16th June 2017

Theme

The theme we have chosen to discuss throughout the novel is illusion. Fitzgerald has referenced illusion in almost every sentence in the novel. Fitzgerald has also made claims about society that for the time period it was written in, are upsetting but true reflection of how it once was. The Great Gatsby was written in the late 1920s, an era known for its post world war one materialism and eccentric way of living. Equality wasn’t a factor of life for people of this generation, not gender nor racial. Materialism was expressed thoroughly through Daisy’s character as shown when Daisy was caught crying at the sight of Gatsby’s glorious woven shirts. She became emotional, and grew attachments to Gatsby’s possessions and not him as a person. The eccentrism was shown through Gatsby’s parties. Gatsby threw glamorous parties when prohibition was in full swing. People would arrive even though they didn’t know Gatsby. People dressed in bright shades of every colour. Every race, age, class, gender and person was at the parties. But for the 1920s people who didn’t fall under specific categories didn’t socialise or mix. This was an illusion for the time period. In the eyes of someone who was naive to the wider aspect of live. In this case this could’ve easily been Gatsby. Gatsby was so encased by the dream of him and Daisy, he failed to see how unbalanced the world really was.

Today’s generation of teenagers have been born into the media and cyber generation, a fairly new concept that the world is yet to get a stable grasp on. The internet and media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Instagram and even magazines) give people the opportunity to portray whatever character they wish to present. That a series of photos tell someone’s entire life story. Teenagers of my age don’t tend to ask each other the hard questions. They talk through texts and Snapchat and struggle when it comes to speaking face to face. Our generation is growing up believing in the superficial lives those who conceal themselves in internet lies are presenting. Teenagers are growing up socially inept, into adults who find it easier sending an email than just asking a simple question face to face. The illusion people portray about their lives being picture perfect, people having”perfect” families, “perfect” bodies, “perfect” friends “perfect” lives. But they almost never are, families argue, photoshop exists to allude to perfection.
Teenagers are developing the concentrated understanding that perfection exists. But it doesn’t. Teenagers are gullible fools but that isn’t their fault. Illusions surround us everywhere. Every aspect of our lives is faked some way or another.

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Writing