Theme
I don’t mean that he had traded on his phantom millions, but he had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let her believe that he was a person from much the same stratum as herself—that he was fully able to take care of her.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
‘Her voice is full of money,’ he said suddenly.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
There are several themes in The Great Gatsby, including money, wealth, idealism, and love. In the novel, the significance of the social class is clearly depicted, and the author shows that wealth does not guarantee the belonging to elite society. At the same time, Fitzgerald undermines the power of love as in The Great Gatsby, it is expected to be bought or outweighed by the social class. Gatsby is sure that Daisy will be with him if he is reach, while Daisy chooses the wealth and social status of her husband.
Setting
…the history of the summer really begins on the evening I drove over there to have dinner with the Tom Buchanans.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
It was on that slender riotous island which extends itself due east of New York and where there are, among other natural curiosities, two unusual formations of land.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The novel’s time setting is the summer of 1922 during a period of the Roaring Twenties. Location settings are Long Island, Manhattan, and the Valley of Ashes between them. Long Island includes luxurious East Egg for more established people and West Egg for new money individuals and self-made millionaires.
Symbolism
The one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard—it was a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn and garden. It was Gatsby’s mansion.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Standing behind him Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg which had just emerged pale and enormous from the dissolving night.
‘God sees everything,’ repeated Wilson.F. Scott Fitzgerald
First of all, Fitzgerald uses the green color to symbolize the American dream, hopes, and ideals. In addition, there are multiple objects in the novel, including cars, mansions, and even suburbs, that serve to demonstrate the difference between the wealth and dignity of the upper class and the pretentiousness of new money people. At the same time, the author allows his character to create symbols by themselves – thus, in George Wilson’s mind, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg turn to the eyes of God who judges the moral decay of America.
Works Cited
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. “The Great Gatsby.” Web.
Gilder Lehrman. “Prohibition and Its Effects.” The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Web.
History.com Editors. “Flappers.” History, 2019, Web.
“Prohibition.” PBS, Web.
Spivack, Emily. “The History of the Flapper, Part 1: A Call for Freedom.” Smithsonian Magazine, 2013, Web.