eCheat.com RSS Feedhttps://www.echeat.com/ The Great Gatsby MWDS 2013-08-16T00:04:50.51-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Great-Gatsby-MWDS-34946.aspx The Great Gatsby Essay Mariah Toohey Austin CP English 11-5 4 February 2013 The Great Gatsby Essay In F.Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the book’s narrator, Nick is a young man from Minnesota who, after being educated at Yale and fighting in World War I, goes to New York City to learn the bond business. Honest, easygoing, and motivated to reserve judgment, Nick often serves as a close friend for those with troubling secrets. After moving to West Egg, a place home to the newly rich people, Nick quickly becomes friends his next-door neighbor, the mysterious Jay Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is told through Nick's eyes by his thoughts and observations shape and color the story. ?The main character in the book, is Gatsby who is a wealthy young man living in a West Egg mansion. He is famous for the huge parties he throws almost every weekend, but no one knows where he is really from, what he does, or how he got his money. As the book goes on, Nick learns that Gatsby made his fortune through criminal activity, as he was willing to do anything to gain the social position that he thought was needed to win back Daisy. When he met Daisy while training to be an officer in Louisville, he fell in love with her. Nick and Jay Gatsby have many similar qualities such as being similar in their morals, are very intelligent, and wanted the American Dream. Nick and Gatsby to show that they are kind of the same character. They both are almost the same age, both characters were raised in the mid west, both characters fought in the war, both characters were somewhat committed to their respective girlfriends, both characters somehow ended up losing their relationship with their girlfriends, and both characters had a desire to move out East. Also both characters have hardly had any experiences with alcohol, and both men seem to be more intelligent, much more intelligent than any of the other characters that appear in the book. The only thing that seems to be different between Gatsby and Nick is that Nick was willing to leave his days with his nameless fiancé well forgotten, while Gatsby kept chasing the old days with Daisy. Gatsby never stopped trying to have a future with Daisy, while Nick was able to leave the woman that he loved behind. Gatsby was willing to be part of some very 2013-04-18T12:07:41.11-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Great-Gatsby-Essay-34862.aspx Social Occasions in The Great Gatsby How many people do you need for a party? Andy Warhol once said, “One’s company, two’s a crowd, and three’s a party”. According to Warhol’s definition, Jay Gatsby spent most of his life at a party. Therefore it makes sense for F. Scott Fitzgerald to use the extravagant parties Jay Gatsby throws for his friends in The Great Gatsby to showcase the important values during the 1920’s. The get-togethers Jay Gatsby throws for his friends show the important values of the characters during the time period such as money, power and class. Jay Gatsby’s parties show the characters valued money. He often throws lavish parties for his friends where no expense is spared. Jay Gatsby attempts to fulfill the characters love for money by supplying every possible luxury to his guests: There was music from my neighbor’s house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars. At high tide in the afternoon I watched his guests diving from the tower of his raft, or taking the sun on the hot sand of his beach while his two motor-boats slit the waters of the Sound, drawing aquaplanes over cataracts of foam. On week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city between nine in the morning and long past midnight, while his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains. And on Mondays eight servants, including an extra gardener, toiled all day with mops and scrubbing-brushes and hammers and garden-shears, repairing the ravages of the night before. (Fitzgerald 39) This quote demonstrates the great lengths Jay Gatsby goes to as a host to provide his guests with everything they could ever want and need while also using the opportunity to show his great wealth. Jay Gatsby’s parties exhibit the society’s value of power. During the events Jay Gatsby throws for his friends, he is always in a powerful position. Most men in the roaring twenties felt in power when they were showing off their strength or dominating conversation. Jay Gatsby is different. He feels in control in when he is hidden among his peers, watching from afar: “[…] and this man Gatsby sent over his chauffeur with an invitation. For a moment he looked at me as if he failed to understand. ‘I’m Gatsby,’ he said suddenly. ‘What!’ 2012-03-01T17:40:03.6-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Social-Occasions-in-The-Great-Gatsby-34499.aspx The Great Gatsby short summary first 5 chapters James Gatz who is known as Jay Gatsby lived a poor life with his unwealthy parents who worked as farmers. He started by working with very low salaries, but when he met Dan cody who used to drink heavily he offered him an assistant position. After that Jay Gatsby met Daisy in which he fell with love but her parents didn’t allow her to see him even before going to war because of his unsuitable background in which he lived. Tom married Daisy and Daisy forgot about Jay Gatsby but after five years from war she found Gatsby who changed a lot for her but found her married with a child and this was a fact he couldn’t change. Jay Gatsby became very wealthy through committing crimes with Meyer Wolfshien, He thought being wealthy will 2012-01-28T16:01:58.973-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Great-Gatsby-short-summary-first-5-chapters-34448.aspx Summary of The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby Summary While The Great Gatsby is a highly specific portrait of American society during the Roaring Twenties, its story is also one that has been told hundreds of times, and is perhaps as old as America itself: a man claws his way from rags to riches, only to find that his wealth cannot afford him the privileges enjoyed by those born into the upper class. The central character is Jay Gatsby, a wealthy New Yorker of indeterminate occupation. Gatsby is primarily known for the lavish parties he throws each weekend at his ostentatious Gothic mansion in West Egg. He is suspected of being involved in illegal bootlegging and other underworld activities. The narrator, Nick Carraway, is Gatsby's neighbor in West Egg. Nick is a young man from a prominent Midwestern family. Educated at Yale, he has come to New York to enter the bond business. In some sense, the novel is Nick's memoir, his unique view of the events of the summer of 1922; as such, his impressions and observations necessarily color the narrative as a whole. For the most part, he plays only a peripheral role in the events of the novel; he prefers to remain a passive observer. Upon arriving in New York, Nick visits his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and her husband, Tom. The Buchanans live in the posh Long Island district of East Egg; Nick, like Gatsby, resides in nearby West Egg, a less fashionable area looked down upon by those who live in East Egg. West Egg is home to the nouveau riche, people who lack established social connections, and who tend to vulgarly flaunt their wealth. Like Nick, Tom Buchanan graduated from Yale, and comes from a privileged Midwestern family. Tom is a former football player, a brutal bully obsessed with the preservation of class boundaries. Daisy, by contrast, is an almost ghostlike young woman who affects an air of sophisticated boredom. At the Buchanans's, Nick meets Jordan Baker, a beautiful young woman with a cold, cynical manner. The two later become romantically involved. Jordan tells Nick that Tom has been having an affair with Myrtle Wilson, a woman who lives in the valley of ashes, ­ an industrial wasteland outside of New York City. After visiting Tom and Daisy, Nick goes home to West Egg; there, he sees Gatsby gazing at a mysterious green light across the bay. Gatsby stretches his arms out toward 2011-12-18T10:43:53.477-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Summary-of-The-Great-Gatsby-34396.aspx Jay Gatsby Idealism and Failure This essay discusses the ideas of idealism and failure as presented in The Great Gatsby. I Introduction F. Scott Fitzgerald is more strongly associated with the 1920’s than any other writer. He is generally considered the voice of his generation, but his insight into human behavior means that he is never out of print, for his flawed heroes and heroines speak to all of us. Perhaps no one is more fully drawn than Jay Gatsby: a self-made millionaire who retains his idealism, and in so doing, is destroyed by it. II Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby’s Idealism Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby’s best friend, narrates The Great Gatsby to us. Of course there is a literary device known as an “unreliable narrator,” someone who tells us the story but deliberately lies for some purpose of his or her own, but that isn’t the case here. Nick, though obviously biased in Gatsby’s favor as any friend would be, still gives us a straightforward account of the events. He passes harsh judgment on the Buchanans, but there is no reason to believe that his description of what actually happened is faulty. Jay Gatsby is an idealist, someone who believes in his vision of things as they ought to be, not as they really are. It’s important to note that Gatsby is not unblemished: there is a strong indication, though it is never actually proven, that he made his money bootlegging. Still, Gatsby has not been corrupted by his wealth, and in that he differs radically from the Buchanans, arguably the villains of the piece. Gatsby loved Daisy, lost track of her, and found her again, now married to Tom Buchanan. He realizes he has never stopped loving her, and sets out to win her back. In so doing, he acts upon his beliefs, rather than the facts; an example of his idealism. Nick tells us in the first pages of the novel that he doesn’t want to hear any more “revelations” about the human heart; that he is sick of confidences and learning other people’s business. The only person he exempts from this is Gatsby; Gatsby, who “represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn.” (Fitzgerald, p. 2). But Gatsby, despite the money that ordinarily would have driven Carraway away, is precious to him. And this is because of his idealism, which is what 2011-10-27T13:26:42.46-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Jay-Gatsby-Idealism-and-Failure-34183.aspx Reality of Dreams Reality of Dreams Who can say they have never dreamed? Every person has had a dream. Every person has strived to obtain their dream. Every person also has had obstacles in their way that prevented and delayed them from achieving their dreams. Reality is that many “dreams” are defined as dreams because their relative difficulty to come in reality or they are not common in occurrence; for if dreams were to be reached by all of society they would not be called dreams yet only mile stone in your life that is easy to come by. Many different people have many different dreams, each differing in concepts such things as a dream to have world peace or a dream that is widely shared with people like getting into a respected institute after high school. Yet even though these dreams differ in size and complexity each has their own set of hurdles PER SE that you must get over to reach your dream what ever it maybe. Depending on the set of hurdles and the person themselves these dreams they long for may or many not be achieved. Most people's dreams are not just affected by the person's actions yet it is intertwined with other peoples actions; this in turn this may alter the chance your dream may come true in either a positive or negative fashion. The fact is that life has it's challenges that depending on the situation as well as the person it may or may not lead the objective we have in our mind, our dreams. The truth behind dreams are that they have to be difficult to achieve for if they were not then most likely that dream is not worth working or longing for. This is true in human society and even in the fiction novels written; this aspect in life that we must struggle to gain our goals is so fundamentally laid down in our culture as people that we include it as a basic human trait. In the novel The Great Gatsby, written by profound author F. Scott Fitzgerald, he demonstrates the humanly characteristics of his characters by giving them dreams and obstacles they must pass to reach their dreams. This is most true with the character Gatsby. In the story Gatsby has a dream that we are very well affiliated 2009-04-10T06:46:02-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Reality-of-Dreams--34054.aspx The Colorful American Dream Symbolism in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is the complex story set to the scandalous background of 1920s New York City. It tells the tale of Jay Gatsby, a young man who bootlegs and gambles to achieve wealth, only to impress his first love, a whimsical spoiled girl named Daisy Buchanan. Daisy, unfortunately, is married to a hulking brute of a man, Tom Buchanan. Gatsby’s one goal—his soul purpose for living—is to have Daisy, despite her marriage; he truly believes that he can erase the last five years and live like he was seventeen with Daisy. Fitzgerald paints the picture of the inevitable demise of Gatsby’s perverted dream with symbolism. By using the colors gold/yellow, silver, white, and green, the reader comprehends the true contrast in characters and the American dream. The first, and most prominent of the colors is yellow or gold which Fitzgerald uses to represent money and wealth—a thing most of his characters have since they are superfluously wealthy. For instance, Gatsby tends to throw wild, extravagant parties, which attract a number of the idle rich. Two such guests remain nameless but are referred to as the “two girls in twin yellow dresses” (42). Like most of his guests, the girls do not know Gatsby, but are at his house dancing, drinking, and flirting, with no intentions to demonstrate any responsibility for any bad action—something rich snobs are raised to do. Another example comes when Fitzgerald uses color to describe Daisy Buchanan’s prodigal childhood. She went to parties and engaged in general spoiled snobbery “while a hundred pairs of golden and silver slippers shuffled the shining dust” (151). Her whole life has been a series of parties, people, and purposelessness—with countless wallowing in their wealth. Another color Fitzgerald uses is silver which also represents money, but heaven as well. An interesting contrast between Gatsby and the other affluent characters is that Gatsby is only rich for an innocent purpose to love a girl, while the others love their money more than any person besides, maybe, themselves. Gatsby is painted to be more pure of heart than the others. When Nick, Daisy’s cousin and Gatsby’s eventual lone friend, first encounters Gatsby, he sees him standing on his lawn under “the silver pepper of the stars” (20)—the beautiful clear night that displays heaven. Later 2007-06-03T18:44:13-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Colorful-American-Dream-Symbolism-in-The-Great-Gatsby-33247.aspx Great Gatsby's Love for Daisy What is love? Is love when someone is obsessed with someone to the point of doing anything for them or idolizing everything they are to a point of extremes? Can someone love someone else when they could actually be in love with the idea this certain someone has of this object of their affection? Gatsby idolizes Daisy as this perfect being rather than a person that Gatsby actually loves. He is tied to her in her past without any of the constraints of the social world as if he loves her back when they first met. Gatsby is in denial that Daisy has moved on with her life and doesn’t even seem to realize most of the time that she is married and has a child or social responsibilities. Gatsby thinks that he can just be with Daisy without any conflicts arising. Not only this but he seems to have to prove himself to her even thought he doesn’t see these conflicts. Gatsby is stuck in a surreal life with Daisy as if he stepped back in time and they first met. Gatsby keeps recollecting to the past and it is so often that he actually thinks Daisy and he are back in the previous times and they are deeply in love with one another without too much care for anything at all. Gatsby feels as if Daisy is in love with him as much as he is with her. It doesn’t make sense that Gatsby doesn’t realize she has changed and he is still stuck in this limbo of a world where he can’t define what is the past and what is the present. Nick observes, “He had been full of the idea so long, dreamed it right through to the end, waited with his teeth set, so to speak, at an inconceivable pitch of intensity” (97). It seems that Daisy causes Gatsby to go to this dream world that he has made in his mind and it is the past he is dreaming since that is the only thing about him that hasn’t changed over the course of the years after and before the war. Gatsby is so in love that he cannot see other things around the area that are obvious to a slight extreme which is alarming. He is probably stuck 2007-03-06T03:08:52-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Great-Gatsby-s-Love-for-Daisy-32747.aspx Nick Carraway of The Great Gatsby Nick Carraway of The Great Gatsby Nick Carraway, the narrator, is a young man from the Midwest of the USA who, having graduated from Yale in 1915 and fought in World War I, has returned home to begin a career. Like others in his generation, he is restless and has decided to move East to New York and learn the bond business. The novel opens early in the summer of 1922 in West Egg, Long Island, where Nick has rented a house. Next to his place is a huge mansion complete with Gothic towers and a large swimming pool which belongs to a Mr. Gatsby, whom Nick has not yet met. Directly across the bay from West Egg is the more fashionable community of East Egg where Tom and Daisy Buchanan live. Daisy is Nick´s cousin, and Tom had been in the same senior society as Nick in New Haven. Like Nick they are Midwesterners who have come East to be a part of the glamour of the New York City area. They invite Nick to dinner at their mansion and here he meets a young women golfer named Jordan Baker. During dinner Mrs. Myrtle Wilson rings. She lives in a strange place between West Egg and New York City that the narrator calls the “valley of ashes.” One day Tom takes Nick to meet the Wilsons but the party breaks up as Tom breaks Myrtles nose with a blow of his open hand because she has mentioned the name of his wife in a discussion. Some weeks later Nick finally gets the opportunity to meet his mysterious neighbour Mr. Gatsby. Gatsby gives huge parties and people come from everywhere to attend these parties, but no one seems to know much about the host. Nick becomes fascinated by