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Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

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The novel, The Great Gatsby, is a romantic drama telling the story of a man named Nick Carraway in 1920s New York City, and his peculiar position in between the so called “love” of two friends. Nick witnesses the sin and debauchery of the Eastern life, including: lies, adultery, and murder, which forever alters his life. F. Scott Fitzgerald is considered a master of symbolism, which plays a major role in his novels. Three of the most important symbols in, The Great Gatsby, that have the most profound impact being the books in Gatsby’s library, Gatsby’s medal from Montenegro, and the dog collar found in Wilson’s home. To the detailed oriented reader; the books that are fawned over by the character Owl Eyes are more than a mere transition from the party scene. These books are the key that finally opens the door to the ambiguous Gatsby. Particularly, …show more content…

Gatsby explains, “. . . I was promoted to be a major, and every Allied government gave me a decoration-even Montenegro, little Montenegro down on the Adriatic Sea!”(Fitzgerald 66). While the majority of stories that Gatsby tells Nick during the car ride are found false later in the novel, this is one of the few stories that turns out to be true. Given Gatsby’s compulsive lying habit, it is interesting to note that of the two stories that are found to be true, the medal and going to Oxford, he carries both the medal and the picture of him at Oxford at all times. Gatsby acknowledges this, “Here’s another thing that I always carry. A souvenir of Oxford days. . .”(Fitzgerald 67). This habit of carrying personal items that are truthful to his actual life and not the life he tells everyone, is an implication that Gatsby has strong need of social and personal

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To illustrate, during a conversation between Nick and Gatsby it had come up that Gatsby had been “educated at Oxford because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years” (Fitzgerald 66). What is most interesting about this information is that Gatsby is lying. Eventually, Gatsby revealed that he “only stayed 5 months. That’s why I can’t really call myself an oxford man” (Fitzgerald 115). An admirable education is critical in maintaining the elite reputation that Gatsby carries with him.

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It is a family tradition” (Fitzgerald). Gatsby alludes to his family’s great fortune and his education at Oxford. Regardless of Gatsby’s intellect, he states that his whole family was educated there, therefore implying he may have “bought” his way into the school. Gatsby wants Nick to have a little rendezvous that includes

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In a book about a tragic love story, one would not expect to find a deeper meaning behind the dangers of jealousy or peril of lust. However, in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there is a deeper meaning beyond jealousy and love. In The Great Gatsby, the author uses an empathetic storyline as a symbol to unwittingly give a complex depiction of the nuisance that people create that not only destroy our world but our society and gives warning to what will occur if we continue the path of destruction. With this intention, the brilliant opinionated writer, expressed his opinion through symbols such as the characters he uses, the setting the story takes place in, and the objects he uses in the book.

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After thorough ponderance, I have discerned that the aesthetic lens is appropriate as it pertains to The Great Gatsby. Conceptually, this lens evaluates a given piece of art and seeks to understand how it adds to the world. One could assert that this book is of profound significance and value to the world. This is because it bears numerous valuable themes, and its structure and language are exceptional. To begin, this classic novel constitutes art because it is immensely accurate in how it captures and reflects its respective time period, while at the same time tackling universal and timeless truths.

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Despite his poor upbringing, Gatsby habitually fabricates his past and the many things he accomplished. He boasts about having attended Oxford, fought in the war, and so on. Unfortunately for him, he is unable to do so without sounding suspicious. Gatsby’s neighbor, Nick Carraway, characterizes the absurdness of Gatsby’s words, “The very phrases were worn so threadbare that they evoked no image except that of a turbaned ‘character’ leaking sawdust at every pore as he pursued a tiger through the Bois de Boulogne” (Fitzgerald 66). Because Gatsby has managed to re-invent his idea of himself, he is hardly distinguishable from a fictitious character.

