How Does Fitzgerald Present Beauty In The Great Gatsby

In F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway meets a man named Jay Gatsby, who throws parties in the summer of 1922, in West Egg, New York. They live in a world shaped by social class and status, which is highlighted by East Egg which is home to the ‘old’ money individuals, that has been passed down for generations, and West Egg which is home to the ‘New’ money and self made wealthiness. Fitzgerald uses the character of Jay Gatsby to highlight the American dream, which is that someone could rise from nothing to wealth and achieve all their desires and wishes.In this case, Gatsby’s main goal is to impress his former lover, Daisy, by putting on a facade in an attempt to win her over . However, Fitzgerald uses this definition of the

When Nick Carroway attends one of Gatsby’s many extravagant parties, he says, “Dressed up in white flannels I went over to his lawn a little after seven, and wandered around rather ill at ease among swirls and eddies of people I didn’t know”(Fitzgerald 41). With white associated with purity, and flannels representing luxury and status of those in attendance ,the duality of the color white provides very important insight to understanding the masking of the corruption that lies deep within the American dream. By saying “wandered around rather ill at ease” Fitzgerald conveys Nick’s discomfort and unease in Gatsby’s environment. Despite how beautiful the party is, Nick feels disconnected from everyone which highlights how artificial the party actually is. To emphasize the chaotic nature of the party: “swirls and eddies of people” show how people are only caught up in the tornado of pleasure which highlights the absence of authenticity. The lack of genuine connection between the people at the party characterizes Gatsby’s parties. Fitzgerald shows how shallow and empty the lifestyle that is associated with the American dream, and thus portrays how the dream fails to attain true happiness for Gatsby, who is stuck in a world of

At the end of the novel, after Nick attends Gatsby’s wedding, he says, “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter- tomorrow we will run faster,stretch out our arms farther…And one fine morning- So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past”(Fitzgerald 180). This moment ties back to when Gatsby is first introduced, though the circumstances have changed, the symbolic significance of the green light being Gatsby’s dream of being with Daisy has always been there. Gatsby’s main desire throughout the novel is to impress and win Daisy over, it is the only thing he wants and the whole reason he has accumulated his wealth as a self made man. Thus by using the phrase “year by year recedes before us” Fitzgerald implies that Gatsby’s dream was stagnant the entire novel, and despite his wealth, his American dream ultimately fell short. However, this isn't out of lack of trying, this is Gatsby’s goal in life, he could “stretch out our arms farther” and “run faster” but there will always be a “current” holding him back “ceaselessly into the past”. The view of Gatsby living in the past was always going to be his downfall, as Fitzgerald makes it clear that one