The Truth Beyond Materialism Analysis

People tend to look at the world through their own unique lens, drawing upon past experiences to interpret the world around them. Some may say that these differing perceptions of the world are the building blocks of diversity, fostering cultural growth and unity. Sometimes, however, people mistake their individualized viewpoints as truth, neglecting the ideas of others. As a result, this myopic outlook blinds many from seeing themselves truly as the rest of the world might see them. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, there is a clear distinction between the outsider’s perception and the individual’s own perception; the titular character lives in a world of fantasy at the expense of reality. Much more interesting, however, is the idea

Physically, he is a “body capable of enormous leverage.” One gets the sense that this is an able bodied man who is fascinated with his wealth and sexual feelings. More telling, however, are Tom’s own words that describe his anger towards Gatsby, “I won’t let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife.” Such a line reveals a sort of arrogance, perhaps ingrained in him through years of opulent living and hanging out in high social circles. His disdain for Gatsby only grows, and such anger begins to bleed into Tom’s perception of society itself: “Throw everything out the door and have intermarriage black and white” The racist undertones reveal Tom’s frustration that has reached the point of bigotry. He no longer directs his anger just towards Gatsby, but towards other members of society as well. Tom, as a result of his hatred for Gatsby, can be blinded from reality in moments like this. In contrast, the second half of The Truth Beyond Materialism shows a character who some something,

Nick interacts with Gatsby quite often throughout the novel, but even with the obvious attempts to attract Daisy  the parties, the house across the bay, and the somethings Nick is able to see through Gatsby’s public persona, while all the other characters are conformed to mischief and corruption. For instance, in Chapter 1, the novel opens up with Nick’s somewhat disdain towards Gatsby, but soon after, he realizes that “there was something gorgeous about him.” The “gorgeous” aspect of Gatsby was his good natured, benevolent self that looks to take care and love all, specifically Daisy. Nevertheless, all the East Eggers discounted Gatsby’s acts and were stuck in a fantasy where his parties and wealth were the only “gorgeous” thing about him. With living in fantasies, one is inevitably going to end up feeling alone, like an outsider. For example, Nick call that Gatsby’s “dream must have seemed so close [within reach] / [However], it was already behind him.” I included this dejecting image of Gatsby’s American dream already behind him to emphasize that Gatsby’s past is unattainable. Gatsby longing for the past shows his skewed perception of the world, hence creating a false dichotomy between the truth and the