The setting of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” is crucial to understanding the novel’s themes. Set in the 1920s, primarily on Long Island’s North Shore and New York City, the setting vividly captures the extravagance and moral decay of the Jazz Age. East Egg and West Egg, fictional communities representing old money and new money respectively, highlight the social divide and the superficial nature of the American Dream.

East Egg, home to Tom and Daisy Buchanan, symbolizes the established aristocracy and its inherited wealth, while West Egg, where Jay Gatsby resides, represents self-made fortunes and the nouveau riche. This geographic distinction underscores the theme of social stratification and the elusive nature of Gatsby’s dream to be accepted by the old money class.

New York City, with its frenetic energy and moral laxity, serves as a backdrop for the characters’ reckless pursuits and infidelities. The valley of ashes, an industrial wasteland between the Eggs and the city, symbolizes the moral and social decay resulting from the pursuit of wealth.

The setting in “The Great Gatsby” enhances the novel’s themes by providing a stark contrast between the glittering facades of wealth and the grim realities underneath, thereby critiquing the hollow pursuit of the American Dream and the inherent corruption within.