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  • Essay / Blindness in The Great Gatsby

    In the 1920s, people were blind and saw that life is not just about breaking up and spending money. By using wealth, they seek to be seen. Sometimes people are so ignorant that they ignore what is in front of their eyes. The character's blindness in Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby represents as if he is trying to avoid real life and not face reality. They have more money than they can spend and think they can talk their way out of any situation. Some characters don't care what others think and do what they want. Dr. TJ Eckleburg's eyes observed the blindness and ignorance of society. Ignorance is the key to many characters' downfall. The characters in the novel think that wealth and money give them happiness, but they end up living a lie. Using the characters from The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald shows how society becomes blinded by wealth, which leads to ignorance and carelessness. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Many characters are blind due to their lack of ignorance regarding problems in society. Ignorance leads to more materialistic thoughts and a desire for wealth due to not caring about others and only themselves. Daisy speaks to Nick as she describes her hopes for her daughter, as she says: "I'm glad it's a girl." And I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald 20). Daisy's comment shows how much she wants to raise her daughter in an ignorant and blind world. Daisy wants her daughter to not face reality and not be a "pretty little idiot" so that her daughter knows that her life isn't that wonderful. Additionally, Daisy wants her daughter to be a “fool,” so she can be happy without knowing the cruelty of the world. She also wants her daughter to be accepted by her wealth and high standards, and for that she has to be an idiot. Daisy also describes this idea in her own life. By wanting to remain blind to the world, she managed to stay in East Egg and marry a rich man. Daisy doesn't care about other people and she's ignorant because she wants to stay rich. Daisy has no power over her own life. In the 1920s, American society viewed women as powerless and dependent on men because they were not allowed to have their own thoughts. Nick gives us an example of what women wanted by saying: "In June she married Tom Buchanan of Chicago...and the day before the wedding he gave her a pearl necklace worth three hundred and fifty thousand dollars » (Fitzgerald 82). This quote shows the dream of every woman in the 1920s. That dream of marrying a rich man and ending up having a nice rich life even if you don't love him. It was every woman's goal. It also represents the idea that money buys happiness and love. The women ended up going blind. Daisy wants her daughter to be beautiful because society prefers physically attractive women over their intellectual abilities. She wants her daughter to be accepted by society. In those days, the only thing that mattered to a woman was ending up in the arms of a rich man who would comfort her for the rest of her life. When they are at Gatsby's house, Daisy says "those are such lovely shirts...I've never seen such lovely shirts" (Fitzgerald 99). She is hoarded by all of Gatsby's wealth and cries because if she had waited, shecould have both, money and love. But ultimately, she prefers money. This here shows how materialistic Daisy is and how she only thinks about money and wealth. Once someone has this amount of money in their life, there is no escaping it. Society always wants more, and Fitzgerald shows this blindness to the wealth people have. Daisy seems innocent and pure but she is actually ignorant. Gatsby describes his voice as “full of silver” (Fitzgerald 128). Even his voice is described with richness. She wants to stay rich with Tom. She couldn't bear to lose the social status that her marriage to Tom gave her. Daisy is selfish with Gatsby, making him think she will leave Tom for him, but ultimately she cared more about money. She believes there will always be someone who will clean up the messes she makes. Daisy is a selfish person and does not care about others, her ignorance and blindness comes into play here as she refuses to be a selfish person, this leads to Gatsby's death. Daisy didn't even care about Gatsby's feelings and didn't send flowers to Gatsby's funeral. Because of his ignorance, three innocent people died. Nick describes Tom and Daisy by saying that “they were carefree people, Tom and Daisy – they broke things and creatures, and then retreated into their money or their great carelessness” (Fitzgerald 191). ). Daisy and Tom, blinded by wealth, are carefree people. They don't care about anyone and do what they want. This carelessness leads them to lack consideration for others. They use their privileged position as a mask for their failures in life and their moral isolation. Another example of Daisy and Tom's carelessness is when Nick talks about their daughter, "the child, abandoned by the nurse, rushed across the room and rooted shyly in her mother's dress » (Fitzgerald 124). This quote indicates Tom and Daisy's disinterest in being a family. Their wealth makes them carefree with their little daughter. They don't even pay attention to her. Daisy is carefree as she tells Tom, “She looked at him blindly. Why… how could I love him? (Fitzgerald 141). Here she is rude even to her husband. She is constantly inconsiderate towards everyone. She doesn't care about hurting anyone else's heart. Tom also constantly harms everyone around him, thinking he has superiority because of his wealth. Daisy and Tom really aren't blind, they just want to be blind and ignorant. Jordan is like them. When Nick speaks to Jordan, he describes, "Her gray, sun-weary eyes stared straight ahead, but she had deliberately altered our relationship, and for a moment I thought I loved her" (Fitzgerald 64). Her gray eyes represent a person who does what she wants to make herself happy. They are born with so much money that they float through their lives like nothing. Jordan also follows the workings and thinking of the company. They don't know what it's like to be poor. Her gray eyes represent who she really is. He is a dishonest and careless person. Jordan is trapped in her own little world because that's where she feels comfortable. Blindness does not allow them to see reality. Myrtle ends up being blinded by Tom's wealth. When she saw him, she said, “He was wearing a suit and patent leather shoes, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him” (Fitzgerald 40). Myrtle saw it as a way out of the Valley of Ashes and an entry into high society surrounded by wealth. Money blinds reality. She uses Tom as a way out. Myrtle and Tom are equally ignorant due to their lack of responsibility. Nick.