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Here are the themes used in “The Great Gatsby”:

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The Decline of the American Dream in the 1920s

On the surface, The Great Gatsbyis a story of the thwarted love between a man and a woman. The main theme of the novel, however, encompasses a much larger, less romantic scope. Though all of its action takes place over a mere few months during the summer of 1922 and is set in a circumscribed geographical area in the vicinity of Long Island, New York, The Great Gatsby is a highly symbolic meditation on 1920s America as a whole, in particular the disintegration of the American dream in an era of unprecedented prosperity and material excess.

Fitzgerald portrays the 1920s as an era of decayed social and moral values, evidenced in its overarching cynicism, greed, and empty pursuit of pleasure. The reckless jubilance that led to decadent parties and wild jazz music-epitomized in The Great Gatsby by the opulent parties that Gatsby throws every Saturday night-resulted ultimately in the corruption of the American dream, as the unrestrained desire for money and pleasure surpassed more noble goals.

When World War I ended in 1918, the generation of young Americans who had fought the war became intensely disillusioned, as the brutal carnage that they had just faced made the Victorian social morality of early-twentieth-century America seem like stuffy, empty hypocrisy. The dizzying rise of the stock market in the aftermath of the war led to a sudden, sustained increase in the national wealth and a newfound materialism, as people began to spend and consume at unprecedented levels. A person from any social background could, potentially, make a fortune, but the American aristocracy-families with old wealth-scorned the newly rich industrialists and speculators. Additionally, the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919, which banned the sale of alcohol, created a thriving underworld designed to satisfy the massive demand for bootleg liquor among rich and poor alike.

Fitzgerald positions the characters of The Great Gatsby as emblems of these social trends. Nick and Gatsby, both of whom fought in World War I, exhibit the newfound cosmopolitanism and cynicism that resulted from the war. The various social climbers and ambitious speculators who attend Gatsby's parties evidence the greedy scramble for wealth. The clash between "old money" and "new money" manifests itself in the novel's symbolic geography: East Egg represents the established aristocracy, West Egg the self-made rich. Meyer Wolfsheim and Gatsby's fortune symbolize the rise of organized crime and bootlegging.

As Fitzgerald saw it (and as Nick explains in Chapter 9), the American dream was originally about discovery, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness. In the 1920s depicted in the novel, however, easy money and relaxed social values have corrupted this dream, especially on the East Coast. The main plotline of the novel reflects this assessment, as Gatsby's dream of loving Daisy is ruined by the difference in their respective social statuses, his resorting to crime to make enough money to impress her, and the rampant materialism that characterizes her lifestyle.

Additionally, places and objects in The Great Gatsby have meaning only because characters instill them with meaning: the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg best exemplify this idea. In Nick's mind, the ability to create meaningful symbols constitutes a central component of the American dream, as early Americans invested their new nation with their own ideals and values. Nick compares the green bulk of America rising from the ocean to the green light at the end of Daisy's dock.

Just as Americans have given America meaning through their dreams for their own lives, Gatsby instills Daisy with a kind of idealized perfection that she neither deserves nor possesses. Gatsby's dream is ruined by the unworthiness of its object, just as the American dream in the 1920s is ruined by the unworthiness of its object-money and pleasure. Like 1920s Americans in general, fruitlessly seeking a bygone era in which their dreams had value, Gatsby longs to re-create a vanished past-his time in Louisville with Daisy-but is incapable of doing so. When his dream crumbles, all that is left for Gatsby to do is die; all Nick can do is move back to Minnesota, where American values have not decayed.

The Hollowness of the Upper Class

One of the major topics explored in The Great Gatsby is the sociology of wealth, specifically, how the newly minted millionaires of the 1920s differ from and relate to the old aristocracy of the country's richest families. In the novel, West Egg and its denizens represent the newly rich, while East Egg and its denizens, especially Daisy and Tom, represent the old aristocracy. Fitzgerald portrays the newly rich as being vulgar, gaudy, ostentatious, and lacking in social graces and taste. Gatsby, for example, lives in a monstrously ornate mansion, wears a pink suit, drives a Rolls-Royce, and does not pick up on subtle social signals, such as the insincerity of the Sloanes' invitation to lunch. In contrast, the old aristocracy possesses grace, taste, subtlety, and elegance, epitomized by the Buchanans' tasteful home and the flowing white dresses of Daisy and Jordan Baker.

