The Great Gatsby: Themes Flashcards
Honesty
Nick is able to admire gatsby with the knowledge of his illegal dealings and bootlegging
Ironically it is the corrupt Daisy who takes pause at Gatsby’s sordid past
But her indignation at his dishonesty is less moral than class-based
The standards for honesty and morality seem to be dependent on class and gender in this novel
Tom finds his wife’s infidelity intolerable, however he does not hesitate to lie about his own affair
Decay
Decay is a word that constantly comes up in the great gatsby. Appropriate as the novel centers around the death of the American Dream
Fitzgerald describes a barren wasteland which probably has little to do with the New York that serves to comment on the downfall of American society
It seems the American dream has been reversed or perverted
Fitzgerald portrays chauvinistic and racist Tom in a very negative light, clearly scoffing at his apocalyptic vision of the races intermarrying
Gender roles
Fitzgerald writes about gender roles in quite a conservative manner
In this novel men work to earn money for the maintenance of the women
Men are dominant over women, especially in the case of Tom who uses his physical strength to subdue them
The only hint of a role reversal is the pair Nick and Jordan
Jordans name and cool, collected style masculinise her than any other female character
However in the end Nick does exert his dominance over her by ending the relationship
Women in this novel are an interesting group, do not divide into traditional Mary Magdalene and Madonna figures, instead none of them are pure
Myrtle is the most obviously sensual, he fact that Jordan and daisy wear white dresses highlights their corruption
Violence
Most embodied by the charecter of Tom
An ex-football player that uses his immense physical strength to intimidate those around him
While myrtle taunts him about his wife’s name he strikes her across the face
The other source of violence in the novel besides Tom are cars
Fitzgerald uses cars as a symbol of the dangers of modernity
Before the climax of the novel, the accident that kills myrtle, Nick and Jordan have a conversation about how bad driving can lead to explosive violence
The end of the novel is violent with the killing of Gatsby
The choice of a handgun suggests Gatsby shady past, but it is symbolic that us his love affair not his business life that killed him
Class
The society’s of East and West egg are deeply divided between the noveau rich and old money families
Gatsby tries desperately to fake status, even buying British shirts and claiming to have attended Oxford in an attempt to justify his position in society
Ultimately it is a class gulf that separates gatsby and daisy and cements her relationship to her husband
Class
The society’s of East and West egg are deeply divided between the noveau rich and old money families
Gatsby tries desperately to fake status, even buying British shirts and claiming to have attended Oxford in an attempt to justify his position in society
Ultimately it is a class gulf that separates gatsby and daisy and cements her relationship to her husband
