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Examples Of Marxism In The Great Gatsby

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Society has always had a big impact on how people act on a daily basis. People tend to focus on the materialistic needs to provide satisfaction, such as wealth and social class. Proletariats are controlled and manipulated by the Bourgeoisie. Which in turn, determines their values, beliefs, and behaviour in society. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott. Fitzgerald, there is an explicit desire to be a part of the wealthiest group as it represents a higher social class, success, and happiness. However, many of the characters contradict this ideology as they are portrayed as miserable and have little meaning in their lives. Through a Marxist perspective, this is evident throughout the characters Daisy Buchanan, Tom Buchanan, and Jay Gatsby. Daisy is from East Egg, where she has inherited her money from her family. She has always been at the top of the hierarchy, yet she remains dissatisfied. In Daisy's youth, she was crazy in love with Gatsby, but because he was poor and of a lower social class, she did not want to associate with him. Meeting with Gatsby rekindles the love they once shared in their youth, as she cries, "'They're such beautiful shirts,' […] her voice muffled in the thick folds.'It makes me sad because I've never seen such beautiful shirts before'" (Fitzgerald 92). Daisy is focused on …show more content…

Tom as a Bourgeoisie, Gatsby's conspicuous consumption, and Daisy's mean to control those who are inferior to her, all embody this concept. All these characters seem to be living their deluxe lives, but after analyzing them, it is apparent that they all yearn for a better life. Readers can understand that social class, wealth, or background one comes from it does not define one's contentment. It is imperative to surround oneself with loving, affectionate, and caring people throughout life to truly appreciate

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1462 Words | 6 Pages

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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518 Words | 3 Pages

Seeing these shirts overwhelmed Daisy and made her think of the past. ” They’re such beautiful shirts.” (Fitzgerald 88) Daisy’s feelings about Jay came out in the form of tears when she thought about him while looking at his shirts. These feelings are later found out to be partially false and leads to Jay’s sporadic behavior. Gatsby had fallen head over heels for Daisy and had become obsessed upon his return from the war and was determined to gain wealth.

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639 Words | 3 Pages

“’They’re such beautiful shirts,’ she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. ‘It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such – such beautiful shirts before.’” (The Great Gatsby, 87) Here we get a small glimpse at the Daisy’s true emotions; she’s sad, however, she uses the “beautiful shirts” as a diversion to hide that what she’s really sad about is not shirts, but she’s sad because she realizes she’s missed the experience and life she could’ve had with Gatsby. Gatsby throwing the shirts above her just keep mounting higher and higher on the table below, just like her feelings have for him, all of these emotions were piling up and mounting higher and are not all falling on her just the way Gatsby’s shirts were.

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959 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout history, power has always been unequally distributed among people. From kings having a majority of power to slaves having none, the society of 1920s America mirrored the ways of the past. However, instead of kings and slaves, the differing classes would be the upper class and lower class. Viewing the different classes and the power each class holds is the foundation of the Marxist lens. A Marxist lens shows how rich people in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby are able to avoid the unwanted effects of their actions unlike their less wealthy counterparts, as contrasted by the actions of Daisy and Tom versus Myrtle.

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727 Words | 3 Pages

A Marxist lens allows the reader to view how Fitzgerald presents settings that symbolize the social status of their residents, such as East Egg, West Egg, and Valley of Ashes. Starting with the East egg. The east egg is home to old money passed down from generation to generation. The residents reside in beautiful old colonial houses. “Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water” (Fitzgerald pg7)

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1391 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout The Great Gatsby, Daisy is portrayed as a victim of infidelity and a confused girl who married the wrong man. However, her character plays a part in the selfishness of the American Dream as well. Fitzgerald subtly displays the materialistic side of Daisy Buchanan, as well as her clear disregard for those who do so much for her. Despite her inherited wealth, Daisy seems to still be drawn toward having more--and that is what the American Dream is all about. When she goes over to Gatsby’s house she is amazed by the size and luxury of it, and when she is bombarded with Gatsby’s colorful shirts she begins to cry.

