Authors tend to use a literary devices, such as symbolism, to convey topics that attribute the same and make it more well-known. A recurring theme, among the many in "The Great Gatsby,” is that people are willing to do anything to achieve the American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald includes symbolism to help the reader grasp the concept of the American Dream. Gatsby's mansion was filled with excessive amounts of pricey items to show his success, as if the property itself was not enough. His library included so many untouched books, it was believed “that if even one brick was removed the whole library was liable to collapse” (Fitzgerald 46). His home was filled with “Marie Antoinette music-rooms and restoration salons… Period bedrooms swathed in rose and lavender silk and vivid with new flower… Dressing-rooms and pool rooms, and bathrooms, with sunken baths” (Fitzgerald 91). Being that he started out at nothing and achieved what people dreamed about, Gatsby want to show off his success by obtaining things completely unnecessary to him, simply because he could and their value would attract commentary. By doing so people could clearly see his worth an image as someone who thrived in the American Dream. Image was everything and Gatsby’s mansion and all that went on with it, from the stocked library to the huge and grand piano, symbolize people doing anything to achieve the American Dream and the social rank/image that came with it.
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