‘The Great Gatsby’ follows Nick Carraway, who meets the mysterious multimillionaire Jay Gatsby after moving to New York. He gets wrapped up in Gatsby’s dreams and his cousin’s difficult marriage while learning about the pitfalls of wealth and the truth of the American dream.
Themes
“The Great Gatsby” is more than a tale of wealth and glamour; it’s a study of dreams lost and identities shaped by a world that prizes illusion over reality. Through the themes explored in the story, Fitzgerald shows how far people will go to chase what they can never truly have.
Wealth
Wealth is one of the most important themes Fitzgerald’s characters contend with within “The Great Gatsby.“ Specifically, he draws a contrast between the aristocracy, those with old money like Daisy and Tom, and those with new money, like Gatsby. They live different lives and consider one another in different lights. But, both types of wealth corrupt in the same way. As the money amasses, their consideration of other people decreases.
Fitzgerald provides a great example at the end of the novel when Daisy and Tom move away to a new home rather than attend Gatsby’s funeral or deal with the consequences. Instead, they use their money to keep others at a distance and get whatever they want out of life.
The American Dream
This theme is central to Gatsby’s understanding of the world and Nick’s judgments about the future at the end of the novel. It is a set of ideas suggesting that anyone who works hard can succeed in the United States. Gatsby rose from poverty up to the level of a multi-millionaire. But, when it came to what he wanted in life, he failed. He spent his whole life thinking that if he just made enough money, he’d be able to convince Daisy to love him and have everything he wanted. But, he couldn’t retrieve his relationship with Daisy, and his pursuit of it led to his death.
Love/ Relationships
There are a few depictions of love and relationships in “The Great Gatsby,” and none are ideal. There is Gatsby’s unending love for Daisy, George’s love for his wife, Myrtle, Tom and Daisy’s relationship, and Nick’s relationship with Jordan. Gatsby’s goal to bring Daisy back into his life is built on an idealized image of the latter, which fails to fulfill itself in reality.
Gatsby loves the idea of Daisy and thought of possessing her more than he does the person. The same can be said of Tom’s consideration for his wife. He wants to keep her as a commodity and as a symbol of his status. But he doesn’t love her. He continually cheats on her and doesn’t attempt to hide it. Nick’s fleeting relationship with Jordan is emotionally distant. There isn’t enough emotion on either side for it to be anything other than a passing distraction.
Loss of Idealism
In “The Great Gatsby,” Fitzgerald paints a picture of loss, but it’s not just the loss of things you can hold in your hands. It’s the loss of dreams, the loss of that bright, shining idealism that once made life seem so full of promise. Gatsby himself is a man who builds his whole life around one dream—Daisy. But that dream crumbles. The green light across the bay, so close and yet always out of reach.
Gatsby’s unchecked pursuit of Daisy, the woman he believes represents his perfect future, is rooted in an illusion—a vision of the past that can never be reclaimed, that probably never was. He chases that version of Daisy, clinging to a youthful belief that the world can be molded to fit his desires. The story peels back the layers of Gatsby’s dream, revealing the harsh truth: idealism, unchecked by reality, fades into disillusionment. Through Gatsby’s tragic fall, Fitzgerald captures the fragility of dreams, and the loss that comes when they collide with the world as it is.
Identity and Self-Perception
Identity is a significant theme in the novel; who we are, or at least who we think we are. In Gatsby’s case, it’s all a performance. He creates this persona—this larger-than-life millionaire throwing lavish parties, hiding behind wealth to cover the truth. But underneath all that glitter, Gatsby is just James Gatz from North Dakota. And the tragedy is, he believes in the man he’s made up.
It’s not just Gatsby. Each character grapples with identity and self-perception. Tom plays the powerful, indifferent man, but he’s afraid of losing control. Daisy flits between her roles as lover and wife, never fully herself. Even Nick, the quiet observer, questions who he is by the end. They all wear masks, fitting themselves into roles they think they need to play, but none find true satisfaction.