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1177 Words | 5 Pages

Tucker Evans Frantzen 11 Honors Block 3A 25 March 2024 A Marxist lens through the Great Gatsby The wealth of each citizen has an impact on their societal views and experiences. Does earning your money versus having it handed to you truly affect the person you become and the experiences you have? In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the reader notices that the generational money holders are cold, stagnant characters who hold a mysterious and far away persona almost untouchable.

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602 Words | 3 Pages

It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such—such beautiful shirts before.” (92). Daisy’s emotional breakdown does not occur when she initially reunites with Gatsby. It takes place after Gatsby exhibits his wealth to her, displaying her attraction towards his new

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685 Words | 3 Pages

Daisy had thought of leaving Tom because Gatsby has such beautiful “shirts.” “Suddenly with strained sound Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily... They’re such beautiful shirts…” (Fitzgerald 98). Love becomes just another aspect of the obsession that manifest in so many of the

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1012 Words | 5 Pages

Literary criticisms are something that are very important in the world today so people can view writing in many different ways and from different points of view. There are many important literary criticisms that are known about but the primary three that are used are: Reader-Response criticism, Marxist criticism, and the Lesbian & Gay criticism. All of these criticisms are used to talk about some aspects of the book, and movie The Great Gatsby. All of these criticisms are compared to The Great Gatsby in the book by Lois Tyson, Critical Theory Today.

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Pursuing this further, Gatsby shows off his wealth to Daisy again by flaunting his expensive clothing. At this point in the story, Gatsby shows off his money in any way that he can. Daisy states to Gatsby, " 'It makes me sad because I 've never seen such – such beautiful shirts before '" (92; Ch 5). Gatsby 's shirts are part of his lifestyle, they were made to impress others. Daisy 's world is made up of wealth and flashy materials, and when she realizes that Gatsby is now connected to money, she breaks down.

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1633 Words | 7 Pages

Marxist Critique of The Great Gatsby Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald grew up in an era of appearing successful corporations, industrial boom, and an increased focus on financial value over a person’s internal attributes. The radical economic shift from the early 1900s to the 1920s to capitalism altered the core, accepted societal beliefs in a major way, one that is very evident in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. As a man who suffered from a number of the negative effects of capitalism’s influence on human connection, F. Scott Fitzgerald reflected his personal experiences through his writing. Fitzgerald used The Great Gatsby as an outlet to express his hidden, personal frustration about his reality during the 1920s; therefore, each major character

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1185 Words | 5 Pages

In the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald demonstrates the concept of Marxist critique through social-economic relationships and conflicts that it can create. For instance, “The social relationship of Marxism refers to this as that of economics between rich and poor. This theory is based purely upon the economics of wealth. The driving force in nearly all of society is the conflict between the rich and the poor.” (Angles)

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846 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the entirety of the book, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, many situations occur that show the exploitation of the lower class. The Marxist or Power theory relates to the fact that whoever controls the means of production, the upper class, controls the rest of society. In the story narrated by Nick Carraway, the relationship between Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson exemplifies how the wealthy and powerful take advantage of the poor. From the beginning of the novel, the upper class, represented by Tom Buchanan, is portrayed as ignorant and pompous. In the first chapter, Tom discusses a book regarding race and his opinions characterize him as being judgemental and racist.

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1110 Words | 5 Pages

The Great Gatsby written by F. S Fitzgerald, in 1925, is a story, a very tragic story, about Jay Gatsby and his desire of to be with the person he loves more than anything in the world. In this essay I will point out all the aspects and points in the novel that’s showing fundamental principles of Marxism. The fundamental argumentation is based on that “The American Dream” is only an illusion to disguising the poverty and class inequality that were pervasive under the Jazz Age, in 1920. I will in this essay prove that statement by pointing out the Marxist principles for “The American Dream” that I have found in The Great Gatsby But first of all what is “the American dream”?

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