Examples Of Unfaithfulness In The Great Gatsby

Unfaithfulness throughout the 1920’s

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the wild and erratic lifestyle of people in the 1920’s. The book gives a parallel representation of the different lifestyles that were prominent during the time this book was written. Many rambunctious parties take place and money is carelessly thrown around. Throughout the plot, the reader is introduced to symbols that reveal God watching over the world. God plays a huge role in the timeline of history, other than just having created man. Fitzgerald uses eyes as a symbol to reveal and portray the omniscient God of the world, and his hate for the way his people are living. The first symbol that portrays the eyes of God, is the owl-eyes of the

TJ Eckleburg. The billboard overlooks the Valley of Ashes, and stands out because of its bright blue eyes and golden lenses (Fitzgerald 23). The eyes of this billboard “represent the eyes of God watching down the moral corruption of America” (lhblogs). This is plainly seen, where, throughout the novel, this billboard “watches” all of the actions of the characters. It watched scenes such as George and Myrtle fighting upstairs in their room, Gatsby’s car hitting and killing Myrtle, and when Tom was headed to the city with Myrtle committing adultery. The character that is seen to have the biggest “relationship” with the billboard is George Wilson. George owns a car garage just across the street from the billboard (Fitzgerald 25). To George, this billboard represents the eyes of God himself. Just before Myrtle had died,George discovered that she had been having an affair. George told his friend Michealis, “I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God. I took her to the window…...and I said ‘God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!’” (Fitzgerald 159). George is referring to the billboard when he is talking about God. Those eyes haunt him as he believes that they watch all of his actions. He tells Myrtle that she might have been able to hide from him, but that God knew the whole

He desires to have a personal relationship with his people, however, he cannot because of the sin in their life. As the bible says in the book of Revelation, “ Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). Unless his people realize that they are lost and need a savior, there is no way for there to be a relationship with Him. The people of the 1920’s have completely forgotten who God is, or that they even need him. In The Great Gatsby, the characters partake in lifestyles that aren’t obedient to the way that man had been instructed at the beginning of time. “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). This quote from the book of James suggests that people have a good conscience, however, they choose to do the wrong thing anyways. Symbols like the billboard of Dr. TJ Eckleburg are there to remind the people that God is watching what they are doing. When they choose to wrong path anyways, God is angered and weeps for them. This image is perfectly depicted on the cover of The Great Gatsby. On the cover of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel is picture of a city under a dark night sky. Hovering in the sky is a face without form, only having eyes and a mouth. These eyes are watching over the city and have a stream of tears running down it’s face. This