Final answer:
The low attendance at Jay Gatsby's funeral reveals the superficial and transient nature of his relationships, reflecting a central theme in F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' of the hollowness of material success and social status.
Step-by-step explanation:
The relatively low attendance at Jay Gatsby's funeral ultimately reveals the superficiality and transient nature of the relationships in Gatsby's life. Despite Gatsby's vast wealth and the extravagant parties he threw, which were attended by hundreds of people, very few showed up to pay their respects when he passed away. This stark contrast in attendance serves to highlight a central theme in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby: the hollowness and futility of seeking fulfillment and recognition through material success and social status. Gatsby's funeral attendance or lack thereof reflects the fickleness of the social circles he aspired to be part of and underscores the essential truth that societal values of the time were often predicated on wealth and entertainment rather than genuine connection and moral integrity.
In reflecting upon one's life, as the text from LibreTexts suggests, most people value how they treated others over their material possessions. Gatsby's life, filled with the trappings of success but lacking real connections, is a poignant example of Fitzgerald's exploration of the disconnect between superficial wealth and true value in human relationships during the 1920s. The narrative also points out that characters like Gatsby are not meant to represent a broader societal norm but instead depict a unique and individual story that, while singular, also captures universal aspects of the human experience.