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What Is Modernism In The Great Gatsby

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Destruction. Chaos. Loss. Exile. Annihilation. What do these things have in common? They are themes that many authors use in modern literature, or modernism. What is modernism? The term is derived from the Latin “modo”, meaning “just now” (Mastin). Used in literature, it was a deliberate philosophical and practical estrangement or divergence from the past, taking form in any various innovative movements and styles. It was a general movement in literature that stressed newness and stylistic innovations to reflect modern life (World Book Encyclopedia 685). The Modernist Period began in the twentieth century and was marked by sudden and unexpected breaks with traditional ways of viewing and interacting with the world (Rahn). Initially, the movement …show more content…

Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby was very instrumental in the change from traditionalism to modernism. In a time where people struggled with identity, Fitzgerald wrote of the women's rights movements and the animosity between whites and minorities (Huskey). Nick Carraway, the narrator of the story, also seems to find his own identity, as he helps his friend, Jay Gatsby, reestablish his own. Fitzgerald’s work is very obviously a piece of modernism when compared to the theme of fragmentation. The “valley of ashes” (Fitzgerald 27) is a fantastic example of fragmentation. The area between the cities, crumbled, decaying, yet modern. “This is a valley of ashes- a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens, where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. Occasionally a line of grey cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak and comes to a rest, and immediately the ash-grey men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud which screens their obscure operations from your sight.” (Fitzgerald 27). The men are wading into the debris itself, pressing ever onward, moving forward. The writing itself is somewhat disjointed, but it represents reality. The men are already crumbling through the powdery …show more content…

“a limousine passed us, driven by a white chauffeur, in which sat three modish Negroes,” (Fitzgerald 73). In this time period, for three African-Americans to have a white chauffeur is almost unheard of, against all societal norms. The whites are the wealthy, and the African-Americans are typically their servants, and not paid very much. Nick remarks to himself, “Anything can happen now that we’ve slid over this bridge; anything at all…” (Fitzgerald 73). And it is true. In that time period, if a person worked hard enough and tried to get ahead, chances were, they could! Times were changing, society was advancing, opportunities were

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In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald describes the 1920’s. One way he describes the 1920’s is the reaction of World War 2 was depressing. During the 1920’s the government had gave women’s rights because the flappers were independent women’s. In the 1920’s there was a prohibition when alcohol was banned, people could not drink no more and it was time when corruption and crime began. Also in the 1920’s people had insist with marriage and religion.

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In the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author uses many differnt retorical devices to add a personal flare to his work. He uses diction, symbolism, and irony to adress many different themes. These themes include Materialism, The American Dream, and includes a sharp and biting ridicule on American society in the 1920’s. The main point of Fitzgerald, arguement is one where he sharply criticizes the Society of the time.

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Reckless parties, vehicular manslaughter, and the unwarranted death of a man who is innocent all describe Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby. This novel is set in the roaring twenties in the New York City/Long Island area, and it displays the divisions of social status and the division of the divisions of social status during this time in the United States. Nick Carraway takes the reader through his journey of moving to the East Egg of Long Island from the western United States, and during his journey he witnesses the reunion of past lovers, the struggles of the American dream, and the untimely death of two people who just wanted wealth and love. While it is commonly accepted that Jay Gatsby is a hero, it is very evident that he lacks

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In a book about a tragic love story, one would not expect to find a deeper meaning behind the dangers of jealousy or peril of lust. However, in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there is a deeper meaning beyond jealousy and love. In The Great Gatsby, the author uses an empathetic storyline as a symbol to unwittingly give a complex depiction of the nuisance that people create that not only destroy our world but our society and gives warning to what will occur if we continue the path of destruction. With this intention, the brilliant opinionated writer, expressed his opinion through symbols such as the characters he uses, the setting the story takes place in, and the objects he uses in the book.

