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How Does Fitzgerald Use Critical Lense In The Great Gatsby

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In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author used many different critical lenses and maybe without even knowing it. Fitzgerald used critical lenses such as, the reader response lense, the historical lense, the gender lense, the new criticism lense, and many more. The new criticism connected to the text much more than any other lense. By the author adding many different symbols and themes throughout the novel, Fitzgerald was able to capture the idea of the new criticism lense as the novel progressed. Symbolism is the “artistic imitation or invention that is a method of revealing or suggesting immaterial, ideal, or otherwise intangible truth or states” according to Merriam-Webster. Symbols such as the clock, the weather, and the greenlight were all recurring as the novel progressed. In chapter five, Gatsby knocks over time, sort of trying to turn back time just like how he tries to recreate his past with Daisy. Gatsby is trying to turn back time, to the time which Daisy and him were together and in love. Another symbol that was included in the novel was the weather. Also in chapter five, the weather kept changing. While Daisy was over Gatsby’s house having dinner, “The rain was still falling, but the darkness had parted in …show more content…

Another way that the American dream is shown in the novel is how Fitzgerald showed the difference between both the West and East Egg. On the East Egg it is old money and on the West Egg it is new money; “I lived at West Egg, the-- well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them” (9). Fitzgerald describes that you have to be born into money in order to be important. In the end, different themes has occurred throughout the novel, but romance and the American dream are the more important

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What is a symbol? In literature a symbol is an object, person, place or an idea that has a real meaning in itself and also a deeper and profound meaning . Many examples of symbols can be found in the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story of the book takes place in the roaring 1920’s and within the story Fitzgerald uses a lot of symbols as objects and physical location. The physical locations such as valley of ashes, Gatsby’s mansion , Nick’s house , the green light located in the Buchanan residents’ dock are not only places or locations that the author mentions, they symbolize emotions, feelings and other significant information.

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As readers, we encounter many different books with many different storylines, but do we always grasp the allegories, or symbols, that the author uses throughout his text? Granted, some are more obvious than others, but we all can agree that just about every single book we’ve picked up, or will pick up in the future, will have some sort of symbol. In The Great Gatsby, there are a few symbols that F. Scott Fitzgerald uses to underline the main ideas throughout his text, but one in particular stuck out to me, the weather. Not only does Fitzgerald use the rain and the sunshine, but he also uses the seasons, summer and fall, to give his scenes deeper meanings. The weather provides meaning by representing Gatsby’s feelings, the heat between the characters,

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As Fitzgerald unveils Gatsby’s secret past and story, he uses various examples of this illicit metaphor. From the green light to the weather, to the characters themselves, there is no doubt that symbolism is used to illustrate a more complex idea. To start off, a clear example of symbolism would be the green light. It appears at the end of Daisy Buchanan’s dock,

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As things start to settle with Gatsby and Daisy the weather changes as said in the book, “ While the rain continued it had seemed like the murmur of their voices, rising and swelling a little now and then with gusts of emotion. But in the new silence I felt that silence had fallen within the house too”

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The Twenties were one of the most important eras due to the influences it had on today’s culture. There were several things that played into shaping our current society, such as the past idea of The American Dream as opposed to the current one, how Jazz affected culture, and the impacts of Old Money vs. New Money and what the differences were. During the 1920’s, there were huge impacts on time and culture. As evidenced by both Echoes of the Jazz Age and The Great Gatsby, it is clear what effects these impacts had. Wealth, The American Dream, and Jazz all played into influencing and making the Twenties such a progressive time.

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In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, symbolism is very important all throughout it. Not only does he use objects to show symbolism, but he also uses color symbolism to prove the importance of the theme and development of the characteristics in the Great Gatsby. Color symbolism brings out the visual of the story, so readers can picture it in their mind as they are reading. Fitzgerald took the colors to an advanced level by using key colors to help further deepen the meaning of the book and its characters. Although there are many colors in the novel, Fitzgerald uses the colors green, white, and yellow to symbolize Gatsby’s emotions and riches.

