In a famous poem by Thomas Gray the famous phrase “Ignorance is bliss, it is madness to be wise” was used to describe the happiness that the Author found in not know the real consequences. This is similar to the characters in The Great Gatsby, the great American novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, who have more money than they can spend and feel as if they are exempt from the law and can buy their way out of any situation . What they are not aware of is the constant supervision to which they are subjected, whether it is a divine force watching over them, like Dr. Eckleburg's eyes on the billboard, or their servants and butlers who constantly clean up after them in the their home. They don't see the pain they cause themselves, the exhausting hardship, and the disgust others feel as they pick up the debris they leave wherever they go. Nothing goes unnoticed in this novel, blindness is a common disease among the rich who turn a blind eye to the decay and corruption of the society and culture from which they are separated with their heaps of wealth and impregnable mansions. Ignorance is hinted at throughout the book and is constantly displayed by the characters, “blinded by the glare of the headlights”. (59). This quote could be taken literally and it could be said that the character was only blinded by headlights. I feel the meaning is deeper in that the headlights could be used to describe the flashy wealth of the time period that prevents everyone from seeing the nefarious greed of the rich. The rich would drive their cars with their high beams aimed at the drunk and blind to distract them from their recklessness. Each main character is unaware of a certain baggage that prevents them from looking forward and thinking about the consequences... middle of paper... to identify what everyone else can't see because they don't want to, or are just completely unaware. Daisy chooses to be blind to her husband's scandalous activities, and like Jordan, they are both trapped in their own little world because it's where they feel most comfortable. Gatsby only sees the past and does not think about the future because Daisy is not his now. This leads to the overall theme that we shouldn't avoid things because they are foreign or heartbreaking to us, we need to face reality and what is fact or fiction and not attempt to disguise it for the sake of our personal beliefs or comfort level. Works CitedFitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1995. Print.Gray, Thomas. “Ode on a Distant Perspective of Eton College.” Poetry X. Ed. Jough Dempsey.16 June 2003. 16 March. 2014 .