Gatsby and observes that he does not drink. One day Nick and Gatsby drive to New York together. Gatsby tells Nick that he is from a wealthy family in the Midwest, that he was educated at Oxford, and that he won war medals from many European countries. At tea that afternoon Nick finds out from Jordan Baker why Gatsby has taken such an interest in him: Gatsby is in love with Daisy Buchanan and wants Nick to arrange a meeting between them. Gatsby had fallen in love with Daisy as a young officer in 1917. He had been sent overseas, and she 2007-02-02T18:18:22-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Nick-Carraway-of-The-Great-Gatsby-32556.aspx Jay Gatsby as Representation of Magic in the Great Gatsby Jay Gatsby as Representation of Magic in the Great Gatsby Magicians are known for the tricks that they play on the eyes. What often seems like magic, turns out to be just a careful flick of the wrist. In the book The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzerald, the magician is compared to the character of Jay Gatsby. The magician motif is used among other tools to prove that appearance is not always reality. The higher class throws sophisticated and glamorous parties that include many interesting people. They have fun and show off their fortunes with the grand affairs. Jay Gatsby is described as a rich, powerful man, and mysterious man, but all his fortune is made for a simple cause, the love of the beautiful Daisy Fay Buchanan. He is compared to a magician because he gives an appearance of being in a higher class than he really belongs to. Gatsby strives to appear to be high class, but reality ends up hurting him hard in the end. Gatsby's money was not earned legally or inherited as a fortune from his great uncle, but was made through illegal schemes. Gatsby's goal is to try to seem to be in a higher social class than the class where his birthright put him. He creates the illusion of a higher stature. He does not care about the money or any other material wealth. He cares about the love of a woman. Gatsby makes many illusions in hopes of showing his Daisy that he is in a class as high as hers and that they do belong together. What a magician does is deceive his audience. Jay Gatsby has to do that to make his audience believe that he belongs to a higher class than he was really born into. The word "great" is often used to announce a magician. The title of the book is the introduction of the character of Jay Gatsby. He is the great magician that can create magic and fool all the spectators around him. Jay Gatsby throws wonderful parties to give the mirage of great wealth and high class. Only the most interesting people are invited. The thing is that he does not care for the people, but only of what they think of him. He does not show his own face, but gives the impression of someone really lavish by the parties and the guests. At 2007-01-12T04:12:23-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Jay-Gatsby-as-Representation-of-Magic-in-the-Great-Gatsby-32408.aspx Corruption of Society in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby In this paper, I will prove that the novel The Great Gatsby shows the American Dream as a corrupt idea. My proof will be based upon the juxtaposition of Jay Gatsby's and Myrtle Wilson's deaths, the wealth of Jay Gatsby and his desire for Daisy, and the immoral actions of the characters in this novel. When writing The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald made a point to reflect his feeling that the American Dream could not be reached because it is an imperfect and corrupt idea. He used his characters to do so. Fitzgerald's characters are divided into three groups, each of which shows a different perspective of Fitzgerald's theme. The wealthy are portrayed in two groups: the East Eggers and the West Eggers. The East Eggers are old money and look down upon the West Eggers because they are new money. This relationship demonstrates the corruption of the American Dream through the discrimination by the East Eggers and through the crooked ways that the West Eggers have found to get rich. The poor in the novel, represented by George and Myrtle Wilson, show the longing for wealth and their dishonest chase of that dream. Because this novel is written mostly around the wealthy of New York, the flaws of the American Dream are easy to recognize. Fitzgerald shows the idea that the American Dream is flawed through the juxtaposed deaths of Jay and Myrtle. The juxtaposition of Jay and Myrtle's deaths is realized through looking at their history. In The Great Gatsby, Jay is a man who comes from no money. In his early twenties, when he meets Daisy who is of an aristocratic family, Jay decides that he will do anything he must to make enough money to marry Daisy. When the action of this novel begins, Jay has already worked his way up to a wealthy lifestyle and is in the process of getting Daisy to fall in love with him again. Immediately in the first chapter, we see that Jay is living the American Dream when Nick describes his mansion as a colossal affair¦spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn and garden. Although Jay is living the American Dream in all of his wealth, he is unhappy without the love of Daisy. At the opposite cliche, Myrtle Wilson is very poor. Myrtle lives 2007-01-08T03:35:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Corruption-of-Society-in-Fitzgerald-s-The-Great-Gatsby-32269.aspx American Lifestyles in the Great Gatsby American Lifestyles in the Great Gatsby In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is a mysterious man living in the West Egg district of Long Island. Gatsby is extremely wealthy and owns a mansion with a large swimming pool, a fancy car, and dozens of servants. Every Saturday night, he throws extravagant parties which many people, most of whom haven't even been invited, attend. No one really knows anything about Gatsby, except that he is rich and generous. However, many rumors are created about him. Some say that he was a German spy during the war and some say that he killed a man. As the summer progresses, Nick Carraway the narrator who is also Gatsby's neighbor, learns more about who Gatsby really is, or rather who he isn't and reasons why he lives his life as he does. Nick doesn't approve of Gatsby's lifestyle and the way he earns his money, but nevertheless he sees Gatsby as superior to those who surround him. Nick admires the romantic hope that motivates Gatsby to pursue his dreams. Jay Gatsby's greatness is a result of his naive belief that he can make his dreams a reality. In the beginning of the novel, Nick sums up Gatsby's character and the reasons why he respects him. "...Gatsby who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him...This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name if the 'creative temperament'--it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which is not likely I shall ever find again."(6) Nick makes it very clear that he doesn't agree with the way Gatsby makes and uses his money. Although Nick comes from a very wealthy family himself, he was taught to work hard for his money. Nevertheless, he does find himself admiring Gatsby. He values Gatsby's hope, no matter how false it is, that one day he will have a life with the woman whom he loves. Wealthy people often use their money to get everything they have always wanted for themselves, but Gatsby uses his money to get everything that he thinks Daisy has always wanted in hopes of winning her back. Gatsby believes in the possibility of 2007-01-03T21:08:29-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/American-Lifestyles-in-the-Great-Gatsby-32195.aspx Failed Dreams in the Great Gatsby Failed Dreams in the Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about one man’s pursuit of the American Dream and his downfall as he tries to reach this imaginary goal. Although the dream is different for each person, the principal idea behind the dream is if an individual is determined to reach a goal, he or she has of chance of achieving wealth, and the happiness that accompanies it. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby believes that one can acquire happiness through the accumulation of wealth and power. Jay Gatsby is a visible example of the success and the failure of the American Dream. Gatsby is living the American Dream. Initially, he appears to be a self-made, wealthy man, and is a remarkable example of how hard work can lead to material prosperity. Gatsby exhibits that it is possible to achieve wealth and success through determination. Although he is the child of “unsuccessful farm people” he manages to cross this social barrier and overcome his modest childhood. He is able to raise himself to his high social stature through hard work and perseverance. The one reason that Gatsby is determined to achieve material wealth is to recapture the love that he once shared with Daisy. Gatsby’s interpretation of the American Dream is where the charming hero-himself, becomes extremely successful and affluent and wins the love back of the “beautiful damsel in distress.” Gatsby throws extravagant parties to try to impress Daisy. He tries to live out his dream of being reunited with her, and reliving the past love that they shared. During one of these parties, Nick and Jordan come across Gatsby’s impressive library that is filled with books. As they came into the library, they came across a man who was astonished at the fact that the books in Gatsby’s library were “absolutely real-have pages and everything” (50), but these books were unread. The pages were not cut, signifying that the books were never opened and were put there for show. This illustrates the somewhat shallow, false side of Gatsby. Although he is personified as a high class, intelligent man, this personification starts to diminish when his superficial side is shown. Gatsby embodies the mores of the American Dream. He comes from a poor childhood in the West, 2006-12-29T15:12:14-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Failed-Dreams-in-the-Great-Gatsby-32146.aspx Meaning of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby Meaning of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby The novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays a story about a man’s attempt to fulfill his American dream. Jimmy Gatz starts off in life poor and eventually finds himself hopelessly in love with a woman he thinks he cannot have because of his low social status and his lack of money. Early on in life, he boldly sets out to achieve a picture-perfect life of wealth and love. Jimmy Gatz transmutes his entire world, erasing his past and much of himself. Remaking himself as Jay Gatsby, he vows to live a wealthy, extravagant life with Daisy Buchanan, the woman of his dreams. Jay Gatsby pursues his dream through money, reinventing his past, and making Daisy part of this new world. The first step toward Gatsby’s wealth comes the day he meets Dan Cody on Dan’s rich, luxurious boat. Nick narrates, “To young Gatsby, resting on his oars and looking up at the railed deck, that yacht represented all the beauty and glamour in the world” (p. 90). Dan Cody takes Gatz under his wing and helps him toward his goal of becoming rich and reaching the acceptance in society that he desires. Gatsby’s wealth eventually leads him to the mansion in West Egg that becomes the center of his dream life. In many respects, this wealthy Long Island community represents, for Gatsby, what the New World did for the original settlers. It stands, in Gatsby’s mind, for a better, more affluent life, a place of refinement and class. It paves the pathway to Daisy, and he must establish himself so firmly in that community, that his right to be there could not be questioned. The American dream is wrapped in the opportunity to improve oneself and ones life. Gatsby feels he must erase his past in order to improve himself and create a seamless picture of a life of elegance. He loses his soul in trying to bury his roots; he tries to forget “Jimmy Gatz.” Gatsby says, “I am the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West-all dead now. I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford, because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years.”(p.60) In doing this, he reaches his destination but he does not reach 2006-12-20T02:24:21-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Meaning-of-the-American-Dream-in-the-Great-Gatsby-32115.aspx Wealth and Greed in the Great Gatsby Wealth and Greed in the Great Gatsby Wealth, greed and the problems that come from money are recurring themes in many stories, including The Great Gatsby. This book revolves around the relationships that develop because of money and the impact that money has on the characters and their behavior towards each other. In The Great Gatsby, people have big houses, nice cars and a privileged lifestyle. At first money is the entry to a lavish life, great parties, and a world of extravagance. Then in the end, it brings everyone down. Money creates more problems than it is worth. Jay Gatsby loves Daisy. She loves Jay Gatsby. Money gets in the way when Daisy tells Jay that he is not rich enough for her. Gatsby spends years making the money by becoming a bootlegger. He believes that this money would buy Daisy’s love, after all Daisy tells him that “rich girls don’t marry poor boys.” Jay Gatsby became a very rich man only after being rejected by Daisy because he does not have enough money. Gatsby wants Daisy so badly that he uses immoral and illegal ways to make his money. The irony is that he chooses a life of immoral and illegal behavior to get a woman, who in the end, he never gets. In fact, he looses everything, including his life. Another person affected by the impact of money and greed is George Wilson, a man who lives in the Valley Of Ashes, an industrial area in New York. This community is poverty stricken, a polluted industrial wasteland very much the opposite of the lavish life of the Eggs, where Daisy and Gatsby live. He owns a gas station and is married to Myrtle, Tom Buchanan’s lover. Myrtle becomes part of Tom’s lavish life and is seduced by the money she sees Tom spending on his beautiful lifestyle. She hopes to leave George but instead has a tragic accident. Myrtle runs into the street and is hit and killed by Daisy who is driving Gatsby’s car. . George becomes enraged and kills Gatsby and then kills himself. Unlike the rest of the characters in the story, George is not wealthy and corrupted by his money and greed. However, unfortunately the wealth and greed of 2006-12-07T15:37:09-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Wealth-and-Greed-in-the-Great-Gatsby-31929.aspx Progression of the Great Gatsby Progression of the Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is one the best books to reference the period of the 1920s. The book stood for tainted morals, and corruption between people and people, and business and business, and most of the time involving both. The message sent from the book shows us the success stories, and the all too familiar depression stories of the no job opportunities. You have to understand the mental state of the people of the Twenties. The American people had just gone through World War I. The economy was at the highest it’s ever been, and was constantly going up. Prohibition had come into affect in 1111,but the general response to alcohol was ignorance to any problem that arose from it. Flappers were big because of there seductive independence surrounding them. They were described as young, slim and covered in silk and furs, with vivid red cheeks and lips, plucked eyebrows and close-fitting- helmet of hair. The reality of women in the twenties was a strong push for social reform. More women in office jobs, sales, and service jobs. Women had just received the right to vote. But things wear not all great for the new aged women. Hospitals, law firms, and other organizations still did not want to hire women for work, or they paid considerable fewer amounts for the same line of work. The relevance to this fact is one that molds people into something there not meant to be. The poor where becoming rich and vice versa. Gatsby great life was sole accredited to his fortune made due to prohibition. People would come to these great and luxurious parties to only find no host and plenty of other things going on. They would talk of this Gatsby as if he was a killer or a murder because there was no other explanation to his absence. People took it to them selves to take advantage of the free alcohol and great party atmosphere just waiting at their fingertips. The title is remarkable to the book because if anyone heard of this young man Gatsby they would say that he was fortunate to be successful, but deep, deep inside he was torn up over his love for Daisy. The Great refers to ruler of leader, but the end 2006-12-05T15:39:12-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Progression-of-the-Great-Gatsby-31885.aspx Great Gatsby the Book Compared to the Film Great Gatsby the Book Compared to the Film The fact that I did not enjoy reading The Great Gatsby is irrelevant to the fact that I hated the movie. Though I didn’t enjoy the content of the book, I respect Fitzgerald. I respect the honesty that is reflected in his writing style. I respect the depiction of the era in which The Great Gatsby took place. This movie is an unbelievably terrible attempt at bringing this book on screen. The major insights made in the book don’t even have references made to them in the movie. The viewer never truly gets the feeling that he or she is in Nick’s head nor would the viewer understand the complexity of Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship had the viewer not read the book. The primary flaw with the movie is the unrealistic dialogue. Despite the cast of highly acclaimed actors, each conversation seemed staged and unnatural. Daisy’s frequent expressions were almost comical, as were the scenes that Tom was supposed to be in a rage. It truly was almost painful to watch parts of this movie. The movie also lacked a deeper meaning. The clearest theme that the movie presented was that of how money cannot buy happiness. Other important themes, like the difficulty with confronting the truth, or the disillusion of the times, were poorly represented. I concluded the reason being was because these themes were explored within the mind of Nick. In the book, Nick is a slightly dull bystander, who happens to fall into the world of these crazed lovers. But Nick is the reader’s link to the truth. He is able to see things, and make sense of them for the reader. The movie does not create such a character for Nick. He is much to boring to focus on, considering Robert Redford plays opposite him as Gatsby. Redford’s good looks and far more interesting character are a much more profitable investment. Therefore the viewer is robbed of the many 1920 ideals explored by Fitzgerald. In all honesty, our group could not even bring ourselves to finishing the movie. The movie droned on and on, and we had a lot of other things to do. Even though I said I did not enjoy the content of this book, I value the many lessons it attempted to relay to the reader. Lessons like the ease