Key Moments
- Nick Moves to West Egg: Nick’s journey begins with a move to West Egg. He’s come to make his way in the world but is surrounded by wealth—too much of it—the kind that overwhelms and blinds. His modest background sticks out against the mansions and parties. This move sets him up as the observer of a world he will never truly belong to, a world of glitz and glamor.
- Nick Meets Gatsby and Learns About His Love for Daisy: Meeting “the great” Gatsby is something else. There’s a mystery about him, a sense that he’s chasing something out of reach. Then, it all comes out—his love for Daisy. That love explains everything to Nick: the mansion, the parties, the way he’s built his whole life around a dream. But it’s a dream that might already be gone. Nick sees it, even if Gatsby doesn’t.
- Nick Helps Reunite the Two: Nick arranges the reunion, and it’s awkward from the start. In his small cottage, Gatsby and Daisy try to pick up pieces of a past that never existed. For Gatsby, this is everything. For Daisy, it’s more complicated. As Nick watches them, he feels the weight of it—Gatsby’s dream is too perfect, too fragile.
- Tom and Gatsby’s Confrontation: When Tom and Gatsby finally face off, it’s like two worlds colliding. Tom attacks Gatsby, cutting into his past, money, and identity. Gatsby tries to hold his ground, claiming Daisy loves him, but Tom’s grip on Daisy is firmer than Gatsby wants to believe. Gatsby’s dream, which he’s built everything around, is slipping away, and everyone can feel it.
- Daisy Hits Tom’s Mistress, Myrtle, with Gatsby’s Car: One reckless night changes everything. Daisy, behind the wheel of Gatsby’s car, hits Myrtle, and she’s killed instantly. This isn’t just an accident; it is the critical moment that shatters every hope of Gatsby’s dream. Gatsby takes the blame in the false hope that Daisy will leave Tom for him. Myrtle’s death also critiques the recklessness of the wealthy and the consequences of their actions.
- George Shoots Gatsby and Then Shoots Himself: Tom implies to Myrtle’s husband, George, that Gatsby is responsible for her death. George goes to Gatsby’s mansion and shoots him in a fit of rage and grief. Then, he turns the gun on himself. Gatsby’s death is symbolic of the death of the American Dream, and the emptiness of the world Gatsby tried to conquer.
- Nick Attends Gatsby’s Small Funeral While Daisy and Tom Move Away: At Gatsby’s funeral, almost no one shows up. All those people who flocked to his parties? Gone. Nick is left standing there, realizing how hollow Gatsby’s world was. Meanwhile, Daisy and Tom quietly leave as if nothing ever happened. They move on, untouched by the destruction they’ve left behind, and Nick sees them for what they are—careless, selfish, unreachable.
- Nick Returns to Minnesota Disgusted with What He’s Seen of the Upper Classes: In the end, Nick packs up and leaves. He’s seen and learned too much about wealth and privilege. Members of the upper class, with their money and power, aren’t what they seem. They’re empty, dangerous even. Nick returns to Minnesota, disillusioned, leaving behind the glittering world that turned out to be a lie.
Writing Style, Tone, and Figurative Language
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s style in “The Great Gatsby” is a blend of lyrical elegance and sharp precision. He writes with a fluidity that lets the story drift like a dream, yet every sentence has a purpose. The beauty of his prose lies in its balance. At times, Fitzgerald is poetic, painting vivid pictures with his words. Take, for example, his description of Gatsby’s mansion: “It was a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy.” Here, the words create an image both grand and artificial, mirroring Gatsby’s own life. But just as often, Fitzgerald cuts through the illusion with pointed observations. He uses Nick’s voice to guide us, offering reflections that are sharp, almost cynical. Fitzgerald’s style dances between lush descriptions and biting insights, giving us a sense of beauty wrapped around the hollow core of the world he’s describing.
