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Theme essays on the great gatsby
What literary features are used a lot in the great gatsby novel
Theme essays on the great gatsby
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All Quiet on the Western Front written by Erich Maria Remarque is a story of a young man named Paul Bäumer who volunteers to be a soldier in the German army during World War One. Being at a very young age Bäumer, and three of his friends whom also enlisted to the German army from the same school he attended, felt proud when enlisting “we were a class of twenty young men, many of whom proudly shaved for the first time before going to the barracks” (AQOTWF p.21). Very soon, however, Bäumer and the young men he enlisted with begin to feel indifferent and embittered of being in the army “At first astonished, then embittered, and finally indifferent.” (AQOTWF p.21/22). Joining the army for Bäumer changed the way he felt about everything he knew in the past, and the way he thought of the people who stayed back home.
In the end, The Great Gatsby is a widely respected book of symbols and themes of deeper meaning. It is a book that on the outside appears as a love tale but on the inside is a rich complex meaningful story. Fitzgerald, the author, has effectively used the symbols and representation of weather to help aid the reader in understanding the deeper complexion of his book. Between Rain, Fog, and Heat any reader of The Great Gatsby can easily identify what the different weather events mean and represent. It proves how Fitzgerald is an effective writer and his stories have more than what meets the eyes.
Fitzgerald uses the season change from summer to fall to coincide with Gatsby’s life. We learn at a young age that spring is a sign of new life. Whether it’s the blossoms on the trees, or the new animals being born, there’s an overabundance of new life. We then learn that summer-time is when most plant-life are at the peak of their life; they’re full of life. Lastly, we learn that come autumn, most plant-life start to die off because they can’t handle the cold, brisk temperatures that are coming.
During the beginning of fall, Gatsby wants to swim although he had not swam all summer, before the leaves begin to fall. "I'm going to drain the pool today, Mr. Gatsby. Leaves will start falling pretty soon, and then there's always trouble with the pipes" (Fitzgerald 199). In reality, the leaves falling down and clogging up the drain symbolizes Tom coming in and ruin Gatsby's chance to win the love of his life back. The seasons in this novel is also a technique of symbolism Fitzgerald uses in his
Madi Wightman American Lit. 11; Essay Test Mrs.McDonnell 3/9/23 1. Fittzgerald’s use of weather in The Great Gatsby tends to connect to mood and to actions in various points in the story. We see this in chapter five with rain and sun, and in chapter seven with a scorching sun and an unbearable heat. When Gatsby and Daisy’s reunion begins it is already pouring rain. “Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a puddle of water glaring tragically into my eyes.
The weather in the novel The Great Gatsby is a spring like setting, whichreally sets the tone for the events that happen. In Thomas Foster’s How to ReadLiterature like a Professor, he states “So if you want a character to be cleansed,symbolically. Let him walk through the rain to get somewhere. In The Great Gatsby,Jay Gatsby was meeting Daisy for tea, he was inside waiting for her, snuck out theback door while raining, came to the front door soaking wet and went into the roomwhere Daisy was. Once he went in the rain, he got somewhere and reached anotherlevel of him and Daisy’s love for one another.
In novels and books, weather and season can be more complex than just scenery or lighting; they can show conflicts and relationship dynamics between two characters. The reader can use Thomas C. Foster’s book How to Read Literature like a Professor and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby as examples of how authors use the weather and seasons to show character dynamics and reveal the emotions between characters Gatsby and Daisy. Since weather and seasons can reveal character relationships, the changing weather correlates to the emotions that Gatsby feels when he meets Daisy; the intense sun exposes the tension between Tom and Gatsby when Tom finds out everything between Gatsby and Daisy, during lunch; and finally, Gatsby and Daisy’s
Fitzgerald employs the motif of weather and the seasons throughout The Great Gatsby to help shape and convey the themes presented in the novel. He accomplishes this in many ways such as through the weather of rain and the fall season. Gatsby had asked Nick to invite Daisy to Nick’s house for tea because Gatsby was scared that Daisy would refuse to see him. On the day that Daisy came over, it “was pouring rain” (Fitzgerald 83). The rain can represent a sign that something bad will happen.
The American Dream suggests that every American citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work. One of the major ways that Fitzgerald portrays this is by alluding to outside events or works of literature specifically from that time period. Another major relationship that develops in The Great Gatsby is between Tom and Daisy. F. Scott Fitzgerald alludes to things such as the World’s Fair and “The Love Nest” to display the eventual dismantling of Tom and Daisy’s relationship. Both of these separate plots consolidate under the idea of Gatsby trying to become the epitome of the American Dream, as seen through his strive for a “perfect life.”
From day one of Nick Carraway’s arrival, to the tragic ending of the Gatsby story, the weather continues to play a big part in predicting what’s to come. While reading, the weather might seem to be of little importance, but looking back, it’s hard to miss its meaning. The weather in The Great Gatsby, foreshadows character behaviors and gives insight on certain events and people in the novel. Fitzgerald uses the theme of weather through a combination of temperature and wind, rain storms, and hot summer days all while intertwining it into the character’s lives.
The seasons mentioned in the great Gatsby are symbolic. Summer stands more for passion and love and winter moreresembles anger and hatred. The season in the beginning ofthe story is summer and everything is good and all are friends. As the story progresses the temper start flaring as thesummer comes to an end and the relationships between Georgeand myrtle and Tom and Daisy started souring. Daisy andGatsby during the end of the summer were mad in love but thatlove would soon be the end of Gatsby.
Natural Elements Define Emotions Weather and heat are great metaphors for life-sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, and there’s nothing you can do about it (Pepper Giardino). In the novel The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald, a narrator named Nick Carraway tells the story about his neighbor, Gatsby, who is filled with wealth and love. Nick grows to know Gatsby and is involved with all the incidents that happen during the novel. Throughout the story, there are reoccurring elements and literary devices.
Color is everywhere. Although color may not seem important, they might have a greater, deeper meaning. Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is set back in the Roaring 20’s, when the economy was booming. A newly rich man named Jay Gatsby is one of the richer people in this time that enjoys his money. He throws overgenerous parties, hoping that the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan, attends.
Seasonal Symbolism Seasons play a vast part in the novel, acting as a form of foreshadow for situations are to come. Spring starts things off in the novel with a new beginning for some characters such as Nick with a new eastern life. Summer is the most chaotic season of the book where most of the drama and climax takes place. Rampageous parties and grave decisions are made during the summer. Following summer comes fall which symbolizes beautiful death that involves Jay Gatsby and Myrtle.
The weather always corresponded with the feelings and emotions that Jay Gatsby was feeling at that time, especially during the hotel fight between him and Tom Buchanan, tea time with Daisy Buchanan, and at the end of the book the season corresponds with the death of Gatsby. For instance heat is the main way of portraying the anger and tension among Gatsby and Tom Buchanan during their dispute in chapter seven. While the tension begins to build during the luncheon, Daisy stands up