of 2006-12-04T21:14:09-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Great-Gatsby-the-Book-Compared-to-the-Film-31867.aspx Great Gatsby the Book Compared to the Film Great Gatsby the Book Compared to the Film The fact that I did not enjoy reading The Great Gatsby is irrelevant to the fact that I hated the movie. Though I didn’t enjoy the content of the book, I respect Fitzgerald. I respect the honesty that is reflected in his writing style. I respect the depiction of the era in which The Great Gatsby took place. This movie is an unbelievably terrible attempt at bringing this book on screen. The major insights made in the book don’t even have references made to them in the movie. The viewer never truly gets the feeling that he or she is in Nick’s head nor would the viewer understand the complexity of Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship had the viewer not read the book. The primary flaw with the movie is the unrealistic dialogue. Despite the cast of highly acclaimed actors, each conversation seemed staged and unnatural. Daisy’s frequent expressions were almost comical, as were the scenes that Tom was supposed to be in a rage. It truly was almost painful to watch parts of this movie. The movie also lacked a deeper meaning. The clearest theme that the movie presented was that of how money cannot buy happiness. Other important themes, like the difficulty with confronting the truth, or the disillusion of the times, were poorly represented. I concluded the reason being was because these themes were explored within the mind of Nick. In the book, Nick is a slightly dull bystander, who happens to fall into the world of these crazed lovers. But Nick is the reader’s link to the truth. He is able to see things, and make sense of them for the reader. The movie does not create such a character for Nick. He is much to boring to focus on, considering Robert Redford plays opposite him as Gatsby. Redford’s good looks and far more interesting character are a much more profitable investment. Therefore the viewer is robbed of the many 1920 ideals explored by Fitzgerald. In all honesty, our group could not even bring ourselves to finishing the movie. The movie droned on and on, and we had a lot of other things to do. Even though I said I did not enjoy the content of this book, I value the many lessons it attempted to relay to the reader. Lessons like the ease of 2006-12-04T21:10:59-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Great-Gatsby-the-Book-Compared-to-the-Film-31866.aspx Geography and The Great Gatsby The geography in The Great Gatsby contribute to the setting, character development, and the tone of critical events. The setting is important because Fitzgerald uses setting to reveal character. Where people live determines what they do, telling the reader the kind of person they are. Weather often matches the emotional tone of events. The setting of The Great Gatsby is divided into four major areas: West and East Egg, the valley of ashes, and New York City. West Egg is a representation of people who would not be accepted in East Egg because they are newly rich and are not yet socially adapted to the lifestyle. East Egg is where people who are not strangers to wealth live; therefore, they do not need to be pretentious with there money. Tom and Daisy Buchanan support the East Egg theory because they are accustomed to the lavish lifestyle money offers and are comfortable in their financial situation whereas Gatsby supports the contrasted West Egg where he shows off his money to try and win Daisy’s love. New York City is where affairs, making money through bootlegging, and wild parties thrive. The apartment Tom rents out for his affair with Myrtle is here and is home to characters, such as Owl Eyes, who attend Gatsby’s parties. New York is also where Gatsby made his fortune bootlegging liquor. It is for these reasons that New York symbolizes the decay of the American Dream. The valley of ashes is a grey area between the traditions of the Midwest and the moral decay of the East. George lives in the valley of ashes and works so he and Myrtle can have a better life, but it is in the valley of ashes where Tom and Myrtle have their affair, Daisy kills Myrtle while driving Gatsby’s car, and where George decides to kill Gatsby. Fitzgerald’s idea of using setting to dictate morals is reinforced by the larger contrast between the Midwest and the East coast, the real moral of the novel. Tom, Daisy, Nick, and Gatsby came from the Midwest, and The Great Gatsby was about how they each reacted to life on the East Coast. For Gatsby, the outcome was death, and for Tom and Daisy, there were no consequences because they had money. Nick comes to New York as a bondsman, witnesses all 2006-11-26T01:10:04-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Geography-and-The-Great-Gatsby-31834.aspx Color in The Great Gatsby Colors affect the mood and emphasize the importance of events in a novel. The concept of color symbolism is prominent in The Great Gatsby. White, yellow, blue, and green affect the atmosphere of scenes through association with a specific mood. When analyzed, the frequent use of color and its relevance can be identified. The color white and light tones are associated with purity, innocence and benevolence. This idea is holds true in the novel when Nick describes the room in Tom’s house where Daisy and Jordan are introduced. He describes the room as “bright” (12) and the windows as “gleaming white against the grass” (12). The dresses Jordan and Daisy are wearing are also described as “white” (12). On page 24, Daisy and Jordan’s “girlhood” is described as “beautiful [and] white”. Childhood represents innocence and because the color white is associated with it, white becomes a representation of innocence. The affect the color white creates is the impression of a pure, clean environment, and that Jordan and Daisy are the same. In the text, there is no prior discussion of Tom’s house or Daisy and Jordan which causes the reader to believe they are pure and good. Yellow is a representation of falsity and corruption of events or characters in The Great Gatsby. The significance of yellow is to show through imagery that not everything is as it seems. In the beginning of the novel, Daisy and Jordan are wearing white dresses, giving the illusion of purity. With the progression of the storyline, Daisy and Jordan’s clothes slowly change from white to a golden yellow as the characters impurities are revealed. The color yellow is also present in descriptions of Myrtle. Myrtle’s dress in the party scene is described by Nick as “cream colored” (35). “With the influence of the dress, her personality had also undergone a change” (35). When Myrtle wears the yellowish dress, every aspect about her person changes into something fake. In Myrtle, the color yellow is a clear representation of dishonesty because she pretends to be something she is not. The effect the color yellow has on the description of characters is to point out the dishonesty they have. Yellow is also a symbol of corruption. Gatsby’s car is the car that killed Myrtle and is described as “a yellow 2006-11-26T00:58:08-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Color-in-The-Great-Gatsby-31832.aspx Exploring Reality in the Great Gatsby Exploring Reality in the Great Gatsby In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is one who follows his dreams as though they are reality. He strives to construct his own perfect world. He builds his life of wealth and luxury in hopes of attracting an old love interest, Daisy. Gatsby’s power accrues and eventually creates his own destruction. In Gatsby’s world, little is actually reality. Everything about Gatsby is fake: his name, his past, his money, his friends, his ideas and his house. “For a while these reveries provided an outlet for his imagination; they were a satisfactory hint of the unreality of reality, a promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy’s wing” (105). He can not see the fine line between reality and fantasy. His mansion is the center of all that is fake where there is little that is unaffected. When Nick, Daisy’s cousin, observes Gatsby’s parties, he notices that Gatsby himself has little to do with his guests. Is this because he is a poor host? No. Gatsby’s guests come for the party. Since it is during the period of prohibition, Gatsby’s a bootlegger and his house is one of many places which people can obtain alcohol. He continues to throw elegant, expensive parties, in which he observes the gayety in hopes that one day Daisy will appear. Week after week he waits for her. He has spent the past five years creating a life to which he thinks Daisy will be attracted. Previously, Gatsby’s mentor, Dan Cody, introduced him to a world of wealth. “The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God- a phrase which, if it means anything, means just- and he must be about His Father’s Business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty” (104).He spied Cody’s yacht out on Lake Superior when he was seventeen. Gatsby rowed out to the massive boat and Cody questioned him. Cody was impressed with Gatsby’s striking personality. Cody then hired Gatsby to work on the ship, which was where they became good friends. “He was employed in a vague personal capacity – while he remained with Cody he was in run steward, 2006-11-17T01:38:46-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Exploring-Reality-in-the-Great-Gatsby-31775.aspx Character Analyses from the Great Gatsby Character Analyses from the Great Gatsby Many characters were responsible, in part, for the death of Jay Gatsby, the main character of The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, but each to his or her own degree. Tom Buchanan, a wealthy member of a socially solid old family, played a minor and relatively indirect role in the death of Gatsby. Daisy Buchanan, a beautiful socialite married to Tom, very selfishly used Gatsby to better herself at all costs, one of those being Gatsby’s death, but, although she was directly responsible, she was not most responsible for the death of Gatsby. Gatsby himself was most responsible for his own death by blindly doing anything he had to win the love of and protect Daisy. Tom Buchanan played a relatively minor role in Gatsby’s death. Tom is a man whom Gatsby views as very insignificant, a minor obstacle in his way to Daisy. When Gatsby was off at war, leaving Daisy alone and vulnerable, Tom “…came down with a hundred people, in four private cars,”(82) and he blinded her with money and social status, something that Gatsby didn’t have at the time. Daisy married Tom soon after and they had a child together. Gatsby does not see Tom as a threat because he does not believe that Daisy had ever loved Tom. But Daisy did love Tom, and she continues to love the money and social status that goes with the marriage. Tom and the child are what keeps Daisy from permanently being with Gatsby. If Tom were not around, Gatsby would have Daisy, and there would be no conflict leading to Gatsby’s death. Tom, just by being married to Daisy, plays a role in the death of Gatsby, but that role is minor and indirect. Daisy plays a more important and direct role in Gatsby’s death than Tom. Daisy is very self-centered and needy. She always wants to feel loved and important, and she will do anything to feel that way, even if it hurts others. Daisy was very much in love with Gatsby prior to his departure for the war, and she continued to love him up to her wedding day, where she was found “…drunk as a monkey…with a letter in the other [hand],”(81). It was a letter from Gatsby. She did 2006-11-17T01:10:02-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Character-Analyses-from-the-Great-Gatsby-31764.aspx Emptiness in the Great Gatsby Emptiness in the Great Gatsby In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrays the emptiness of a very meretricious society. Many people in today’s materialistic world are just hollow, but some have a dream, which turns into a goal. In many cases this dream might be pursued, but for some people it becomes a superficial vision. Through the use of symbolism and characterization in the novel and Eliot’s poem the blindness of people in depicted; the only person with any substance is Gatsby, but in the end, his dream becomes artificial as well. Through the use of characterization, Fitzgerald shows how most characters in the novel have no desire; however Gatsby did, he had “an extraordinary gift for hope.” For example, Nick saw Gatsby as the “best of the bunch,” because he had this “grand dream,” but in the end he turned out to be “blind,” just like the rest of the characters. According to T.S Eliot, in The Hollow Men, we are the silent listeners; who are “empty, filled with straw.” For example, the characters in The Great Gatsby, were empty just like the hollow men in the poem. We cannot stand on our own, “we are leaning together,” because we have no substance. Gatsby, unlike the other materialistic characters, captures his dream, but it’s empty. However, most people are so hollow that they don’t even have a dream. Daisy is Gatsby’s past; she is his dream, which he tries to attain. The characters in the book are so meretricious they do not know what to do; they cannot move because of a “paralyzed force.” The characters are restricted to a “spiritually empty world,” because of this force that inhibits them, from acting upon their dreams. Through the use of symbolism, Fitzgerald also portrays the emptiness in the characters. According to T.S Elliot, “those who have crossed/ with direct eyes to deaths other Kingdom/ remember us.” The “direct eyes” refuse to see the world around them, just like the characters. This revelation explains the unsettling eyes of Dr. T.J Eckleburg, peering down from their signboard on the valley of the ashes. The eyes are disturbing because they have no fixed meaning, and they seem to stare down at the surface of the world without asking it to mean anything. George 2006-11-02T15:33:30-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Emptiness-in-the-Great-Gatsby-31667.aspx The Artistry of James Gatz in the Great Gatsby The Artistry of James Gatz in the Great Gatsby During The Great Gatsby it is apparent that the author F. Scott Fitzgerald hints countless times of the recurring theme in the novel, “unreal” or “illusory” things. More specifically, he links this concept of unreality to his main character Jay Gatsby. Gatsby has conjured up his opulent lifestyle out of ambition and desire for a woman. This woman is Daisy Buchanan, his long lost love of many years. Gatsby as a young lieutenant tried to woo Daisy but was unsuccessful because of two separate theories. Reality: he wasn’t in the same wealthy social class Daisy was from (she was old money and Gatsby at that point was no money). Or the unreality: he had to go off and fight in the war and lost contact with her, which is the theory Gatsby himself must would like to have believed in. However, to make sure the “reality” theory wasn’t genuine, Gatsby pursued the American dream. The dream many have to make uncountable amounts of money in a short period of time. By pursuing this American dream and also Daisy, he unknowingly created himself as an illusion, something made just for show in order to acquire something. Gatsby’s goals are tainted by unreality, and later is the trigger to his unfortunate decease. Fitzgerald has blatantly hinted to the reader that Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy after the war could be labeled as a structured plan, “but now he found that he had committed to the following of the grail (156).” The author deliberately put that line in the story to show that Gatsby’s mission for Daisy is nothing but a mid-evil crusade. There are many ideas Gatsby attempts to execute to try to harness this “grail”. Gatsby purposely bought a mansion in West Egg right across the bay from Daisy’s house. Also, he gets Jordan Baker to ask Nick (the narrator) to invite Daisy to his house for tea. This is done to make it more convenient for Gatsby to “inadvertently” meet the woman he has loved for so long. Daisy’s meeting of Gatsby is very indistinguishable from the start. They meet and as Nick explains: “For half a minute there wasn’t a sound. Then from the living room I heard sort of a choking murmur and part of a laugh followed by Daisy’s voice on a clear artificial note ‘I certainly am awfully 2006-10-28T19:41:25-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Artistry-of-James-Gatz-in-the-Great-Gatsby-31592.aspx Character Analysis of Jay Gatsby Character Analysis of Jay Gatsby Jay Gatsby, the focal point of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, started out as a poor boy helplessly in love with a rich girl. He then left to serve for his country in the war, leaving Daisy his love, behind. After returning from the war, Jay Gatsby, both generous and mysterious devoted his life to winning back his lost love Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby is generous by throwing parties, buying things for others, and offering help for a friend in need. Gatsby’s parties are major gala events open to everyone. A typical Gatsby party usually consists of a few hundred guests, plentiful food and drinks, and live music with a huge tent for everyone to dance under. A good time is had by all at Gatsby’s expense. During one of these parties a woman tore her dress on a chair. Gatsby then proceeded to obtain her name and address. About a week later the woman received a new evening gown valued at $265, complements of Jay Gatsby. The woman was one of the many guests who were welcomed and didn’t need a formal invitation. This shows his generosity because he didn’t even know who she was but still felt compelled to replace her dress. It appeared to Gatsby that Nick was in need of a job and some extra money, so he offered Nick a job working for him in his business. Even though Nick declined the offer this was still a significant act of friendship and trust on Gatsby’s behalf. In offering a friend this job he was risking his own security because his business isn’t completely legal. He is not only generous with his money but also considerate of the needs of his friends. Jay Gatsby is mysterious in all aspects of his life. To maintain his image he has worked so hard to obtain, Gatsby lies to Nick by telling him that he inherited his fortune by being, “the son of some wealthy people in the mid-west,” who are now, “all dead”(69). People know so little about him that he feels it is necessary to lie to gain respect and maintain his classy image. He is so insecure about 2006-10-27T19:30:06-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Character-Analysis-of-Jay-Gatsby-31564.aspx Gatsby’s Pursuit of Ideals Gatsby’s Pursuit of Ideals In Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the protagonist, Jay Gatsby, is transformed from a poor working class boy to a wealthy romantic, all due to his pursuit of ideals. The Ideals that Gatsby strives to achieve are: the acquisition of wealth, re-defining his character in pursuit of perfection, and attaining his ideal romantic love. His first Ideal is to escape the working class and attain a position in the upper class. When Gatsby was young