Happiness In The Great Gatsby
In the roaring 1920’s, the American Dream shifted from worthwhile goals of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” as described by the forefathers of the United States to an uninhibited materialistic state of mind previously considered frivolous and even immoral. The historical prohibition of alcohol and the end of World War I and the sudden uprise in the general wealth of the country added to the breakdown of what was considered “right” and “decent” to society. No work so clearly paints the picture of this pivotal downturn as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. As the main characters in Fitzgerald’s definitive novel reveal themselves, the idea of the “American Dream” is demolished by the implication that the pursuit of wealth rather
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Although money flows freely to all of the East Eggers and West Eggers, true charity seems to escape them. They do not seem to understand the oldest and most basic definition of true love: “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a). Gatsby is devoted to the idea of overcoming being born poor and establishes Daisy as a symbol of that achievement. Tom is shameless with his affairs and does not hesitate to use violence to put women he claims to love in their place. At the first sign of trouble, Daisy shows very little regard for Gatsby despite his millions. “She vanished into her rich house, into her rich, full life, leaving Gatsby – nothing” (Fitzgerald, 149) Truth be told, she deserts Gatsby twice, once when he is a poor man and again when he is rich. Myrtle’s attraction to Tom is obviously connected to the gifts and money he lavishes upon her during their not-so-secret meetings in the city. Even the relationship between Nick, the narrator, and Jordan Baker is shallow and dies out with little consequence. Love, in its most basic and oldest definition, is simply not portrayed among the desolate wasteland that is home to some of the most beautiful and lavish houses in
Although money flows freely to all of the East Eggers and West Eggers, true charity seems to escape them. They do not seem to understand the oldest and most basic definition of true love: “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a). Gatsby is devoted to the idea of overcoming being born poor and establishes Daisy as a symbol of that achievement. Tom is shameless with his affairs and does not hesitate to use violence to put women he claims to love in their place. At the first sign of trouble, Daisy shows very little regard for Gatsby despite his millions. “She vanished into her rich house, into her rich, full life, leaving Gatsby – nothing” (Fitzgerald, 149) Truth be told, she deserts Gatsby twice, once when he is a poor man and again when he is rich. Myrtle’s attraction to Tom is obviously connected to the gifts and money he lavishes upon her during their not-so-secret meetings in the city. Even the relationship between Nick, the narrator, and Jordan Baker is shallow and dies out with little consequence. Love, in its most basic and oldest definition, is simply not portrayed among the desolate wasteland that is home to some of the most beautiful and lavish houses in