The Great Gatsby Case

F. Scott Fitzgerald's famous novel, the Great Gatsby, is set in New York during the 1920s, a time full of parties, bootlegging and youth. I really enjoyed reading this novel. I knew a few things about the Roaring Twenties before-hand but the Great Gatsby gave a very good image of the no-responsibilities corrupt life style of the rich. In the novel Nick, the narrator, submerses himself amongst these kinds of people and in the end realizes how shallow they are. Fitzgerald made most of the characters seem frivolous and false which revealed what he thought about the higher classes of society.

The major theme of the Great Gatsby is: money cannot buy happiness. Gatsby spent his entire life dedicated to becoming a millionaire so he could impress Daisy and win her over because she only cared about money and living the high life. He threw huge parties that became famous all over New York but despite all the riches Gatsby had gained, Daisy still would not choose him. All the money in the world would not have been able to buy her love. Another example of this theme happens when Nick plans Gatsby's funeral and no one shows up. After Gatsby had spent tons of his money on all of the amazing parties he gave, absolutely no one but his father attended the funeral. All the people who came to his parties were only using Gatsby for his money. They did not actually consider or even care about being his friend; all those people just wanted a care-free time. The fact that his father showed up proves that a person's family are the only people who will always love them.

There were also several symbols in the Great Gatsby. The most prominent one to me was the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. In the novel, Nick describes watching Gatsby stare at the light and raise his arms out to it. The light represents the hope Gatsby has of convincing Daisy to love him. Just like the light at the end of a tunnel it provides encouragement and confidence but the water in between their houses shows how close yet so far they are from each other. The green hue of the light represents money. Money is the only way Gatsby can woo Daisy into loving him and is the reason she is too shallow to love him in the first place.