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The Great Gatsby Foucault Lens Analysis

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The Great Gatsby - Foucault’s Lens Analysis The contemporary society we are living in today is quite similar to the prior society, as revealed by Michel Foucault. In his work, he focused on the illusion of control. Individuals feel the need to act a certain way when they feel as if they are being observed. This leads me to believe - those who are wealthy not only share this feeling but their actions are a result of being controlled by wealth. For instance, Foucault believed the feeling of being observed alters one’s behavior. To many, following rules in society defines you. It determines if you are “good” or “bad.” In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald created a high-class setting for his character that was full of money, sex and greed. …show more content…

The idea of living within a high class society and the illusion of control becomes appealing to many. Perhaps this is a tactic they use to lure more people to follow them? For instance, George Wilson’s wife, Myrtle has an affair with Tom Buchanan because she was attracted to his wealth and she dreamed of living a life full of excess. “The modern individual is produced by a power that individualizes precisely in order to better control (1470).” In this case, it is apparent that the wealthy individuals went to great lengths to acquire substantial wealth so that they could oppress the disadvantaged members to meet their societal goals. Furthermore, Tom and Daisy’s relationship is similar to the teacher-judge concept. “We are in the society of the teacher judge…each individual wherever he may find himself subjects to his body, his gestures, his behavior, his aptitudes, his achievements” (Foucault 1499). Here, Tom is the judge. To Myrtle, he is the powerful one and she will adjust her behavior and ultimately abandon her marriage in order to receive approval from Tom. Therefore, power depends on knowledge that creates and categorizes

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