The Great Gatsby: Theme & Key Quotes: Lies

Theme: Lies & Deception

Key Quotes With Interpretations:

“That’s my Middle West . . . the street lamps and sleigh bells in the frosty dark. . . I see now that this has been a story of the West, after all—Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life.”: The ‘deficiency’ narrator Nick Carraway refers to here could be honesty. The deceit and corruption he encounters in the East (New York City) greatly contrast his midwestern values.
“And I hope she’ll be a fool–that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”: Daisy says these lines, lamenting the societal expectation for women to play ignorant to their husbands’ infidelities. This theme of deception extends beyond romantic relationships to the broader society of the 1920s.
“He’s a bootlegger…. One time he killed a man who found out he was nephew to Von Hindenburg and second cousin to the Devil.”: This quote reveals the gossip and rumours surrounding Gatsby’s wealth, emphasizing the deceptive facade he has created to win Daisy.

Analysing The Theme:

Lies and deception fundamentally drive the plot in “The Great Gatsby”, with various characters telling lies about themselves and deceiving others to maintain their status or image.
Gatsby is arguably the most significant character caught up in deception, constructing a completely new persona to escape his poor past and to suit Daisy’s expectations.
‘Old money’ characters like Tom also engage in lies, maintaining a facade of respectability while indulging in affairs.

Using This Theme in Essays:

Consider how Fitzgerald uses the theme of lies and deceit to critique societal norms and expectations of the Roaring Twenties, reflecting the moral decay underneath the glamour and prosperity.
Think about how this theme interacts with other key themes in the novel, such as the pursuit of the American Dream, the divide between old and new money, and the notion of past versus present.
Discuss how characters’ lies and facades contribute to their ultimate downfalls: for instance, Gatsby’s deceit about his past and his wealth eventually leading to his death, or Tom’s affair causing rifts in his marriage with Daisy.