Corruption In The Great Gatsby Essay

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The late twenties heralded a dramatic pause between America’s past and future. The desire for wealth was rampant and economic growth swept many Americans into an affluent but unfamiliar “crazy” society. Many writers through the description of various characters in their various novels during the late twenties, exposed money's destructive influence on the individual as well as the corruption it lays upon the society as a whole. Fitzgerald through the novel Gatsby uses his personal life story to show the negativity of gaining all the wealth that one can desire in life. Through the wild behaviors of people of the late twenties, Fitzgerald exposes how wealth can serve as a bad tool due to the fact that wealth can dominate man making him grow a …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”, the author through the description of Gatsby’s wealth while using various literal devices exposes the negative effects of wealth. “On Sunday morning which church… the world and its mistress returned to great spy’s house and twinkled hilariously on his lawn” (72).The use of personification helps the reader understand the foreshadowing of the ownership of properties that Gatsby acquires and the world that surrounds him. The elaboration of how extravagant the house shows how wasteful rich people were to have fancied huge houses. Fitzgerald through the use of personification exposes the negative effects of wealth due to the wild behavior of people of the time. “Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands glaring tragically into my eyes” [86] .The use of simile shows the troubles that Gatsby goes through trying to acquire the wealth that he desires. Fitzgerald exposes how the hungry desire for wealth can make people do certain things of which can cause them pain later in the future. “He must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid… signal dream”.(118).The use of alliteration elaborates more on the emotions that Gatsby experiences as a result of his actions in trying to keep up with his dream of acquiring wealth. Fitzgerald exposes how people can lose the happiness and joy they have once they gain all the riches they
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