he was nothing more than a salmon fisher and a clam digger; just so he could survive. The turning point in his life is when he meets Dan Cody, Who allows Gatsby to work for him. As Gatsby works with Cody he gets accustom to the luxurious life style, and is taught to idealize wealth. The life style is latter ripped from him when Cody dies, even though Dan Cody’s will stated that Gatsby is to receive his fortunes, Gatsby never does because of a law suite against him. After the Great War, Gatsby Goes into illegal business; he works with a man who had fixed the worlds Tennis cup, and they owned a chin of pharmacies that sold grain alcohol over the counter at times when all alcohol was prohibited. Gatsby’s reasons his wealth are not solely due to this life style that he is grown accustom to, he also tries to impress his love Daisy. That is why he has the car he does and the sumptuous mansion that contains a library that is modeled after one in a university with thousands of new books. However, in order to impress his love he needs something more than just lavish items. An other ideal of Gatsby is the pursuit of perfection, because he started to idealize characters who are perfect, in his eyes, and so he began to revolutionize his own character to achieve perfection in himself; in order to have Daisy. Not only is Gatsby trying to reach perfection but he is also trying to attain a place in the upper class. Even though Gatsby only when to Oxford for a mere five month, he picked up the saying: “old sport” when he is referring to someone because he thinks it will help him to get into the upper class that he so desires to be in. It is not just the way the Gatsby speaks the he re-defines but the 2006-09-10T22:24:45-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Gatsby’s-Pursuit-of-Ideals--31435.aspx Foolishness of Jay Gatsby Foolishness of Jay Gatsby Narrated by a man’s neighbor, who never judges people, The Great Gatsby, a novel composed by F. Scott Fitzgerald, tells a tale of a man who tries to recreate a relationship with a woman whom he left to fight in World War I. Although separated by an expanse of water and social heritage, this man, James Gatz, or otherwise known as Jay Gatsby, tries to regain his former love, even though she has a husband and a daughter. Gatsby becomes a foolish person because of his blind pursuit of his former love. Although Gatsby’s quest could have developed into something admirable, he should consider himself foolish. Gatsby’s search for his former love, Daisy Buchanan, is a blind and sightless pursuit. Gatsby displays this in many ways. He moves into West Egg so that he can see the light on Daisy’s dock and have an unreal connection with her. He throws fabulous parties every two weeks, hoping that Daisy will come to one and meet him there. Described by Nick as “At least once a fortnight a corps of caterers came down with several hundred feet of canvas and enough colored lights to make a Christmas tree of his [Gatsby’s] enormous garden” (44) these parties were a sight indeed. Gatsby also breaks the law by illegally selling liquor during the prohibition era. He does this to make money and to impress Daisy. Gatsby also thinks that repeating the past is possible. The first time Gatsby sees Daisy after he left for the war he acts as if nothing had happened and that he had stayed home the whole time. Gatsby thinks it possible to repeat the past when he says, “’can’t repeat the past, why of course you can!’” (116). He also invites Daisy over to Nick’s house for tea and picks up the conversation just as if there had been no war. Gatsby also raises money illegally by selling liquor during the prohibition era to show off his wealth and to impress Daisy. Gatsby raises money by starting a chain of ‘drugstores’ (with Meyer Wolfshiem )that sell illegal liquor, a rich gambler and bootlegger. Tom tells it like it is: “He and Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drugstores here...and sold grain alcohol over the counter”(141). Gatsby becomes an extremely foolish man here, because he puts 2006-08-27T21:57:45-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Foolishness-of-Jay-Gatsby-31324.aspx The Great Gatsby Plot and Character Summary The Great Gatsby Plot and Character Summary The Great Gatsby is a story told by Nick Carraway, who was once Gatsby’s neighbor. Nick Carraway grew up in the Midwestern United States and went to school at Yale University. After this, he was stationed in France during World War I. Returning home after traveling a great deal, he is unhappy and decides to move to the East at the beginning of the summer of 1922, renting a broken down house in Long Island's West Egg section. He begins working in nearby New York City as a bondsman and it is here that his story begins. Jay Gatsby is a wealthy neighbor living next door in an extravagant mansion where he holds many excessive weekend parties. His name is mentioned while Nick is visiting a relative, Daisy, living in the East Egg section on the other side of Long Island with her millionaire husband, Tom Buchanan. As it turns out, Jay Gatsby had met Daisy five years before while in the military and was rejected by her due to his lack of wealth and because he had been sent so far away in Europe for the war. Daisy was attracted by Tom's riches and his distinguished family background and married him. Meanwhile Gatsby spent all of his effort after the war to buy his mansion through shady business dealings in order to be nearer to Daisy in the hope that she would leave Tom for him. Nick is chosen to be the "matchmaker" and arranges a reunion for the two at his home. Daisy is impressed by Gatsby's wealth and the two begin spending much time together, raising the suspicions of Tom who had also upset Daisy by carrying on an affair with a gas station owner's wife, Myrtle Wilson. Jay no longer holds his weekend parties since Daisy hadn't liked them and he allows her to control his actions. Nick distances himself from this mess by becoming close to Jordan Baker, a long time friend of Daisy. While in a New York City hotel room one evening in the summer with Jordan, Nick, Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby, there is a massive confrontation during which Tom exposes Gatsby's corrupt business dealings. In addition, Jay demands that Daisy tell Tom that she never loved him. Daisy doesn’t because she said it wasn’t 2006-08-12T15:29:24-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Great-Gatsby-Plot-and-Character-Summary-31241.aspx Character Analysis of Tom Buchanan from the Great Gatsby Character Analysis of Tom Buchanan from the Great Gatsby Out of the five main characters in the Great Gatsby, I disliked Tom Buchanan the most ( however his wife Daisy was a close second). He just didn't seem like he was a nice person, and he also seemed extremely self-absorbed. I don't believe that he and I would choose the same values that we would consider important in guiding our lives. One of Tom's important values is wealth. He was very rich and thought that it made him superior to other people. He enjoys showing off his possessions, " I've got a nice place here. It belonged to the Demaine oil man" (Great Gatsby, 12). In this case, Tom is showing Nick his house and obviously thinks that because it belonged to the Demaine oil man that it makes it a little more important. Tom thinks that poor people are inferior to him and he is quite the snob. He is from old money and often refers to the newly rich as " bootleggers", people who distributed alcohol during prohibition. Tom doesn't think much of Gatsby , and claims that he pegged him as a bootlegger the moment he saw him. When Daisy tells Tom that she is leaving him for Gatsby he says, " She's not leaving me! Certainly not for a common swindler who'd have to steal the ring to put on her finger!" ( 140). Later, Tom even sends Daisy home with Gatsby , adding that his presumptuous flirtation was over. Power and control over people is something that Tom considers important in guiding his life. Throughout the novel he has shown, time and time again that he is the type of person who likes to control others and what they do. Sometimes he is nothing more than a bully and other times he is just cruel. He often talks to George Wilson, his mistress' husband about selling him his car, which he never actually intends to do. He is simply toying with the man, but becomes angry when Wilson tries to talk to him about it: " Very well then , I won't sell you the car at all... I'm under no obligations to you at all...And as for your bothering me about it at lunch time I won't stand for that at all!" (122). Tom was being extremely cruel at that moment because Wilson needed the 2006-08-07T08:24:07-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Character-Analysis-of-Tom-Buchanan-from-the-Great-Gatsby-31111.aspx Examining the Film Rendition of the Great Gatsby Examining the Film Rendition of the Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald captivates the reader and creates almost an addiction to the novel. I as the reader found it difficult to put down many times throughout the book. Sadly, I did not have the same feelings for the movie’s portrayal. In fact, the way I reacted to the movie was almost the exact opposite of how I reacted to the book. Obviously the producer of the movie had created different images in his head than I had created when I read the story. First and foremost, the performances were very distracting. I found that many of the people that acted in the movie did not fit the role they were playing. For example, Gatsby seemed to be in love with himself more than he was in love with Daisy. He constantly was flashing what some may call, “dazzling” smiles. In my opinion they were completely unnecessary. Gatsby often had me distracted because I could not tell what emotion he was feeling at any given time. At first I suspected him to be a happy-go-lucky sort of guy, which doesn’t fit the character portrayed in the novel. At other times I could not tell what he was feeling. There were times when I was confused as to whether he was laughing or crying. All in all, I found the actor playing Gatsby to do less than a perfect job. On the other hand, I found that the man playing the role of Nick to do an excellent job. In the film he seemed to remain on neutral ground in times of conflict. In some scenes he didn’t get involved in disputes in any way. Only towards the end of the film did he really stand out on issues and seem to become more independent. This is very accurate to how his character is developed in the novel as well. His standoffish role in the film portrayed his character from the book well because as a narrator it seems that he would only be viewing the scene and not necessarily taking part in it. The costumes in the movie seemed to be fairly accurate. The set design was also very well done. In the novel there are many elegant descriptions and the movie portrayed them close to how I did in my own mind. The vehicles were definitely 2006-07-30T19:50:15-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Examining-the-Film-Rendition-of-the-Great-Gatsby-30810.aspx Death in the Great Gatsby Death in the Great Gatsby The deaths in the story “The Great Gatsby” can be blamed on many people. Myrtle, George, and Gatsby died due to a complex chain of events, but with much investigation it is possible to see the true cause of each death. The death of Myrtle was directly caused by Daisy hitting her with Gatsby’s car, but that was just an accident. The true cause of her demise was her own greed and lust for material things. She had everything she needed in life with George. He loved her and took care of her. If she would have only come to her senses and realized this, she would not have run away from him and get hit by Daisy, whom she most likely thought was Tom. George’s suicide was the result of his own sadness over Myrtle’s death and her want to leave him. He put himself out of his own misery by shooting himself. Myrtle caused his death by her own selfishness. Even if Myrtle would not have been killed, she still would have left George. George would have still been heartbroken and devastated. The only difference there would be if Myrtle still lived would be that George would be angrier with Tom than with Gatsby. The murderer of “The Great Gatsby” was George. He physically shot and killed Gatsby, but his death was not entirely George’s fault. If it weren’t for Tom telling George that it was Gatsby’s car and not making sure of all the details, George would have killed Tom, thinking he was the true cause of Myrtle’s death. Another indirect killer was Daisy. She was driving Gatsby’s car carelessly and was not concentrating very well on what she was doing. She ran over Myrtle, causing George to become upset and shoot Gatsby. Also, Gatsby, through a chain of events, killed himself. He should not have let Daisy drive the car. Gatsby should have just given up his chase for Daisy and left everything the way he found it. If he had stayed away from her, he would still be alive and enjoying life. “The Great Gatsby” is a story that has many twists and turns and is very complex. The deaths can also be attributed to this. No one 2006-07-26T23:12:04-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Death-in-the-Great-Gatsby-30684.aspx Keeping the American Dream Alive in The Great Gatsby Keeping the American Dream Alive in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby, a novel by F.Scott Fitzgerald, is about the American Dream and how it remained as one. The American Dream is to have a lot of money and material objects. To the eyes of the world, the Americans were wealthy and there was no poverty. This however was not true. Many interpreted the American Dream as being a passage to high social status, an opportunity to get what they wanted, and through wealth and power, one could gain happiness. Fitzgerald through his novel shows how aimless the American people were and how downfall fell upon the Americans who tried to reach this illusionary goals of the American Dream. Fitzgerald uses the character Jay Gatsby to show how people in the 1920’s were. Gatsby was born in a low social class. He has dreamt of being rich and famous since he was young. He fell in love with Daisy, a girl from the higher social rank, and tried to match up to her status. Daisy however rejected his marriage proposal because he was not wealthy enough and their difference in social status. He leaves her in order to earn enough money to reach her economic standards. He is said to have joined the army but he earned his money through bootlegging and involvement in criminal activities. ‘ “He’s a bootlegger,” said the young ladies moving somewhere between his cocktails and flowers. ”One time he killed a man who had found out that he was nephew Von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil’ “ (Fitzgerald 67). When he finally attains enough wealth, he moves back close to Daisy. “ Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be across the bay (Fitzgerald). He throws extravagant parties hopping by chance Daisy would turn up for any one of it. When this did not happen, then he started to ask around if anyone knew her. This is how he met Nick, his neighbor and Daisy’s second cousin. Nick agrees to set up a meeting between Daisy and Gatsby. He shows of his wealth that he has attained to impress her. He brags about his nice house, big cars and all the nice shirts he has. He uses his appearance to further convince her while greeting her at the door when she came. He chooses to wear his best outfit and later shows her 2006-07-25T13:06:06-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Keeping-the-American-Dream-Alive-in-The-Great-Gatsby-30637.aspx The Green Dream in the Great Gatsby The Green Dream in the Great Gatsby When was the last time you looked at something so hard, hoping you would get something out of it? Well, that's what Gatsby does in this novel. In the Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the green light to represent Gatsby’s longing for Daisy and the fact that the American Dream can not be achieved because of the structured class system. In this book, it shows that you can not move up and down in class ranks. Once you are in one rank, then you stay in that one. Gatsby tries to move for Daisy, but really never does accomplish it. Gatsby looks at the green light on Daisy's dock representing his lost love with her. He yearns to see her once again. He tries to get to her through her cousin Nick. But Nick doesn't realize this until later on in the book. His American Dream wont let him in different class ranks. He is in one that at least he's trying to be in is the higher rank. The one that he thinks Daisy wants. He throws a bunch of parties with a nice house to show off to Daisy hoping that should would come. He would never actually come down to the party, he would look around to see if she appeared or not. “Sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby at all, came for the party with a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission.” (pg. 41) Gatsby thought he achieved his American Dream because he met Daisy. Since he finally reunited with her, he thought he achieved it all. He thought that was why the green light went away. That's not actually the reason why. He still hadn't achieved the dream because his money wasn't all real. “Gatsby, his hands still in his pockets, was reclining against the mantelpiece in a strained counterfeit of perfect ease, even of boredom. His head leaned back so fat that it rested against the face of a defunct mantelpiece clock, and from this position his distraught eyes stared down at Daisy, who was sitting, frightened but graceful, on the edge of a stiff chair.” (pg. 87) The Class system in the Great Gatsby doesn't have 2006-07-17T13:36:16-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Green-Dream-in-the-Great-Gatsby-30310.aspx Literary Masterpiece of the Great Gatsby Literary Masterpiece of the Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is considered a masterpiece full of controversy about the 1920's life style. Fitzgerald uses symbolism to express in a more detailed way this life style of carelessness and corruption. These symbols are shown through out the characters' actions and thoughts as well as in the setting created by the author's imagination to stress a point to be caught by the reader's attention. These symbols are used to elaborate the themes in The Great Gatsby. Social status, one of Fitzgerald's themes is represented by the separate settings of the novel. The new rich or "the less fashionable" people like Gatsby and Nick lived in West Egg. Nick lived in "an eye-sore" of a house between two mansions letting us know that he was between the rich but he wasn't rich. Gatsby had a colossal mansion with a swimming pool and a tower "spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy". They were both outsiders from the world of the rich. On the other hand, the Buchanans lived across the bay in the East Egg where the old rich, the people who had money all their life and had never worked for it, lived. The Buchanans own " a cheerful red and white Georgian Colonial mansion overlooking the bay". The difference between the houses and the place they lived symbolizes their social position. The old wealthy, new wealthy and not even wealthy were part of the theme of social status. The "green light" at the end of Daisy's dock is another symbol used by Fitzgerald to express definite possibilities. The green light has true feeling for Gatsby because it represents his hopes and dreams of Daisy Buchanan. At night, Nick sees Gatsby looking at the sea, stretching his arms towards the light and trembling. But for Nick that light was just a solitary green light, it had no meaning. The moment that Daisy becomes his, that green light cease to exist because she has become his and Gatsby feels that he has accomplished his dream. Gatsby states that the green light gives him a warm feeling inside of himself, therefore we can say that the green light also symbolizes Gatsby's life on "go". In the valley of ashes, where the Wilson's lived, represented death because of the saying "ashes to ashes, dust to dust". Everything was covered in ashes. There we can see 2006-07-09T15:11:12-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Literary-Masterpiece-of-the-Great-Gatsby-30149.aspx Character Analysis of Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway Character Analysis of Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway A man is tested against nature and then tested again by how well he behaves in relation to other men,” (46) Richard Lehan stated in The Great Gatsby: The Limits of Wonder. