The Great Gatsby Essay
Kelsey
English 11
November 12, 2012
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald expresses many themes. One of the biggest themes of this novel is moral corruption. The definition of morals is concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior, and the goodness or badness of human character. Fitzgerald does a great job of using this novel to show how the 1920s really were. He uses some of his own personal experiences in this masterpiece, which is one of the reasons why he is known as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. The things we see today as being morally wrong were either ignored or not acknowledged as being wrong. F. Scott Fitzgerald saw society as it really was and brought it to life in a way only he could do. Fitzgerald uses settings, symbols, and characters to express the issue of moral corruption. The Great Gatsby takes place in the spring of 1922, in New York. The two main places where the story occurs are East Egg and West Egg. They are identical in shape and are only separated by the bay. In the novel, West Egg represents the newly rich, while East Egg represents the old aristocracy. The East Eggers prove themselves to be careless, inconsiderate and rude. They are so used to money that they do what they want without thinking about it hurting others. The people from East Egg are also very judgmental, and only associate with people who are on the same level as them. In chapter one Nick states “I lived in West Egg, the well, the less fashionable of the two…” (Fitzgerald 9). This lets us know that West Egg isn’t as elegant or rich as the East. One of the biggest and most remembered symbols in this novel is the green light. The green light represents money, greed, and envy. The green light is also located at the end of the dock where Daisy lives. Gatsby moved to West Egg so that he could keep an eye on her and make a plan to see her again. Nick came home one day and saw Gatsby standing outside on the lawn and he
English 11
November 12, 2012
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald expresses many themes. One of the biggest themes of this novel is moral corruption. The definition of morals is concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior, and the goodness or badness of human character. Fitzgerald does a great job of using this novel to show how the 1920s really were. He uses some of his own personal experiences in this masterpiece, which is one of the reasons why he is known as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. The things we see today as being morally wrong were either ignored or not acknowledged as being wrong. F. Scott Fitzgerald saw society as it really was and brought it to life in a way only he could do. Fitzgerald uses settings, symbols, and characters to express the issue of moral corruption. The Great Gatsby takes place in the spring of 1922, in New York. The two main places where the story occurs are East Egg and West Egg. They are identical in shape and are only separated by the bay. In the novel, West Egg represents the newly rich, while East Egg represents the old aristocracy. The East Eggers prove themselves to be careless, inconsiderate and rude. They are so used to money that they do what they want without thinking about it hurting others. The people from East Egg are also very judgmental, and only associate with people who are on the same level as them. In chapter one Nick states “I lived in West Egg, the well, the less fashionable of the two…” (Fitzgerald 9). This lets us know that West Egg isn’t as elegant or rich as the East. One of the biggest and most remembered symbols in this novel is the green light. The green light represents money, greed, and envy. The green light is also located at the end of the dock where Daisy lives. Gatsby moved to West Egg so that he could keep an eye on her and make a plan to see her again. Nick came home one day and saw Gatsby standing outside on the lawn and he