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F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby Still Relevant Today

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F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby Still Relevant Today
The Great Gatsby takes place in the 1920’s and follows the lives of Nick our narrator and the extravagant neighbor Gatsby. It addresses how the world was changing in the 20’s but the themes explored in this novel are still relevant today. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald utilises characters symbols and motifs to illustrate the themes of the social decline of america, the dangers of self creation, and the blindness created by love. During the 1920’s people's morals seemed to go out the window, and were replaced by booze and lust The Great Gatsby illustrates this with the character Nick, his moral decay and Gatsby's parties. Moral decay was apparent in Nick as the story progressed. For example, Nick has “ been drunk just twice …show more content…
The Gatsby lived in disillusionment about the kind of person he was he wanted to have the wealth and grace of the old money to impress Daisy. “An Oxford man!" He was incredulous. "Like hell he is! He wears a pink suit." "Nevertheless he’s an Oxford man" (Fitzgerald 122). Although Gatsby sees himself as part of the wealthy he lacks the class that the rich see themselves as having, because he cannot buy class. The West and east egg are examples of the difference between the old and new money. “My god i believe the man’s coming’” said Tom. “doesn't he know she doesn't want him”(Fitzgerald 179). Gatsby created a god like persona for himself but although he does have the money to blend into the wealthy East eggers he lacks the knowledge about the snobbish attitudes of the rich.Tom and Daisy grew up with the lifestyles of the rich, they viewed themself as decent people although that was not the case. “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy-they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back to their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made...”(fitzgerald, 179) Tom and Daisy went around life having the ability to throw money at all there problems which in consequence turned them into carless shallow …show more content…
Gatsby's undying love for Daisy is apparent the entire novel and is shown best through the first time they had a date. “He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes. Sometimes, too, he stared around at his possessions in a dazed way, as though in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real. Once he nearly toppled down a flight of stairs” (Fitzgerald 91). Daisy had finally agreed to go out with Jay and he was on cloud nine. He was so in love the things around him seemed to melt away and he only cared about her. His love for her was fierce and undying. Sadly, Daisy did not truly feel the same about him. She might have felt happy with him, but she was in love with her husband all along, this should have been apparent to Gatsby when she was hesitant to divorce Tom but he was blinded by love. However, not all romances are lovey dovey and beautiful some take a tone of violence. “Some time toward midnight Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face discussing, in impassioned voices, whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy's name."Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!" shouted Mrs. Wilson. "I'll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai –– "Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand”(Fitzgerald 37 ). Tom is

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