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What Does West Egg Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

686 Words3 Pages

Justin Andrews
Mrs. Barnes
English 11
10 May 2018
Symbols in "The Great Gatsby" There are many themes in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott. Fitzgerald, but the American Dream is one of the central themes that is present throughout the whole book. West Egg represents people with new money, much like the American expansion West. The Green light appears in the beginning and end of the book and symbolizes Gatsby's hopes, dreams, and the money of West Egg. Gatsby’s mansion is a symbol for what the American dream can and cannot get you.
West Egg, much like the American West during the American expansionism, is where people go to make their fortune and where people with new money live. A major part of the American Dream was that you could make your …show more content…

Gatsby views the green light from his dock at the beginning and the end of the book, He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock.”(Fitzgerald, 20). In the beginning, Gatsby reaches out toward it, showing his desire to be with Daisy Buchanan. At the end of the book, when Gatsby dies, the light goes out, along with his dreams of being with Daisy. The Green light can also be a symbol for money. Gatsby’s house is another symbol of wealth, grandiose, and what the American Dream can and cannot do for you.
Gatsby’s mansion is the pinnacle of the American dream. Gatsby throws extravagant parties at his mansion and it shows the amount of money he has and what people strive for. The mansion is also a reminder that the American Dream cannot always get you all of your desires, but only monetary ones. Gatsby is empty, just as the house does not have much furniture because it is frequently used for parties. Even though he throws the parties, Gatsby is still alone. He isolates himself at the parties and only throws them to show off his extravagance so maybe Daisy would come over from her house at West

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