Contradictions in the Great Gatsby Essay -- English Literature

Contradictions in the Great GatsbyThey were known as the roaring twentys because the economy at thetime was through the roof and mass were partying all over the place.At the time there was a prohibition on the manufacturing and sales ofintoxicating drinks. Since a lot of people did not line up like drinkinggin they made in their bathtubs all the time, there was a huge marketfor organized crime. Organized criminals catered to the needs of thedrinking state-supported by illegally supplying them with liquor and made afortune doing it. Even with all the crime in the jazz age, it willstill be remembered for its glittering lights and unbridled romance.This just goes to show that life is filled with contradictions. Evenwith all the crime that went on, the twenties was still an era thatwas filled with excitement and jovial occasions. There are manycontradictions in The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, on ace hand its glamorous, romantic and exciting and on the some other ha ndits crude, corrupt and even disgusting. This double vision applies topeople, places and events.Fitzgerald creates the roaring twenties by showing the division ofsociety. The Buchanans live on one side, East Egg, and Jay Gatsbylives on the other side, West Egg. The West Egg is saturated with norules or restrictions from past generations. It is a place that isfilled with colorfulness yet everything clashes with all(prenominal) other. Ithas a sense of rawness to it and it is very much unstructured. TheWest Egg represents the fast moving-chaotic twenties. Gatsby is a partof West Egg society. West Eggers are the newly mystifying the people whohave worked hard and earned their money in a short period of time. Their wealth is based on... ...in the 1920s, where it has come from and where it isgoing. Jay Gatsby personifies the American Dream in modern terms, aperverse interpretation of what it was at inception. The AmericanDream is that anybody can pull themselves up by their bootstraps . Fitzgerald is saying that this is not necessarily true. He impliesthat socio-economical circumstances heavily influence a personsability to achieve the American Dream. America is an illusion, just animage that is presented. People in and immaterial America accepts theAmerican ideals which are presented through the media, especiallythrough visual mediums such as movies and television. This serves tocreate an ideal image of America which people announce falsely. When theytry to achieve the American Dream, which is presented to themconstantly, they realize the brutal reality which hides behind theillusion.