Paradoxical Themes In The Great Gatsby

Throughout the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s depiction and storyline of Jay Gatsby initiates various questions by the audience relating to either Gatsby's true love for Daisy or his affection for money. Fitzgerald provided through these interpretations a number of themes relating to the American Dream, money, love, betrayal, and division of social classes amongst others. Of all the themes, the two most paradoxical themes strikingly relating to the group’s film interpretation are that wealth cannot provide happiness and wealth can give one happiness and contentment. These opposing themes and answers of the questions are presented through the motifs: record player, dinner table, the phone and death. Readers deem that Gatsby adores Daisy more strongly over his accumulation of wealth. The reason for him working in the bootleg business was for his love for Daisy. Daisy’s family was of old money whilst Gatsby was the son of a farmer. Thus, he desired to reinvent himself in order to rise to their ranking and wed Daisy. By the time Gatsby returns from fighting in WWI Daisy has already married Tom

One of the major motif was the phone. The phone was a major motif due to the reason that it aided the viewers to realize if Gatsby's love for Daisy was true or if it was just his love for money. In the two different depictions, Gatsby waits for someone to call on the phone, either Daisy or Wolfsheim. In the novel, the telephone and its ringing connects and disconnects the characters. When Gatsby dies no one calls, showing that no one is present for him. Another motif in the scene is death. Death plays a major role in showing the loneliness of Gatsby as he dies alone. Additionally, the motif of the dinner table is vital due to the fact that it is in the place in which Gatsby has flashbacks of Daisy and or Wolfsheim. Because of the dinner table we know that he was in love with either his wealth or