The Great Gatsby Theme Analysis

The Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald presents several commentaries on then-contemporary society of prosperous America; along with post war economic growth, cinematograph, and increasing optimism the inevitable weakening of humanly values spreads like a plague among the upper class of the East Coast. The fictionalized geographic locations, which Fitzgerald ties with his characters, serve to convey the theme of moral degradation.

The novel starts out in the West Egg; a place inhabited by the wealthy class who had recently acquired their money and are portrayed as tasteless, somewhat vulgar, brazen people. The residents of this area lack social manners and lead fast lives during this time of material excess. The main protagonist of the story, Jay Gatsby, is a new-rich who lives in a gigantic gaudy mansion, drives a yellow Roles-Royce, and wears pink suits. He seems to enjoy the aura of mystery and the nonsensical, absurd gossips which envelop his persona and even contributes to it by throwing lavish parties. Many of his partygoers seem to be mere spongers who drink his champagne and eat his delicacies but never bother themselves to express gratitude to Gatsby or to even to wait for his personal invitation. The idle life of the West Eggers shows the nature of people during the time of material excess.

East Egg, a home to aristocrats or the people who generally inherited their fortune, is viewed as a place of aristocracy. Indeed, Buchanans’ tasteful house and the manners of their inhabitants are flawless. However, behind this masque of well-polished social behavior there is a rotten egocentrism; Tom and Daisy are truly careless people who believe in money’s ability to hide their faults and are acting disrespectful to the people of other classes. As the narrator, Nick Carraway states, “in a moment she looked at me with an absolute smirk on her lovely face as if she had asserted her membership in a rather distinguished secret society to which she and Tom belonged”. Daisy, by her nature, is a woman without any internal strength with any motivations and ambition; "Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day of the year and miss it," this phrase displays the pointlessness of her life, or lives of wealthy in general. Being the love of Gatsby’s life, Daisy does not understand the

Responsibility she has to take, for she not only jeopardizes her social position and the relationships with her family, but also manipulates Gatsby’s attachment