Part 2 of Book Analysis: The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald
Introduction to Key Themes
The Great Gatsby is a novel with powerful themes that explore human ambition, societal flaws, and the pursuit of the American Dream. Fitzgerald paints a story set in the dazzling yet complex world of the 1920s, when anyone seems to accomplish the American Dream. In his work, Fitzgerald’s story asks an important question to readers: Is the American Dream possible for everyone? Then, he draws out his conclusion by showing the struggles of one man caught between hope and disillusionment. But he did not stop there; he also revealed and critiqued the allure of wealth and success, as well as the emptiness and dissatisfaction that often lie beneath it. These themes continue to resonate because they reflect struggles that are still relevant today—questions about success, fairness, and what it means to be happy.
The American Dream: Hope and Disillusionment
In The Great Gatsby, the American Dream is seen through Gatsby’s relentless efforts to gain wealth and love, believing these will help him recreate the perfect past. But what exactly is the American Dream? For some, it’s climbing the social ladder or owning luxury items like mansions and cars. Historically, it represented opportunities and freedom—a fresh start in a new land. It became more focused on material wealth, especially after the Industrial Revolution. Vanneman & Cannon (1987) broke it into three ideas: exploring new frontiers, improving one’s social status, and achieving prosperity. I think we all have our version of the American Dream.
Let’s investigate the characters in The Great Gatsby to show what the American Dream means to them. For Tom, it’s a privilege he was born into and takes for granted. For Gatsby, despite the odds, it’s a goal he works hard to achieve. It feels like an unreachable illusion for George Wilson, leaving him disheartened and stuck. After all, he was stuck living in the Ash of Valley despite his hard work. While the dream can be inspiring, the novel also shows how easily it becomes corrupted by greed and materialism. Not to mention, wealth does not automatically make you climb the social ladder. So, It’s a reminder that success isn’t just about hard work—it’s often shaped by social class and luck, making the promise of the American Dream feel hollow for many.
Motifs in The Great Gatsby
Motifs are recurring symbols or ideas that add depth to a story, and The Great Gatsby is filled with them. Motifs are used to enrich the narrative and help us understand the novel’s key themes – the American Dream, moral decay, and social inequality. This genius use of motifs made his book so precious to me.
The Green Light
The green light is one of the most famous symbols in this book. It represents hope, ambition, and Gatsby’s version of the American Dream. The light is positioned on Daisy and Tom’s dock, which shows Gatsby’s longing to be part of the old money world. In literature, green often symbolizes envy and, in the U.S., money—both of which tie into Gatsby’s dreams. Although Gatsby sees the light from his house across the bay, the water separating them mirrors the unbridgeable social gap between him and Daisy. Fitzgerald’s choice of a light, something you can see but never grasp, highlights the illusion of Gatsby’s dream, emphasizing that no amount of wealth will ever make him truly accepted.
The Eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg
The eyes on a faded billboard loom over the Valley of Ashes appear in chapter 2 of the book, symbolizing the moral decay and the hollow authority of the 1920s. Pay attention to the colors used. These spectacles, described as “yellow,” suggest corruption, lies and greed. The eyes appear to watch over everything, yet they lack a face, giving them an empty, meaningless presence. They overlook the polluted Valley of Ashes, a product of industrialization, but do nothing to address the suffering and neglect of the area. Fitzgerald uses this motif to critique the failing moral compass of the era.
The Valley of Ashes
The Valley of Ashes is a bleak area where poor, working-class people live, very different from the wealthy neighborhoods of East and West Egg. This gray, lifeless place shows the darker side of the American Dream and how industrialization hurts the working class. This motif shows the unfairness hidden beneath the wealth and success of the 1920s. Like Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, it represents the human cost of industrialization. However, Fitzgerald critiques in a subtle way, using imagery and symbols to make his point.
Character Tie-ins:
Gatsby: The Dreamer and Obsessed Lover
Gatsby’s ambition and idealism are closely tied to the themes of the American dream and love. For him, Daisy is not just a person from the past but a symbol of perfection, wealth, and everything he longs for. He was very obsessed with her. Building a vast mansion across the bay from her house, hosting extravagant parties to lure her, or dedicating all his energy toward winning her back points out how much he is obsessed with her. However, his obsession closes his eyes to Daisy’s flaw: even after Daisy chooses Tom, Gatsby believes she’ll leave her life behind and run away with him. His dream of being with her is so intense that it becomes unattainable, leading to heartbreak and tragedy.
