Themes |
Major Themes
- The American Dream
- Aproclivity within American culture to believe in the romantic ideal
- Desire to pursue the unattainable
- Doomed love
- Betrayal
- Perceptions of illusion and reality
- Class
- Greed
- Heartlessness
- Affluence and waste
- Is the past recoverable?
- Adultery
- Everybody loves somebody (or believes they love somebody)
- A structural allegory of our deadly class-ridden longings
- An inner fire which comes from living with an incorruptible dream, even if extraordinary material corruption has been practiced in its realization
- Ugly passion
- Spiritual meagerness
- Empty shell of luxury
- Fair-weather friends
- Failure of perception
- A story of mobility and change, but it is also a story of disguise, of appearing to change while remaining the same
- Reliance on money as a code for expressing emotions and identity
The American Dream
Gatsby wanted to achieve and have the American Dream, causing him to dedicate his life to becoming rich and known. In the novel the reader follows Gatsby's journey to stay rich, and to "get the girl of his dreams" (Daisy). By the end, Gatsby lost Daisy and ultimately lost his wealth when he was killed. When he was shot, he lost the his American Dream.
Gatsby wanted to achieve and have the American Dream, causing him to dedicate his life to becoming rich and known. In the novel the reader follows Gatsby's journey to stay rich, and to "get the girl of his dreams" (Daisy). By the end, Gatsby lost Daisy and ultimately lost his wealth when he was killed. When he was shot, he lost the his American Dream.
Ugly Passion
In Great Gatsby almost every character was full of passion to some level. By the end their passion turned ugly, causing consequences and endings. Gatsby himself had a great case of ugly passion. He has a deep love and passion for Daisy. His passion caused others to see Gatsby as secretive, and untrustworthy. Gatsby ended up destroying his relationship with Daisy by acting a fool to Tom and confessing his love for her at the wrong time. Still having a passion for Daisy he took the blame for the accident, which ended his life in a ugly matter. Tom had an ugly passion for both women and ended up causing the ugly death of Myrtle. Daisy had a passion for Tom, and ran over Myrtle because of her love for him. She didn’t stop, meaning she was only thinking with her passion. Mr. Wilson’s passion for his wife could be looked on as ugly in the end, when he locked his wife up. Still having his passion after her death he went out to kill her killer. He killed Gatsby with ugly murder in the name of passion for his wife. Almost all characters showed a form of passion, and ugly passion at that. The term ugly can be held with different degrees and levels of ugly.
In Great Gatsby almost every character was full of passion to some level. By the end their passion turned ugly, causing consequences and endings. Gatsby himself had a great case of ugly passion. He has a deep love and passion for Daisy. His passion caused others to see Gatsby as secretive, and untrustworthy. Gatsby ended up destroying his relationship with Daisy by acting a fool to Tom and confessing his love for her at the wrong time. Still having a passion for Daisy he took the blame for the accident, which ended his life in a ugly matter. Tom had an ugly passion for both women and ended up causing the ugly death of Myrtle. Daisy had a passion for Tom, and ran over Myrtle because of her love for him. She didn’t stop, meaning she was only thinking with her passion. Mr. Wilson’s passion for his wife could be looked on as ugly in the end, when he locked his wife up. Still having his passion after her death he went out to kill her killer. He killed Gatsby with ugly murder in the name of passion for his wife. Almost all characters showed a form of passion, and ugly passion at that. The term ugly can be held with different degrees and levels of ugly.
Money/Greed
The Great Gatsby had a major focus on the idea of money was the key to everything. You needed money to have a good life and a high social class. Without money, you were a nobody. Daisy proved in the end money was what she needed to be herself. She could not have a life without money, and that is why she stayed with Tom rather than Gatsby. Gatsby did have money, but not a strong structure for money. Tom’s family had money, and always would, while Gatsby had to work for his money, and possibly always would. Daisy’s Identify was made of money. Daisy only knew herself by the spot she stood in the social ladder. Without money, she would be lost, not knowing people, lifestyle and the hardships of real life. Money also was a way to express emotions and words to others or groups. Gatsby used his money to show how he felt towards Daisy. He created this luxurious life style to show Daisy how he loved her. He knew she only liked the high social class and the ways of the old traditional way of life. Without Gatsby using money and building a high class full of wealth, Daisy would never of looked in his direction. Also Gatsby would not have the guts to show and express his feelings and emotions without the backup of high class and money. Almost everyone needed money to get a point across, or to know who they were or stood in the world.
The Great Gatsby had a major focus on the idea of money was the key to everything. You needed money to have a good life and a high social class. Without money, you were a nobody. Daisy proved in the end money was what she needed to be herself. She could not have a life without money, and that is why she stayed with Tom rather than Gatsby. Gatsby did have money, but not a strong structure for money. Tom’s family had money, and always would, while Gatsby had to work for his money, and possibly always would. Daisy’s Identify was made of money. Daisy only knew herself by the spot she stood in the social ladder. Without money, she would be lost, not knowing people, lifestyle and the hardships of real life. Money also was a way to express emotions and words to others or groups. Gatsby used his money to show how he felt towards Daisy. He created this luxurious life style to show Daisy how he loved her. He knew she only liked the high social class and the ways of the old traditional way of life. Without Gatsby using money and building a high class full of wealth, Daisy would never of looked in his direction. Also Gatsby would not have the guts to show and express his feelings and emotions without the backup of high class and money. Almost everyone needed money to get a point across, or to know who they were or stood in the world.
Fair-weather Friends
The idea of fair-weather friends is very present with Gatsby in the end following his murder. Fair-weathered friend means your friends leave, or don't show up in times of need, or in difficult times. Throughout the book, Gatsby has this luxurious life, a house that is always full of people joining his parties. It goes into detail on how many people show up to his house on these nights. His car is said to be like a taxi picking up hundreds of people. When the parties are not going on, or he is not having a gathering his fully staffed house is around. He has always had people around him. He would get many of phone calls everyday, had lots of undercover jobs for people. In the end when he was murdered, nick held a funeral service for him. No one would come, no one wanted to honor their “friend” Gatsby. Not even his love, who did love him back show up. Nick was the only one who showed up, and Gatsby’s father who he had never spoke of before. He just showed up out of nowhere. No one from his parties, staff, or business. All of Gatsby’s friends let him down, or proved they were not his friend all along. Gatsby always had people who surrounded him, until his real time in need, Nick expressed how he thought Gatsby would love to have a funeral full of people. Gatsby needed the comfort of a crowd, but was let down in the end.
The idea of fair-weather friends is very present with Gatsby in the end following his murder. Fair-weathered friend means your friends leave, or don't show up in times of need, or in difficult times. Throughout the book, Gatsby has this luxurious life, a house that is always full of people joining his parties. It goes into detail on how many people show up to his house on these nights. His car is said to be like a taxi picking up hundreds of people. When the parties are not going on, or he is not having a gathering his fully staffed house is around. He has always had people around him. He would get many of phone calls everyday, had lots of undercover jobs for people. In the end when he was murdered, nick held a funeral service for him. No one would come, no one wanted to honor their “friend” Gatsby. Not even his love, who did love him back show up. Nick was the only one who showed up, and Gatsby’s father who he had never spoke of before. He just showed up out of nowhere. No one from his parties, staff, or business. All of Gatsby’s friends let him down, or proved they were not his friend all along. Gatsby always had people who surrounded him, until his real time in need, Nick expressed how he thought Gatsby would love to have a funeral full of people. Gatsby needed the comfort of a crowd, but was let down in the end.