Themes In The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel that focuses on many darker themes than most books would have for the time period it came out. One main theme that recurs again and again, shaping the plot to fall the way it falls, is the decline of the American Dream. The American dream shows up time and time again throughout the novel, but as the novel progresses the readers get to watch as the dream crashes into a downward spiral along with many of the main characters, and with the characters relationships. A large show of the American dream taking place is Jay Gatsby himself. Towards the end of the story, Daisy tells Nick how Gatsby had been a “...penniless young man without a past…” (Page 82). Giving insight into Gatsby’s
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Which the article, “Critical Essays in Praise of Discomfort: Displaced Spirituality in the Great Gatsby”, agrees with me, stating that “[Fitzgerald’s] attack is subtle, making his message heard most forcefully by what is missing, rather than what is there”, showing that other people notice how Fitzgerald makes his messages hidden in the stories subtext. This is an arguably talented trait for a writer to have, and a controversial idea at the time too. Outright attacking these subjects, no matter how subtle, was not very appreciated by the critics of Fitzgerald's time. In fact, in the article “The Great Gatsby” by H. L. Mencken, Mencken calls the story one “...glorified anecdote, and not too probable at that”, showing that he did not fully agree with Fitzgerald’s messages and methods of getting them …show more content…
At first glance you could not tell this book would not end in a happy way, the build-up towards the end seeming optimistic at first, like that of the American dream, yet as the story continues and the tone grows darker, the story truly shines it’s bright colors, allowing the readers to get a sense of what is to come, all while being written beautifully and in an exciting manner. Despite having its flaws, the book was truly well done, with Fitzgerald leaving a large impact on the community with this book, showing how one can write themes and messages into a seemingly happy story, and turn it into a depressingly realistic end, with what could be considered the American Dream, crashing and burning, ultimately dying in the
Which the article, “Critical Essays in Praise of Discomfort: Displaced Spirituality in the Great Gatsby”, agrees with me, stating that “[Fitzgerald’s] attack is subtle, making his message heard most forcefully by what is missing, rather than what is there”, showing that other people notice how Fitzgerald makes his messages hidden in the stories subtext. This is an arguably talented trait for a writer to have, and a controversial idea at the time too. Outright attacking these subjects, no matter how subtle, was not very appreciated by the critics of Fitzgerald's time. In fact, in the article “The Great Gatsby” by H. L. Mencken, Mencken calls the story one “...glorified anecdote, and not too probable at that”, showing that he did not fully agree with Fitzgerald’s messages and methods of getting them …show more content…
At first glance you could not tell this book would not end in a happy way, the build-up towards the end seeming optimistic at first, like that of the American dream, yet as the story continues and the tone grows darker, the story truly shines it’s bright colors, allowing the readers to get a sense of what is to come, all while being written beautifully and in an exciting manner. Despite having its flaws, the book was truly well done, with Fitzgerald leaving a large impact on the community with this book, showing how one can write themes and messages into a seemingly happy story, and turn it into a depressingly realistic end, with what could be considered the American Dream, crashing and burning, ultimately dying in the