Themes in The Great Gatsby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJZwPIJylhM


   The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald had many prevelant themes throughout the story. I'm sure that there were more than I could detect, but the two main ones that I could see was the decline of the American dream in the 1920s and the emptiness of the upper class. The main scope of the story was the love story between Daisy/Gatsby/Tom, however Fitzgerald had a much larger theme in mind. Fitzgerald lived in the 1920s and so he saw first hand how the American dream slipped away from many people. He describes in many instances a world of decayed moral and social values. I saw this most in the adultary that happens throughout the novel between Tom and Myrtle and later Daisy and Gatsby. Also, I see the decaying American dream in Gatsby's "empty" parties. The parties were social highlights, however Gatsby rarely knew anyone in attendance, and he threw parties just because he could. Where is the enjoyment in that? Also, both Tom and Gatsby, as well as other characters throughout the book, are incredibly greedy and money-minded. This is where the American dream becomes corrupted. Another evident theme was the emptiness of people in the upper class. As I just mentioned, Gatsby threw parties just for the fun of it. This gives him no real satisfaction, and leaves him empty. Gatsby was the main person aimed with this shadow of emptiness and the lack of social grace and general kindness. His comparison was Tom and Daisy Buchanan. Their tasteful home and lovely lifestyle was much different than Gatsby's money revolving-social climbing minded lifestyle. This is actually very clearly defined--Gatsby lived on East Egg, Tom and Daisy on West Egg.
    Along with themes, there were a few important symbols throughout the novel. One was Dr. T.J. Eckleburg's eyes. This was an old advertisement on an old billboard advertising the doctors' services. The advertisement was eyes with glasses around them. They looked over the valley of ashes (a symbol for the fallen American dream). The valley of ashes in the story was just a desolate land that was a spot industrial smog and ashes happen to fall. Anyway, his eyes, in my opinion, symbolized God. They are often given the impression of being spooky and eerie and untouchable. The residents of East and West Egg had to drive or ride the train through the valley and ashes and Dr. T.J. Eckleburg's eyes always caught their attention. They seemed to be watching everything, just like God does. It seems to see all the things that happen throughout the novel-the adultary, the hit and run by Daisy killing Myrtle (which actually happened right in the valley of ashes), and the numerous lies in the novel. You could even say they were judging all the characters in the novel for "Judgement day". A second symbol was the green light at the end of Daisy and Tom's dock. Gatsby could see the light every night from his mansion. The green light symbolizes Gatsby's hopes and dreams for the future, specifically with Daisy. He looks at the light every night as a way to keep connected to Daisy. Carraway describes the the significance of the light to Gatsby as it must have been for early settlers to see America for the first time (Also, like what the Statue of Libery symbolizes for new immigrants). People were coming over to America to experience the American dream--and Daisy was Gatsby's dream.