What is The Great Gatsby really about?

More often than not , one will encounter a certain novel which has multiple themes that makes it difficult to distinguish which one really stands out to define the text as a whole . An example of such is The Great Gatsby by F . Scott Fitzgerald . The novel deals with several interconnected themes , which would prompt any reader to ask , So what is this really about ' Beneath all the other themes that is reflected in this novel , in its core is the moral and social decay that came in the pursuit of the American dream

in the 1920s . This is the fundamental theme of the story

The main theme cannot be thoroughly discussed without reference to the cultural milieu in which Fitzgerald wrote the story . The setting of the novel is 1920s America the critical period after World War I . The brutal effects of the war brought disenchantment to the citizens , which was exacerbated by the overflow of wealth all throughout the nation According to Phillips (2006 , The dizzying rise of the stock market in the aftermath of the war led to a sudden , sustained increase in the national wealth and a newfound materialism , as people began to spend and consume at unprecedented levels ' More and more people became wealthy which resulted in a dichotomy between the old rich ' and the noveau rich ' In addition , there was the Eighteenth Amendment of 1919 , which manifested a ban in liquor sales (Phillips , 2006 . This created a lucrative opportunity for the underground sales of alcohol . However there is a price to pay for all the economic prosperity . Phillips (2006 ) wrote , As Fitzgerald saw it , the American dream was originally about discovery , individualism , and the pursuit of happiness theless , because of the material excess and extravagant lifestyle this American dream was reduced to simply being the excuse for the insatiable desire for wealth and pleasure

So how is this theme manifested in the story ? Take the character of Jay Gatsby , for example . As a young man , he fell in love with Daisy . He was sent to war , and they were separated . He then found out that she married Tom Buchanan , and did what he thought could win her back Phillips (2006 ) wrote , From that moment on , Gatsby dedicated himself to winning Daisy back , and his acquisition of millions of dollars , his purchase of a gaudy mansion on West Egg , and his lavish weekly parties are all merely means to that end ' Daisy was driven by wealth , so Jay did what he could to be extremely rich , never mind if it is through the illegal distribution of alcohol or organized crime . Daisy , for her part , is also another example of the moral decay in the story . She is married to Tom , but she starts an affair with Jay . Tom is no innocent character , either . He also has an extramarital affair with a woman named Myrtle Wilson . These adulterous acts also contribute to the decline of morality in the novel

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