Theme Of Allusions In The Great Gatsby

In almost every work of literature, an underlying allusion exists to explain or enhance the story being told. For example, in The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald alludes to the Greek myth of Trimalchio to enrich the understanding of Jay Gatsby’s corruption. In The Scarlet Letter, several Biblical allusions serve to parallel certain occurrences in the story with parables, events, and verses of the Bible. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde purposefully employs allusions that predominates the novel. Unlike many works of literature, Wilde’s use of allusion serves not to explain specific instances in the novel but to characterize the story as a whole. Among Wilde’s many allusions, the most important are references to the Bible that not only provide

In chapter one and two, Wilde begins to suggest a biblical allusion by characterizing Basil Hallward as a God figure, Lord Henry Wotton as a Satanic figure, and Dorian Gray as humanity. Basil is an artist, reflecting a Creator image and hinting at Isaiah 64:8 which says, “We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” In explaining to Lord Henry about his artwork, Basil also mirrors Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them,” by remarking, “every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter" (Wilde 9). Basil explains that his creation, the painting, was created in his own likeness, establishing himself as a God figure. Likewise, Wilde strongly labels Lord Henry as a devilish character through biblical allusion. Throughout the novel, Lord Henry acts as a tempter, a corrupter, and a liar, all of which are intrinsic traits of the Devil. Often, the devil has quoted from scripture in order to twist its meaning into a lie in order to corrupt. In chapter nineteen, Lord Henry does just that by causally stating, “By the way, Dorian (…) what does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose—how does the quotation run?—his

Much of the garden scene mirrors the fall of man in the Garden of Eden: Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden? (…) For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it (…) Then the eyes of both of them were opened” (Genesis 3:1-7). The temptation of Adam and Eve in the Bible almost directly coincides with the temptation of Dorian. Just like God warned Adam and Eve to not eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Basil warned Dorian to avoid Lord Henry’s bad influence. The serpent and Man were alone in the Garden of Eden just like Basil left Dorian and Lord Henry alone in the garden. When Adam and Eve, once innocent and perfect, ignore God and eat from the fruit of the forbidden tree, their eyes are opened and they become aware. When naïve Dorian consumes Lord Henry’s philosophies of New Hedonism, Dorian too is “suddenly awakened” (24). In both The Picture of Dorian Gray and the Bible, everything is altered from just one moment in garden. These