The Great Gatsby Essay - 1109 Words

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays American society in the 1920’s after WWI has just ended, a decade of unprecedented economic prosperity. In the book, Fitzgerald critiques the loss of moral values and the degradation of American society, symbolizing it as a â€Å"valley of ashes—a fantastic farm where . . . ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke† (Fitzgerald 23). Through the characters of the book, Fitzgerald exposes the American dream from behind its dazzling veil of happiness and success, and characterizes its true form: a mad, desperate and hopeless chase towards something unattainable, turning a once innocent dream, into a shattered nightmare, destroying everything in its wake. The book is set in Long†¦show more content†¦The readers are also introduced to Nick’s second cousin and her husband, Daisy and Tom Buchanan. Daisy and Tom represent the wealthy: rich and glamorous but also shallow and selfish. They both come from affluent families and live a life of luxury, living in â€Å"the white palaces of fashionable East Egg† (Fitzgerad 5). Tom â€Å"had been one of the most powerful ends that ever played football at New Haven† and â€Å"his family were enormously wealthy† (Fitzgerald 6). Daisy has a â€Å"low, thrilling voice . . . the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down† (Fitzgerald 9). Together, they lead a carefree, excessive and transient lifestyle, moving from place to place restlessly. However, just like the American dream and society, Tom and Daisy and Gatsby’s envious lives are not what they seem to be. Throughout the book, Fitzgerald reveals many cracks in the lives and characters of Tom, Daisy and Gatsby. The woman Gatsby is in love with is tragically, Daisy Buchanan. Daisy, and not the massive fortune Gatsby has accumulated, is Gatsby’s â€Å"American dream†, his ever-elusive goal. Having already lost her once because he â€Å"had no comfortable family standing behind him, and was liable at the whim of an impersonal government to be blown anywhere about the world† (Fitzgerald 149), Gatsby is determined to win her back, even declaring to Daisy’s husband, Tom, that Daisy â€Å"only married [Tom] because he (Gatsby) was poor and she was tired of waiting forShow MoreRelated Great Gatsby1497 Words   |  6 PagesIn chapter 3 of The Great Gatsby Nick is invited to one of Gatsby’s extravagant parties. He arrives only to fin d he doesn’t know where Gatsby is, and then he runs into Jordan Baker. Together they set off to find Gatsby and they head to the library where they find â€Å"Owl Eyes†, a drunken man trying to get sober. After talking to â€Å"Owl Eyes† for awhile they head outside again where Nick unknowingly starts a conversation with Gatsby. After revealing himself, Gatsby tells Jordan that he would like to speakRead MoreThe Great Gatsby1168 Words   |  5 Pagesone must be born into it. Therefore in The Great Gatsby, by F-Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby fails to join the old money club because he exhibits his wealth to society. Gatsby possessions provides an indicator that he purchases items with eye appeal and flashiness which Old money typically never buys in order to impress or show off to others. They prefer to buy small non-noticeable items that skilled eyes will only know the true value of the merchandise. Gatsby on the other hand purchased a huge houseRead MoreThe Great Gatsby2449 Words   |  10 PagesI glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light Possibly F. Scott Fitzgeralds masterpiece, The Great Gatsby is not just a magnificent story, but a lesson of societys flaws during the roaring 1920s. Fitzgeralds story creates an atmosphere of superficiality, dissatisfaction and dishonesty by the description of each character. With the economical growth, and the immoral society of the 1920’s ultimately brought corruption to desire of the American Dream and the chanceRead MoreThe Great Gatsby806 Words   |  3 Pagesthey smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money...and let other people clean up the mess they had made... (P. 179). During the 20s, many peoples American dream was to go out, party and be free, the roaring 20s. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an explanation of how people acted. People went to parties, lived in luxurious homes, criticized each other, and wanted to achieve their dream by trying to live it. The Wilson marriage is a failure because its one-sidedRead MoreThe Grea t Gatsby647 Words   |  3 Pagesunderstand the book. Endings of books are usually there to bring the novel to a close and deliver a life lesson at the end. All of the concepts and themes are in the body of the book and are well presented depending on the author. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the American Dream was the theme that was presented, and according to the story it is unachievable and just an infant fantasy that America portrays. While reading the story, the characters’ views on how their interpretation of the American DreamRead MoreThe Great Gatsby607 Words   |  2 Pagesby the name of Jay Gatsby. Nick is the narrator who is sees a different side of Gatsby that sees him â€Å"great† aside from his wealth and corruption. Nick grew up in the Jazz age and it was replaced with the vitality, and favor of the artificial American dream. Gatsby’s life was full of winnings along with failures that followed him into death throughout the novel; never the less he achieves a form of â€Å"greatness† because of his morality in Nick’s perspective. In The Great Gatsby, Nick’s perspectiveRead MoreGreat Gatsby5612 Words   |  23 PagesThe Great Gatsby – Study Guide Chapter 1 1. Why is Nick Carraway made the narrator? The device of giving Nick the function of narrator lends psychic distance from the story. Nick is part of the action, yet he is not one of the principals. He shares some of the emotions and is in a position to interpret those of the others. However, the happens are not center on him. 2. What kind of relationship exists between Nick and the Buchanans? It is completely superficial. He speaks of themRead MoreThe Great Gatsby 565 Words   |  2 PagesIn the book The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Daisy Buchanan is a perplexing character. She is charming and pretty, yet her personality is almost robotic. Daisy has no sincere emotions; she only knows social graces and self-preservation. A materialistic society makes Daisy a jaded person who lacks any real depth. Gatsby remembers Daisy as the pretty girl from North Dakota he fell in love with when he was in the military. He soon sees that she is different, although he denies it, even toRead MoreNarratology in The Great Gatsby1308 Words   |  6 PagesFitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby demonstrates what Marie-Laure Ryan, H. Porter Abbott and David Herman state about what narratology should be. These theorists emphasize the importance of conflict, human experience, gaps and consciousness, among many other elements, in order for a story to be considered a narrative. The Great Gatsby shows these elements throughout the book in an essential way. This makes the reader become intrigued and desperate to know what will happen next. The Great Gatsby is unpredictableRead MoreModernism In The Great Gatsby1728 Words   |  7 Pages Modernism in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is a novel by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald that follows the story of Jay Gatsby in the Jazz Age of the United States. Although this novel tells a fictional tale, it also gives readers a window into the social and economic environment of America in the time period following World War I. For this reason, The Great Gatsby is considered one of the most important examples of Modernism in American literature. The Modernist themes in this novel come