What the old aristocracy possesses in taste, however, it seems to lack in heart, as the East Eggers prove themselves careless, inconsiderate bullies who are so used to money's ability to ease their minds that they never worry about hurting others. The Buchanans exemplify this stereotype when, at the end of the novel, they simply move to a new house far away rather than condescend to attend Gatsby's funeral. Gatsby, on the other hand, whose recent wealth derives from criminal activity, has a sincere and loyal heart, remaining outside Daisy's window until four in the morning in Chapter 7 simply to make sure that Tom does not hurt her. Ironically, Gatsby's good qualities (loyalty and love) lead to his death, as he takes the blame for killing Myrtle rather than letting Daisy be punished, and the Buchanans' bad qualities (fickleness and selfishness) allow them to remove themselves from the tragedy not only physically but psychologically.

Class

In the monied world of The Great Gatsby, class influences all aspects of life, and especially love. Myrtle mentions this with regard to her husband, George, whom she mistook for someone of better "breeding" and hence greater prospects: "I thought he knew something about breeding, but he wasn't fit to lick my shoe." Similarly, Gatsby's pursuit of Daisy is bound up with class. Only after amassing a large fortune does he feel able to make his move. At the end of the book, class dynamics dictate which marriage survives (Tom and Daisy), which one is destroyed (George and Myrtle), and which one will never come to be (Gatsby and Daisy). Only the most affluent couple pulls through the events that conclude the book. In fact, it seems that the accident may have brought them closer. When Nick spies on them through the window, he reports that "there was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture, and anybody would have said that they were conspiring together." Because of their elite class status, Tom and Daisy share a belief that they are immune to the consequences of their actions. In the final chapter, Nick calls Tom and Daisy "careless people" who "smashed up things and . . . let other people clean up the mess they had made."

The American Dream

The American Dream refers to a shared set of ideals that guide the spirit of the United States. These shared ideals include a notion of freedom that ensures all Americans the possibility of upward social mobility, as long as they work for it. Every character in The Great Gatsby draws inspiration from the American Dream's promise of wealth and prosperity. At the same time, the novel itself critiques the notion of the American Dream. Readers may end the novel wondering if the American Dream is actually attainable at all. Gatsby suffers the most from the promise of social mobility inherent to the American Dream. He spends his life believing that if he makes enough money and acquires enough possessions, he can transcend his lower-class birth and become equal to Daisy and Tom. However, even though Gatsby succeeds in acquiring wealth, he is never accepted by the upper class. Gatsby's failure to attain the American Dream suggests the Dream is both an unattainable and unwise goal.

Love and Marriage

The ideals of love and marriage are profoundly strained in The Great Gatsby, a book that centers on two loveless marriages: the union between Tom and Daisy Buchanan and between George and Myrtle Wilson. In both cases, the marriages seem to be unions of convenience or advantage than actual love. Myrtle explains that she married George because she thought he was "a gentleman," suggesting she hoped he'd raise her class status. Daisy nearly backed out of her marriage to Tom the day before her wedding, and Tom had an affair within a year of the wedding, but the couple is well-suited because of their shared class and desire for fun and material possessions. Even Gatsby's all-consuming passion for Daisy seems more of a desire to possess something unattainable than actual love. Nick, meanwhile, dates Jordan Baker throughout the book, and though their relationship has its moments of warmth and kindness, both parties generally seem lukewarm and emotionally distant. "I wasn't actually in love," Nick recalls, "but I felt a sort of tender curiosity." Such "tender curiosity" may be the closest thing to love in the entire novel.

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the great gatsby free online study guide

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On the surface, The Great Gatsby is a story of the thwarted love between a man and a woman. The main theme of the novel, however, encompasses a much larger, less romantic scope.