The tone of “The Great Gatsby” is one of both awe and disillusionment. Nick, the narrator, is mesmerized by Gatsby’s charm and the glamour of the wealthy. But as the novel progresses, his admiration sours into disappointment. The tone shifts from one of fascination to one of quiet judgment. Nick becomes more critical, especially toward the characters who are careless with other people’s lives. When he says, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together,” the tone is clear: there’s bitterness, almost a moral anger in his words. Gatsby’s world, which once glittered with promise, now feels cold, empty. The tone reflects Nick’s journey from wonder to wariness, and ultimately, to disgust with the world he once thought he could understand.
Fitzgerald uses figurative language extensively. One of his favorite techniques is symbolism. The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock is perhaps the most famous symbol in the book, representing Gatsby’s unreachable dreams. Metaphors and similes also run through the text, painting vivid emotional landscapes. When Fitzgerald writes, “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us,” he’s not just talking about a light on a dock—he’s talking about the universal human longing for something beyond our grasp. Another example is his description of Tom and Daisy’s house, where “the lawn started at the beach and ran toward the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sundials and brick walls and burning gardens.” The metaphor here—of a lawn leaping over barriers—gives life to the setting, emphasizing its fantastical, almost surreal quality.
Symbols
In “The Great Gatsby,” symbols work like brushstrokes, each adding depth to the picture Fitzgerald paints of the world. These symbols add layers to Fitzgerald’s novel; they’re subtle, but powerful, and each one speaks to something larger than itself.
Colors
Colors stand out, and are used for symbolic effect in “The Great Gatsby.” Fitzgerald uses them to express mood and character. Green is hope, the future Gatsby yearns for. Yellow is wealth, but also decay, like the yellow car that brings death. White, often tied to Daisy, suggests purity at first glance, but in the end, it’s more like a mask, a representation of Daisy’s hollowness. Blue, like Gatsby’s lawn, is lonely and sad.
The Green Light
The green light is perhaps the most important symbol in “The Great Gatsby.“ It sits at the end of Daisy’s dock, and Nick catches Gatsby staring at it towards the novel’s beginning. It’s always there, just out of Gatsby’s reach, a reminder of the future he longs for but can never quite grasp. It’s hope, ambition, and ultimately, the unattainable. It keeps pulling Gatsby forward, even though what he’s chasing is already lost.
The Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg
Doctor T. J. Eckleburg’s eyes are another prominent symbol in the novel. They are a pair of eyes on a faint billboard over the Valley of Ashes. They loom over the Valley of Ashes, watching everything. Some say they’re the eyes of God, looking down on the moral decay of the world below. Others see them as a symbol of the empty promises of the American Dream—nothing more than a faded billboard, staring blankly at the ruin that surrounds it.
The Valley of Ashes
The Valley of Ashes contrasts the glittering world of East and West Egg. It’s where dreams go to die, a wasteland where the poor labor, crushed under the weight of others’ wealth. Fitzgerald uses this desolate landscape to remind us of the divide between rich and poor, the forgotten space where all that glitters turns to dust.
Gatsby’s Car
Gatsby’s car is flashy, over-the-top, and it stands out—just like Gatsby himself. It’s a symbol of his wealth and his desire to show off what he’s become. But it’s also tied to destruction. It’s in this car that Daisy kills Myrtle, and it becomes a symbol of the recklessness that wealth can bring.
Personal Perspective
Reading “The Great Gatsby” is like stepping into a vivid dream that unravels into a haunting reality. Fitzgerald opens a window into the glittering yet hollow world of the Roaring Twenties. You’ll find yourself immersed in the lives of characters who chase after impossible dreams, their hopes shining as brightly as the green light across the bay. But beneath that glamour lies a deep sense of yearning and disillusionment. It’s themes and symbols pull you deeper into a world that reflects our own modern struggles and aspirations. The book explores love, ambition, and the ache of unfulfilled dreams, so deeply resonant in our own world of Bitcoin, Iphones and superconductors!