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The last few pages of the novel focus on Nick’s view of Gatsby’s life and the way that his dream with Daisy has ultimately failed. It’s a powerful and emotional moment that uses symbolism and imagery. It reminds us of the fragility of life and the importance of pursuing dreams when they seem impossible. Nick’s attitude in this passage shows pity and admiration toward Gatsby. “Gatsby’s house was still empty when I left– the grass on his lawn had grown as long as mine”(179).

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With the beginning of the 20th century, great changes arrived in all spheres of human activity due to the growing needs of the society. Like everything else, literature had to offer new literary frames that will meet the requirements of the readership. One of the pioneers that had the courage to try something different and unique was the American novelist Francis Scott Fitzgerald, who became a cultural icon because of his success to embody the era he in which he lived inside of his works. Through the analysis of some key symbols in ‘The Great Gatsby’ we will see how for example colors do not always have positive connotations or how some elements, minor and irrelevant to the one group of characters, have great importance to the other.

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F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism in The Great Gatsby to contrast the difference of being poor and wealthy. Fitzgerald wants to portray the idea that Gatsby is rich to show how he has acquired a fortune to sweep Daisy off of her feet. Fitzgerald uses a plethora of objects in The Great Gatsby to show wealth. Another main point of interest to Fitzgerald is the American dream, so he uses places and things to display what a typical 1920’s American dream would look like. Cars, parties, large houses, and pools are all typical things that explained what a typical American dreamed of having in the early 20th century.

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In the book the author uses character dialogue to display the views and overall optimistic view of Gatsby, which is important to the understanding of the book to describe what makes Gatsby himself and what others view of him is as a person. In the book when Nick first meets Gatsby he states “He had 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, or seemed to face, 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.” This description of Gatsby is what makes him so alluring and interesting

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Since the beginning of the story, Gatsby had been painting this pretty portrait of a lavish life that he now lives. He resides in the nice part of town in a big nice mansion, and he also throws these lavish parties and flashes boatloads of money. In his house, he has a library filled from top to bottom with books that seems to impress everyone that sees them, but as the story unfolds, we start to learn that Gatsby has never read a single book in the library. I chose to use the books as a symbol from the story because it shows that Gatsby is putting on a facade about a life that he doesn’t live. He uses the books to “flex” about something that he really doesn’t have.

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Nick shows remorse for Gatsby, but knew that no one else did. He recalls vivid memories with fondness and senses that all of the people that attended Gatsby’s only loved him for one thing, which was entertainment. There was nothing left for Nick, except disclosure and then he set off back home after Gatsby’s funeral. The immoral glitz of the East is compared to the sturdy values of the Midwest; the culture Nick associates himself with is the underlying “honesty” he prides himself

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Throughout history many writers have described the American dream as the hope for a promising and prosperous future. In the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald depicts the elusiveness of the American dream through the use of symbolism. Many modern writers, such as the students of Paul Glader, agree with Fitzgerald and use strong diction to describe the American dream as an illusion. After analyzing Fitzgerald and modern writers’ arguments on the American dream, one could argue that the American dream is ultimately unachievable. F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates his belief that the American dream is unfeasible through the symbol of the green light, in the book The Great Gatsby.

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Scott Fitzgerald’s magnum opus, The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is a figure whom many of the novel’s characters incessantly idolize. Though they shower him with praise (mostly for the items he owns, not the man himself), Gatsby is shrouded in mystery. All talks of the recluse as a man and not a millionaire have to do with senseless gossip, such as how Lucille, a woman from one of Gatsby’s many parties, rumors “it’s more that he was a German spy during the war” (44) or how he was even said to have killed somebody. A part of this must be due to the fact Gatsby himself eludes his colorful guests and instead watches them as they lose themselves further into the night.

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Gatsby’s mansion is huge, flashy and “looks like the World’s Fair”(81). To an outsider, his house is a sight to see and maybe even classified as the 8th wonder of the world to the working class. It represents everything that West eggers are including the immorality of the residents. Gatsby’s mansion seems to always have something going on. While Nick was walking up to his house he thought there was a another party because “it was lit from tower to cell”(81) giving off the impression that a party was taking place.

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