The Great Gatsby – Theme

1. Explain what you think Fitzgerald is trying to say about society by presenting the idea of illusion so thoroughly throughout the text.

He is trying to portray that America is not a classless society and if anyone tries to change their class it always ends in tragedy, much like what happened to Gatsby. He tried to change from being a low class boy with no money into an insanely wealthy man, and he ended up getting killed all because of it.

2. Discuss how “illusion” is a real idea for teenagers. What problems/challenges/issues do teenagers face each day and how can we relate them to illusion.

For teenagers, their is the illusion of being the coolest and most popular person around. Young people try to be someone they are not by wearing the fashionable clothes and doing things they may not enjoy just to fit in with the “cool” crowd. This is an illusion because they are hiding behind someone who they are not, they just pretend to be this person to fit in with everyone else who is doing the exact same thing as them.

 

One Reply to “The Great Gatsby – Theme”

  1. For the first part of this post:
    – Do you think that many people in our society hide behind an illusion? What do you think drives people to do this potentially?

    Regarding the teenagers:
    – What advice would you give a teenager, or anyone, who does hide behind an illusion? How would you encourage them to shed that persona?

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