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Religion In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

1357 Words6 Pages

Society is obsessed with forward progression, but even with this contemporary societal ideology we cannot shed the shackles of the past. With each step forward in trying to rid the world of these harmful realities of the past, we cannot completely move on due to the nature of society being built on the shoulders of history. In current society strong movements attempt to rid the world of such fallacies such as racism, classism, and patriarchal influences. But even with such strong movements, we fail to see the main chain to the past, religion. Religion, whether intended to or not, fosters a hurtful message underneath the directive of understanding. With most religions teaching the ideals of understanding for all others, people use religion as an excuse to commit atrocities against those not following the same religious …show more content…

With religious beliefs rooted so deep into society we as a people cannot hope to move forward as humankind to better ways of life. Classism, which has divided us for so long, is a direct part of religion built into the rankings of religious leaders down to the common people. High ranking officials in religious sects have long taken advantage of the people in the lower part of the social hierarchy in terms of money being needed to fund churches. This hierarchy is very present in The Great Gatsby in the form of the valley of ashes being heavily influenced by God whereas the richer parts of society are not. Stuck between the riches of the Eggs and the glamor of Manhattan the people living in the valley have nowhere to look to but god embodied by the billboard looking over their squalor. George Wilson is truly crazed by the idea of his wife having an affair which drives him to commit atrocities that can only be described as religious fanaticism with him justifying his actions in the name

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