Religion and spirituality in "The Great Gatsby"

George Wilson, after seeing his wife die in a tragic car accident, gives the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg a whole new meaning. Wilson, a very non-religious man, compares the doctor's eyes to those of God, watching over him through the "foul dust" and desolate wasteland in which the novel is set. This is only one of many religious overtones mentioned or hinted at by Fitzgerald throughout The Great Gatsby. At the end of the first chapter, we see Gatsby reaching out for the green light, almost in the attitude of a worshiper. This is the first suggestion Fitzgerald gives us that Gatsby's quest for Daisy is more than just a physical endeavor, but a spiritual one as well. During the flashback in chapter seven, when Gatsby first met Daisy, his mind is compared to the mind of God, which will never act the same again if he kisses her. A chapter earlier, Nick writes the following concerning why Gatsby changed his name:

"He was a son of God - a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that - and he must be about His Father's business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end." (63)

Gatsby, by changing his name, in a way creates himself anew, making his life more like that of God. In chapter eight, we find two instances of religious imagery. Daisy is compared to the "Holy Grail" and Gatsby's dream is like a knight's quest, showing once again the dream's spiritual nature. Also in this chapter, we see Gatsby, after the car accident, looking over Daisy from her yard, trying to protect her. His watch over her window is compared to a vigil, and while Nick talked to Gatsby that night, he sensed that his presence was ruining the "sacredness" of the moment. However, Gatsby's vigil was over nothing - Daisy was never in her room that night - much like Gatsby's dream is over a nonexistent person. The Daisy he met and fell in love with years ago is not the same person anymore, and as much as Gatsby thinks that he can repeat the past, in the real world it is proven to be impossible. On one level, Fitzgerald gives us Gatsby's dream as a spiritual quest, but on another level, we find out that this is yet another reason why his dream fails. His faith is misplaced, because the object of his quest is nothing more than Daisy Buchanan. In turn, Fitzgerald is saying that the spirituality of America is misplaced because of our obsession with material wealth, which creates a sort of national delusion.
Millett

2 important symbols in Gatsby

"I didn't call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone - he stretched out his arms towards the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward - and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness." (16)

So ends the first chapter of The Great Gatsby and brings to our attention the first symbol in this book - that mysterious green light. In our first acquaintance with the light, we see Gatsby reaching out for it, almost, in a way, worshipping it. We find out later that this green light is at the end of Daisy's dock, and is a symbol for Gatsby's dream and the hope for the future. Green is the color of promise, hope, and renewal - so it is fitting that Gatsby's dream of a future with Daisy be represented physically in the novel by this green light. Later, in the final chapter of this novel, Fitzgerald compares Gatsby's green light to the "green breast of the new world" (115), comparing Gatsby's dream of rediscovering Daisy to the explorer's discovery of America and the promise of a new continent. However, Gatsby's dream is tarnished by his material possessions, much like America is now with our obsession with wealth. The means corrupt the end, and Gatsby's dream dies because of Daisy, Gatsby, and Tom's carelessness and superficiality, as does Gatsby for the same reasons.

At the end of the first chapter we are given the green light, a symbol for the hope and promise of the future. At the beginning of the second chapter, however, we are introduced to the "foul wasteland" of the present. Fitzgerald calls it a "valley of ashes" (16), where only the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg look over it from a billboard nearby. This section of the novel can be interpreted as the foul, material-driven world that the main characters live in, and which helps to destroy Gatsby's dream. The eyes of Dr. Eckleburg symbolize in this chapter advertising and materialism gone mad, one of the central themes of the plot. Later in the book, right before the climax, Daisy tells Gatsby that he reminds her of an advertisement. This statement confirms that Daisy does not like Gatsby for himself, but for the superficial illusion he represents. On a larger scale, it is through advertising that the material aspects of the American Dream are revealed. Hence, it only makes sense that Fitzgerald would use references to advertising throughout the course of his novel. Also in advertising, eternal youth, wealth, and beauty are constantly emphasized, which goes along with Gatsby's youthful dream of Daisy and explains why Fitzgerald never has to develop his characters. Fitzgerald's novel is only one big advertisement, with all the characters involved living with eternal youth, wealth, and beauty that never develop in part because advertisements never develop. F.Millett

Gatsby Chapter 1 questions

1. What purpose do the first four paragraphs serve? 2. What advice does Nick’s father give him? Why does Fitzgerald have Nick share his father’s advice with the reader? 3. What other method does Fitzgerald use to persuade the reader that Nick is credible? 4. What does the statement “When I came back from the East last autumn...” tell you about the story to follow? (Pg. 3) 5. What importance is there in Nick’s statement that “My family have been prominent, well-to-do people…for three generations”? (Pg. 4) 6. What is the setting of the story? 7. Interpret the meaning of the simile on page 5: “They [books on investments and securities] stood like new money from the mint.” 8. How is West Egg different from East Egg? 9. What is the relationship between Nick and Daisy and Tom Buchanan? 10. Interpret the oxymoron on page 6: “two old friends whom I scarcely knew at all.” 11. Cite the device and the imagery that Fitzgerald uses on page 6 to make the Buchanan palace seem alive. 12. Describe Tom Buchanan. What tone does the author use in his description? 13. Analyze Fitzgerald’s method of creating mood inside the Buchanan’s palace. 14. Who is the other person in the Buchanan home? 15. Cite the anaphoras on page 8 and explain their use. 16. What is the author’s purpose in the use of the hyperbole on page 8? 17. What annoys Nick about Tom’s response to Nick’s employment? 18. What allusion is on page 10? What social issue does the allusion highlight? 19. Why does Miss Baker refer to California after the discussion of white supremacy? 20. What unflattering feature of Jordan Baker’s personality is revealed? 21. During the dinner conversation, Nick wanted to “look squarely at every one, and yet to avoid all eyes.” (Pg. 12) This statement is an example of what type of rhetorical device? What does this convey to the reader? 22. When the telephone rings, why does Nick say that no one “was able utterly to put this fifth guest’s shrill metallic urgency out of mind”? (Pg. 12) 23. Why is Nick’s instinct “to telephone immediately for the police”? (Pg. 12) 24. What is the reader left to think about Daisy’s emotional state and her relationship with Tom? 25. What did Daisy mean when she said of Pammy, “I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” (Pg. 13) 26. When Nick starts the engine of his car, Daisy stops him by saying, “We heard you were engaged to a girl out West.” What does Nick’s answer reveal about his character? (Pg. 15) 27. As Nick drives away from their house, he experiences a number of conflicting emotions. Why does he feel touched? Why does he feel confused and disgusted? 28. How does Fitzgerald change the mood of the story in the last paragraph on page 15? 29. The green light that Gatsby is staring at is mentioned several more times and assumes symbolic significance. Where do you think the green light might be? What can it mean?

East and West Egg in "The Great Gatsby"

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 it's physical makeup. Tom and Daisy live on the East which is far more refined and well bred. Nick and Gatsby are on the West which is for people who don't have any real standing, even if they have money. The green light shines from the East Egg enticing 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 these worlds in symbolic of the barrier that keeps these people apart from one another and from much of what they want.

This isn't punny anymore!

Underwater Dog 21