Analysis : The Great Gatsby

Daisy throughout the novel was part of a failing marriage, specifically her husband affair with Myrtle. In the beginning of the novel, Daisy did not know she had an option to get out of her marriage, and could live a happier life with Gatsby. When Daisy first learned of Tom’s affair, she seemed embarrassed not for him but herself, considering this was not the first time Tom has had an affair and

The plot of The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is driven by Jay Gatsby's

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a novel that highlights the stark contrast between the rich elites of East Egg and the dirt-poor ashen people of the Valley of Ashes through the reckless power that the wealthy of this world can exert on the unfortunate. As concluded by Nick in the novel, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness [...] and let other people clean up the mess they had made” (Fitzgerald, 179). By thoroughly examining the thoughtless actions of Daisy and Tom Buchanan and their consequences, Baz Luhrmann's rendition of The Great Gatsby portrays the carelessness of the elites more effectively than the novel. Through the inclusion of additional scenes and the omission of some, Baz Luhrmann conveys the utter disregard that Tom and Daisy posses towards other characters in the novel.

“The orgastic future that year by year recedes before us” is the unattainable goal of those living in Tom and Daisy’s world—a world where lives are wasted chasing the unreachable (Fitzgerald 180). In his 1925 novel The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald suggests that making any progress whatsoever toward this aspiration often requires people to establish facades that enable them to progress socially, but that a crippled facade will backfire and cause detriment to its creator. In the passage where Nick realizes who Gatsby is on page 48, Nick observes two different versions of Gatsby—one that is reassuring and truthful and another who “pick[s] his words with care” (Fitzgerald 48). Nick is at first attracted to Gatsby’s constructed

After reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I was able to gather a small playlist of songs that can relate to the book. The lyrics in these songs relate to scenes, symbols, and different characters in the book.

One of Daisy’s biggest sins included misleading her husband by marrying him. Tom Buchanan remained deceived with the impression of Daisy loving him. After she cut her ties with Gatsby, she set off on a new adventure, transforming her normal life into riches. Daisy “wanted her life shaped now, immediately-and the decision must be made by some force- of love, of money, of unquestionable practicality” and soon “that force took the shape of Tom Buchanan”. Tom’s kindness attracted Daisy the first time they met. But as time progressed, she grew infatuated with his money more than his personality. The little glimpse of greed from her youth developed into a powerful force which took control of her emotions. To Daisy, the importance of money overpowered her will to achieve happiness. Daisy’s love rang once for Tom but Jay Gatsby answered her call. She cheated on her husband Tom because she desired Gatsby more. On the day of Myrtle’s death, Daisy confronted both Tom and Gatsby with her true emotions by confessing “even alone I can’t say I never loved Tom… It wouldn’t be true”. She loved Tom but since Daisy’s with Gatsby, she doesn’t love him anymore. Daisy broke the vows she made to Tom when they married each other. Breaking the promise of marriage gave her the thrill she always dreamed of in her youth.

Write a 750 word essay in response to one of the following prompts. Be sure to include at least three quotes from the texts.

Although the timeline is kept vague in The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald makes it clear that his work of art is based in the early 1920’s between World War I and the Prohibition. This was a transitional period in the United States. America changed after the war and as a result, so did life. The idea of the perfect life fluctuated as troops began flooding back to the United States, migrating to cities, picking up jobs, and buying houses for their new or planned families. The economy was booming, jazz became the new popular music, woman (more commonly referred to as “flappers”) and men were expressing their freedom by having parties and hanging out in clubs or bars, Henry Ford just introduced the Model-T which made automobiles

“While in New York in the company of Tom and Nick Carraway, she unconvincingly acts out the role of a wealthy lady in order to feel worthy of tom: her absolute need for a mutt off of the street and her statement that her frilly and obviously costly dress meant nothing to her. Yet these overtures are rebuffed by Tom when she later chants Daisy’s name” (Wyly Michael 70). This unforgiving act of Myrtle is both shallow and immoral. She cheats on her husband George Wilson with not just any man, but a married man! This man is Tom Buchanan and him and his wife are of the upper class. The fact that she cheated on her husband to a married man at an attempt to be one of the upper class of people is pretty self-explanatory of just how shallow and immoral that is. “The only crazy I was was when I married him. I knew right away I had made a mistake. He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in, and never even told me about it, and the man came after it one day when he was out…But I gave it to him and then I lay down and cried to beat the band all afternoon” (35). This quotation explains how she feels about her marriage. She hates her husband because he is poor. Even though she hates George she will not leave him. Myrtle is just using him for financial support and does not love him at all. How shallow can one get? Does Myrtle not have the decency to divorce her husband? Apparently not and she is willing to cheat on him with Tom Buchanan.

