The Role of God and Religion in The Great Gatsby by F....

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the God is one who does not interfere with what people are doing on Earth. He does care about them, even if they have done wrong, doesn’t try to change them, or their morals. He is described as a â€Å"watcher† (Fitzgerald 167). He watches people cause their own destruction but does not do anything about it. The role of God and Religion in Gatsby is evident in the lack of religion among the upper/business class, it’s effect on mortality, and the symbolism of God. In upper/ business characters, such as Jay Gatsby and Tom and Daisy Buchanan, there is no mention of religious affiliation. Unlike many churches and their members, their outright disregard of Prohibition laws shows that they didn’t support†¦show more content†¦Their lack of belief in God ultimately causes their moral downfall. Whereas with the lower classman George Wilson, he appears to have a stronger set of morals than the richer, well-o f characters in the novel. Although he doesn’t have the means to drink and party, he also doesn’t express the desire to. Wilson is faithful to Myrtle, makes an honest living and is more religious than the other characters. Often times, alluding to symbols of God in Gatsby. While reading The Great Gatsby, we see a symbol of God in the eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleburg and the character of Owl Eyes. Dr. Eckleburg represents an all-seeing, uninvolved God who sees the immoral actions, but does not interfere. In a conversation with Michaelis, Wilson says, â€Å"‘I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God. I took her to the winds’ - with an effort he got up and walked to the rear window and leaned with his face pressed against it - ‘and I said ‘God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!’’ Standing behind him, Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleburg, which had just emerged, pale and enormous, from the dissolving night† (Fitzgerald 167). Wilson believes that the one person who has the right to judge is God and He is watching. The Great Gatsby is very consistent with the life during the 1920’s in the aspect of religion. Before 1920’s the upper/bussiness class made up most ofShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1155 Words   |  5 PagesThe Great Gatsby The Jazz Age was an era where everything and anything seemed possible. It started with the beginning of a new age with America coming out of World War I as the most powerful nation in the world (Novel reflections on, 2007). As a result, the nation soon faced a culture-shock of material prosperity during the 1920’s. 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