The Underlying Truth

Nothing is perfect in this world. Nobody can be a "perfect" human being and no city can be classified as "perfect." Everyone and everything has an underlying flaw. It can be small or big, but it is always there. Take the students of Troy High as an example: Some may seem like happy go lucky kids on the outside, but in reality, many of them constantly worry about their grades and especially their future.












In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is seen as a rich gentleman who has a marvelous mansion with "a marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn and garden" (Fitzgerald 9). From this description of Gatsby's magnificent house, the readers can assume he has an easy life filled with relaxation and parties. However, when Nick Carraway first sees Gatsby, Nick notices that his neighbor "stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way" (25). Nick quietly observes a minute green light far away which leaves the readers to conclude that Gatsby was stretching for this single light at the end of the dock. This illustrates how even though it seems Gatsby has all he could want, he reaches for that light which actually represents Daisy and how he strives to be like her. This perfectly imperfect man shows that no matter how much an individual has, he or she will always want more.

Nick also mentions the area between the West Egg and the East Egg. He meets Tom Buchanan's mistress in this "desolate area of land" (27). West and East Egg are both perceived as beautiful areas for the old and new rich. Even though this valley of ash is in between these two areas, the people who inhabit either Eggs are completely oblivious to this absolute desolation and poverty. This neglected space represents the moral decay hidden by the fanciful facades of the Eggs. It depicts how under all of the ornamentation and mannered charm lies the same ugliness that is in the valley. Just like how "an impenetrable cloud which screens their obscure operations from your sight" (27) in the valley, atrocious events are hidden by the glamor in the Eggs.