The green light is a significant symbol within The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Gatsby saw the green light as something far away and difficult to grasp. Gatsby wanted to fulfill the American dream, and did so with extravagant purchases with his newly earned money; this only put him further away from the concept of “old money”, which Tom seemed to have. He lived a life of riches, but he learned that was not the life he wanted. He wanted wealth, but in a different form. He was envious of Tom, because of his respect and trophy wife. The green light shows society’s desire to achieve the materialistic American Dream. I think Fitzgerald included the theme of wealth/class because it represented his own pursuit of wealth and honor. 

          Tom’s wife, Daisy, was Gatsby’s love of his life, but he realised he could never truly obtain her because of her husband. She was a girl who he had fallen in love with in the past, and in a few chapters of the book, we see him waiting/hoping for her to come to his parties. Gatsby became even less confident once he saw Daisy’s child, he learned that there were many strings attached. The light symbolizes his yearning for Daisy, and its distance represents the predicament involved with his love. Daisy was desired by all of the young men in NY, so it meant that Gatsby must be the most worthy to get the girl. He thought Daisy would be a token of his enormous wealth, but there were many complications. The green light represented his dream, which is far away, and feels just out of reach.

Edward Bellamy’s “Looking Backward” is a story of a man named Julian, who lives in a time where there is an serious wealth gap. Coming from an upper class household, he initially thinks of himself as superior to the common man. After his house burns down, he is left in a deep sleep for 113 years until he is awoken in 2000. He wakes up to a completely different society, where everyone is treated equally. It closely represents socialism because everything is publicly owned by the government, unlike the private ownership he is familiar with. He witnessed a non-competitive job market with equal pay and standard hours, in which all employees are expected to do the same workload. The national wealth is communal amongst Americans; every citizen receives a credit card for modest spending, but those with excessive spending habits are penalized. I found that this type of governing would suppress the belief that America the land of opportunity. Even though it can rid of poverty and hunger, it would eliminate any rewards for hard work. There is no longer a drive for innovation and it limits the potential of society as a whole. It also means that companies cannot access cheap labor overseas. Companies are limited to growth and the GDP will likely stay stagnant, which means that the communal income will not grow like a competitive market. People would see minimal benefits throughout their lifetime.

After reading Red Badge of Courage, I noticed that Henry had interesting motives for fighting in the Civil War. He wanted to fight as a way to feel a sense of respect and glory. He thought that his participation would allow him to prove himself and appear important. His motives for fighting the war represented a young and immature individual. He wanted to come back as a hero, so he made alterations to the stories he told; many were exaggerated and some complete lies. He wanted people to see him as a brave soldier, who was active in the war. Stephen Crane pointed out how battle is dangerous and taxing on a soldier; I do not think that he saw enough reasons for soldiers to fight. Henry was an example of a Union soldier that was fighting for the wrong reasons. He surprised me when he wished for the “red badge of courage” to prove his participation and that he sacrificed himself for the war; this is a childish and foolish request. He felt a sense of guilt and inferiority to these soldiers because they risked their lives for the union. He felt like a coward and regretted running away.

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, there is a clear display of slavery. The slave owner clearly mistreats the slaves. I was surprised when I saw some white slave owners respecting their slaves possessed in the case with the Shelbys. Although slavery provided major economic benefit, the black people were still required to tend to their masters. They had to work extremely hard and receive the punishment from their master. Although some masters had some respect for the slaves, the majority received major punishment. In the case with Uncle Tom, he had two sides to him. The first part of him was  loyal and hardworking and the other he was a true Christian, who basically allowed the punishment from the masters. His first masters mistreated him and thought he was an animal and a horrible person.  His later masters were much more reasonable. Although the Shelbys were upset with the system and tried to end slavery, his family put him in an unfortunate situation where he was allowed death without trial. The white people obviously benefited from slavery, no matter the treatment to Uncle Tom. The black people had no real power and could not end this trouble on their own.

           Natty Bumppo is an old woodsman who has lived in the wild for his whole life. He came across Judge Marmaduke Temple, who had witnessed him shoot a deer out of hunting season. The judge tried to impose civil laws on him, but he those laws should not apply to the wilderness in which he lived. He was even put in jail, until Elizabeth aided in his escape. She saw him as a hero since Natty save her twice, from the dangerous cat and the fire. Her father tried to pay him off with $200, but he refused the money.

          As the novel progressed, he developed a sense for the wastefulness of the civilized people; he noticed their waste of resources and the negative effect on the environment. By the end of the novel, he burns his own hut instead of the village taking it over. It was more of an act of protest than anything else. He would not comply with regulations set by people who were less knowledgeable about the wilderness. The novel ends with him disappearing into the sunset; He paused at the edge of the forest to wave a sentimental, final goodbye to Edward and Elizabeth Effingham. I thought this ending scene was very dramatic and was a great conclusion to the story.