The Great Gatsby Analysis

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is often referred to as the great American novel. The book’s immense symbolism and its many messages make The Great Gatsby a novel that has the ability to appeal to all who read it. Religion plays a key role in the book. For instance, religious beliefs in the 1920s influenced the main characters of the story in a significant way. The Valley of Ashes that is described in chapter two may also help to represent the moral dilapidation that the rich undergo in the 1920s. Lastly, Gatsby seems to represent Jesus in the novel, while T.J. Eckleburg represents God Himself and Wilson represents Judas. Overall, while there are many symbols in the Great Gatsby, religion is one that seems to come up …show more content…
Dr. Eckleburg, who plays a small but prominent role in the novel, represents the Lord himself. Gatsby represents God’s son, Jesus, and George Wilson represents Judas, Jesus’ betrayer. Dr. Eckleburg represents God for a couple of reasons. For one, no one really knows who Eckleburg is. As mentioned before, many people stopped paying so much attention to religion and God. As such, no one really had a good sense of exactly who God was in the 1920s. Also, Eckleburg is described as overseeing “the solemn dumping ground” that is the aforementioned Valley of Ashes (Fitzgerald 28). While society continues to dig itself into a grave as it continues its quest for more wealth, Eckleburg watches from a distance but does not intervene himself. This is very much like the Christian God of today, who sees all but does not directly intervene in the lives of people on Earth. Last, at Gatsby’s party, Dr. Eckleburg notices that Gatsby “didn’t cut the pages” (50) to the books in his own library. This means that Gatsby never actually read any of the books in his own library. Eckleburg, who symbolizes an all-seeing God, sees that Gatsby’s life is a lie. This especially makes sense because Eckleburg is described as having gigantic