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald tested each of his characters by giving him or her a place in society and seeing how each one would react to his or her surroundings. East Egg and West Egg are the areas where the main characters in this novel lived and through stereotypes of Tom, Daisy, Gatsby and Nick, it is clear what East and West Egg represent. Because of East Eggers’ old, exclusive money, they seemed to think that they were superior and if any obstacle appeared in their path, they were secure with their money behind them. In Modern Critical Views: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Harold Bloom states that “In Gatsby we see that the charming irresponsibility of the flapper has developed into the criminal amorality of Daisy Buchanan, and that the smug conceit of the Rich Boy has hardened into Tom Buchanan’s arrogant cruelty,” (74). When Daisy ran over Myrtle Wilson, she and Tom simply disappeared and left Gatsby to deal with the punishment of a crime that he never committed. Tom’s affair also represented their ideas on morality – that as long as he had old money, he could do whatever he wanted. “Surrounded from childhood by the artificial security of wealth, accustomed to owning rather than wanting, they lack anxiety or illusion, frustration or fulfillment,” (75). West Egg represents western values such as romanticism and capitalism. Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby are typical possessors of “new money,” who achieved wealth but still are not accepted into the exclusive society of East Egg. Gatsby was much more of a romantist that Nick was, for he did everything – attain massive amounts of wealth, throw huge parties, involve himself in illegal business affairs, and even embark upon an affair – in order to win back Daisy. “In creating himself, Gatsby had no social or moral context to give his intensity direction,” (Lehan 31). With no other life goal than Daisy, Gatsby ended up engaging in immoral activities. Both East Eggers and West Eggers were wealthy, but because of one major difference in their lives, they would not and 2006-07-03T23:16:43-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Character-Analysis-of-Jay-Gatsby-and-Nick-Carraway-29955.aspx Main Character Analysis of The Great Gatsby Main Character Analysis of "The Great Gatsby" Nick Carraway The book’s narrator, Nick is a young man from Minnesota who, after being educated at Yale and fighting in World War I, goes to New York City to learn the bond business. Honest, tolerant, and inclined to reserve judgment, Nick often serves as a close friend for those with troubling secrets. After moving to West Egg, a place home to the newly rich, Nick quickly becomes friends his next-door neighbor, the mysterious 2006-06-26T15:41:21-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Main-Character-Analysis-of-The-Great-Gatsby-29824.aspx Significance of Social Status in The Great Gatsby Significance of Social Status in The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby may appear to be a simple tragic romance; however, within the text, Fitzgerald identifies and defines social gaps and importance of wealth. He also presents women within a very separate space as the men. The Great Gatsby allows the reader to enter into the world of wealth and experience the joys and tragedies of being within this certain class. In the novel, Fitzgerald criticizes American society in the 1920's for its emphasis on money, superficial relationships, and obsession over class; as well as allowing the reader to interpret the position of gender inside the class. Society has, indeed, a great part to play in shaping the identities of individuals. "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,' he [my father] told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had" (1). This quote was probably the backbone of the narrator's actions and character. Throughout the novel, the characters that he came into contact with were immediately associated with their money and their association with their given level of wealth. Jay Gatsby is the center character in Fitzgerald's novel. Gatsby tells Nick that from his childhood in the Midwest and his youth, he got to know Cody from whom he learned how to struggle through life and get money. He is totally self-taught and tells Nick that he had been in the drug business and later in the oil business. Throughout the novel there is an overall absence of the lower class; however, ironically, the only character that lower wealth was associated with was Gatsby. He was the most prestigious when compared to all of the other characters, yet was the only to have the absence of money in his past. With this, Fitzgerald proves that the current existence of money justifies the acceptance of character, reiterating the idea of social levels of money. In addition, everything Jay Gatsby has done and does is for Daisy. Also, his identity as a "great" man is shaped because of Daisy. His money, wealth and status was all simply so he could win Daisy back. He believes that if he is able to achieve what society deems to be great, then he will be able to impress Daisy and 2006-06-16T15:08:44-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Significance-of-Social-Status-in-The-Great-Gatsby-29616.aspx Chapter Analysis from the Great Gatsby Chapter Analysis from the Great Gatsby This chapter provides the final pieces of Gatsby’s makeup, and this is done by further flashbacks into critical periods of his past. The real history narrated by Nick is, of course, in contrast to the information Gatsby has himself provided. Gatsby was born James Gatz on a North Dakota farm and he briefly attended College in Minnesota, but dropped out after a few weeks. He then worked on Lake Superior, fishing for salmon and clams, and this is where he came across the wealthy businessman Dan Cody. Gatsby had rowed out to warn Cody that there was a storm coming and he should take his yacht to safety. The grateful Cody took the young Gatz on board his yacht as a personal servant. This opened a new life for Gatz where he traveled to exotic locations such as the West Indies and the Barbary Coast. Gatsby fell in love with the opulent lifestyle and, in fact, inherited $25,000 when Cody died, but Cody’s mistress prevented Gatsby from claiming the money. Gatsby was determined to become wealthy himself and was driven to obtain a personal fortune. Several weeks have now passed since Gatsby and Daisy were reunited and Nick has seen little of them since that fateful day. It is not surprising that Tom has become suspicious and takes the opportunity to go to Gatsby’s house while out riding with the Sloane’s. Gatsby invites them to stay for dinner, but they refuse. Etiquette required them to invite Gatsby to dine with them and to Tom’s dismay, he accepts. Gatsby clearly does not realize the insincerity of the invitation. Tom looks down on Gatsby because of his lack of sophistication and is highly critical of Daisy’s habit of visiting Gatsby on her own. Although suspicious, Tom has not yet discovered the secret love between the two. The following Saturday night Tom and Daisy go to the Gatsby party and Tom is merely there to see if there is any infidelity between Gatsby and Daisy. Nick is also there, but is far less impressed by the party this time round. Daisy also becomes upset when she learns from Tom that Gatsby’s fortune comes from criminal activities. When Tom and Daisy leave the party Gatsby looks for Nick to find out why Daisy is unhappy. Gatsby wants things to return to what they 2006-06-15T22:19:40-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Chapter-Analysis-from-the-Great-Gatsby-29561.aspx The Great Gatsby Loss of the American Dream ________________________________________ Dream Chasers "The deepest American dream is not the hunger for money or fame; it is the dream of settling down, in peace and freedom and cooperation, in the promised land." If only this quote by Scott Russell Sanders was true. However were it true and astute, we would be deprived of F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece, The Great Gatsby. Throughout Gatsby, Fitzgerald provides a clear-cut message and theme, which the story revolves around. His claim is that the American dream is indeed corrupted and irretrievably lost, that no man can any longer take hope and find solace in that dream. In the roaring 20's, the new American dream is deemed lost and adrift. The dream has lost all positive connotation and value, and is no longer a dream of the moral citizen but of the corrupt. Nick encounters this supposed reality when he moves east after having grown in the mid-west. The theme manifests itself in several instances, varying in cause and circumstance. A large part of Fitzgerald's observation he communicates in his use of the class corruption. Highlighted in the novel are two distinct classes - the rich and the newly rich. To represent the rich, Fitzgerald includes in the story one Tom Buchanan. The rich in America are the ones who really run the country, who aren't seen in the spotlight. Tom was born into this class of people. "His family were enormously wealthy...now he'd left Chicago and come east in a fashion that rather took you breath away: for instance, he'd brought down a string of polo ponies form Lake Forest." (p. 10) Daisy married into this class when she and Tom were wed. All throughout the novel, constant reminders are shown of their lack of spirit or care, and blatant disregard for other individuals. After Gatsby absorbs the blame for Myrtle's death, Tom and Daisy do not thank him. Or even acknowledge him. They do not attend pay respects at his funeral, but instead retreat to Europe. Gatsby and the guests at his lavish parties are the example of the newly rich. All those people who attended Gatsby's lavish summer gatherings had no regard for the man, but instead used him and his residence as means to attempt to show off their grandiose wealth and new found pomposity. Again, none of his many guests show up at his funeral, or extend a hand of thanks. Both 2006-06-06T19:03:40-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Great-Gatsby-Loss-of-the-American-Dream-29089.aspx The American Dream Turned Nightmare in the Great Gatsby The American Dream Turned Nightmare in the Great Gatsby There are many characters in The Great Gatsby whose human values have been corrupted due to corrupting influence of money. The attraction of the American dream influenced the pursuit of wealth, which corrupts the character morality. The characters believe the American dream is nothing else than glamorous material wealth, which in essence will set them apart from the rest of lower class society. The pursuit of this American dream produced nothing but problems for the characters. The American dream of happiness and individualism has turned into the mere pursuit of wealth. The Great Gatsby is a perfect example of how the pursuit of wealth corrupts the characters morality. The American dream is so attractive to the characters, that they will do anything in order to achieve this vast wealth. Jay Gatsby believes he must become wealth in order for him to impress his love and ex-fiancé Daisy Buchanan. Since he has been in the lower class when he first met Daisy, Daisy didn't want to commit to a relationship, yet still vowed to wait until Gatsby was discharged from the army before marrying him. After the war Gatsby's moral values had changed and he became involved in the bootlegging of alcohol in order to earn the money needed to impress Daisy. He lied to Daisy about how he earned his wealth and become known as dishonest. Myrtle's values are also corrupted through the pursuit of wealth. She marries George, a poor man in the valley of ashes where the quality of life is substandard. She believes that George "is a gentleman, she thought he knew something about breeding but he wasn't fit to lick her shoe"(39). Myrtle is upset at her husband's "constant infidelity"(17). She believes she can get away from a lower class lifestyle by having a romantic relationship with a citizen of the East Egg. Myrtle begins an affair with Tom in order to feel separated from her lower class affiliates. Myrtle succumbs to disloyalty in order to pursue a wealthy lifestyle. Daisy is dishonest and disloyal in her pursuit of wealth. She promises Gatsby that her love for him is unconditional, and that she will wait for him to come back from the war to marry him. Instead she decides to 2006-06-06T15:00:23-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-American-Dream-Turned-Nightmare-in-the-Great-Gatsby-29074.aspx Symbolism of Color Use as a Theme in the Great Gatsby Symbolism of Color Use as a Theme in the Great Gatsby The color green, as it is used in the novel, symbolizes different choices the character, Gatsby, can make during his life. The green element in this novel is taken from the green light at the end of the dock near Daisy’s house. The color itself represents serenity, as in everything is perfect. This warns Gatsby that he should not pursue his dream for getting Daisy back, because his chance has passed and everything is as it should be. This is shown with Nick’s insight, “…His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him… (Pg.189)” Another symbolization of the color green, which contradicts the first, is the meaning “go.” As in a traffic light signal, most people associate green with the word and action “go.” This can be interpreted as meaning Gatsby should go for his dream without hesitation. It implies that Gatsby and Daisy are meant to be together and nothing should stop Gatsby from his destined happiness and love with Daisy. It inspires hope for Gatsby that he is on the right path, heading towards the best years of his life. He believes that things will soon be as they once were, only better. ““I’m going to fix everything just the way they were before,” he said nodding determinedly. “She’ll see.”(Pg. 117.)” The last symbolization the color green has in this novel is an urge to strive ahead in life, to do better in life and succeed. Gatsby changes his entire persona for a better, more sociable, image and status. He is constantly striving to be a more successful figure in society. Ever since he was a boy he put himself on a schedule with hopes for becoming a highly respected, well-known person. “He knew he had a big future in front of him. (Pg. 181),” his dad says about him. “Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this…(Pg. 182).” White is the other color symbolism interlaced into this novel. Where green only influenced one character, white has a wider range of influence on the characters. This color symbolizes one thing, a façade, but it appears in every character. For example, Daisy is always seen wearing white, which gives her and innocent naive appearance. It is as though she uses 2006-06-02T16:19:28-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Symbolism-of-Color-Use-as-a-Theme-in-the-Great-Gatsby-29042.aspx Analysis of Corruption in Nick Carraway of the Great Gatsby Analysis of Corruption in Nick Carraway of the Great Gatsby Fitzgerald's dominant theme in The Great Gatsby focuses on the corruption of the American Dream. By analyzing high society during the 1920s through the eyes of narrator Nick Carraway, the author reveals that the American Dream has transformed from a pure ideal of security into a convoluted scheme of materialistic power. In support of this message, Fitzgerald highlights the original aspects as well as the new aspects of the American Dream in his tragic story to illustrate that a once impervious dream is now lost forever to the American people. The foundation qualities of the American Dream depicted in The Great Gatsby are perseverance and hope. The most glorified of these characteristics is that of success against all odds. The ethic of hard work can be found in the life of young James Gatz, whose focus on becoming a great man is carefully documented in his "Hopalong Cassidy" journal. When Mr Gatz shows the tattered book to Nick, he declares, "'Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something. Do you notice what he's got about improving his mind? He was always great for that.'" (pg 182) The journal portrays the continual struggle for self-improvement which has defined the image of America as a land of opportunity. By comparing the young James Gatz to the young Benjamin Franklin, Fitzgerald proves that the American Dream is indeed able to survive in the face of modern society. The product of hard work is the wistful Jay Gatsby, who epitomizes the purest characteristic of the American Dream: everlasting hope. His burning desire to win Daisy's love symbolizes the basis of the old dream: an ethereal goal and a never-ending search for the opportunity to reach that goal. Gatsby is first seen late at night, "standing with his hands in his pockets" and supposedly "out to determine what share [is] his of our local heavens" (pg 25). Nick watches Gatsby's movements and comments: "-he [stretches] out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and as far as I [am] from him I [can swear] he [is] trembling. Involuntarily I [glance] seaward-and [distinguish] nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might [be] the end of the dock." (pg 25) Gatsby's goal gives him a purpose in life and sets him apart from the 2006-06-01T18:41:21-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-Corruption-in-Nick-Carraway-of-the-Great-Gatsby-28977.aspx Contrasting Values in the Great Gatsby In 1920s, after WW1, USA went under a radical change and social reform took place. The developments in industrialization caused a decay in moral values. This resulted in materialism’s obliteration of the doctrines and rules of moral duties. Thus, the society was torn apart due to the clash between old and new values. