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A Brief Introduction to The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Within the first two chapters you are introduced to the green light, the Valley of Ashes, and the billboard from which the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg watch over New York. Within the Great Gatsby, symbolism plays key roles in the characters actions, emotions, and dreams. The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in the early 1920s, while the stock market was at an all time high, directly following the First World War. As the economy thrived, people began to think of the American Dream as something that was easily achievable. This led to corruption and greed. Although a large percentage of the outcome was negative, there were some positive contributions to society, including many technological innovations in manufacturing and every day life. People became shallow and immoral; doing what ever it took to have the newest and best things. They misinterpreted the American Dream to mean that whoever had the best and the most had achieved it and was living far more happily than those who did not have the newest and the most expensive things on the market. F. Scott Fitzgerald was trying to point out the corruption in his book. Fitzgerald uses symbols such as the green light, the Valley of Ashes, and T.J. Eckleburg, to represent the characters corrupt pursuit of the American Dream, materialistic wealth and most of all happiness.
