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ONE WAY OF HOW DECADENCE IS SHOWN IN THE NOVEL IS THORUGH SYMBOLISM. THE VALLEY OF ASHES (SETTING) REPRESENT THE DECANDENCE OF HUMANITY IN 'MODERN' TIMES AS SOCIETY HAVE GONE MORE MATERIALISTIC AND IGNORING MORAL VALUES WHICH DEFINED US AS HUMANS, REPRESENTING AS WELL DEHUMANIZATION OF SOCIETY
"WERE THE ASHES TO FORMS OF HOUSES"

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Involvement of Tom and other side characters in affairs, in which they have no real love for the person.

Moral Decadence:

Myrtle's involvement with Tom has spoiled her morally, and materialistically.
"I thought he knew something about breeding, but he wasn't fit to lick my shoe.."
-> She has bought into the classist views of Tom.

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From the very beginning through the end, The Great Gatsby is centred around the problematic lifestyle of the rich wealthy families. New money and old money people. The main characters, Tom, Daisy and Gatsby, although are brought up from the West, where much of the moral and cultural values are retained, are all involved in complicated immoral love affairs in which none of the characters, not even the Nick himself, seem to have any deep feelings of concern. As an audience we can notice decadence in the novel settings. having as an example The valley of ashes “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke(…)”.

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The characters of Great Gatsby represents that people in the Roaring 20s were dependent on money.  This is represented on the parties that Gatsby organized because they were excessive of food, drinks and people. Gatsby did not know the majority of his guest, the only thing he and his guest cared about was the social recognition they get when they participate of this parties.  People where immersed in corruption, dishonesty,immorality, instead of building values. This is represented on the characterisation of Daisy when she say " I hope she´ll be a fool". This reprints the abnormal values of aristocracy society, Daisy does not care about her daughter.

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Decadence:

-The Valley of Ashes: Between NY and West egg, an industrial wasteland covered in ashes.

“a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke(…)”.

It stands for the dismisal ruin of people caught in between, people who fail to achieve the american dream, people who aspire to reach the american dream but are unable due to their social status. A representation of moral and social decay that results from inhabited pursuit of wealth.

-The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg:

Is a symbol for god judging over the characters action. The main events occur in the valley of ashes, right in front of Doctorn T.J Eckleburg.  Despite the lack of religion in the story, god is somehow always judging. The representation of god is by a billboard, meaning religion is being replaced by capitalism.

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Decadence in characterisationof Myrtle in New York : "I’d like to get one of those police dogs; I don’t suppose you got that kind?’"
- opulence: Every Friday five creates of oranges and lemons arrived from New York"
- characterisation of Daisy: "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."

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Decadence in...

Plot:

Setting:

Literary Features:

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The parties held by Gatsby: Alcohol in the 1920's was illegal but in Gatsby's parties it was abundant, one of the many reasons it was the best party.

Gatsby's encounter with the police shows how a society builds up around social status. Those who are wealthy and popular enough, law wont apply on them as much.;

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Myrtle's "dog" --> Characters show no interest about it. Materialism.

"Alocohol" --> It's prohibition. People against the rules.

"Meyer Wolfsheim" and "bootlegging" -->  The ends justify the means. No limits in aspirations.

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"Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay."
This shows how Gatsby would do anything to attain Daisy's love and the way to do that at this time was through wealth, Gatsby had all these goods and benefits to show her that he was ready to face the future with her by his side, they would be financially stable and also how Gatsby reaches his wealth (bootlegging) shows the decadence of the American society at this specific point in time.

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Relationship between Nick, Daisy and Tom is ironic, they aren't even friends, shows how superficial society has turned out "So i set off o see two old friends whom I scarcely knew at all" (18). Ironic use of the word friends.

