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Cultural studies are widely recognized for its diverse perspective it contributes to analyzing our world, but more specifically, it bestows insight onto the literature we consume. The term was coined by Raymond Williams, who used it to describe a theoretical blending of leftist culturalism and Marxist analysis (Prendergast 1995). Nevertheless, it is most commonly known for the great strides Jonathan Dollimore and Alan Sinfield made in 1985 (Barry 2009). It is through cultural studies, also known as cultural materialism, that it explore a perspective that allows readers to view literature through a new lens of critical thinking which can be applied to “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald when one examines the concept of military service during the time period of World War 1, as well as organized crime.…
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As Nick travels East his views on his surroundings contrast considerably to those he observed as he was travelling through the west, where he lives. As he enters the East his initial description uses words such as ‘Fashionable’ and ‘Cheerful’ which is a deep juxtaposition to the words used to describe the West i.e. ‘superficial’ or ‘bizarre’. His optimism in travelling East is expressed as he describes the ‘East Egg glittered along the water’ this shows how he sees it across the water as a place of wonder and amazement and that all the lights and colour attract him to it and pull him which is why he is initially so optimistic about going there. America in the 1920’s was described as part of the ‘Jazz age ‘and even though they separated themselves from Europe to avoid a class system there is a very definite divide between the West and East egg. As Nick lives in the West egg which is seen as the ‘less fashionable’ of the two, which runs on new money, with lots of ‘colossal’ mansions ‘squeezed’ together, Nick is, as predicted excited about entering the East egg which is considerably richer and better established.…
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As a mysterious novel based on the Roaring Twenties, The Great Gatsby’s intriguing view on society helps people come to terms over how society has or has not changed throughout the decades. During this era, people in the upper class were split into “old money”, people who were part of a rich family, and “new money”, people who have self-made riches. In the novel, Jay Gatsby symbolized “new money” while Tom and Daisy Buchanan symbolized “old money”. This would be a crucial factor in the outcome of the book. Believing that their “old money” will save them from their repetitive mistakes and infidelities, Daisy and Tom Buchanan’s constant carelessness may lead to people despising them symbolizing how society in the 1920s was not as glamorous as…
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The Great Gatsby, a classic written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, exposes the frailty of humanity. Fitzgerald’s narrator, Nick Carraway, tells a gritty story in which he learns about the corruption of money. Though Nicks strives for perfection, he is a failure because he fails to become the savior he aspires to be, cope with city life, and realize that people are humans and not perfect.…
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The 1920s gained its nickname, The Roaring Twenties from its wild and carefree lifestyle. The extensive wealth of the time filled most nights with parties, dancing, crazy antics, and illegal alcohol. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, encompassed all of the aspects listed above. Not only did the book express the exciting side of the Twenties, it also expressed lack of morality of the time. According to The Great Gatsby, this lack of morality stemmed from the focus on material items, drinking, and dreaming.…
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If there is one character easily pointed out as showing signs of corruption brought on by wealth, it would be Tom Buchanan. Throughout the novel nick defines tom as an arrogant character by putting emphasis on his demeaning manor and his inability to respect anyone but himself. Some may argue that Tom 's football days and his physical size may add to the arrogant nature associated with Tom. However in the comments made about him by Nick and by the comments made himself it is made clear that the power of money has blocked his sight of everything but himself and what makes him happy. This wealth has also corrupted Daisy, who stays with Tom because of his wealth and the lifestyle she has become accustomed to, although Tom treats her very poorly. Tom treats Daisy as material possession along with the woman he is having an affair with. "He displays his mistress in much the same way as he parades his horses, almost as if he believes her to be his property" (Carey 21). Together Tom and Daisy made a…
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Nick Carraway, a young man from Minnesota, moves to New York in the summer of 1922 to learn about the bond business. He rents a house in the West Egg district of Long Island, a wealthy but unfashionable area populated by the new rich, a group who have made their fortunes too recently to have established social connections and who are prone to garish displays of wealth. Nick's next-door neighbor in West Egg is a mysterious man named Jay Gatsby, who lives in a gigantic Gothic mansion and throws extravagant parties every Saturday night.…
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For Mr. Gatz, why is the photograph of the house more real than the house itself? Explain.…
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F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is Nick Carraway’s narrative of his experiences with Jay Gatsby, his wealthy and mysterious neighbor in West Egg, Long Island. Set in 1922, a turbulent time in American history, Nick is a veteran of World War One who moved from his native Midwest to New York City to sell bonds. This novel focuses on Nick’s intense admiration for Gatsby who befriends Nick and leads him through a strange new world. In their travels, Nick and Gatsby encounter minorities and although they deal with these “Others” in a civilized manner, they regard them with condescension. The passage that embodies their beliefs about these minorities appears after they pass underneath the…
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The great Gatsby is too concerned with conveying a picture of 1920’s American society to have relevance to modern readers.…
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While reading The Great Gatsby, it is evident how Fitzgerald depicts Nick Carraway as an honest man. The reader notices how Nick does not judge anybody by avoiding that the person he is looking at is different. Nick is non-judgemental about a person’s view or opinion because he says “a sense of fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth” (7). This explains why Nick does not want to argue with people; because he points out that people don’t choose to be different, but are born with these differences. With this fact, Nick is “inclined to reserve all judgements” (7), showing that he listens to their opinion about a certain problem without any arguments towards it. The most important fact about Nick Carraway is that even he himself knows about his pure honesty, he supports this fact by stating “I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known” (59).…
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Having lived a lower middle-class life, I found that the materialism and superciliousness of the characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby quite shocking. I have never had the opportunity to throw money around and to see these people act so callously was very unnerving. Although I do not agree completely with Fitzgerald’s broad outlook on the upper class I can certainly understand the reasoning behind it. Tom and Daisy Buchannan’s pomposity is something quite unlike anything I have ever seen in another human and the pettiness of their problems often times came off as humorous because of how absurd it was. The representation of middle-class people was very inadequate; William Wilson, for example, was described by Tom as being “..so…
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Gatsby gives reasonable doubt as to if he's a trustworthy character or not. His motives may or may not be for the better good, but only beneficial for him.…
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As a result of the dramatic social change established by Americans, the 1920’s were considered, The Roaring Twenties. Americans were now being seen living in big cities rather than their traditional rural areas. Many Americans now looked up to the wealthy for guidance and inspiration for their new lives. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby, was best known for being incredibly wealthy and a very mysterious man who threw lavish parties. Character in the Great Gatsby gave sentiments about Gatsby’s character stating: “I heard he killed a man once” or “I heard he’s a German spy” and even “I thought he was a relative of the Keisers, that's where he got all his money.” Yet, no one really knew who Gatsby was or how he obtained his wealth, everyone was…
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The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald considered as the defining work of the 1920’s. When The Great Gatsby was published in 1925, America was just coming out of one of the most violent wars in the nation’s history. World War 1 had taken the lives of many young people who fought and sacrificed for our country, on another continent. The war left many families without fathers, sons, and husbands.…
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