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East versus West Free Essay Example
The Midwestern states and the Eastern states of America are very different and marked by specific values and attitudes. While in the Mid West you find more traditional values (American values), for example living on one’s own, not needing anyone else and being self-supporting, the East has a closer connection to Europe and orientates itself by European values and qualities. The West is described as the country of “wide lawns and friendly trees” (p. 7,5 ), “prairies” and “lost Swede towns” (p.
125,19). There, agriculture is the major economic factor and the landscape is marked by long wheat and corn fields.
During winter, the land freezes, they get “real snow” (p. 125,13) and the temperatures drops far below 0° C. When you look inside the houses, you see holy wreaths hanging in the windows pointing out the traditions that are followed by the westerners. The people living in the West tend to have a very strict and conservative attitude and not to be open for most changes.
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It was there, where prohibition started. | | On the other side of the Ohio, the major eastern side stream of the Mississippi, the Eastern states begin. They represent the modern America where the immigrants first arrived in order to start a better life (American Dream).
Also, the East is much more densely populated and you find more big cities like New York. The Easterners are said to be open-minded and sophisticated. In the book The Great Gatsby, East Egg and West Egg are used as metaphors for the East and the Middle West.
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While the “aristocrats” Tom and Daisy live in East Egg, the newly rich Gatsby lives in West Egg. Even though Gatsby shows off with his wealth and tries to fit in the “aristocratic” society, the fact that he is living in West Egg, shows that the distance between East and West does not become smaller, ecause West Egg stays the “less fashionable of the two” (p. 9, 9). Most of the settlers, who explored the western country, were Finnish. For that, the “Finnish woman” (p. 7, 10) who works for Nick, is another example of the connection between West Egg and the Middle West. | In the Great Gatsby, there are two cities, East Egg and West Egg, which are separated by the Valley of Ashes. What city you live in between the two, shows if you are from a wealthy family (East Egg) or if you are new to wealth (West Egg).
People in East Egg come from families that always had money. They’re more snobby, greedy, and mean than people from West Egg, as those from East Egg are generally less-sophisticated, and a more innocent type of people, as they haven’t been consumed by material possessions, money, and greed their whole lives. The Buchanans, for example, are a family of East Egg, which Tom Buchanan was born of a wealthy family, and the greedy Daisy, who married into this money. They have a very large mansion for a home, and are a somewhat of a stuck up family.
East Egg is portrayed as corrupt in the novel, and and is moral-less, compared to the more humble West Egg. According to F. Scott Fitzgerald, the West Egg is “less fashionable” with “wide lawns and friendly trees. ” Most of the people that live in the West Egg have morals and ethics to live by, rather than their own money, such as Nick Carraway. After Nick does Gatsby the favor of reuniting him with Daisy, he offers Nick the chance to take part in Gatsby’s business and earn more money. Even though Nick struggles to sell bonds, he politely declines, realizing that Gatsby was only returning the favor.
This shows that Nick has dignity, and doesn’t live off the image portrayed by how much money he has or makes. In the book The Great Gatsby, East Egg and West Egg are used as metaphors for the East and the Middle West. While the “aristocrats” Tom and Daisy live in East Egg, the newly rich Gatsby lives in West Egg. Even though Gatsby shows off with his wealth and tries to fit in the “aristocratic” society, the fact that he is living in West Egg, shows that the distance between East and West does not become smaller, because West Egg stays the “less fashionable of the two” http://thegreatjaygatsby. logspot. be/2010/06/east-egg-vs-west-egg. html http://hcchonorsamericanliterature. edublogs. org/2012/03/20/east-egg-vs-west-egg/ http://answers. yahoo. com/question/index? qid=20090210150630AAg7YIw http://www. ovtg. de/3_arbeit/englisch/gatsby/minut_03. html http://www. ovtg. de/3_arbeit/englisch/gatsby/eastwest. html http://metatfios. tumblr. com/post/17549510984/the-epigraph-and-the-great-gatsby
