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Disillusionment Examples In The Great Gatsby Essay

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In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, seen are many examples of literary devices relating to the theme, the disillusionment of the American dream. A great multitude of diverse characters are brought together through the pages of this classic novel. An ordinary man by the name of Nick Carraway narrates the series of events occurring throughout the novel, all alluding to the disillusionment of the American dream. The American dream relates to the hope gained from the idea of a low class person working their way up in order to gain greater material wealth. An example of a literary device used in The Great Gatsby to allude to the American dream is foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is seen at countless times throughout the novel, but the most prevalent foreshadow is possibly the green light. This green light is …show more content…

The characters in the novel are all somewhat materialistic. For instance, when speaking of his affection for Daisy, Gatsby says, “‘Her (Daisy’s) voice is full of money,’ he (Gatsby) said suddenly.” (pg. 120) This quote gives the reader an explanation as to why a fairly moral man as Gatsby would try to make so much money so quickly and illegally- seeing as his love interest wanted money. Daisy and Gatsby’s parallelism comes from their obsession with material wealth and how they place it at utmost importance in their lives. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, there are many different types of literary devices and these each, in some way, relate to the theme of the disillusionment of the American dream. By the end of this twisted novel, it is discovered that the American dream may not be worth the trouble after all; as Gatsby dies, so do all of his dreams of riches and of Daisy. As Christians, we are to look at this theme of the American dream in an informed way, knowing that the road to materialism leads to death, while also not discouraging a hard work ethic. Word Count:

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