Deadly Divergence: A commentary on the car motif in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby"

(This commentary focuses on passages taken from pages 36-39, 73-81 and 121-122) In "The Great Gatsby" there is a continuous feeling of motion. Whether it is the oblivion of time at the numerous parties portraying a whirlwind of activity, or the literal transporting from place to place, it is evident that this book is about constant, non-stop action. Fitzgerald goes about developing this feeling via incorporating numerous car scenes, which in turn shapes into a …

…that started out in cars and then slowly diverged as a result also end up being terminated by cars. This shows the success of this developing motif as it was unraveled just as the story had set it up to do so. Thus, by means of the passages and understanding of the underlying meaning, it is evident that this motif was meant to shine through and show the literally deadly effects of these diverging relationships.