ipl-logo

What Does West Egg Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

1181 Words5 Pages

Jacob Rhee Mr. Compton English 10 30 January 2017 Symbolism in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald serves many purposes. It entertains the reader, teaches life lessons, and even gives readers an insight as to what life was like in the 1920s. But perhaps the most important and prevalent theme in the book is the downfall of the American Dream. The American Dream is the belief that through hard work, any individual can obtain success in America. The author scatters symbols throughout the book to portray how this “Dream” simmered away into nonexistence. Fitzgerald uses symbolism throughout The Great Gatsby to represent the death of the American Dream. One symbol that Fitzgerald utilizes is the setting. In the book, there are …show more content…

The second setting is West Egg. The people in West Egg worked for everything they have, and have obtained wealth solely based on their determination. In other words, inhabitants of West Egg have achieved the American Dream - they started from nothing and rose to the top through hard work. However, Fitzgerald shows how West Egg citizens like Gatsby and Nick have not actually achieved their American Dream, despite what it looks like on the surface. Gatsby’s dream comes in the form of Daisy - being with her is all he has ever wanted in life. Nick, observing Gatsby, said, “He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy…” (91). Jay’s determination to take advantage of any interaction he got with Daisy was so great that he couldn't even take his eyes off her. But, the dream dies Gatsby’s quest to win her love falls short as she ends up back with Tom. In addition to this, it turns out that Gatsby was no rags-to-riches success story after all. He earned his money through bootlegging and gambling with other people involved in criminal activity. As with Nick, his dream is dead as well. Although it is never truly clear

Show More
Related

West Egg In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

708 Words | 3 Pages

Nick’s American Dream was the opposite of Gatsby’s; he always strived to see and do new things every day, constantly reaching for the future, while Gatsby only wanted to relive his past with Daisy. Once Nick feels like there is nothing left for him to discover in New York, he moves back west to rediscover the lost excitement after Gatsby’s death. Nick also believed that Gatsby was foolish in his American Dream because it was unattainable. Nick uses imagery to illustrate the appeal of West Egg before Gatsby’s death, describing the illusions of “those gleaming, dazzling parties”, stating that he could “still hear the music and the laughter, faint and incessant” (Fitzgerald 179).

Read More

Application Of How To Read Literature Like A Professor In The Great Gatsby

809 Words | 4 Pages

Thomas Foster emphasizes that symbols have many different interpretations that are determined by our “individual history.” Factors such as race, gender, religion, and education contribute to our “individual history” to give every reader a differing perspective on literature. Symbols are used throughout The Great Gatsby to further develop themes of the decline of the American Dream, class and societal differences, and the difficulty of time. For example, one evolving symbol in The Great Gatsby is the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. At the beginning of the novel, the light represents the dream Gatsby has to be with Daisy, but as the possibility of attaining his dream diminishes, we see the symbol change.

Read More

Why Is West Egg Important In The Great Gatsby

1226 Words | 5 Pages

Where one settles and decides their surroundings shapes who they become and who they are. It determines morals, values, and beliefs all while shaping one’s character. Occasionally, one’s address is determined by wealth, which for centuries, has divided people into separate categories and class systems. This idea of surroundings forming and molding an individual, was included in The Great Gatsby, for Fitzgerald uses the various settings to carefully illustrate how wealth positively and negatively affects individuals' lives in the roaring 20’s and the traits it reveals about each character. East Egg and West Egg are both known as a residence for the socially elite and affluent of the east coast, but possess differences that separate the characteristics

Read More

What Does West Egg Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

1406 Words | 6 Pages

In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, we see his ideals and beliefs take form in a 20th century community. The characters in the novel all are aspiring to capture the “American Dream” In the beginning of the book, we are introduced to our narrator Nick. Nick has just moved into the fictional town of West Egg on long island. Across the water, there is another town called East Egg, and these communities are separated based off of wealth and social status.

Read More

Allusions In The Great Gatsby

1352 Words | 6 Pages

The American Dream suggests that every American citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work. One of the major ways that Fitzgerald portrays this is by alluding to outside events or works of literature specifically from that time period. Another major relationship that develops in The Great Gatsby is between Tom and Daisy. F. Scott Fitzgerald alludes to things such as the World’s Fair and “The Love Nest” to display the eventual dismantling of Tom and Daisy’s relationship. Both of these separate plots consolidate under the idea of Gatsby trying to become the epitome of the American Dream, as seen through his strive for a “perfect life.”

Read More

Edgenuity Meaning Of Theme In The Great Gatsby

314 Words | 2 Pages

A theme is a lesson that a literary text conveys about humanity. Is Edgenuity meaning of theme. Spark notes meaning is that they are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in literary work.   In short, a book’s theme can usually answer the question, “what’s the point of this book?”

