The Great Gatsby's Symbols

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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic book of our time. A reason for that is the amount of symbols that are scattered throughout the whole book that the author uses. Symbolism is using an item to represent a hidden message or idea and Fitzgerald uses that to explain emotions. Fitzgerald establishes many different types of symbols that are both small and big in his story like the green light at the end of Daisy's dock, alcohol and the parties that Gatsby threw on the weekends and the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg billboard in the valley of ashes. All these symbols help Fitzgerald tell his story with more passion and understanding. The Great Gatsby story time setting is in America in the 1920’s introducing the Jazz Age in music and life after World War I. During this time, the America Dream started declining which was the people’s hope for material prosperity like owning a car and home but in the story, Fitzgerald uses social class and money as another symbol in a way. The 18th Amendment was enforced which meant that America will go dry of no more alcohol yet in The Great Gatsby, they are constantly surrounded by it . This is important because alcohol is a huge symbol that Fitzgerald used throughout The Great Gatsby. Not only did the people come to Gatsby’s parties for the extravagant entertainments but to drink. Lucillle says in chapter three that “I never care what I do, so so I always have a good time”.People attended the parties because they were having a tough time in their lives and alcohol was a way for them to escape and have a great time. Alcohol represented a source of happiness that people needed and then Gatsby’s parties was the source of the alcohol. In chapter two, the readers got introduced to the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg which is a huge billboard in the Valley of Ashes of a painting of a pair of yellow eyes that are fading that

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