The Great Gatsby
What questions are at the heart of this book? What questions might the author be trying to answer through the struggles of these characters?
The Great Gatsby
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Emma C #483546
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jill d #170087
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jill d #170087
The most important question I perceive in the heart of the novel is the difference between illusion and reality. Even Nick, considered by most to be a reliable narrator, can be swept away be circumstance and persona. He is both captivated and repulsed by the illusions put forth by other characters.
For example, he is captivated by Daisy. She's a relation, she's beautiful, she has a beautiful home, handsome husband, and a beautiful little girl. So why is she so easily swayed by the illusion of a different life? Gatsby, on the other hand, both suffers from illusion and spins his own at the same time. He's in love with the illusion of the girl he used to know, the girl he changed his life in order to win. He's lied, committed crimes and afforded himself an entirely different persona..... all to win a woman who is married to another man, a woman no more likely to walk away from the family name and social status than she was so many years before. So, to me, the main underlying question has always been what makes the characters in this story so ready to embrace illusion over real life? Do most people ind happiness nothing more than an illusion, and if so, why?Source(s)
The Great Gatsby
