Major subjects touched on in The Great Gatsby
Society and Class
Love
The American Dream
Wealth
Memory and the Past
Dissatisfaction
Isolation
Marriage
Gender
Lies and Deceit
Compassion and Forgiveness
Religion
Themes/ General Thoughts
America is a classless society. True or false? You'll have good support no matter which way you answer, but The Great Gatsby has a pretty clear answer: no. There's no such thing as the American Dream or the self-made man. You are who you're born, and attempting to change social classes just leads to tragedy. It's a pretty grim picture of American society—and life, to those who lived through World War I, could feel pretty grim indeed.
In The Great Gatsby, the only element not restricted to one social class is unhappiness. All members of all classes are equally unhappy.
In The Great Gatsby, social norms are insurmountable barriers between people. Inter-class relationships are impossible.
Tom and Daisy may have some kind of affection and loyalty for each other, but we're pretty sure it's not actually love. Jordan and Nick are happy enough to do some summer loving together, but they're not exactly in it forever. It's Gatsby who falls in love, but is he in love with Daisy, or with a dream of Daisy, or with the idea of being in love? And does true love always come with destruction and violence?
Love in The Great Gatsby is only the result of self-deception and denial.
In The Great Gatsby, the American Dream is supposed to stand for independence and the ability to make something of one's self with hard work, but it ends up being more about materialism and selfish pursuit of pleasure. No amount of hard work can change where Gatsby came from (the social class he was born in), and old money knows it. Merit and hard work aren't enough.
Choose your dreams wisely.
Although the author shows rich people as careless and selfish, ultimately all of the characters in the book show themselves to be disloyal. Bad character spans all classes.
According to The Great Gatsby, wealth doesn't satisfy your desires; it just gives you an avenue for always craving more.
My Essay on the Great Gatsby
Until Next Time!
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