The Great Gatsby by Francis Scott Fitzgerald and Passing by Nella Larsen are two significant historical novels that highlight the problems of the nineteen-twenties. These two stories, written within a decade, contrast each other deeply as The Great Gatsby investigates the deep socio-economic tensions of the early twentieth century whereas Passing investigates the deep racial tensions throughout the beginning of the twentieth century. An aspect intrinsic to both books is how these tensions relate to and hinder the American Dream, the idea that every American has an equal opportunity to achieve success through hard work and determination. Both novels present characters that

Tom barely shows any devotion to Daisy while Gatsby’s dedicates his life to her, yet Daisy chooses to stay with Tom and his status than to run away with the lost love of her life. Even though they don’t share raw passion and true love, they both would rather remain married despite the fact that they both know that the other have had affairs. They both give and take what they want most. Tom gives Daisy wealth and high social standing, and Tom needs the outside world to see him with a perfect wife which happens to be Daisy. By acknowledging each other’s faults they can weigh their options with a clear mind, and really evaluate what’s important to them in a relationship. Daisy values old money, and she “vanished into her rich house, into her rich, full life” (149) because security is important to her. Even though Tom and Daisy do not represent the perfect couple, their relationship will probably last until death because they are open, and they offer what the other wants without blindly believing that they were perfect for each other. Just because their relationship is long-lasting, does not mean that they should stay together. Their relationship is strong, but it is grotesquely unhealthy. Not only have there been numerous affairs, but Tom is also a violent man. He broke Myrtle's nose, and earlier Daisy lightly accuses Tom of hurting her

Further, Daisy is also guilty of lying to herself. This is confirmed when Jordan says “I’d never seen a girl so mad about her husband” (75). Preceding this quotation, Jordan, Nick’s girlfriend, as well as the longtime friend of Daisy’s, explains that Daisy had received a letter from Gatsby the night before her wedding to Tom, which caused her immense distress and confliction. However, Jordan explains that despite the pain and suffering that Daisy had endured the night before, she somehow seemed extremely in love with Tom following their wedding. This quotation demonstrates how Daisy misleads herself into believing her own happiness in order to please others. Therefore, it is Daisy’s self-deceit that allows Fitzgerald to portray her as antagonistic in her rejection of Gatsby, further augmenting her continued debasement. Therefore, Myrtle and Daisy’s duplicity in the novel is used to poorly depict women. Emotional and physical isolation are also used to demean the female

Tom disregards Daisy’s elegant beauty in exchange for the physical endeavors he craves with Myrtle. In doing so, he disrespects the value of both women as he objectifies them as toys at his disposal. This results in a negative relationship between Tom and Daisy. When Myrtle calls Tom at dinner, Daisy “suddenly … [throws] her napkin on the table and excuse[s] herself and [goes] into the house” (Fitzgerald 17). Daisy’s reaction to Myrtle’s call captures her frustration with Tom.

There was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture.”(145). Then when Gatsby and Daisy reunite we see that Daisy truly is a hopeless romantic and ultimately this is the reason that she has an affair with Gatsby. Daisy after all of the years and after having a marriage has always kept the dream alive that she and Gatsby would reunite. Before her marriage Daisy actually tried to make the dream a reality by visiting Gatsby, “Her mother had found her packing her bag one winter night in New York and say good-by to a soldier who was going over seas.” (75). This is a prime example of Daisy and how her being a hopeless romantic had previously persuaded her to go to Gatsby and the past is now repeating and she wants to go back to Gatsby again. Myrtle on the other hand certainly is not a hopeless romantic, but has an affair based mostly power, wealth, and social status. Tom and Myrtle met on a train car and they had feelings for each other from the start. One of the first things that Myrtle says about Tom is all about money, “ A dress suit and patent leather shoes I couldn’t keep my eyes

“The Great Gatsby” is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published in 1925, it is set on Long Island's North Shore and in New York City from spring to autumn of 1922. The novel takes place following the First World War. American society enjoyed prosperity during the “roaring” as the economy soared. At the same time, prohibition, the ban on the sale and manufacture of alcohol as mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment, made millionaires out of bootleggers. After its republishing in 1945 and 1953, it quickly found a wide readership and is today widely