ESSAY QUESTION: One of Fitzgeralds’s great strengths lies in the effective way he uses symbolism in his novel to highlight his beliefs and values. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel about one man’s disenchantment with the American dream. In the story we get a glimpse into the life of Jay Gatsby, a man who aspired to achieve a position amongst the American rich to win the heart of his …showed first 75 words of 1432 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1432 total…happily than he. By the close of the novel, Fitzgerald has completely convinced the reader that Gatsby’s capacity for illusion is touching and heroic, despite the worthlessness of the objects of his dreams. It is through combining faultless artistry with symbolism, a symbolism that is strengthened by Fitzgerald’s own beliefs and values, that Fitzgerald paints a vivid picture of the dream destined to fail because it’s basis was an illusion, not reality.