Materialism and Corruption in The Great Gatsby
... Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, using significant symbolism, vividly depicts the corruption and destruction of social structure created by the new American Dream. ... The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock that Nick sees Gatsby reaching towards is simply the most important piece of symbolism found in the novel. The most evident explication of the green light is Gatsby’s desire to be with Daisy. ... Gatsby has spent his whole life longing for the green light, his own personal American Dream. ... The continual pursuit of this green light is what makes Gatsby truly “great”. Nick describes Gatsby’s relentless quest for the green light when he says "It eluded us then, but thats no matter- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms out farther. ... Nick envisions Gatsby’s ability to dream for the green light similar to all great men’s ability to dream. ... West Egg is where “new money” folks like Gatsby live. ... Gatsby tries to reach towards the green light from West Egg, but that barrier between the two worlds will always exist and it is what stops Daisy from leaving Tom. ... In a clever twist however, the greedy chase materialism from west to east as everyone dreams to live on the high class East Egg. ... The corruption of the “green breast” goes so deep, that not only is the land itself being destroyed, but the whole moral structure of the society is crumbling to pieces as everyone fiends for that extra dollar. ... They are there merely to show off Gatsby’s wealth to outsiders. ... Hordes of party goers stampede into Gatsby’s mansion to take advantage of his hospitality. What is worse is that nobody bothers to thank Gatsby, let alone know who he is! ... The discarded party decorations and fruit show the impossibility of what Gatsby is demanding of Daisy. Gatsby claims repeating the past is a simple task when he screams, “Can’t repeat the past? ... The flattened flowers will not suddenly blossom into beautiful new roses, symbolizing that the past cannot be repeated and what Gatsby wants is impossible.