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The Crucible and Great Gatsby

Essay by   •  February 13, 2013  •  Essay  •  1,069 Words (5 Pages)  •  1,675 Views

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THE GREAT GATSBY uses symbols to represent the hollowness of the upper class. East vs West is the first symbol he uses to make a separation between old and new rich. Another symbol are the unread books, which represents Gatsby as a fake; as a person who wants to show something he really isn't. Daisy's voice is the third symbol, and it represents the ambitious mind he had towards money. Money takes a fundamental role in the story, because thanks to it the characters change and become someone they really aren't.

Society has, indeed, a great part to play in shaping the identities of individuals. East vs west Egg made the separation between the social classes. "By comparison, West Egg is the locale of the American dream in miniature and East Egg is the home of those who are longtime captains of industry". This was one of the reasons that shaped of each of the characters behavior. For example, Jay Gatsby didn't have lots of money, but suddenly he was the most prestigious when compared to all of the characters. He thought that with all of his money the world could be the way he wanted to be and that he could get anything he wants. This reflects the kind of person he was and the carelessness he had. He didn't care about others feelings nor something else, but money. This negligence was the first step for his hollowness, because later this lack of care will put people against him converting it into an obstacle in his life.

In addition, the unread book reveals the real character of Jay Gatsby. Gatsby had an enormous library full of many books. Everyone was impresses and thought he was a very cultured man and intelligent. The real thing was that Gatsby hadn't read the books and that he only had them as ornaments in his library. This shows the lack of genuineness of this character; he wants to show society the kind of person he really isn't. With this example it shows the types of people the wealthy class are; they only care about putting a first class image in the society. This illustrates how they really don't care about anything else but money. Other's feelings were put aside and materialism as a priority.

On the other hand, Daisy was ambitious, false, and superficial thanks to the money. In the story her voice was a symbol of her personality, when the narrator describes her of having a "voice full of money". Unfortunately, her love of money drove her to finally decide in marrying Tom, again focusing on money and building a superficial relationship. On the outside, Daisy is fresh and pure just like the flower she is named after. However, in reality she is just like money in that she promises more than she gives. Thanks to her ambition, carelessness was very present in her person. Money drove her crazy; taking her to live an unhappy life because of it. By returning with Tom, and by not assisting

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