Role Of Setting In The Great Gatsby

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“People with above-average income are relatively satisfied with their lives...but [they] are barely happier than others in moment-to-moment experience, tend to be more tense, and do not spend more time in particularly enjoyable activities” (Bradford). Setting is a device used by authors to reflect a character’s state of mind, create atmosphere, or influence the characters. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are four major settings: East Egg, West Egg, Nick Carraway’s house, and the Valley of Ashes. Throughout this work, Fitzgerald utilizes setting to convey and satirize societal and character values, as well as to expose inner character struggles and contradict accepted cultural norms.
East Egg is home to the wealthiest, most …show more content…
Residents of West Egg idolize flashy cars, clothes, and estates, and live for extravagant parties. While still upper-class, West Eggers are not as highly regarded as those living in East Egg, simply because of their money. They are extremely materialistic, typically shallow and superficial, and often lacking morals. Again, their lives are lusted after, and, through Jay Gatsby, the most acclaimed West Egger, Fitzgerald exposes the struggles they face and the imperfections of their lives. Gatsby is remarkably unsatisfied, lonely, and lost, as he is without real, true relationships. He yearns for the past and Nick “gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy” (Fitzgerald 110). Gatsby is chasing after Daisy (who is enjoying the chase), and he initially only connects with Nick to get to her (though Nick does actually become Gatsby’s closest friend). Despite Fitzgerald’s distaste for the wealthy, Gatsby does have some redeeming qualities, as he appears to be less superficial than the standard West …show more content…
Some residents, like Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s mistress, value wealth and excitement. She is chasing an East Egg life, which she gets a taste of each time she is with Tom. Other residents, like George Wilson, Myrtle’s husband, are more or less satisfied with their current situation, or at least numb to it, which is not unheard of in today’s society. According to the Huffington Post, “it’s not the poorest Americans that are least happy. Those making the least were actually the third happiest income bracket out of five” (Bradford). Although Fitzgerald’s distaste for the wealthy is evident, he despises the poor who wish to live like the rich. He exposes the rich as frauds, yet lower-class people still want a life like theirs, which is almost unforgivable to Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald successfully uses setting in The Great Gatsby to reflect character values, but also to expose their inner struggles. Fitzgerald’s distaste for the upper-class is apparent throughout the novel, and it becomes evident that Fitzgerald not only abhors the wealthy and feels they are leading dishonest lives, but he also despises those of a lower-class who desire to live like the
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