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The American Dream suggests that every American citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work. One of the major ways that Fitzgerald portrays this is by alluding to outside events or works of literature specifically from that time period. Another major relationship that develops in The Great Gatsby is between Tom and Daisy. F. Scott Fitzgerald alludes to things such as the World’s Fair and “The Love Nest” to display the eventual dismantling of Tom and Daisy’s relationship. Both of these separate plots consolidate under the idea of Gatsby trying to become the epitome of the American Dream, as seen through his strive for a “perfect life.”

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The American dream influences the American people to have the opportunity to achieve success through work, determination and self- motivation. Many Americans were motivated and commit themselves to having their perfect life. However, not all Americans were able to achieve their dreams. Fitzgerald’s rhetorical device affects the American dream that characterizes the morality of people’s social classes and gender. Daisy, wealthy young woman living in East Egg, loved a young man named, Gatsby.

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The American Dream is different for everyone, however, all will fight for it. They will struggle for their ideal of the American Dream. Fitzgerald shows this with all of his characters. He shows what all of them are willing to do to achieve their happiness, and what happens when it is taken away.

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Michael Valderrama Hodgins AM Studies Block A 12/5/16 Gatsby’s Mansion Symbolism is the use of symbols to supply things with a representative meaning or to represent something abstract by using an existing object. Gatsby’s mansion is a symbol of himself, his love for Daisy, and a representation of the 1920s. James Gatz, the small town boy from North Dakota, dreamed of obtaining his American Dream. He perceived the American Dream as a way to obtain wealth and status in order to win the hand of the love of his life Daisy.

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Throughout many brilliant works of literature, a common item is placed amongst them: symbols. Symbols are often a key to further understanding a point the author is trying to convey to their readers. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby, he utilizes the literary tool of symbols to illustrate a larger picture for his themes and characters within the novel. For example, the color green plays a prominent role in The Great Gatsby throughout the duration of the novel. However, the color has can have various interpretations.

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747 Words | 3 Pages

In the story by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby symbolism is shown all throughout the story with Gatsby as he was in the war shows how he goes insane at times with other people. Another symbol used in the book is how the author uses “east and west eggs” to show two different villages where gatsby and daisy live. The most important symbol of the story was the green light at the end of daisy’s dock not only can symbolize the money that gatsby gained for Daisy but also shows Gatsby’s dream to change what happened, it gives Gatsby something to hope for. All in all Symbolism is shown all throughout the story with all the main characters but Gatsby stood out the most in the story; even being insane.

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1133 Words | 5 Pages

Fitzgerald focused on the shift in the American Dream - from being the idea of self-fulfillment, dignity and comfort that is achieved through hard work, to being equated with the pursuit of wealth and power, and identifying happiness with having money. The novel depicts the rise and fall of the concept and describes the causes of its decay. The downfall of the American Dream is most accurately shown through the main protagonist of the story – Jay Gatsby. To reiterate, the American Dream is the concept that anyone can achieve a better life and become self-fulfilled, if they put enough effort to it and make the most of their abilities.

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In the last passage of The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the reader gains insight into Gatsby’s life through the reflections of Nick Carraway. These reflections provide a summary of Gatsby’s life and also parallel the main themes in the novel. Through Fitzgerald’s use of diction and descriptions, he criticizes the American dream for transformation of new world America from an untainted frontier to a corrupted industrialized society. In the novel, Fitzgerald never mentions the phase “American Dream,” however the idea is significant to the story.

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1218 Words | 5 Pages

The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis “They were careless people…” says Nick Carraway, the narrator of The Great Gatsby. In a story depicting the 1920s during a time of prosperity, growth, and the emergence of the America as a major global power, this statement may seem to be contrary. But in reality, Nick Carraway’s description of his friends and the people he knew, was not only true, but is an indication of those who were striving for the American dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald suggests that the American Dream is foolish, the people who pursue it are immoral and reckless, and this pursuit is futile. First, F. Scott Fitzgerald proposes that the American dream is foolish.

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