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald reflects the American society during this period and clearly portrays the contrast between traditional and corrupted values by manifesting the distinct character traits, attitudes and habits of the characters; their individual patterns of typical lives and thoughts about the others. Old values represent the traditional life style and are based on morality and virtue. The characteristics of these values are portrayed by some characters, events and settings throughout the book. Firstly, old values give one a sense of right or wrong and an obedience to social conventions. For example, Nick, the narrator of the book who lives according to these values says that he is slow thinking and full of interior rules that act as brakes on his desires. Then he observes the people around him and adds that he is one of the few honest people that he has ever known (64). His ideas show that spiritual values such as self-control, honesty and human respect are significant but rare. Secondly, the old life style includes close and warm friendships that depend on respect and love. Gatsby trusts Nick and shares his secrets with him. They establish a genuine friendship. This emphasizes the importance and scarcity of sincere relationships. Furthermore, the old life style is characterized by a certain modesty in which wealth and public show of it are not the only sources of validation. This way of life is illustrated by the settings of the book. For instance, West Egg, where Nick and Gatsby live, corresponds to the traditional life style. Nick describes this place and writes: “I lived at West Egg, the-well, the less fashionable of the two. (...) My own house was an eye-sore but it was a small eye-sore and it had been overlooked”(9).We understand that this place is associated by old-fashioned stability, modesty and frugality; concepts that are meaningful according to the old moral code. On the other hand, after WW1 as people got away from the traditional life style, their moral considerations were suspended. These changes are illustrated by the personalities, behavior and life styles 2006-05-31T19:26:29-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Contrasting-Values-in-the-Great-Gatsby-28938.aspx F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Life in His Work The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Life in His Work The Great Gatsby Thesis Statement: Fitzgeralds life shows through in all aspects of his work, such is the case in The Great Gatsby. He uses his life to create people and places through out the book. I. James Gats- Jay Gatsby A. Fitsgerald B. Edward Fuller C. Robert Kerr 1. Edwin Gilman-Dan Cody 2. Nellie Bly-Ella Kaye D. Max Gerlach E. Herbert Bayard Swope II. Daisy Fay Buchanon A. Ginevre King B. Zelda Sayre III. Meyer Wolfsheim A. Arnold Rothstein IV. Tom Buchanon A. Charles King B. William Mitchell C. Tommy Hitchcock V. Jordan Baker A. Edith Cummings Fitzgerald’s life shows through in all of his work, such is the case in The Great Gatsby. He uses his life to create people and places. Fitzgerald used his own experiences for this novel; he spent time on Great Neck, Long Island in 1923. There he met some of the sketchier people from New York. He met everyone from bootleggers to hit men, he met Arnold Rothstein the man who allegedly fixed the world’s series in 1919. Fitzgerald used many different real life people to build up his characters James Gats and Jay Gatsby for his book. He used his own life as a model for James Gats both of their fathers were failures. They vowed early in life to be successful and prosperous (A+E Biography). Fitzgerald used not only himself but also people he met and some he knew. His Great Neck neighbor and friend Robert Kerri shared stories of his boyhood. Which later became part of Jay GATT’s life story. Bob Kerri when he was 15, he boated out to a Major Edwin Glimmer’s yacht in Shapes Head Bay, He told him that the tides would break up his yacht. Major Gilman then gave Kerr a job for 3 years. These years were the last three of his life. Gilman was then a model for Dan Cody. He had a mistress named Ella Kaye she was modeled after Nellie Bly who were both newspaper reporters, it was whispered that she had “helped” in the death of Major Gilman (Tate 95). Another Great Neck neighbor who became a model was one of New York’s shadier people, Edward Fuller who was a bond bucketer like Jay Gatsby. There was the same friendship between Gatsby and Wolfsheim that existed with Rothstein and Fuller (Lehan Limits 55). Fitzgerald even used real life people’s personalities and speech. In The Great Gatsby he used Max Gerlach as Gatsby, Gerlach was a rich bootlegger from Great Neck. In a letter to Fitzgerald 2006-02-12T21:45:15-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/F_-Scott-Fitzgerald’s-Life-in-His-Work-The-Great-Gatsby-28483.aspx Dr. Eckleburg's Eyes Gatsby [i:1fd8e51cd1]“The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic--their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose. Evidently some wild wag of an oculist [optometrist] set them there to fatten his practice in the borough of 2005-12-30T04:50:00-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Dr_-Eckleburg-s-Eyes--28305.aspx Great Gatsby - Nick Carraway Great Gatsby Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby opens with Nick Carraway, the novel's narrator, introducing himself as a man who tends to listen and observe without passing judgment. Carraway immediately proceeds to preface the story he recounts over the course of the novel by passing judgment on his former companions. Mysteriously hinting at themes which will pervade the plot of his tale Carraway reflects, "When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. Only Gatsby...was exempt from my reaction -- Gatsby who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn" (6). Thus, providing plenty of room for speculation as to what provoked such a critical response, Nick begins his story. After serving in World War I, Nick moves east from his Midwest roots to learn the bond business, settling on the island of West Egg, New York, "one of the strangest communities in North America" (9). Nick reveals, however, that his story really begins on a June evening in 1922, when he drives over to East Egg (the more fashionable and wealthy of the twin islands) to have dinner with "two old friends whom I scarcely knew at all" (11). Nick meets with an old college associate, Tom Buchanan, and his wife, Daisy, as well as Jordan Baker, an unexpected guest. For more detailed information about these characters, please see the Character Profiles section. When the light-hearted conversation includes a brief reference to a man named Gatsby -- his next-door neighbor -- Nick's curiosity is evident. Tension mounts during dinner, however, when Tom leaves to answer a phone call, and Jordan reveals to Nick that it is Tom's mistress calling. Later, perhaps searching for sympathy in response to Tom's phone call during dinner, Daisy cynically tells Nick that she believes "everything's terrible" (21). Though riveted by Daisy's voice while she speaks, Carraway finds her insincere, and leaves the Buchanan house feeling "confused and disgusted" (24). Upon arriving home Nick sees a silhouette emerge from the mansion next door, and assumes it is Gatsby. When Gatsby suddenly stretches his arms toward the water, Nick turns to see what he reaches for, but "distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock" (26). 2005-12-27T02:05:37-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Great-Gatsby-Nick-Carraway-28277.aspx Fitzgerald's Judgment Of Tom Buchanan Fitzgerald's Judgment Of Tom Buchanan In the novel The Great Gatsby, Tom Buchanan is a very wealthy man, who lives in the east egg of long island, who is described by Fitzgerald as arrogant and overbearing. He is snobbish towards others who either don?t have as much money as him, haven?t had money that long, or got their money unethically. The light that Tom is portrayed in, displays him as someone who will never be hindered by his poor qualities as a person. Tom?s overbearing attitude, and arrogance end up being his downfall, because he cannot see his own mistakes. Arrogance is when someone feels that they must always have a final say, and find it necessary to prove others wrong. Tom?s arrogance comes into full bloom during the meeting between himself, Gatsby, Nick, and Daisy. When Gatsby tells Tom that Daisy no longer loves him, Tom refutes this by claiming that Daisy could never love Gatsby, because he got his money illegally. Tom says that ?I suppose the latest thing is to sit back an let Mr. Nobody form Nowhere make love to your wife. Well, if that?s the idea you can count me out?Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions and next they?ll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white.? He goes on to let Daisy go home with Gatsby, because he is so confidant that she will not desert him. Tom?s presumptuousness, that Daisy will be completely loyal to him because he knows that she will not run off with a nobody criminal, is his arrogance. He doesn?t understand that it?s his fault that Daisy is unhappy and wants to leave. He is blind to the fact that Gatsby has been trying to impress Daisy, and that she loves him too. Tom?s arrogance causes him to be blind to the fact that Daisy is very unhappy, and that she truly loves Gatsby. Fitzgerald describes Tom?s overbearing nature through descriptions and the subtle actions that Tom takes. He is physically described as cruel, and aggressive. When Nick first sees Tom in the book, he describes him. ?His eyes appeared as if they established dominance over his face. There was touch of paternal contempt in his voice, even towards people he liked.? Nick is the 2005-09-14T00:26:19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Fitzgerald-s-Judgment-Of-Tom-Buchanan-27970.aspx F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald’s - The Great Gatsby In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the subject, Jay Gatsby, eludes extensive description of character. During the extent of the narrative the reader creates his own opinion of the individual. Fitzgerald intended this to create suspicion towards Gatsby. Despite the questionable characteristics, Fitzgerald did have reason for describing Gatsby as “great”. Such a reason is not clearly found on the surface, but more so on his driving spirit and determination. From the introduction of Gatsby’s character he is constantly being driven by his dreams of Daisy. No obstacle was impenetrable. This trait of Gatsby is what makes him “great”. In a lifestyle and society of careless and irresponsible people he seems pure. Unlike others who merely exist to entertain themselves, he did not acquire wealth for his own comfort, but for Daisy. An example of his pursuit for his dream and not for shallow amusement is his parties. Gatsby often holds exciting parties with interesting people, in which no expense is spared, but he himself barely makes an appearance at them. This shows that he does not wish to have a good time he is only after his dream. Myrtle Wilson is not a character which influences the story herself, but more by her actions. Being Tom’s mistress the reader initially assumes she is a “bad” person. After further examination she seems to draw feelings of sympathy and pity. The feelings originate from the fact that she contains some of the same traits as Gatsby. She is not a “bad” person she is just following her dream, as was Gatsby. Not only were they both following a dream, but also, in essence, it was the same dream, to fit in with high-society. Myrtle was not Tom’s mistress because she was unfaithful to her husband; it was a way for her to live her dream of the wealthy life. The reader also has feelings of sympathy for Myrtle because she almost seems pathetic. In her small apartment she has decorated it with lavish objects to imitate the appearance of wealth. Also when Tom and Nick visited the Wilson’s house she made a point to explain that she did not care what she looked like when it was obvious that she did. In 2005-09-04T20:15:48-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/F_-Scott-Fitzgerald’s-The-Great-Gatsby-27885.aspx The Great Gatsby Daisy And Myrtle The Great Gatsby: Daisy And Myrtle After first glancing at The Great Gatsby, it didn't seem as if any similarities between the wealthy, dainty Daisy Buchanan, the object of Gatsby's worship, and Myrtle Wilson, the bawdy, mechanic's wife who was having an affair with Daisy's husband. In fact, it was felt that there was no comparison at all, because I felt that other than sharing an abhorable man, there was nothing else to look at. But after deeper analysis, there was more to their motives and personalities go deeper than that. For the most part, they both seem to have an affinity toward other men other than their husbands. Daisy has a minor fling with Gatsby that developed from past feeling they had for each other. Myrtle has an affair with Tom Buchanan that developed after meeting in a train car. Despite the fact they seem to have an indifference to the general feeling that cheating is wrong, they both have different reasons for doing what they did. Daisy cheated because she's a romantic of the worst kind; a romantic with no moral standing and a somewhat obscure sense of reality. The phrase "hopeless romantic" would be an understatement. This can be best reflected in her statement in chapter six when she claimed that she would be leaving Tom. But after Tom's statement, "She's not leaving me...Certainly not for a common swindler who'd have to steal the ring he'd put on her finger,"(140) the almost resolute feeling of wanting to leave Tom had changed. Tom went on with insulting Gatsby's methods of acquiring money, and Daisy began to go back into Tom's will. To put it bluntly, Daisy's sense of morality depends on the strongest figure in the room, which made her susceptible to Gatsby's charms when she was alone with him. Myrtle on the other hand, was simpler in her choice of cheating on her husband. She was basically going on basic attraction. Her description of her initial attitude toward him was quite significant of this, "All I kept thinking about over and over was, ' You can't live forever. You can't live forever.'"(40) Despite their contribution to marital dysfunction in their lives, Daisy and Myrtle both have husbands that love them. Even though Daisy and Tom both have had extra-marital affairs, Tom has made it clear that Daisy is the one he finds worth coming home to, "... I love 2005-07-28T06:09:39-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Great-Gatsby-Daisy-And-Myrtle-27417.aspx The Tragic Great Gatsby The Tragic Great Gatsby The Tragic Great Gatsby The American dream, many writers have written about it. Many politicians have made promises regarding it. But how important is money and success? Does it bring happiness or fulfillment? F. Scot Fitzgerald is one of many who attempted to put this ideal in its proper perspective. His novel, The Great Gatsby, explores his interpretation of the dream. "The Great Gatsby is an exploration of the American dream as it exists in a corrupt period, and it is an attempt to determine the concealed boundary that divides the reality from the illusions" (Bewley 38). Jay Gatsby, born as James Gatz to a poor family of farmers out west, achieves the American dream to its fullest. Still, Gatsby ultimately dies a tragic figure because he wastes his life chasing an unattainable dream by the name of Daisy Buchanan. First, James Gatz, later known as Jay Gatsby, grows up an ordinary average American boy. Like many Americans he has a dream of fame and fortune but not a lot of money to go along with it. He wants to become somebody. Even as a young boy, he reveals his great determination to his father. He makes a schedule of daily activities to keep himself on the right track to success. As his father states at the ending, he was always trying to improve his mind. "Jimmy [Gatsby] was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolve like this or something. Do you notice what he's got about improving his mind? He was always great about that" (Fitzgerald 175). Yet, somewhere along the way, Gatsby loses sight of this dream for another. Her name is Daisy. From this point on, all his achievements, self-worth, and his identity only meant something if she approved. "He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes" (Fitzgerald 92). From the moment he sets eyes on Daisy, she becomes all of what he is devoted to. She is beautiful, wealthy, and adored by many. He loves everything about her. She is his "grail". In other words, she is what he is searching for to bring salvation to his soul. Ironically, it becomes as futile a search as the grail was to the men of the round table. However, he doesn't deem himself worthy 2005-06-21T23:28:13-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Tragic-Great-Gatsby--27130.aspx The Great Gatsby Analysis of Nick NICK CARRAWAY has a special place in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. He is not just one character among several; it is through his eyes and ears that the story takes place. In this novel, Nick goes to some length to establish his credibility, indeed his moral integrity, in telling this story about this "great" man called Gatsby. He begins with a reflection on his own upbringing, quoting his father's words about Nick's "advantages,” which we could assume were material but, he soon makes clear, were spiritual or moral advantages. Nick wants his reader to know that his upbringing gave him the moral fiber with which to withstand and pass judgment on an amoral world, such as the one he had observed the previous summer. He says, rather pompously, that as a consequence of such an upbringing, he is "inclined to reserve all judgments" about other people, but then goes on to say that such "tolerance . . . has a limit.” This is the first sign the narrator gives the reader to show he will give an even-handed insight to the story that is about to unfold. Later the reader learns he neither reserves all judgments nor does his tolerance reach its limit. Nick is very partial in his way of telling the story about several characters. He admits early into the story that he makes an exception of judging Gatsby, for whom he is prepared to suspend both the moral code of his upbringing and the limit of intolerance, because Gatsby had an "extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness.” This inspired him to a level of friendship and loyalty that Nick seems unprepared to extend towards others in the novel. Nick overlooks the moral implications of Gatsby's bootlegging, his association with speakeasies, and with Meyer Wolfsheim, the man rumored to have fixed the World Series in 1919. Yet, he is contemptuous of Jordan Baker for cheating in a mere golf game. While he says that he is prepared to forgive this sort of behavior in a woman: "It made no difference to me. Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame too deeply - I was casually sorry, and then I forgot," it seems that he cannot accept her for being "incurably dishonest" and then reflects that his one "cardinal virtue" is that he is "one of the few honest people" he has ever 2005-06-19T18:32:54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Great-Gatsby-Analysis-of-Nick-27006.aspx Gatsby's Pursuit Of The American Dream Gatsby's Pursuit Of The American Dream The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about the American Dream, and the downfall of those who attempt to reach its illusionary goals. The attempt to capture the American Dream is central to many novels. This dream is different for different people, but in The Great Gatsby, for Jay, the dream is that through wealth and power, one can acquire happiness. To get this happiness Jay must reach into the past and relive an old dream and in order to do this he must have wealth and power. Jay Gatsby, the central figure of the the story, is one character who longs for the past. Surprisingly he devotes most of his adult life trying to recapture it and, finally, dies in its pursuit. In the past, Jay had a love affair with the affluent Daisy. Knowing he could not marry her because of the difference in their social status, he leaves her to amass wealth to reach her economic standards. Once he acquires this wealth, he moves near to Daisy, "Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay (83)," and throws extravagant parties, hoping by chance she might show up at one of them. He, himself, does not attend his parties but watches them from a distance. When this dream doesn't happen, he asks around casually if anyone knows her. Soon he meets Nick Carraway, a cousin of Daisy, who agrees to set up a meeting, "He wants to know...if you'll invite Daisy to your house some afternoon and then let him come over (83)." Gatsby's personal dream symbolizes the larger American Dream where all have the opportunity to get what they want. Later, as we see in the Plaza Hotel, Jay still believes that Daisy loves him. He is convinced of this as is shown when he takes the blame for Myrtle's death. "Was Daisy driving?" "Yes...but of course I'll say I was." (151) He also watches and protects Daisy as she returns home. "How long are you going to wait?" "All night if necessary." (152) Jay cannot accept that the past is gone and done with. Jay is sure that he can capture his dream with wealth and influence. He believes that he acted for a good beyond his personal interest and that should guarantee success. Nick attempts to show Jay the folly of his dream, but Jay 2005-06-16T00:49:55-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Gatsby-s-Pursuit-Of-The-American-Dream-26863.aspx The Main Theme in The Great Gatsby The Main Theme in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald embodies may themes, however the most salient one relates to the corruption of the American Dream. The American Dream is that each person no matter who he or she is can become successful in life by his or her own hard work. The dream also embodies the idea of a self-sufficient man, an entrepreneur making it successful for himself. The Great Gatsby is about what happened to the American dream in the 1920s, a time period when the dream had been corrupted by the avaricious pursuit of wealth. The American dream is sublime motivation for accomplishing ones goals and producing achievements, however when tainted with wealth the dream becomes devoid and hollow. When the American dream was pure, motivation and ambition were some key aspects of the pure American dream. "He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way...and distinguished nothing except a single green light"(page.26). It shows how Gatsby was striving for the his goal and trying to accomplish it. When the dream was pure, motivation and self-discipline were present. This quote talks about Gatsby's daily agenda and how in the earlier days he upheld the pure American Dream "No wasting time at Shafters, No more smoking or chewing, Read one improving book or magazine per week, Save $3.00 per week, Be better to parents" (page 181-182). Nick says "I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors' eyes-a fresh green breast of the new world"(page 189). This quote shows the pristine goals of where the possibilities were endless and one could accomplish anything through hard work. The American dream became corrupted, its main aims were wealth and power. Gatsby became corrupted because his main goal was to have Daisy. The only reason he want Daisy was that she symbolized wealth and took on the characteristics of money. "Her voice is full of money"(page127). Gatsby needed to have an enormous mansion so he could feel confident enough to try to win Daisy. " That huge place over there? Do you like it? I love it" (page95). The tainted dream was so empty that having accouterments of wealth could even incite feelings of love. "He's the man who fixed the World Series back in 1919" ( page 78). The dream became so focused on money that any means of 2005-05-28T21:23:46-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Main-Theme-in-The-Great-Gatsby-26797.aspx Jay Gatsby Vs. Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby Jay Gatsby Vs. Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby Jay Gatsby. Jay Gatsby's real name was James Gatz and his parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people from North Dakota. He changed his name when he was seventeen and at that exact same age he invented his new self according to a model that would make a seventeen-year-old boy proud. He worked as a clam-digger and a salmon-fisher along the south shore of Lake Superior. "He knew women early, and since they spoiled him he became contemptuous of them, of young virgins because they were ignorant, of the others because they were hysterical about things which in his overwhelming self-absorption he took for granted". But all these women weren't what you'd call "nice" girls. "His heart was in a constant and turbulent riot" and he had "the most grotesque and fantastic conceits" at night. He dreamed and fantasized and "for a while these reveries provided an outlet for his imagination; they were a satisfactory hint of the reality of unreality, a promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy's wing". Afterwards he worked as a janitor at a small Lutheran college of St. Olaf's in southern Minnesota but soon he returned to Lake Superior again. He then met Dan Cody, a millionaire who liked him because he was "quick and extravagantly ambitious". Cody bought Gatsby some new clothes and took him with him on his yacht the Tuolomee. For five years he was employed in a vague personal capacity being in turn a steward, mate, skipper, secretary and even jailor. During this time the boat went three times around the Continent. After five years however Dan Cody died. "It was indirectly due to him that Gatsby drank so little" for he had seen what happened to people who drank. He inherited 25 000 dollars from Cody but he never got the money and all he was left with was "his singularly appropriate education". And then he met Daisy who was the first "nice" girl he had ever known. At first he found her excitingly desirable with her beautiful house and her casual manner towards it as though it were the most natural thing in the world to live in such a place. "It excited him, too, that many men had already loved Daisy - it increased her value in his eyes. He felt their presence all about 2005-03-29T01:27:42-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Jay-Gatsby-Vs_-Nick-Carraway-in-The-Great-Gatsby-26439.aspx The Great Gatsby Symbolism of Houses and Cars Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is full of symbolism, which is portrayed by the houses and cars in an array of ways. One of the more important qualities of symbolism within The Great Gatsby is the way in which it is so completely incorporated into the plot and structure. Symbols, such as Gatsby’s house and car, symbolize material wealth. Gatsby’s house “[is] a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy” which contains “a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy” is a symbol of Gatsby’s large illegal income(Fitzgerald 9)(9). Gatsby‘s large income isn‘t enough to keep him happy. He needs “The house he feels he needs in order to win happiness” and it is also the perfect symbol of carelessness with money which is a major part of his personality (Bewley 24). Gatsby’s house like his car symbolizes his vulgar and excessive trait of getting attention. Gatz’s house is a mixture of different styles and periods which symbolizes an owner who does not know their true identity. The Buchanan’s house is symbolic of their ideals. East Egg is home to the more prominent established wealth families. Tom’s and Daisy’s home is on the East Egg. Their house, a “red and white Georgian Colonial mansion overlooking the bay” with its “wine-colored rug[s]” is just as impressive as Gatsby’s house but much more low-key (Fitzgerald 11)(13). East egg and Tom‘s home represents the established wealth and traditions. Their stable wealth, although lacking the vulgarity of new wealth, is symbolic of their empty future and now purposelessness lives together. The House also has a cold sense to it according to Nick. This sense symbolizes Tom’s brutality, and as Perkins's says in his manuscript to Fitzgerald “I would know...Buchanan if I met him and would avoid him,” because Tom is so cold and brute (Perkins 199). Nick lives in West Egg in a rented house that “[is] a small eye-sore” and “had been overlooked”(Fitzgerald 10). Nick lives in a new-rich West Egg because he is not wealthy enough to afford a house in the more prominent East Egg. His house symbolizes himself shy and overlooked. Nick is the Narrator and also the “trust worthy reporter and, ...judge” that has ties to both the East and West Egg crowd(Bruccoli xii). Nick comes from a “prominent, well-to-do [family]” acts like the established rich down-played, but he 2005-02-02T05:45:34-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Great-Gatsby-Symbolism-of-Houses-and-Cars-26220.aspx Themes in The Great Gatsby Themes in The Great Gatsby 1. THE CORRUPTION OF THE AMERICAN DREAM The American Dream--as it arose in the Colonial period and developed in the nineteenth century--was based on the assumption that each person, no matter what his origins, could succeed in life on the sole basis of his or her own skill and effort. The dream was embodied in the ideal of the self-made man, just as it was embodied in Fitzgerald's own family by his grandfather, P. F. McQuillan. The Great Gatsby is a novel about what happened to the American dream in the 1920s, a period when the old values that gave substance to the dream had been corrupted by the vulgar pursuit of wealth. The characters are Midwesterners who have come East in pursuit of this new dream of money, fame, success, glamour, and excitement. Tom and Daisy must have a huge house, a stable of polo ponies, and friends in Europe. Gatsby must have his enormous mansion before he can feel confident enough to try to win Daisy. What Fitzgerald seems to be criticizing in The Great Gatsby is not the American Dream itself but the corruption of the American Dream. What was once--for Ben Franklin, for example, or Thomas Jefferson--a belief in self-reliance and hard work has become what Nick Carraway calls "...the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty." The energy that might have gone into the pursuit of noble goals has been channeled into the pursuit of power and pleasure, and a very showy, but fundamentally empty form of success. How is this developed? I have tried to indicate in the chapter-by-chapter analysis, especially in the Notes, that Fitzgerald's critique of the dream of success is developed primarily through the five central characters and through certain dominant images and symbols. The characters might be divided into three groups: 1. Nick, the observer and commentator, who sees what has gone wrong; 2. Gatsby, who lives the dream purely; and 3. Tom, Daisy, and Jordan, the "foul dust" who are the prime examples of the corruption of the dream. The primary images and symbols that Fitzgerald employs in developing the theme are: 1. the green light; 2. the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg; 3. the image of the East and Midwest; 4. Owl Eyes; 5. Dan Cody's yacht; and 6. religious terms such as grail and incarnation. 2. SIGHT AND INSIGHT Both the character groupings and the images and symbols 2005-01-08T08:36:23-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Themes-in-The-Great-Gatsby--26148.aspx Symbolism in The Great Gatsby by Faulkner The Hidden Story in Green and White Color symbolism is really popular in novels written during the 1920's. One such example is Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby. There is much color symbolism in this novel, but there are two main colors that stand out more than the others. The colors green and white influence the story greatly. Green shows many thoughts, ideas, attitudes, and choices that Gatsby has throughout the story. White represents the stereotypical façade that every character is hiding behind. The color green, as it is used in the novel, symbolizes different choices the character, Gatsby, can make during his life. The green element in this novel is taken from the green light at the end of the dock near Daisy's house. The color itself represents serenity, as in everything is perfect. This warns Gatsby that he should not pursue his dream for getting Daisy back, because his chance has passed and everything is as it should be. This is shown with Nick's insight, "…His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him… (Pg.189)" Another symbolization of the color green, which contradicts the first, is the meaning "go." As in a traffic light signal, most people associate green with the word and action "go." This can be interpreted as meaning Gatsby should go for his dream without hesitation. It implies that Gatsby and Daisy are meant to be together and nothing should stop Gatsby from his destined happiness and love with Daisy. It inspires hope for Gatsby that he is on the right path, heading towards the best years of his life. He believes that things will soon be as they once were, only better. ""I'm going to fix everything just the way they were before," he said nodding determinedly. "She'll see."(Pg. 117.)" The last symbolization the color green has in this novel is an urge to strive ahead in life, to do better in life and succeed. Gatsby changes his entire persona for a better, more sociable, image and status. He is constantly striving to be a more successful figure in society. Ever since he was a boy he put himself on a schedule with hopes for becoming a highly respected, well-known person. "He knew he had a big future in front of him. (Pg. 181)," his dad says about him. "Jimmy 2004-12-29T06:19:46-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Symbolism-in-The-Great-Gatsby-by-Faulkner-26082.aspx Great Gatsby Confusions and Complexities Novelists are often concerned with exploring the confusions and complexities of social relationships. In the context, confusions refer to puzzling relationships, which are confusing to comprehend. Whereas, complexities relate to complicated and intricate issues. The different social relationships discussed in F.Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, THE GREAT GASTBY, are business colleagues, lovers and married partners. The characters involved in these relationships consist of, Jay Gatsby, Daisy and Tom Buchanan, Myrtle and George Wilson, Jordan Baker, Mr Wolshiem and Nick Carraway. Each character interacts with others, establishing either confusions or complexities within their social relationship. A complex social relationship explored in this novel is between Wolshiem and Gatsby. The two are business colleagues who work together, however the nature of their business is rarely discussed. During lunch between Gatsby, Wolshiem and Nick, Wolshiem mistakes Nick’s reason of invitation, which Gatsby quickly states, ‘I told you we’d talk about that some other time.’ (p69) This suggests to the audience that their business is not above board, as Gatsby does not wish to discuss their business dealing in front of company. Throughout the novel, their business relationship is kept very vague. On the surface it appears to be a normal business relationship, however due to the uncertainty of their dealings, it is established to the audience that there is a complex relationship existing between the two characters. Thus showing how complexities can be explores through the social relationship of business colleagues. Another example of a social relationship explored in the novel, containing complexities, is between Wolshiem and Gatsby from Wolshiem’s point of view. In the final chapter, Wolshiem sends Nick a letter in regards to Gatsby’s death. He states that he is, ‘…tied up in… very important business… cannot get mixed up in this thing now.’ (p157) This reinforces that their relationship was strictly business and there was not a very strong friendship existing between the two characters. It appears that Wolshiem has very little respect for Gatsby, as he doesn’t have the courtesy to attend his funeral. It is portrayed that all Gatsby was to Wolshiem was a business colleague, nothing more. Wolshiem doe not want to further their relationship as friends. Within the letter, Wolshiem refers to Gatsby as a ‘thing.’ This represents Gatsby’s death as an inconvenience on Wolshiem’s behalf. As Wolshiem was involved in some ‘very important business,’ this once again reinforces the idea that their business relationship was below board. 