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Is Myrtle Wilson the most tragic character in The Great Gatsby? | Top grade analysis

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What Makes The Great Gatsby Tragic? [Structure Analysis]

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The Great Gatsby  | Themes | F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Relate to each character for interesting interpretations

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The Great Gatsby - Chapter By Chapter Analysis (PLUS KEY QUOTES)

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'The Great Gatsby' - Ten KEY QUOTES AND TERMS You Need to Know.

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The Significance and Symbolism of Weather in F. Scott Fitzgerald's Novel, The Great Gatsby | Part 1

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The Great Gatsby: Living the Dream in the Valley of Ashes

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Why You’ve Been Misunderstanding the Green Light in The Great Gatsby All Along

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Analysing the most important symbol in The Great Gatsby

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"The Great Gatsby," by F. Scott Fitzgerald | 60second Recap® Study Guide by Jenny Sawyer. "The Great Gatsby," by F. Scott Fitzgerald, seems to be on everyone...

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The Great Gatsby - Higher English - BBC Bitesize

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Higher English The Great Gatsby learning resources for adults, children, parents and teachers.

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Structural Breakdown of The Great Gatsby (PDF)

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Reading Booklet (Questions as You Read Great Gatsby)

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The Great Gatsby  | Plot Summary | F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby  | Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis | F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby  | Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis | F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby  | Chapter 3 Summary & Analysis | F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby  | Chapter 4 Summary & Analysis | F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby  | Chapter 5 Summary & Analysis | F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby  | Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis | F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby  | Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis | F. Scott Fitzgerald

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American Dream up to 1924 (when Gatsby was written)

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American Dream up to 1924 (when Gatsby was written)

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Overview of The American Dream up to 1924

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The Great Gatsby  | Chapter 8 Summary & Analysis | F. Scott Fitzgerald

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A sparkling era of decadence, deceit, and despair - F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby painted a fascinating picture of 1920s America from the perspective of those searching in search of the American Dream, set in the fictional town of West Egg in Long Island, USA.

Whether you know it as the book from your English lessons, as one of your favourite classics, or as a novel you've not yet read, The Great Gatsby is without a doubt one of the most well-known classics ever published. While The Great Gatsby is not a teen book exactly, it's read and loved by so many teens that we didn't feel shy about pulling together these quotes!

The tale of new and old money, lost love, and excess set against the backdrop the Roaring Twenties is familiar to many, and has since been adapted into multiple films, theatre productions, and even an opera. After 90 years of Gatsby, Nick, and Daisy, we look back at some of the most memorable quotes from the great American classic:

Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men."

"And I hope she'll be a fool - that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool"

There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams - not through her own fault but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion"

"Can't repeat the past?" he cried incredulously. "Why of course you can"

"And I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy."

They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money of their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made."

I was within and without. Simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life."

So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight."

Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us."

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

The well-read teenager: brilliant classics for young adult readers

Did we miss any of your favourite Gatsby quotes? Send us your top picks by email at childrens.books@theguardian.com or on Twitter @GdnChildrensBks and we'll add them to this blog!

Mohibur Rahman (@Mob785)
You missed a quote from The Great Gatsby @GdnChildrensBks 'Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall'
December 4, 2015

SecretScribbler, by email

"The late afternoon sky bloomed in the window for a moment like the blue honey of the Mediterranean."

"It was nine o'clock - almost immediately afterward I looked at my watch and found it was ten."

"She held my hand impersonally, as a promise she'd take care of me in a minute."

"I had taken two finger-bowls of champagne and the scene had changed before my eyes into something significant, elemental and profound."

Scott Stavrou (@WriteAwayEurope)
@GdnChildrensBks "Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one."
December 4, 2015

Alejandro, by email

She was appalled by West Egg, this unprecedented "place" that Broadway had begotten upon a Long Island fishing village - appalled by its raw vigor that chafed under the old euphemisms and by the too obtrusive fate that herded its inhabitants along a short-cut from nothing to nothing.

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teen romance books for childrens and teens

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Fear and loathing in West Egg - the best Great Gatsby quotes ever

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A sparkling era of decadence, deceit, and despair - F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby painted a fascinating picture of 1920s America from the perspective of those searching in search of the American Dream, set in the fictional town of West Egg in Long Island, USA.