Read More

What Does George Wilson Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

956 Words | 4 Pages

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald tells the story of Jay Gatsby’s life through Nick Carraway’s point of view. Fitzgerald uses symbolism to create the theme of the failed American Dream. Character symbols, location symbols, and object symbols help to create the theme of the failed American Dream. The use of character symbols creates the theme of the failed American Dream.

Read More

Theme Of Opulence In The Great Gatsby

876 Words | 4 Pages

”(Burnam,pg4) It wasn't the chaotic and careless lifestyle in which Gatsby lived in that resulted in his downfall, but rather the realization that he can never be with Daisy. During the 1920’s to have great wealth was the goal in life. We see this in the manner in which Gatsby attained his wealth and why. As article 2 states, “The new millionaires emerging from the Gilded Age promulgated the myth of the self-made man. This myth stressed the notion that the most important goal was individual betterment… achieved by a combination of sustained work and strength of character, no matter how obscure one’s social origins were.”

Read More

Myrtle Wilson In The Great Gatsby

951 Words | 4 Pages

Francis Scott Fitzgerald once stated, “The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart and all they can do is stare blankly.” Throughout his famous work, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrayed the American Dream. Contrary to the ideology of the “Roaring Twenties” society, he described the American Dream as a delusion. People of the era focused on materialism in order to boost their wealth and status and forgot the importance of their relationships. Several characters within the novel sought to gain a higher status in society.

Read More

Essay On The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

923 Words | 4 Pages

The Great Gatsby discusses and portrays various themes and ideas that tie into the American Dream. Fitzgerald develops several life-like characters that convey the reality of achieving the ideal every American dreams of. F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of the novel The Great Gatsby, illustrates the corruption behind aiming to achieve the American Dream through Gatsby’s

Read More

What Does West Egg Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

673 Words | 3 Pages

The 1920’s was a time of economic boom and prosperity. The riches and glamour of the time period were idolized by those living then, but many people were not aware of the shadowy side of The Jazz Age. The characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel represent the people of the 1920’s who were surrounded by material items and a surface of artificial happiness. In The Great Gatsby the East and West Eggs, Myrtle’s apartment, and the use of opposing colors, like black and white used throughout the book are all symbols that represent the duality of the time period.

Read More

What Does The Clock Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

252 Words | 2 Pages

There are copious examples of symbolism showing up in F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. One example of symbolism is when gatsby almost knocks over an old clock but gatsby impedes the clock from hitting the ground and resolves the problem by putting it upright and setting it to the correct time. Some people may misconstrue this as Gatsby being diligent but in reality he is doing something that is quiet odd, Gatsby is trying to turn back time not just the clock but also time itself, and although normal people know that this is not possible gatsby thinks that it is. Another Symbol that shows up are Wolfsheim's disconcerting cufflinks, these symbolize his bellicose behavior, when someone doesn’t follow proper decorum around him he supress’s

Read More

Why Is West Egg Important In The Great Gatsby

701 Words | 3 Pages

Wealth is the power that motivates creation and empowers downfall. For centuries it has divided people into separate categories and class systems. Fitzgerald uses the various settings to carefully illustrate how wealth positively and negatively affects individuals lives in the roaring 20’s and the traits it reveals about each character. East Egg and West Egg are both known as a residence for the socially elite and affluent of the east coast, but possess differences that relay the characteristics of the inhabitants of each. West Egg is home to Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel, and Jay Gatsby, his mysterious next door neighbor who introduces him to grand facade of the 1920s.

Read More

What Does The West Egg Represent In The Great Gatsby

309 Words | 2 Pages

Finally at the end of the passage Nick describes the West Egg by comparing it to one of the Greco’s painting. Nick says “I see it as a night scene by El Greco: a hundred houses, at once conventional and grotesque, crouching under a sullen overhanging sky and lustreless moon.” When looking at the painting, there is a wealthy city with grand buildings and houses on top of a hill, but behind the buildings there is a dark cloud. The dark cloud symbolizes the hidden secrets and lies behind the wealth and riches in the West. By Nick comparing the West Egg to a painting instead of describing it through his own experiences, it suggest that he doesn’t want to be associated with the West Egg and wants to distance himself from there.

Read More

The Great Gatsby Embodiment Of The American Dream

463 Words | 2 Pages

Set in Long Island and New York City in the early 1920 's, F. Scott Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby, tells the story of a man, Gatsby, who devotes his entire adult life with the sole purpose of pursuing his unrealistic dream of recapturing the past. Through Gatsby, Fitzgerald warns the readers about the adversities brought by the ideas of the American dream [wealth], obsession, blind pursuit of love. Fitzgerald illustrates to the readers the calamities that accompany the pursuance of the American dream through Jay Gatsby. Gatsby 's success story of rags to riches makes him the embodiment of the American dream having started life in poverty, as the son of unsuccessful farmers. By the time he was an adolescent, he had even less, after

Read More

More about What Does West Egg Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

Related Topics

Open Document