F. Scott Fitzgerald is known to be one of the most influential writers of America. He is known to have perfectly captured the essence of the “Jazz Age” and written one of the greatest novels, also known as The Great Gatsby. He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 24, 1896 where he attended St. Paul’s academy. There, he published his first composed piece on the school newsprint. Later, he attended Princeton, where he wrote musicals; due to struggling with his grades, Fitzgerald dropped out and joined the army. Fitzgerald moved to New York in 1919 and released his novel a year later. Immediately, his novel was a bestseller, from which he rose to fame. In 1957, he moved to Paris for inspiration, where he published The Great Gatsby. As …show more content…
He threw flashy and extravagant parties only trying to catch the attention of Daisy, a former lover. Fitzgerald then describes “Valley of Ashes”, a deserted and dull area which represents the poor. It seems that the poor are disrespected and do not like living in the Valley of Ashes. In fact, Myrtle ends up dying when she tries escaping which shows that the poor are stuck there, not by choice, and cannot get out. This is parallel to their financial status, since there was a huge financial gap between the upper class and the lower class. The Great Gatsby is also set in New York City, which represents “the American Dream”, a significant topic in this novel. New York is known as a melting pot of people hoping to pursue different aspirations and dreams from all over the country, and even the world. Both Gatsby and Nick are from the Midwest who hoped to make it big at one point of their lives. One of the most important factors of the setting is that it is set in the 1920’s. Americans in this time period were known to have a superfluous amount of wealth. Americans had extra money and spent it on consumer goods, mostly cars. Time was revolutionizing; women were officially given their right during the 1920’s. They felt freer than ever before, both emotionally and sexually. However, the most important part of this time period was when there was a “cultural civil war” ("The Roaring Twenties." History.com. A&E
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby chronicles Jay Gatsby’s ill-fated attempt to recreate a lost love from his past. Through single-minded focus, he transforms himself from penniless James Gatz of Minnesota to the wealthy and mysterious Jay Gatsby of West Egg, New York. Despite the fact that Daisy Buchanan, Gatsby’s lost lover, has come to terms with their separation, Gatsby maintains his firm belief in the notion of rebirth, convinced he can recreate the past. Furthermore, the novel serves as Fitzgerald’s personal introspection, voicing his own desire for renewal in the search for his identity. Therefore, a central theme in the novel is rebirth, exemplified by the actions and motivations of Gatsby and Fitzgerald’s examination of his own life.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, has become one of the most read, praised pieces of fiction in American literature. Without a doubt, The Great Gatsby appropriately represents a period of American history where everything was possible, or at least thought possible. In the novel, Fitzgerald doesn’t just depict the social, historical, and economical conditions, he provides the reader with insight into the lives and motives, which the characters use to validate their actions. An underlying reason as to why everything happens the way they do in the novel is the overarching idea of the American Dream. Towards the end of the novel, one must wonder whether or not the American Dream in The Great Gatsby still holds its meaning, or is it the remnants of a once great idea.
Ever since the formation of America, cultural values and ideals have been strongly centered on the belief that any man, no matter his initial station in life, can achieve greatness and prosperity, should he be willing to work hard and have initiative. Americans had trust in the idea that they would find a certain level of success, as long as the aforementioned traits were put into practice; no prerequisites were required to obtain these goals, and all people had a chance to better their situation. However, this long held belief was put into question in the aftermath of the First World War; millions of soldiers and civilians were killed, advanced methods of warfare destroyed homes and cities, and the
F. Scott Fitzgerald uses Nick in The Great Gatsby to develop a new view of the American dream by exploring the illusion of unending pleasure that it seems to provide. At first glance the American dream promised success and wealth that was almost limitless. An era characterized by extravagant parties and displays of wealth was built on an illusion that it would continue without end. Soon, people lost track of the work that got them there and began to be concerned more about the display of wealth than actually having it. This began to lead to an illusion of wealth built upon a materialistic view of society. The materialistic illusion began to be eroded upon despite attempts to stifle the advances of nature (“PROSPERITY”). This controversy
As World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II were occurring, America was in a time of uncertainty and questioning. Therefore, in following with the feeling of the American people, American writers often followed this theme of confusion in their writing, creating the age of Modernism. During the time period of Modernism, writers often included the themes of uncertainty, disjointedness, and disillusionment in their works. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, these three themes of uncertainty, disjointedness, and disillusionment are portrayed through three main characters Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby, respectively.
