The Great Gatsby: Depravation Of The American Dream

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s destruction
shows that those who try to maintain an idealism based on purely
materialistic values are doomed by their self delusion, and George Wilson's
unfortunate career illustrates the fate of the common man in the waste land.

There are a few minor characters in The Great Gatsby whose main
significance is symbolic. In particular Dan Cody who is a “pioneer
debauchee” who employed the youthful Gatsby and gave him his “singularly
appropriate education”. While Cody' s importance in advancing Gatsby' s
career is undeniable, the man had died before the time of the main action.
He serves as an American “type,” a man who struck it rich and was incapable
of using his new-found wealth for anything but self-destructive purposes.
Finally, the action itself has a symbolic dimension. The various
parties reflect a moral as well as physical chaos, and the careers of the
main characters symbolize the novel's controlling ideas. Gatsby's career
is made to transcend the physical ...

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