Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

The Roaring Twenties was all about glam, money, status, and lies. Nick tells the story of how every character chases the false illusion of the American Dream. In Fitgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, he glorifies and condemns consumerism. Nick describes how the past cannot be repeated, the differences between West Egg and East Egg, and selfishness and destruction within the characters. Beneath the surface, every character is mischievous and has the desire to chase their dream. However with reality, especially for Jay Gatsby, it becomes a nightmare. A person who is so completely willing to engage into making an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true in hopes to regain a romantic illusion. Nick describes Jay’s lost dream, “Gatsby

Nick reflects on his past, “That’s my Middle West—I see now that this has been a story of the West, after all” (Fitzgerald 176). Nick claims that the Middle West is his, illustrating his reminiscence for home; it represents his pure innocence. The East, where he has been associated with represents materialism, corruption, and superficiality. Once Gatsby died, Nick feels a sense of nostalgia for home and said, “After Gatsby’s death the East was haunted for me like that, distorted beyond my eyes’ power of correction. So when the blue smoke of brittle leaves was in the air and the wind blew the wet laundry stiff on the line I decided to come back home” (Fitzgerald 176). 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