From a young age, everyone is told to follow the example set by adults around them. Children are constantly berated for their behavior and told to act more mature. But issues in this world are not caused by children. The blame lies in the hands of the very adults that adolescents are taught to model after. Adults are able to get away with unacceptable behavior, claiming that being older means that they must know better. In the heart of the 1920s, an era of wild parties and reckless abandon, F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the complex society of Long Island Sound’s elite, the fictional East Egg and its less fashionable counterpart, West Egg, in his novel The Great Gatsby. Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s already strained marriage is further shaken up by the reappearance of a flame from Daisy’s past, Jay Gatsby, who manages to make himself into an incredibly wealthy man. Readers watch through the eyes of Nick Carraway, Daisy’s cousin and Gatsby’s neighbor, as irrational actions force their lives to intertwine into a complicated mess. The selfish decisions and careless actions of Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby prove that the behavior of adults is not always acceptable.
A life of luxury requires an arduous journey of dedication to achieve it. To embody the American Dream, one must strive to succeed. However, some may go too far in the process, and make irreversible decisions. This dream of copious amounts of wealth causes multiple characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s well-known novel The Great Gatsby to perish from selfishness. Based in the roaring twenties, also known as the jazz age, Fitzgerald sheds light on a major problem in society. Since a poor farm boy in North Dakota, to a rich gangster in New York, Jay Gatsby has been in pursuit of the American Dream. This dream lead Gatsby to believe that money and wealthy can buy anything, even happiness and love; ultimately leading to his downfall. Daisy Buchanan, who also believed in the American Dream, wished to marry Gatsby, however she could not due to the immense differences between economic and social class. By becoming a gangster, Gatsby achieved an equal wealth status; however this banished him to a life with a tainted past. The green light on Daisy’s dock was Gatsby’s only way to hang onto his goal. To clear his past and attain the ideal American Dream social status, Gatsby tried to woe Daisy into marrying him, believing his money alone would be enough to win her love. F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates how the American Dream causes destruction and corruption in society.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald show us how powerful money is, ever more than love. The History setting is around the 1920’s, one of the main characters is named Nick Carraway, he is he is portraying a series of events were love, hate, power played a great deal of importance and led to the passing of a men he closely knew, his name was Jay Gatsby. Daisy was Gatsby’s doom he gave everithing for her, shockingly for him his affection was no match against Daisy’s greed for a comfortable lifestyle and social stature. “Her voice is full of money,’ he said suddenly” (128).
“You don’t write to say something, you write because you have something to say.” F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the most remarkable writers of all time during the Jazz Age. He started to reach an accomplishment of success with This Side of Paradise and accomplished it with The Great Gatsby. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novels take place back in the early 1900’s; he attempts to communicate knowledge to the elocutionist, in a sophisticated, but humorous way, that making it big is not uncomplicated. Furthermore, he concentrates on the elements of theme, plot, and tone to reach out to his congregation (Brainy Quote).
F. Scott Fitzgerald is an acclaimed American author, popularly recognized for his novel The Great Gatsby. In addition to his literary work, Fitzgerald is noted for his unstable personal life. Originally coming from a low-income background, he could not marry the woman that he first loved. Even when he met another woman, he had to acquire wealth to marry her; this drove him to publish his first novel. He married her shortly after. However, a couple years after, he turned to alcohol and his wife had a mental breakdown. Fitzgerald had to constantly work to pay for his wife’s medications. Not having close friends to whom he could express his life struggles, Fitzgerald conveyed his difficulties through his writing. In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald used the character Jay Gatsby to mirror his own life.
provides a general basis of where the themes or the stance of the author is influenced from, perhaps by the society in which the author was a part of, or an experience that he underwent
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the protagonist Jay Gatsby exemplifies both positive and negative aspects of the American Dream through his love for Daisy, his mysterious accumulation of wealth, and longing for acceptance within society.
Often referred to as “the Jazz Age,” the 1920s was a time full of innovation, leisure, and newfound sexual expression. In this age, there was a boom in literary expression as well. F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the many twentieth-century writers to focus on American ideals in their novels. In Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, the character of Jay Gatsby represents the opulence and underlying corruption of the 1920s.
The author of the novel The Great Gatsby, is F. Scott Fitzgerald. He is an American novelist and short story writer who was born in Minnesota, USA on September 24, 1896 and died on December 21, 1940.
The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which takes place right before the Great Depression. Personally, this is my favorite book that I have ever read. The book was very well written, and the language used throughout the text corresponds to the time era that the book takes place in. It is considered by some to be a portrait of the golden age of jazz. Fitzgerald’s book, is seen as the paradox of the ‘American Dream’. His writing is magnificently sensational. This book is also very well written. The Great Gatsby is definitely worth the read.