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What Is The Disillusionment In The Great Gatsby

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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. The American Dream is the opportunity to become successful with hard work and initiative. Gatsby himself achieves the American dream of success just to impress the love of his life, Daisy …show more content…

When in reality, the disillusionment is that they are both having an affair and are unfaithful to each other. Real love is completely unknown to them. Fitzgerald makes it clear that they hide behind their riches and feel they can do anything the wish. This displayed the disillusionment Nick Carraway had of the upper class and diminishing it to being nothing but unhappiness and deceit. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s modernistic novel, The Great Gatsby pointed to many instances where the theme of disillusionment was apparent. All three examples, the American Dream, the upper class and marriage all point to the lesson that not everything that seems perfect on the outside really is perfect. One could have all the riches in the world but still feel as poor as a beggar on the street. Fitzgerald conveyed this to the readers through Gatsby, Daisy and Tom lives through the eyes of an honest, smart and level-headed Nick

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