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The Roaring Twenties, known as the decade of the 1920s in the Western World, consists of dramatic changes in social values. The cultural differences between the 1920s and the Victorian era changes people's behavior, where they become more free-will, youthful and carefree, despite of being more conservative before. People are more open-minded and found satisfaction through the “open pursuit of sex, money, and booze” (Berman 53) as they suggest their wealth and status in the society. New York City had become one of the cities where materialistic wealth has become the key of happiness and the standard to judge people's success, further leading Americans to pursue each other in a negative, acquisitive way. Through the different scenes and characters of the famous novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald explores how the society twisted the original idea of

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F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway are among the most prominent exponents of literature of the twentieth century. Forming part of the Lost Generation, these authors not only develop similar themes throughout their works, but heavily influenced each other. The Great Gatsby being Fitzgerald’s magnum opus, serves as a prime illustration of the staples of contemporary literature. In the novel The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, the author depicts himself through a character, Nick Carraway, conforming to other self depiction common in the Lost Generation, such as Hemingway in the Nick Adams stories. Nick Carraway and Nick Adams represent Fitzgerald and Hemingway, both serving as apertures into Fitzgerald’s and Hemingway’s view of the world.

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It also serves to portray the materialistic society that surrounds them (The Colors of Society - Camouflaged Discontent).” The characters portray such class and wealth along with fake happiness. The Valley of Ashes looks at how they feel on the inside which Daisy and Gatsby both ooze with discontent with how they’ve made decisions and how their lives did not turn out how they dreamed. Next, at one of Gatsby’s many house parties Nick makes a list of “grey names, and they will give you a better impression than [Nick’s] generalities (Fitzgerald 61).”

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After the unsettling times of World War I, people lost most of their faith in the government and society. Shortly afterward, the Modernist era emerged and took over literature as a response to how our country was greatly changed. By cause of this loss of faith, modernist literature displayed many variations of disillusionment. When one is disillusioned, one must recognize that their previous belief is now untrue, contrary to what many people may believe. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, the theme of disillusionment is represented through the use of narrator Nick Carraway who shows the disillusions of “the American Dream”, the upper class and their marriages become apparent to the reader.

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In the early 20th century after the world war I, this was the period when modernism started. There was the industrialization, development of modern technology to solve problems and there was the modernist movement in writing also. This movement was characterized by a lack of confidence in the traditional ways of explaining existence and its meaning. Family, and religion were no longer seen as being dependable. Writers could not find any meaning in the old ways of writing, they did see the need to start writing in new techniques as the world was changing.

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The valley of ashes also symbolizes the difficulties of the poor, like George Wilson, who live among the dirty ashes and lose their vitality as a result. THE EYES OF DOCTOR T. J. ECKLEBURG Another dominant symbol within this novel is the billboard eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg which is in the middle of the valley of ashes, right next to Wilson’s garage staring at the waste that careless capitalism has

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Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is the author of the twentieth century American classic, The Great Gatsby. It is a story of the American dream, settled down in the 1920’s, with issues of the time period being, prohibition, women, class structure, crime, and many more, The Great Gatsby has a taste of each. Fitzgerald incorporated subjects of his time and his very own experiences into the story to portray an era of social and moral values. The 1920’s were a time of breaking morals Class structure and wealth were among the highest pleasures achievable. The 20’s were an era of Jazz; with extravagant music playing throughout all hours of the night.

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This is accomplished through the use of symbols such as the Valley of Ashes, The Eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, and The Green Light. These 3 symbols play a huge roll in the novel for each of them are massively important in their own ways. Mid-way between New York City and West Egg, lies the Valley of Ashes. The Valley of Ashes is a dreary place symbolizing the moral descent of society. As described in the novel it is, “A fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens, where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.”

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Modernism began in early 1700s with the rise of capitalism. This was start of an age of rational thinking. The major belief of this age was to believe only those things which they could see. The idea of modernism is, to quote father of Modern Philosophy Rene Descartes, ‘I think therefore I am’(2). This basically meant believing only those phenomenon those can be seen or proved by science.

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The Great Gatsby, written by Scott Fitzgerald, features the “American dream”. This dream comes with the fake perception of a person receiving everything they could only hope for. Scott’s romanticism plays as a major influence in his writings and his idea of reaching his own American dream. Scott Fitzgerald’s image of the good life is portrayed the through his writings of binging and a better self-image, but can he interpret the difference between fantasy and his own life realities? .

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To reinforce the gravity of the situation, she elects her diction meticulously, noting how the wind "drove most of the people off the street . . . [with] its violent assault. " Ordinarly, this relates closely to personification, but it primarily serves to establish the predominant nature of the wind as it endeavors to bollix the town deface the street. This selection of detail also magnifies Petry's imagery, enabling us to visualize the effect that the wind has on the people. Nevertheless, by exemplifying the disarray of the people, the author does not necessarily generate an image, but rather constitutes an understanding.

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