Opulence of Gatsby's parties, lemons and oranges show this "Every Friday five creates of oranges and lemons arrived from New York" which could represent invitees "Every Monday these same oranges and lemons left his back door in a pyramid of pulpless halves" the use of the words pyramid, backdoor and pulpless represent how many attendees Gatsby had and how they overexeeded themselves at parties until the point of being empty - pulpless - the fact that they exit through the backdoor suggests that they were shameful of their acts. This shows how the american society has become shallow and careless of their acts.

Digs are a symbol of loyalty yet Nick had a dog and it ran away "I had a dog – at least I had him for a few days until he ran away" (5) Myrtle also had a dog "I want to get one of the dogs", she said earnestly. "I want to get one fore the apartment. They're nice to have – a dogs" However, she forgets about the dog, it is no longer important to her after a short amount of time therefore, dogs may represent how the american culture does not care about things leaving

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Gatsby characterization
He spent his entire life building up his wealth from criminal activities and build up his prestige and honour by telling lies of his historical background in order to impress a woman who doesn’t love him. Yet these “lavish excesses” of parties and imported shirts were not enough to buy love from Daisy

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The Valley of Ashes represents the moral and social decay caused by the pursuit of wealth and the American Dream. It shows that people will do everything possible in order to achieve their hopes and dreams. It is described as "desolate", "grotesque" and made out of "Ash" (pg 26 Chapter 2), which connotes waste. Thus it demonstrates that 1920s society were driven by ambition and the desire to be more wealthy.

The fact that a woman that attends Gatsby's party and says "He's a bootlegger" (pg 66 Chapter 66) with a careless tone demonstrates how people do not care about others being criminals, all they care about is their own pleasure and excess. The same happens when Gatsby is pulled over by the police but he shows a card and he is let go. It shows that even the police has become immoral as they consume alcohol (illegal at the time) and don't capture criminals.

Women are treated like objects throughout the novel, for example she says she wants her daughter to be a "beautiful fool" (pg 20 Chapter 1) shows how the only important thing for a woman is to be attractive and marry someone who is wealthy.

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Parties held by Gatsby: by the 1920's acohol was illegal in the U.S., even then it was abundant in Gatsbies parties

"while church bells rang in the villages alongshore, the world and its mistress returned to Gatsby’s house and twinkled hilariously on his lawn."
(Chapter 4)

"Reach me a rose, honey, and pour me a last drop"
(Chapter 4)

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-Characterisation of Myrtle through setting: The Valley of Ashes is where all the waste produced by New York went to during the 1920s. As Myrtle lives here, she can be considered the "waste" of Tom and so she is dehumanised by him yet he doesn't care: "a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat (...) where ashes take the forms of houses (...) and finally of men who move dimly".

-Gatsby's encounter with the police. He was a criminal and was breaking the law, yet the authority was easily influenced by the "power" of wealthy people: "I was able to do the commissioner a favor once, and he sends me a Christmas card every year".

-"It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson's body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete." Although this isn't a reference to the holocaust during World War II, the word can be related to mass destruction brought about by the decadence in morals and fatality to which the American Dream is destined to. By referring to the plot and deaths in the novel as "the holocaust", Fitzgerald further criticises the inevitable failure of the American Dream, illustrating how it affected most of the Western society during the 1920s.

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Characterisation of Daisy:
"Her voice is full of money". It represents how people were become materialistic. The fact that her voice is described in such a way highlights hw her interests and thoughts are based on wealth and status rather than of humane characteristics. This allows the portrayal of the loss of moral values within the society in New York during the Roaring 20's.

Valley of Ashes. Setting: It is the opposing setting to East and West Egg as it symbolises how people that are honest and follow all the principles of the American Dream are undermined and are taken advantage by Characters who doesn't follow these principles. This portrays how honest people were fooled and tricked as it is exemplified in Wilson and Myrtles marriage: "Who said I was crazy about him [Wilson]? I never was any more crazy about him than I was for that man there [Tom]", which explains the reason why Myrtle is unfaithful to his marriage.