Journal Entry #1 The various settings in The Great Gatsby serve to represent a theme or character of the novel. The first chapter introduces the reader to West Egg and East Egg. Nick describes West Egg as the “less fashionable of the two”, even though both sides contain equally enormous amounts of wealth. East Egg represents the social graces and aristocratic values of the old rich, such as the Buchanans who inherited their wealth. At the end of the novel, Nick views Tom and Daisy as careless aristocrats who care little about the damage that they cause others. On the other hand, West Egg is representative of all those who self-made their success. This side is ostentatious and showy with their money. Gatsby is an example of this through the …show more content…
Throughout the course of the book, Nick becomes completely immersed in and engrossed by the opulent lives of the people he knows. He almost seems to lose his own identity in the process. Nick repeatedly mentions how he is angered or annoyed by what they (the rich people in his life) are saying or doing, yet he is repeatedly drawn to them. However, at this point, both the reader and Nick become aware of the fact that he is just an observer and does not contribute anything to the situation. Furthermore, thirty is usually a big milestone for people, but for Nick, his birthday slowly creeps up on him and this realization occurs at the end of the day. The thirtieth birthday marks the final transition from youth to the brutal realities of adulthood. On the same page in the novel, Nick thinks to himself, “I was thirty. Before me stretched the portentous, menacing road of a new decade.” Once again, Fitzgerald seems to be drawing a parallel on a larger scale. The upcoming decade of Nick’s life represents The Great Depression which lies ahead in the …show more content…
On page 20, Nick observes Gatsby: “he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily, I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away”. The light is described as ‘minute and far away’, which shows how impossible it is to reach it. Gatsby is trying to recreate the past for the duration of the novel, but to no avail. Furthermore, since Daisy represents status and wealth, the light also represents the improbability of achieving the materialistic American