Examples Of Microcosm In The Great Gatsby

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“There was music from my neighbor's house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and he champagne and the stars.”(41 Fitzgerald) This is just one of the countless passages in chapter three that recounts the microcosm of the 1920’s in America being one big party. This microcosm is displayed in chapter three of The Great Gatsby through the comparison of two party scenes the first being a party at Gatsby’s house and the other a impromptu gathering at Tom and Myrtle’s apartment in New York City. While both party’s differ in size and guest list, they together reinforce Fitzgerald’s theme that the American dream is a dream driven by materialism, moral corruption and the illusion …show more content…
When Myrtle said “I’m going to give you this dress as soon as I’m through it. I’ve got to get another one tomorrow. I’m going to make a list of the things I’ve got to get.”(38) This displays just how obsessed with wealth and glamour the people in the 1920’s were, she is talking about buying dresses as if they were everyday items to put on your shopping list and buy. “… she let four taxi cabs drive away before she selected a new one, lavender colored with grey upholstery.”(28) This is a quote from the passage of Tom and Myrtle’s gathering and it displays the sheer wealth expectancy from the public in the 1920’s. The taxi is just one minuscule example of the obsession of materialism in America in the post wartime. In the scene of Gatsby’s party materialism in presented in the form of the desire for the most advanced and newest technology and that with wealth can you can acquire everything you fancy. “Every Friday five crates of oranges and lemons arrived from a fruitier in New York-every Monday these same oranges and lemons left his back door in a pyramid of pulp less …show more content…
In the vivid description of Gatsby’s car materialism is shown through wealth and the way Gatsby’s attempts to buy happiness. “On week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city between nine in the morning and long past midnight”. (41) The mention of Rolls Royce truly uncovers the vast amount of money he actually possesses and the fact that he parades around in it and tries to mask his true identity reveals that he lacks satisfaction and that even money cant buy
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