Nick: The Disillusioned Observer
Nick introduced himself as someone who still carries his old Midwestern values in the book’s first chapter. In the beginning, he talks about how he was taught to avoid judging others, which shapes how he views the people around him. Nick grows more disillusioned as he observes the excess and carelessness of the wealthy in the East. While he admires Gatsby’s hope and determination, he sees through the emptiness of the lifestyle and the moral decay of people like Tom and Daisy. Nick’s role as the narrator helps us understand both the allure and the flaws of the world Gatsby is chasing.
Daisy and Tom: Symbols of Old Money and Moral Emptiness
Daisy and Tom represent the wealthy elite who have had everything handed to them – the privileged people. They live lives of luxury but show little concern for anyone else. Daisy’s charm hides her indecisiveness and lack of accountability, while Tom’s arrogance and cruelty come from his sense of entitlement. Daisy created the direct cause of Mytrle’s death, and Tom made the indirect cause of Gatsby’s death. Yet, they retreated into their wealth and left others, like Gatsby, to deal with the consequences. Their actions reveal the selfishness and emptiness of the old-money society.
Love and Obsession
The love Gatsby had is obsessive and one-sided. Frankly, I don’t know if Gatsby really loves Daisy. To me, Gatsby’s love for Daisy is less about who she is than what she represents—his ideal vision of success and happiness. He throws parties and builds his life around her but doesn’t see her flaws. Even when Daisy picks Tom over him, Gatsby remains hopeful she’ll change her mind. His obsession shows how love can become unattainable and destructive when tied to unrealistic dreams.
Wealth and Class Divisions
Wealth creates opportunities in the novel but also creates barriers. Tom and Daisy, as old money, are secure in their wealth and look down on Gatsby, who represents new money. No matter how rich Gatsby becomes, he can’t earn their acceptance because he lacks the family background they value. Meanwhile, George and Myrtle represent the working class, stuck in a struggle with no real chance of climbing up the social ladder.
These divisions shape much of the story’s conflict. Gatsby’s dream of being with Daisy is doomed because of their social gap. At the same time, George and Myrtle’s struggles highlight how the working class suffers while the wealthy thrive, making the inequality in the novel impossible to ignore.
Examples and Quotes
One of my favorite Quotes from the book is the last paragraph: “Gatsby believed in the green light….So we beat on, boats against the current borne back ceaselessly into the past”. This paragraph concludes the question: Is the American Dream possible for everyone? Fitzgerald says in this paragraph that no matter how hard you work, it will be hard to attain the American dream. Why? It is because you cannot leave your past behind. The American Dream is the core theme of the book. And this is how I interpreted the book.
As you consider the themes and motifs in The Great Gatsby, I have a few questions for you.
- Do you think Gatsby’s version of the American Dream could have come true if he had taken a different approach? Or was it destined to fail from the very beginning?
- What about the American Dream today? Do you think it’s still something people can achieve, or has it become more of an ideal than a reality? How do modern challenges, like social inequality and economic struggles, shape this dream?
Feel free to share your thoughts! I’d love to hear your interpretations and what stood out most in the story. The best part of interpreting a book is that every reader connects with The Great Gatsby uniquely, and your perspective helps us understand the story even more deeply than reading it alone.
Conclusion
The Great Gatsby’s brilliant use of themes and motifs makes it a powerful and unforgettable story. These themes help us understand the deeper messages Fitzgerald wanted to share about ambition, love, wealth, and the American Dream. Through symbols like the green light and the Valley of Ashes, we see both the beauty and flaws in Gatsby’s world and our own. The most important thing to consider is that each motif is closely tied to the themes.
In the next part, we explore the characters, including their roles and motivations, and how each character’s story adds another layer to the novel’s themes. Stay tuned!
Reference
Vanneman, R., & Cannon, L. W. (1987). The American Dream. In The American Perception of Class (pp. 257–282). Temple University Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv941wv0.17