Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates static characters that are unable to learn from their pasts and their mistakes. While it is apparent that not all the characters undergo change, an argument could be made that throughout the novel some characters change their ways because of the situations they are put through. Gatsby, Tom, Daisy, and Nick are the characters who remain static. These characters do not change because they are unable to see past their wealth, move on from their pasts, nor learn from various mistakes caused by either themselves, or those surrounding them. The 1920s is perceived as an era of unprecedented economic prosperity, material excess, and renowned for the birth of the social and societal upheaval that spreads throughout modern America. The novel highly symbolic arbitration of the disintegration and underside of the American dream and portrays the consequences of those in pursuit it.
One of the most important themes in the novel is class and social standing. It is a barrier for almost every character. East and West Egg acts as a symbol of this in its physical makeup. Tom and Daisy live in East Egg, which is far more refined and well bred. Nick and Gatsby live in West Egg, which is for people who don't have any real standing, even if they have money. The green light shines from the East Egg seducting Gatsby towards what he has always wanted. And Daisy, the woman that Gatsby has always wanted but never gets, lives on East Egg. The barrier that the water creates between both of their worlds is a symbol for the barrier that keeps these people apart from one another and from much of what they want.
Fitzgerald often uses the word careless in describing most of the people and events in his book “The Great Gatsby.” There seems to be no fear of consequence, of judgment. So who is doing the judgment? That is, in part, what the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg are there for. These eyes are from a billboard that looks over George Wilson’s garage in the Valley of Ashes. The eyes are always mentioned whenever Nick is there. They look over the situation objectively, but offer a kind of judgment on the characters and their actions. They are placed near Wilson's auto shop because that is where some of the most selfish acts take place: Tom's affair and Myrtle’s death. All of these crimes go unpunished, so the eyes look on and remind the characters of the guilt that they forget to have for what they have done.
The green light is a multi-faceted piece of symbolism in the book. It's most obvious interpretation is that the