Deist God In The Great Gatsby Analysis - 1028 Words

The Deist belief in an unconcerned God is a chilling idea. How could God not care about what happens in everyday life, not intervene? While this idea may be scary, it is prevalent in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Nick Carraway, the voice of the book, draws parallels to the Deist God. Alike the Deist God, Nick observes events taking place, and does not stop them. Some of these events end up with lethal consequences. This paper will compare Nick to the Deist God, and examine other signs of Deism throughout the book. These signs of Deism include the following: The T.J. Eckleburg Billboard, and George Wilson. In an act of godliness, Nick creates a tea party for Daisy and Gatsby. While this may seem as if it opposes the belief in†¦show more content†¦Like the Deist God, Nick remains uninvolved in Gatsby’s moment alone, and instead just watches him. In another case of watchful Deism in the book, Nick travels with Tom through The Valley of The Ashes. In The Valley of The Ashes lies another Deist god-like icon, the billboard of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. This billboard reveals the blue eyes of an eye doctor. The eyes watch over The Valley of The Ashes, suggesting another panopticon, where someone is watching (in this case the Deist God figure). Under Eckleburg’s watchful eye,characters can be seen changing their behavior (Tullo np). The Valley represents truth, and characters in the book are unafraid to speak the truth under Eckleburg’s eye (Fitzgerald 26). Myrtle and Tom can truthfully embrace their relationship under Eckleburg’s eye, but not quite under Georgeà ¢â‚¬â„¢s! While Wilson goes to get chairs per Myrtle’s demand, she moves closer to Tom and makes plans to meet him (Fitzgerald 26). While this idea of Deism is present in their interaction, Tom and Myrtle ignore it. Their actions cannot be punished by a belief with an uninvolved God, so the Ashes allows them to meet. T.J. Eckleburg surveys over The Valley of The Ashes and Tom and Myrtle’s encounter, adding another layer of Deism throughout the text. Out of The Valley of The Ashes, Nick Carraway ends up in New York. In New York, Nick yet again proves himself as just an observer. Nick is reading a