Commentary on The Great Gatsby Essay

3. Describe interesting characterizations, events, techniques, and ideas. If you like a character or an idea, explain what you like, do the same for characters or ideas you dont like.*

The Great Gatsby written by F.Scott Fitzgerald is one of the most famous literary works of all time. There are many main ideas and themes around this novel but nothing is well-constructed than the implication of the American decay in the society of both people and life. The use of imagery in this novel has captured the theme of decadence and corruption brilliantly and for that the readers can obtain the idea of the novel easily through the visual images.

Introducing the Valley of Ashes right after the description of the two extremely fascinating area, East and West Egg, the author has successfully portrayed an image of totally desolation, collapse in New York City. The valley of ashes is a poor, lack of beauty place all covered with only ash, creating a landscape of a waste land. This image is remarkably described in the readers mind through the narrators point of view: the motor way hastily joins the railroad and runs beside it for a quarter of a mile, so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land (Fitzgerald 23). The scene immediately becomes lifeless, deathly as nothing but ash comes to this place. This shows the readers the power of money, wealth while rich people live in fashionable place with magnificent view and parties while the unfortunate ones have to withstand in the waste land.

The beauty and splendor of Gatsbys parties highlights the decay and corruption of the people in the Roaring Twenties. Fitzgerald deliberately creates an elusive scene in the party in which people devote their time dancing and enjoying it. As Gatsbys neighbor, Nick can speculates closely On Mondays, eight servants, including an extra gardener all day, repairing the ravages of the night before (Fitzgerald 39). After the party, the only thing left behind is the destruction caused by the vulgar guests at the night before. People contemporarily have no concern in other significant matters but the extravagant parties thrown every weekend.

Gatsbys death is not only an image of a collapse ambitious dream of the American but also implies the corruption of peoples heart at the time. Over the summer, every week, there are many guests come to Gatsbys mansion to enjoy the luxurious food, fancy drink and overall the lavish parties but when he is dead, nobody except for Nick and a few servants attend the ceremony. Nick tries to get somebody to pray for Gatsby but no one arrived except more police and photographers and newspaper men (Fitzgerald 165). People, who claim to be his friend, come to all of his parties, are now disappeared, and nowhere to be found to attend Gatsbys funeral. This creates a dramatic irony as when peoples dead, they follow the passage of time out of the others concern.

Fitzgeralds use of imagery displays the decay and corruption of people during the 1920s. Through the contrast of location and peoples lavish way of living, we can speculate the downfall and collapse of the American society as well as the hollowness of the wealthy people themselves. The Great Gatsby reveals the domination of both power and money in peoples relationship with one another and yet makes their life rotten.

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