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The Great Gatsby Marxist Analysis

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This novel is a clear-cut representation of Marxism. The key themes, symbols and characterization correspond to the dimensions of Marxism.
The Great Gatsby starts out displaying the theme of Marxism almost immediately with the introduction of the narrator, Nick when he describes his socioeconomic status as a ‘bonds man’. He describes his class pretty quick, saying: “My family has been prominent, well-to-do people in this middle-western city for 3 generations (Fitzgerald 3).” The bourgeois status of Nick is contrasted by the extremely wealthy Gatsby and his grand mansion. The degree of the splendor Gatsby lives in is described in great detail by Nick, as is the Buchanan’s house: “The one on my right (Gatsby’s house) was a colossal affair by any standard it was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden” (Fitzgerald 5). Nick represents Fitzgerald’s view, as he comes from a …show more content…

Fitzgerald is clearly critiquing the American dream, and the capitalism which consumes everyone, but by giving this couple such a gloomy existence, there is no real moral to the story. If they were happy, it would be a truly Marxist novel, but they are portrayed as negatively as the rich people. With or without money people are unhappy and they are unpleasant people, through quotes like, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money, or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess that they had made” (Fitzgerald 25). However, the vivid description of their beautiful clothing, houses, friends, and even their physiques, make them much more attractive to the reader than the pitiful lives of lower

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Despite the stories that went around about Gatsby, Nick looked past them to learn who he truly was. “He smiled understandingly… it was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced… the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself… I'd got a strong impression that he was picking his words with care” (Fitzgerald, 49).

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Nick’s impression of Gatsby is ironic for it is not Gatsby’s wealth and social status that fascinates him but instead his foolish emotion of love. Through his secret, most likely illegal scandals, he pretends to belong to the same social class as Tom Buchanan and his wife Daisy, Gatsby’s one love. If he wants a girl like Daisy Buchanan, he knows he could not be the broke farmer from Minnesota he once was. His poverty stricken prior life holds no value for him and his dream. His penniless past fueled his entry into the army.

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In the story, “The Great Gatsby”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays an idea that Nick’s personality is being changed throughout the story along with his emotional state by the rich and powerful people he is around. The progression of Nick throughout the story shows a man who wanted to live a simple life at home but then turns quickly into a person who he himself couldn't recognize. In the beginning, the story begins through the eyes of Nick. It’s describing how he lives in West Egg in a small house in New Jersey. He is surrounded by rich people in mansions with one of them being an old friend that he went to Yale with who lives across the bay.

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In the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author uses many differnt retorical devices to add a personal flare to his work. He uses diction, symbolism, and irony to adress many different themes. These themes include Materialism, The American Dream, and includes a sharp and biting ridicule on American society in the 1920’s. The main point of Fitzgerald, arguement is one where he sharply criticizes the Society of the time.

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F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby a is a fictional telling of the lives of the rich and the poor in the 1920s. The novel illustrates the dreams of the characters and their limited grasp on reality. Fitzgerald uses character portrayal and important objects to shape the faults of dreams. The novel manages to use literary devices to substantiate the shallow personality of the characters. Through characterization and symbolism, the novel emphasizes that people live in their own imagination and refuse to fully accept reality when in pursuit of a goal, leading to a life lacking substance or meaning.

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In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby," Nick Carraway is the narrator and main character who provides the reader with an insight into the lives of the wealthy socialites in 1920s New York. As he is introduced to Tom and Daisy Buchanan's opulent lifestyle, he uses language that reveals his opinion of them and what they represent. Through a careful analysis of the stylistic elements such as tone, diction, imagery, and syntax in Nick's language, it is clear that he views the Buchanan's as superficial, careless, and corrupt. Nick's use of tone sets the stage for his initial impression of the Buchanan's home and lifestyle. The opening of the novel finds Nick describing the East Egg as a "factual imitation" of a French chateau, which sets

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The Great Gatsby According to Ebook Friendly books are banned or challenged for moral, political, religious, or commercial reasons. A Challenge is wanting to take a book down based on a group of people or a person. Most challenges are unsuccessful though (Banned & Challenged). There is may reasons why books are challenged but most of the time is to protect children from information that may seem inappropriate to them at the same age. Books like The Great Gatsby was and were challenged because of material that is considered “sexually explicit, contained offensive language, or may be unsuitable for any age group. ”

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F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby describes the life of Jay Gatsby in the 1920’s. The novel shares his love story and his loneliness. A major question the author raises is how does wealth impact class structure and society? Fitzgerald answers this question through the distinction between “New rich” and “Old rich” and the significance of East and West Egg.

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In F. Scott Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby, as Jay Gatsby delves into his pursuit of wealth and need for materialism, his hopes and aspirations become shattered in a world of unobtainable and unreachable possibilities. While Jay Gatsby confidently believes that material excess will ultimately bring about love, admiration, and prosperity, the audience understands that the possession of material objects does not always lead to the possession of these intangible virtues. The richest and happiest man is the one who sets the joy and happiness of others in the center of his wealth. As Jay Gatsby dedicates himself to winning over Daisy Buchanan and falls in love with her aura of luxury, Gatsby becomes overwhelmed with an unremitting desire for money and pleasure that eventually triggers his downfall. He has one purpose in life: to attract Daisy with his ornate house on West Egg and with his overflowing sum of money.

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The characters put wealth, power, and desires over moral values and respect for themselves and others. Fitzgerald’s makes it obvious that he believes people should not substitute their values for a materialistic life. The characters’ desire to achieve the American dream outweighs moral convictions, resulting in scandalous and fatal actions. A critical perspective that is approached throughout the entire novel and is most helpful in understanding the theme is the Marxist criticism.

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Jacobo Delara Mr. Horner English II CP September 15 2014 The Great Gatsby The classic American Novel Nick Carraway is man from a wealthy family in Minnesota moving to west egg to learn about the Bond business. Then he gets involved with Mr. Gatsby which then sparks the beginning of the novel.

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Gatsby is a wealthy man who lives in West Egg. He tells Nick that he is “the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West” (Fitzgerald, 65). He later states, “I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford, because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years. It is a family tradition” (Fitzgerald, 65). This is what Gatsby wants Nick to believe but, in reality, Nick tells the reader that Gatsby was a man by the name of James Gatz and he was the son of unsuccessful farmers.

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The American dream states that any individual can achieve success regardless of family history, race, and/or religion simply by working hard. The 1920’s were a time of corruption and demise of moral values in society. The first World War had passed, and people were reveling in the materialism that came at the end of it, such as advanced technology and innovative inventions. The novel The Great Gatsby exploits the theme of the American Dream as it takes place in a corrupt period in history. Although the American Dream seemed more attainable than ever in the 1920’s, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby demonstrates how materialism and the demise of moral values in society leads to the corruption and impossibility of the American Dream.

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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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They believed what Fitzgerald is trying to show, the impossibility of achieving happiness through the “American Dream”. In other words, money won’t necessarily bring

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