Great Gatsby Flashcards
fitzgerald background
grew up poor
went to princeton
met hiw wife in 1918
emodied 1920s lifestyle: alchp;p, parties, travel, ect
1920s
flappers
booming economy
prohibiyion
organized crime
color symbolims
green
gold
white
yellow
grey
green
optimism, hope, the future
green light at the end of daisy’s dock
motifs
color
weather
eyes
easr vs west egg
eyes symbolism
looking at the moral decay beneath the luxury ligestyle
represent the reality of society
weather
rain = sadness or awkardness
heat = anger or tension
represents the feeligns of the characters
east vs west egg
east: old money
west: new money
east is higher up in society
themes
disillusionment of the american dream
wealth breeds carelessness and corruption
attemtps to relive the past are doomed to fail
velley of ashes
moral and social decay
cars
symbolize the materialism and selfish behavior of 1920s America
blue
melancholy, loneliness, tranquility and fantasy,
such as Doctor T. J. Eckleburg’s blue eyes, Gatsby’s blue gardens, blue leaves, blue lawn and blue livery
grey
despair, lack of emotion, dismal (The Valley of the
Ashes)
gold
Wealth, opulence, “old money”
yellow
Falsehood, corruption, moral decay (faded gold)
white
Innocence, purity, childhood
clothes
pretentious
having or showing the unpleasant quality of people who want to be regarded as more impressive, successful, or important than they really are
Contemptuous
showing contempt; scornful.
os·ten·ta·tious
characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice.
Gaudy
extravagantly bright or showy, typically so as to be tasteless.
Hauteur
haughtiness of manner; disdainful pride.
Disillusioned
disappointed in someone or something that one discovers to be less good than one had believed.
mortification
great embarrassment and shame.
