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Examples Of Superficiality In The Great Gatsby

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Kyle Guanzon English III Honors 2/21/17 Superficiality In ‘The Great Gatsby’ The Great Gatsby, a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a book that illustrates the progression and the development of the American society in the 1920s. Settled in one of the prominent wealthy towns, the novel follows a cast of characters in Long Island. The novel, too, is a great symbolization of the characters struggles between illusion and reality. Fitzgerald’s characters in the Great Gatsby are influenced by wealth, success and social status to create an artificial front which affects their identities and personalities. These aspirations reflect people’s ideals to become their “dream” in order to fit into the American society. Fitzgerald uses the motif …show more content…

Fitzgerald portrays Myrtle’s life with Wilson as the other half of the American society in the 1920s. (insert more context) They represent the poor society striving to catch up as they are surrounded by rapid progression and development during the decade. (more context) Myrtle, with her desperation, commits to make this her ultimate goal. As Mrs. Wilson urged to change outfits to go to New York, (shorten quote bc it’s too long or maybe reword it to integrate it better to the sentence) “the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change. The intense vitality had also been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur.” (Fitzgerald 30) In this scene, Tom Buchanan and Nick Carraway visited the Wilsons to pick up Myrtle from the garage to go to New York. Myrtle urged to change outfits before they left. Not only does her clothing change portrays her “richness,” but also her attitude and personality in correspondence to what she wore. (expand more on analysis) This illustrates how the wealthy society has a different way of dress, and represents the social status that you claim. Through this, Myrtle’s acts represent her desperation to fit into the society through not only changing her clothing, but also her attitude. This reveals her artificial persona as she is poor, in reality. (transition and context) As they arrived at Myrtle’s apartment small in New York, Nick illustrates that her place (integrate better/reword) “was crowded to the doors with a set of tapestried furniture entirely too large for it...” (Fitzgerald 29) In Myrtle’s tiny apartment, her place is crowded with large furniture. This shows how Myrtle is trying to be a part of the wealthy and rich society of the East and West Egg by shoving all these

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In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald uses characterization and symbolism to prove obsessing over the American dream will lead to greed. The characterization of Myrtle shows how obsession can manifest itself into greed. As Myrtle learned she was going out to party with Tom, the man she had an affair with, she dressed-up for the occasion and, “changed her dress to a brown figured muslin which stretched tight over her rather wide hips as Tom helped her to the platform in New York” (Fitzgerald 31). Myrtle was obsessed with her self-image. Before she learned she was attending a party with Tom, she displayed her authentic self by wearing clothes that represented her, then after she changed into an outfit that made her

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