Symbolism in the Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel about one man's disenchantment with the American dream. In the story we get a glimpse into the life of Jay Gatsby, a man who aspired to achieve a position among the American rich to win the heart of his true love, Daisy Fay. Gatsby's downfall was in the fact that he was unable to determine that concealed boundary between reality and illusion in his life. The Great Gatsby is a tightly structured, symbolically compressed novel whose predominant images and symbols reinforce the idea that Gatsby's dream exists on borrowed time.Fitzgerald perfectly understood the inadequacy of Gatsby's romantic view of wealth. At a young age he met and fell in love with Ginevra King, a Chicago girl who enjoyed the wealth and social position to which Fitzgerald was always drawn. After being rejected by Ginevra because of his lower social standing, Fitzgerald came away with a sense of social inadequacy, a deep hurt, and a longing for the girl beyond attainment. This disappointment grew into distrust and envy of the American rich and their lifestyle. These personal feelings are expressed in Gatsby. The
"Daisy put her arm through his abruptly, but he seemed absorbed in what he had just said. Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it has seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed so close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects has diminished by one" (Fitzgerald 94). A. Gatsby's experience compared to Dutch sailors.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Sailors Island, Gatsby Daisy, Egg Island, King Chicago, America Gatsby, Fay Gatsby's, Buchanans Nick's, God Gatsby, Valley Ashes, Eckleburg Gatsby, green light, valley ashes, scott fitzgerald, dutch sailors, light daisy's, gatsby's dream, light daisy's dock, green light daisy's, daisy's dock, american rich, compressed novel predominant, west egg, light central, symbolically compressed novel, novel predominant images,
Approximate Word count = 1639
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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