The Great Gatsby

Topic - The Illusion of Glamour

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/31/kim-kardashian-to-file-fo_n_1067424.html


The topic I have chosen from 'The Great Gatsby' that is still relevant today is the falseness and illusion of glamour. In 'The Great Gatsby' it is shown that Gatsby hosts large, expensive parties for wealthy, upper class guests. The book suggests that the costs of the parties do not matter and the damages created can be fixed easily because Gatsby has the money to do so. This suggests that there is a sense of carelessness towards their choices and priorities.

In 'The Great Gatsby' the reason Gatsby throws the glamorous parties is in the hopes that Daisy will be a guest. This questions whether the glamour is the most important thing to him and suggests that behind the money, guests and alcohol there are more important things - such as his love for Daisy. It shows that the glamour and wealth are just a facade and underneath the 'ideal lifestyle' of a rich man, there are issues in his life.

Today, this topic can be related to the celebrity culture. I have chosen the example of Kim Kardashian's wedding. In total, the wedding alone costed $10 millions and the marriage only lasted 72 days. This example can relate to 'The Great Gatsby' because it shows how a wealthy person can throw an glamorous, extravagant party (similar to what Gatsby would do) and have the money wasted on the 'idea' of the party rather than what the money could actually be used for. It suggests that behind the glamorous wedding there are more issues that are covered up by the illusions.