2004-12-21T04:34:03-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Great-Gatsby-Confusions-and-Complexities-25890.aspx Great Gatsby Theme and Character Anlysis of Tom and Daisy The characters' search of their own identities and the struggle that ensues is the most suffusive theme throughout The Great Gatsby . The fact that we never really know the characters, and the corrupt immoral things they do, directly represent the 20's high society lifestyle. The characters continued to cheat on their spouses, let money become their obsession, and debated the American dream for the hopes of one day obtaining happiness. But the fact remains that they have no true morals or ideals of themselves as individuals. These are a group of people who --no matter how cocky and self- confident they seem-- have absolutely no idea of what they are doing (as many men and women of the 20's do not). Tom and Daisy are two examples. Daisy is a hospitable character who had a love for parties and tended to lose herself in them and the drinking. Daisy once said, "What'll we do with ourselves this afternoon, and the day after that, and the next thirty years?" This quote not only means she lives for one day at a time never thinking of the future, but that she truly has no idea of what to do with herself. She is like loose change floating around wandering from party to party, man to man, friend to friend, in a big house in East Egg with no sense of purpose. She once attempted to plan something when she first reunited with Nick. She said, "What'll we plan? What do people plan?" meaning she has never had to make decisions nor has she had much responsibility. Not only does she have no purpose, she has no morals. She literally killed a woman and went home to eat cold chicken. What more, her lover was killed and she left on a trip missing his funeral. Show me a woman who has no morals or goals and I'll show you a woman who is searching for her own identity. Tom Buchanan is a small man hiding in a big house with an equally large ego. In fact, he once remarked that women run around too much and meet the wrong kind of people. This statement is both arrogant and ironic because he runs around with the wrong people, and women run around with him- he being the wrong people. Also, when stating this he was most likely referring to his wife, and subtly 2004-12-21T04:32:43-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Great-Gatsby-Theme-and-Character-Anlysis-of-Tom-and-Daisy-25889.aspx The Great Gatsby Death of the American Dream In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, all the characters are, in one way or another, attempting to achieve a state of happiness in their lives. The main characters are divided into two groups: the rich upper class and the poorer lower class, which struggles to attain a higher position. Though the major players seek only to change their lives for the better, the idealism and spiritualism of the American Dream is inevitably crushed beneath the harsh reality of life, leaving their lives without meaning or purpose. Tom and Daisy Buchanan, the rich socialite couple, seem to have everything they could possibly desire; however, though their lives are full of material possessions and worldly goods, they are unsatisfied and seek to change their circumstances. Tom, the arrogant ex-football player, drifts on "forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game"(pg. 10) and reads "deep books with long words in them"(pg. 17) in order to have something to talk about. Though he appears happily married to Daisy, Tom has an affair with Myrtle Wilson and keeps an apartment with her in New York. Tom's basic nature of unrest prevents him from being satisfied with the life he leads, and so he creates another life for himself with Myrtle. Daisy Buchanan is an empty figure, a woman with neither strong desires nor convictions. Even before her loyalty to either Tom or Gatsby is called into question, Daisy does nothing but sit around all day and wonder what to do with herself. She knows that Tom has a mistress on the side, yet hesitates to leave him even when she learns of Gatsby's devotion to her. Daisy professes her love to Gatsby, yet cannot bring herself to tell Tom goodbye except at Gatsby's insistence. Even then, once Tom pleads with her to stay, Daisy quickly capitulates and ultimately leaves Gatsby for a life of comfort and security. The Buchanans are the ultimate examples of wealth and prosperity, the epitome of the rich life of the American Dream, yet their lives are empty, unfulfilled, and without purpose. Though Myrtle Wilson makes an attempt to escape her own class and pursue happiness with the richer set, her efforts ultimately produce no results and she dies, a victim of the very group she sought to join. Myrtle tries to join Tom's class by entering into an affair with him and taking on his 2004-12-21T04:32:05-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Great-Gatsby-Death-of-the-American-Dream-25888.aspx The Great Gastby In 1920s The 1920s was one of the most significant time periods in America’s history. After World War One was over America began to reinvent itself. It was a time when prohibition came about, social reform was taking place, and the economy endured many modifications. It was a time for reinventing ones self in many different ways. Americans were changing. They were readjusting to a new life style. They were making transitions that would change America forever. The greatest changes in America were its values. These changes reflected not only America’s values, but American’s values as well. These changes were captured by many artists. In order to adapt, these artists had to develop new styles, new values, and new points of view. Lots of the artists did not write in America, they escaped to Europe to get a better picture of what America was truly like. Artists such as Lewis Sinclair, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald captured America and Americans in the prime of these postwar changes. These authors provided us with a depiction of what was happening in America. They not only provided us with what was happening in the twenties, but they showed Americans what others thought of them as well. They confirmed American’s worst suspicions about themselves and America. The authors portrayed a vivid image of Americans being torn into two directions. How do you adapt to a new world while trying to preserve the values of the old world? The values of Americans were the key themes in each of the author’s most successful novels. As mentioned above, the authors developed new styles and points of views as a result of the changing values. Some of the novels that illustrate how the changing of ones values did not come easy are Sinclair Lewis’ Babbitt, Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. All changes, however, came at a price. The novel that illuminated the 1920s the best, in its search for a new set of values, would have to be The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald was a genius. His novel touches upon numerous instances in which the old values are being replaced with new values. The novel takes place in a time of growth and prosperity, the age of prohibition, as well as a time of 2004-12-12T16:06:30-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Great-Gastby-In-1920s-25838.aspx The Hobbit a Book Review The main character of the book is Mr. Bilbo Baggins. He is the Hobbit who led the Dwarves to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim their treasure from the dragon named Smaug. Bilbo is middle aged and resides in a clean, warm burrow dug into the side of a hill. In the beginning of the story Bilbo is a very weak character. He is easily frightened, and very shy. One of his strengths though, is that he is of the mythical race called Hobbits. Hobbits are known for their skills in thievery and spying. There are two main characteristics of Hobbits that separate them from normal humans. One, Hobbits are very small. They only grow to reach the height of about three feet if they are lucky. Secondly, they have large feet that are covered at the tops by thick hair. This hair is used to keep the hobbit’s feet warm because they do not wear boots. Another characteristic of hobbits is that they normally don’t wish for any excitement or adventure. They thrive on repetition and dull activities such as gardening. Hobbits also love to eat. Bilbo’s favorite foods are: cake, bacon, sausage, eggs, wine, bread and any other fattening things that can be thought of. Some other important characters are as follows. Gandalf, he is the wizard that accompanies Bilbo and the dwarves on their quest. Thorin Oakenshield is son of the king of the dwarves who were driven from the Lonely Mountain. Smaug is the dragon of the Lonely Mountain who hordes the treasure he stole. Gollum is a slimy creature that was born a Hobbit but had the ring too long; this is the character that Bilbo steals the ring from. Bard is the archer that kills Smaug. Bilbo is the main character of the story and also the narrator. The main conflict of the story line is Bilbo vs. Himself. Bilbo has to overcome his fears of dragons and other creatures in order to carry out his part of the mission. Another conflict is the whole party vs. Smaug. The party of dwarves along with Bilbo and Gandalf, have to be able to destroy the dragon in order to claim their so deserved treasure. Bilbo completes this task by finding the dragon’s weak spot and relaying the location to an archer in Lake Town. Both of these conflicts are won by the end of the story. The 2004-07-05T20:45:57-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Hobbit-a-Book-Review-25408.aspx Symbolism in The Great Gatsby The Hidden Story in Green and White Color symbolism is really popular in novels written during the 1920's. One such example is Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby. There is much color symbolism in this novel, but there are two main colors that stand out more than the others. The colors green and white influence the story greatly. Green shows many thoughts, ideas, attitudes, and choices that Gatsby has throughout the story. White represents the stereotypical façade that every character is hiding behind. The color green, as it is used in the novel, symbolizes different choices the character, Gatsby, can make during his life. The green element in this novel is taken from the green light at the end of the dock near Daisy's house. The color itself represents serenity, as in everything is perfect. This warns Gatsby that he should not pursue his dream for getting Daisy back, because his chance has passed and everything is as it should be. This is shown with Nick's insight, "...His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him... (Pg.189)" Another symbolization of the color green, which contradicts the first, is the meaning "go." As in a traffic light signal, most people associate green with the word and action "go." This can be interpreted as meaning Gatsby should go for his dream without hesitation. It implies that Gatsby and Daisy are meant to be together and nothing should stop Gatsby from his destined happiness and love with Daisy. It inspires hope for Gatsby that he is on the right path, heading towards the best years of his life. He believes that things will soon be as they once were, only better. ""I'm going to fix everything just the way they were before," he said nodding determinedly. "She'll see."(Pg. 117.)" The last symbolization the color green has in this novel is an urge to strive ahead in life, to do better in life and succeed. Gatsby changes his entire persona for a better, more sociable, image and status. He is constantly striving to be a more successful figure in society. Ever since he was a boy he put himself on a schedule with hopes for becoming a highly respected, well-known person. "He knew he had a big future in front of him. (Pg. 181)," his dad says about him. 2004-07-05T20:44:33-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Symbolism-in-The-Great-Gatsby-25407.aspx The Great Gatsby Love Lust and Obsession There is a fine line between love and lust. If love is only a will to possess, it is not love. To love someone is to hold them dear to one's heart. In The Great Gatsby, the characters, Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan are said to be in love, but in reality, this seems to be a misconception. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrays the themes of love, lust and obsession, through the character of Jay Gatsby, who confuses lust and obsession with love. By the end of the novel however, Jay Gatsby is denied his "love" and suffers an untimely death. The author interconnects the relationships of the various prominent characters to support these ideas. The character of Jay Gatsby was a wealthy business man, who the author developed as arrogant and tasteless. Gatsby's love interest, Daisy Buchanan, was a subdued socialite who was married to the dim witted Tom Buchanan. She is the perfect example of how women of her level of society were supposed to act in her day. The circumstances surrounding Gatsby and Daisy's relationship kept them eternally apart. For Daisy to have been with Gatsby would have been forbidden, due to the fact that she was married. That very concept of their love being forbidden, also made it all the more intense, for the idea of having a prohibited love, like William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, made it all the more desirable. Gatsby was remembering back five years to when Daisy was not married and they were together: His heart began to beat faster as Daisy's white face came up to his own. He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning-fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete. His memory of her is sweet and beautiful so that even without saying it, it is obvious that he was, and possibly is still, in love with her. He remembered the past and convinced himself that it could be like that once again. He became delusional with love, and was blinded by it. Because Daisy was married, it was impossible for she and Gatsby to 2004-07-05T20:44:01-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Great-Gatsby-Love-Lust-and-Obsession-25406.aspx The Great Gatsby Buying the American Dream Our great cities and our mighty buildings will avail us not if we lack spiritual strength to subdue mere objects to the higher purposes of humanity" (Harnsberger 14), is what Lyndon B. Johnson had to say about materialism. He knew the value of money, and he realized the power and effect of money. Money can have many effects, however money cannot buy happiness. Many people disbelieve this fact, and many continue to try and actually buy articles that make them happy. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Fizgerald keenly shows us how Jay Gatsby is one of these people. Gatsby believes that if he has money, he can do attain great goals. Gatsby is a sensible man, yet he has many false conceptions. Jay Gatsby believes that money can recreate the past, can buy him happiness, and can be helpful in achieving a level of prestige in the prominent East Egg. Jay Gatsby believes he can buy happiness; and this is exhibited through his house, his clothes, and through Daisy. He owns a large portion of finances due to some mysterious source of wealth, and he uses this mystery source to buy his house, his clothes, and Daisy. Gatsby's house, as Fitzgerald describes it, is "a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn and garden" (Fitzgerald 9). This house, as Fitzgerald fabulously enlightens to, is an immaculate symbol of Gatsby's incalculable income. "The house he feels he needs in order to win happiness" (Bewley 24), is an elegant mansion; that of which an excellent symbol of carelessness is displayed and is part of Gatsby's own persona. Every Monday after a party, this house is kept by eight servants. It has its own entrance gate, and is big enough to hold hundreds of people at a time. His careless use for money to impress others is portrayed through his clothes; a gold metallic hat, silver vests and gold jackets. The shirts and clothes that are ordered every spring and fall show his simpleness in expressing his wealth to his beloved Daisy. His "beautiful shirts . . . It makes me sad because I've never seen such beautiful shirts before" (Fitzgerald 98). It seems silly to cry over simple shirts, but "It 2004-07-05T20:43:20-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Great-Gatsby-Buying-the-American-Dream-25405.aspx Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is about a man named Gatsby, in love with a woman, Daisy, who is married to Tom Buchannan. He dreams that one day he and Daisy will get together. Gatsby has worked hard to become the man that he believes will impress Daisy. Even though he has an extravagant house, lots of money, and wild parties, he is without the one person he wants, Daisy. Even befriending Nick deals with Gatsby getting Daisy, because Daisy is Nick’s cousin. In a meeting arranged by Nick and Gatsby, Daisy is invited over for tea and she sees Gatsby. It seems as if time is suspended for a moment, as they look at each other both thinking something. Then Gatsby tips over Nick’s clock, symbolizing that he is running out of time to try to capture what he and Daisy once lost. Through the lonely and careless characters of: Jordan Baker Jay Gatsby, Myrtle, and G. Wilson, Fitzgerald is able to illustrate the lack of spirituality in this novel. The main place in The Great Gatsby that shows the lack of spirituality is the Valley of Ashes, where Myrtle and her husband, George Wilson live. It is a bleak, desolate valley including only one building, a car garage. One day while driving around Tom and Nick stop off at the valley to see Myrtle, Tom’s mistress. Nick describes this valley as being: "about half way between West Egg and New York... a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens" (27). The concern here is with the corruption of values and the decline of spiritual life. The traditional views of God and Religion are dead here and the readers can tell this because the only God-like image in this novel is a billboard with the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg advertising glasses. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg represents the fact that God and religion have taken a less substantial role in comparison with the gods that have the powers of wealth, status, and greed. Dr. Eckleburg represents God, but by the way Nick describes the billboard tells the readers that even though God may watch over His people, he is being ignored in this novel, which is symbolized by the decaying billboard: "his eyes, dimmed a little by many paint less days under the sun and rain" (28). George 2004-07-05T09:32:13-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Great-Gatsby--25341.aspx The Great Gatsby During the 1920s, a new materialism emerged out of society’s desperate search for meaning after World War I. When the young soldiers returned from the war, they found that their previous way of living had little importance. Rather then finding a reason for what they thought of as their mere existence, they immerged themselves in money and wanton spending and consuming. The Stock Market and organized crime became popular ways to feed the hunger for wealth. In his novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays this materialism and regard for money as the downfall of American society during the 1920s. He uses the characters and places in his novel to represent the different facets of this new mentality. Nick and Gatsby are examples of the World War I veterans who searched after money and status. The guests at Gatsby’s parties symbolize the clamber to gain wealth. Fitzgerald uses the disparities between the East and West Egg to portray the differences between the aristocracy and the newly rich. The character of Jay Gatsby is the main example of Fitzgerald’s point. He is a World War I veteran who seeks wealth in order to impress his love. However, this goal is completely hopeless. The woman of his fancies is Daisy Buchanan, who is married to Tom Buchanan. Gatsby has convinced himself that it is possible to win back his old love from the past. Gatsby has a way of turning his hopes into his own reality, no matter how impossible they may be, as demonstrated by the following quotation. The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God—a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that—and he must be about His Father's business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end. (The Great Gatsby, page 104) This is exactly the kind of lifestyle that Fitzgerald is warning against living. Trying to make a life the way it was in the past is futile. Gatsby turns to crime in order to impress Daisy, which just makes his 2004-02-23T03:44:05-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Great-Gatsby-52.aspx