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First published in 1925, The Great Gatsby is a novel by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is widely considered as one of the greatest works in English literature and along with Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it is the foremost contender for the title of the "Great American Novel". Many lines from the book are still analyzed by enthusiasts and several have become legendary. Here are the 10 most famous quotations from The Great Gatsby with their explanation.

- Jordan Baker (Chapter 3)

Baker says these words to Nick Carraway at a party thrown by Jay Gatsby. Though they seem absurd, they actually make sense in a way. At a small gathering, everyone is expected to contribute to the topic being discussed and it is difficult to have a one-on-one conversation with someone without being overheard. Also, everyone is aware of what is happening and what is being said. While a large party provides an opportunity to have intimate discussions in small groups as there are so many people and so much happening. Also, there is no social expectation to talk to all who are present at the party.

- Nick Carraway, as the narrator (Chapter 4)

This phrase echoes in Nick's ears while he puts his arm around Jordan Baker. It categorizes people into four types according to their state in romance - the ones who are being pursued, the ones who are pursuing someone, the ones who are busy in a relationship and the ones who have grown tired of it all.

- Meyer Wolfshiem (Chapter 9)

This famous line is said by Wolfshiem while giving an excuse to Nick Carraway when Nick presses him to attend Jay Gatsby's funeral. It simply means that one should faithfully honor one's friendship to a person while he is alive and that it is pointless to remorse and display your love for him when he is no more.

- Nick Carraway, as the narrator (Chapter 3)

This famous description of Gatsby's smile is the first time Nick talks in detail about a trait of Gatsby, giving the reader an insight into his character. He says that the smile is such that you might come across it no more than four or five times in your life. It gave you the feeling that Gatsby had chosen you out of the whole external world and perceived the best impression you could possibly hope to convey. Gatsby's smile can be linked to his earlier defined quality of having an 'extraordinary gift for hope'. The trait of optimism can be inferred from this line which would be essential in making his smile as special as it has been described.

- Nick Carraway (Chapter 8)

Nick shouts these words across the lawn to Gatsby as the novel nears its end. This is his final statement to Gatsby before Gatsby is killed. Nick goes on to say that he is glad he said that as it was the only compliment he ever gave Gatsby. Nick believes and conveys to Gatsby that his virtues would weigh as much as all the virtues combined of the entire rotten lot he is with. The 'whole damn bunch' refers to Daisy, Tom and Jordan; and more widely to high society.

- Nick Carraway, as the narrator (Chapter 6)

This is perhaps the most insightful description of Jay Gatsby's character given by Nick Carraway in the novel. He says that Gatsby, as we was, rose from his own ideal concept of himself which he invented when he was seventeen and then faithfully stuck to it till the very end. The lines suggest that Gatsby is a self-made man and has stuck to his idea of himself. Nick also compares Gatsby to Jesus. Fitzgerald perhaps compares the pursuit of Christ to serve the flawed world to Gatsby's flawed dream which appears beautiful to him but actually has no real value. The comparison may also be in reference to Ernest Renan's "The Life of Jesus", where Christ is described as a man who created the illusion for himself that he was divine, and brought himself to ruin by refusing to recognize the reality that denied his self-conception.

This line is Gatsby's famous response to Nick when Nick tells him, "You can't repeat the past". It underlines Gatsby's unrealistic desire of recreating the past exactly as it was to attain a perfect future. He not only wants the present to be like the time when he and Daisy were together but also wants to erase the last five years in which they weren't. In another scene in the novel it is not enough for Gatsby for Daisy to say that she loves him but he wants her to also say that she never loved Tom. The impossibility of Gatsby's dream to be realized entirely is one of the most important aspects of the novel through which Fitzgerald hints at the impossibility of attaining the American dream.

- Nick Carraway, as the narrator (Chapter 9)

The last passage of Great Gatsby is considered one of the saddest in American literature. It comments on the profound complexity of differentiating between guilt and innocence; and shows us how unfair our society is. This line gives us Nick's take on Daisy and Tom, who according to him care little about how their actions would impact the lives of others as they have the luxury to go back to the comfort of their money and carelessness; while others are left to suffer the dire consequences of their irresponsible actions. Through these words, Nick not only describes the attitude of two important characters of the novel but also shows how the inability to care for anything can be more monstrous than outright cruelty.

