How Does Fitzgerald Use Satire In The Great Gatsby

Authors use satire to bring the reader’s attention to various aspects of a society’s comprehension by illustrating the ridiculous and criticizing the evils he/she sees within the population. Throughout The Great Gatsby, Francis Scott Fitzgerald criticizes the classes of the 1920s, who had so much money they could get away with adultery and murder without consequence. Nearly all the characters in The Great Gatsby are motivated by love and desire. Fitzgerald argues that the way the characters approach love and desire is problematic and destructive. He also points out that the American dream is severely damaged, in The Great Gatsby many of the characters are driven towards materialistic possessions and wealth. The novel is a complex look at love

Fitzgerald suggests that Americans became overly materialistic. When Nick describes Daisy’s first tour of Gatsby’s house, he observes that Gatsby re-evaluates all his possessions based on the attention given to each of them by Daisy. Gatsby isn’t concerned with the true value of anything he owns. He measures his worth by the degree to which he impresses Daisy. The worn-out advertising billboard of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, which features oversized eyes, becomes, in the confused mind of George, the eyes of God. This is Fitzgerald’s satirical poke at 1920s America’s misplaced prioritization of material wealth over spiritual wealth. Gatsby became so enamored by her voice that he based all of his actions on winning Daisy over. Her voice contains the promise of vast riches. However, Gatsby is too late to realize that money is the only thing her voice promises. However, Gatsby does not see that attaining wealth and power does not equal happiness. Daisy and Tom’s marriage is further proof of the collapse of the American Dream. Although they belong to the West Egg social group and have extreme wealth, they are unhappy. Tom is first described as "one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterwards savours of anticlimax.” (Fitz, 1925) Tom and Daisy are both unsatisfied with life and are searching for something better. They have traveled to France and drifted "here and there unrestfully wherever people were rich and played polo together.” They are unhappy and bored with life. Tom seems to be searching for the excitement that he found in playing football in college, and he finds an outlet for his dissatisfaction by cheating on his wife with