone has money. The wealth that these characters have is a must for them. they show their wealth by flaunting the expensive attire they have or throw these parties in their expensive homes.

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994 Words | 4 Pages

Gatsby is cast as a Jesus figure, strengthening the idea that fantasy never lives up to reality: “The truth [is] that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He [is] a son of God- a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that- and he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty” (Fitzgerald 98). Jesus served God by serving others, namely mankind (the “vast, vulgar, meretricious beauty” above). Likewise, Gatsby serves Daisy, his own horrible beauty.

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But it is also inferred that Nick is a homosexual. Fitzgerald implied in the novel that Nick, the narrator, had a homosexual affair with a photographer. This novel was set in the 1920’s, and at that time, it would have been shameful to be a homosexual. They were often shunned for it when people found out. Nick went to a small get together with a few friends, including a photographer, Mr. McKee, and his wife.

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756 Words | 4 Pages

The Roaring Lack of Morality in the 20s Morals were not thought of as a strict moral code during the roaring twenties, and many people found them rather irrelevant. Those whom threw parties, cheated, and lied, were those who were happiest during these times. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, paints a picture of the 1920s by expressing many themes: the need for wealth, the want for love, and the act of betrayal in marriage through the Modern Era.

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Theme: Friendship “In M. Waldman I found a true friend. His gentleness was never tinged by dogmatism, and his instructions were given with an air of frankness and good nature that banished every idea of pedantry. In a thousand ways he smoothed for me the path of knowledge and made the most abstruse inquiries clear and facile to my apprehension.” (pg.75) Victor has been exposed to a new way of thinking that doesn’t contain natural philosophy, and moreover, he has been exposed to a new environment where he must start fresh in a friendless community.

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1311 Words | 6 Pages

As defined by Aristotle, “a tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction” (“Tragic Hero” 1). In The Great Gatsby, Great historical writers like Sophocles and the aforementioned Aristotle used this character archetype while manifesting their works to create characters that were both larger than life, but also were human. Like these dateless litterateurs, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses this timeless archetype to create the titular character Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald likens Gatsby to fellow tragic heros like Antigone, Oedipus Rex, and Odysseus by describing him to be both a common man and larger than life. Furthermore, similar to other tragic heroes, Gatsby has a tremendous fall from grace.

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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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1042 Words | 5 Pages

As the story begins, Nick says, “...I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me…” (Fitzgerald 1). Although Nick claims he has been taught to not judge others, he does quite frequently. Nick insults Daisy and Tom,

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839 Words | 4 Pages

In The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald, one of the characters is “stuck in the past”. Throughout the novel, Gatsby is constantly longing for a past relationship he had with a woman named Daisy, who moved on from Gatsby and married another man when Gatsby left for the war. Gatsby’s view of the past is used to develop a major theme of the novel: the moral decay of society. The novel begins with Nick, the narrator saying how the events that happened in New York, where the novel takes place, caused him to leave, and how he doesn’t like any of the people he was involved with.

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1659 Words | 7 Pages

Characters throughout The Great Gatsby present themselves with mysterious and questionable morals. Affairs, dishonest morals, criminal professions, weak boundaries and hypocritical views are all examples of immorality portrayed in The Great Gatsby. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, lies and mischief fill the lives of many and significantly damage numerous relationships. First, Jay Gatsby's whole life is consumed into a massive lie. His personality traits set him apart from others and the attention he accumulates motivates him to falsely portray his life.

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