- Daisy Buchanan (Chapter 1)

Daisy says these words in the presence of Nick and Jordan while her husband Tom is probably conversing with his mistress. The line is spoken in context to the situation of females at the time in high society. Daisy is cynical about her child's future hoping she will be such a fool that she wouldn't be able to perceive the ills of men in this male dominated society. She believes beauty and lack of intelligence to see through things are the best qualities a woman can possess to lead a comfortable and happy life in this world. The words said by Daisy give an insight to her ability to discern; and about her being unsatisfied and downhearted with her present situation in which her husband is cheating on her.

#1 So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter-tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine morning-

- Nick Carraway, as the narrator (Chapter 9)

These are the most famous lines in the novel and the words with which Nick Carraway concludes his story. The green light, which Gatsby stares at, at the beginning of the novel, is one of the most famous symbols ever used in literature. It represents Jay Gatsby's longing to reunite with Daisy, a 'foul dusted' dream he pursues throughout the novel. Here, Fitzgerald directly links Gatsby's dream to the American dream to attain a fulfilling future, which he believes is moving farther away with their efforts. He adds that despite this, in future, people will try harder to attain more and more till one day it will all be over, like it was for Gatsby. In the last line, Fitzgerald compares the American dream to a boat making an effort to travel against the current. Like the boat, the dream, instead of moving towards realization, is being pushed back into the past. Fitzgerald is neither approving nor cynical about the American dream but reveals, what according to him, is its true melancholy nature.

A Dream Denied to Fitzgerald

When The Great Gatsby was first released, it sold fewer than 20,000 copies. The reviews were mixed and the novel was considered a failure. However, Fitzgerald did receive praise for his work from several renowned literary figures including T. S. Eliot and Edith Wharton. F. Scott Fitzgerald died on December 21, 1940 believing, what now is considered his magnum opus, to be a forgotten work. There was a surge in interest in the novel during the Second World War and by 1960 it was selling 50,000 copies per year. In 1998, it was voted by the Modern Library as the best American novel of the twentieth century. The Great Gatsby has sold over 25 million copies worldwide as of 2013 and annually sells an additional 500,000 copies.

Anirudh is a novelist, writer, seo expert and educationist. His debut self help book "Happiness Decoded" was released in early 2014. His maiden novella "Teicos" is a thoughtful depiction of the development of society and is awaiting publication. With Learnodo he hopes to break the barriers of the education system and reach out to a limitless audience in a simple and cost effective way.

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10 Most Famous Quotations From The Great Gatsby

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First published in 1925, The Great Gatsby is a novel by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is widely considered as one of the greatest works in English literature and along with Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it is the foremost contender for the title of the "Great American Novel".

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Represents the shallow quality of the characters' lives thus signifying the hollowness of the American Dream. The wealthy have everything but still not happy. However, cheating is not limited to solely the rich class, as it is present in all social classes. All the relationships in the novel contain a motive or purpose. For instance, Tom has an affair to satisfy his boredom, and escape from his relationship at home.

"I supposed the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. Well if that's the idea you can count me out . . . Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions, and next they'll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white." (Pg 123-124) This statement is hypocritical because Tom is cheating himself, but will talk about family morals when his own marriage, and subsequently American Dream, is threatened. On the other hand, Myrtle uses Tom in order to escape the Valley of Ashes and to use him as her path to the American dream of excessive living. Daisy cheats in order to receive the attention and admiration Tom has been neglecting her of. Finally, Gatsby wants Daisy in order to fulfill his American Dream. However he does not realize that he only wants the idea of possessing Daisy, and the image he has of Daisy as the beautiful young girl every man desired before the war.

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Represents the shallow quality of the characters' lives thus signifying the hollowness of the American Dream. The wealthy have everything but still not happy. However, cheating is not limited to solely the rich class, as it is present in all social classes. All the relationships in the novel contain a motive or purpose.

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The Great Gatsby  | Characters | F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby  | Context | F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby  | Symbols | F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby  | Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis | F. Scott Fitzgerald