Great Gatsby's Many Great Themes
January 3, 2014
The Great Gatsby’s Many Great Themes The book “The Great Gatsby “by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a story about a man that seemingly has it all, but one thing, love. While Gatsby’s carrying a torch for his lost love Daisy is a prevalent theme, there are in fact many more themes throughout the novel. Carelessness, Social class, and Dreaming about reaching unattainable things are but a few additional themes of the novel. With so many different topics, some overtly obvious (some not so much) are what make this work such a classic. The story has been read, reviewed and studied by millions of students because of its fantastical imagery and impressions of the American Dream.
During the 1920’s, people lived many different lives. There were social classes during this time which segregated the people into different groups. The higher social classes during this time meant that you had a lot of money but if you just became rich, you were considered, “New Money”. Everybody was feeling the effects of not having a lot of money. Tom and Daisy, looked down on all the social classes lower than them. This explains why Daisy wouldn’t wait for Gatsby after the war; Gatsby didn’t have any money. Daisy wanted to marry somebody that had a lot money because she wanted to live in the higher social class.
Myrtle was in a lower social class but really wanted to live in the higher social classes of that time period. Whenever she was with Tom, she always acted as if she did live in a higher life style. “‘ My dear,’ she told her sister in a high, mincing shout, ‘most of these fellas will cheat you every time. All they think of is money. I had a woman up here last week to look at my feet, and when she gave me the bill you’d of thought she had my appendicitis out!’” (31) The person that examined Myrtle’s foot was most likely from a lower social class due to what she was doing as her occupation. How much the bill was reflects the hard economic time.
Several times
The Great Gatsby’s Many Great Themes The book “The Great Gatsby “by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a story about a man that seemingly has it all, but one thing, love. While Gatsby’s carrying a torch for his lost love Daisy is a prevalent theme, there are in fact many more themes throughout the novel. Carelessness, Social class, and Dreaming about reaching unattainable things are but a few additional themes of the novel. With so many different topics, some overtly obvious (some not so much) are what make this work such a classic. The story has been read, reviewed and studied by millions of students because of its fantastical imagery and impressions of the American Dream.
During the 1920’s, people lived many different lives. There were social classes during this time which segregated the people into different groups. The higher social classes during this time meant that you had a lot of money but if you just became rich, you were considered, “New Money”. Everybody was feeling the effects of not having a lot of money. Tom and Daisy, looked down on all the social classes lower than them. This explains why Daisy wouldn’t wait for Gatsby after the war; Gatsby didn’t have any money. Daisy wanted to marry somebody that had a lot money because she wanted to live in the higher social class.
Myrtle was in a lower social class but really wanted to live in the higher social classes of that time period. Whenever she was with Tom, she always acted as if she did live in a higher life style. “‘ My dear,’ she told her sister in a high, mincing shout, ‘most of these fellas will cheat you every time. All they think of is money. I had a woman up here last week to look at my feet, and when she gave me the bill you’d of thought she had my appendicitis out!’” (31) The person that examined Myrtle’s foot was most likely from a lower social class due to what she was doing as her occupation. How much the bill was reflects the hard economic time.
Several times
Cited: Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Views: F. Scott Fitzgerald. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1985. Fahey, William. F. Scott Fitzgerald and the American Dream. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1973. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1925. Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby - http://www.hisf.no/~ernstj/lectures/ggr20s.html Sipiora, Phillip. “Vampires of the Heart: Gender Trouble in The Great Gatsby.” In The Aching Hearth: Family Violence in Life and Literature. Sara Munson and Lagretta Tallent Lenker, eds. New York: Plenum Press, 1991. Pages 199-220. Wilson, John. “The Great Gatsby.” Magill’s Book Reviews (1991):1. MagillOnLiterature Plus. Web. 15 Nov. 2013 Write Work contributors. “Lack of Moral Responsibility in The Great Gatsby” Writework.com, 17 December, 2003. Web. 09 Jan 2014