The presence of the popular 1920s song “The Sheik of Arabia” in The Great Gatsby is a sign that represents a wide range of cultural instances and relational symbols throughout the novel. The sign in the novel, a part of the song called “The Sheik of Araby,” is sung by a group of little girls in Central Park, a song about a rich man who lusts after beautiful women and attracts them from all races, and who claims to basically being the embodiment of love and knowing what love is. Nick and Jordan cross paths with the kids after their date at the Plaza Hotel. Jordan just told Nick about the first time he saw Daisy and Jay Gatsby together. Jordan describes a scene of Daisy and Gatsby together at Daisy's house in Louisiana, and later, of the night before Daisy and Tom's wedding day. Then, Jordan tells Nick that about six weeks before their date, Jordan had mentioned Gatsby randomly to Daisy and she had a very strange tone of voice when she replied that it must have been the Gatsby she had met in her youth. After Jordan describes this memory to Nick, the little girls are heard singing the song; "I am the Sheikh of Arabia, your love belongs to me, at night, when you sleep, I will creep into your tent-". Nick remarks that it is a strange coincidence that Gatsby ended up living so close to Daisy. Jordan explains that, of course, it was intentional and Nick seems amazed that he didn't realize it sooner. “He came alive to me, released suddenly from the womb of his aimless splendor.” (Fitzgerald 83). Nick proceeds to realize the enormity and modesty of Jay Gatsby's grand intent: the intent to win the love of Daisy Buchanan. The setting and placement of the sign in the novel seem to suggest a culture...... middle of paper ... ...purity and frivolity represent how the adults in the novel engage in mature acts with childish motivations behind them. The contrast between Tom and Gatsby's characters and meanings behind the same action reinforces the idea of ​​subjective innocence regarding the situation, although the actions may be virtually the same. The moral and attitude differences between the new and old rich embody the true sense of perverse innocence linked to the decline of morality of the 1920s. Fitzgerald's belief in the irony of innocence and purity in that period is exemplified in the presentation and performance of “The Sheik of Arabia” in The Great Gatsby. Works Cited1. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1995.2. Wikipedia. Sheikh of Arabia - Wikipedia. July 31, 2008. September 20 2008 .