F. Scott Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby Essay

1. We see all the action of The Great Gatsby from the perspective of one character whose

The 1920s is the decade in American history known as the “roaring twenties.” Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is a reflection of life in the 1920s. Booming parties, prominence, fresh fashion trends, and the excess of alcohol are all aspects of life in the “roaring twenties.”

After a time of prosperity, the roaring 1920’s became a decade of social decay and declining moral values. The forces this erosion of ethics can be explained by a variety of theories. However, F. Scott Fitzgerald paints a convincing portrait of waning social virtue in his novel, The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald portrays the nefarious effects of materialism created by the wealth-driven culture of the time. This was an era where societal values made wealth and material possessions a defining element of one’s character. The implications of the wealthy mindset and its effects on humanity are at the source of the conflict in The Great Gatsby, offering a glimpse into the despair of the 20’s. During a time

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, many of the characters live in an illusory world and only some can see past this. In the novel, West Egg and its residents represent the newly rich, while East Egg represents the old aristocracy. Gatsby seeking the past, Daisy is obsessed with material things, Myrtle wanting Tom to escape her poverty, George believing that T.J. Eckleburg is God, and Tom believing he is untouchable because of his power and wealth are all examples of the illusion v. reality struggle in the novel and Nick, the only character aware of reality, witnesses the fall of all the characters around him to their delusions.

Throughout the novel “The Great Gatsby”, F. Scott Fitzgerald used a lot of different motifs and themes to symbolize to help see the reality behind Gatsby and the other characters in the novel including Daisy. The author uses various colors and physical places such as the green light at Daisy’s dock as Gatsby’s unattainable dream of being with Daisy while the Eyes of T.J Eckleburg in the valley of ashes to portray as God’s eyes as well as the reader’s eyes watching Gatsby yearn for his dream only for it to be crushed with a bullet and killed. The novel also illustrates how the American dream can attain one’s wealth and glory but at a hefty price of falling for greed and corruption through Gatsby’s fall. In the end, we really wonder why does attaining wealth make one so greedy and why is Gatsby trying to bring Daisy back to him despite it being a moment of the past that cannot be relived, a reality that Gatsby cannot accept. The most important motifs that are prominently symbolized throughout the novel is wealth, the American dream, and corruption.

Donald Trump once said, “My whole life is about winning. I don 't lose often. I almost never lose.” Jay Gatsby has a similar outlook on life. Gatsby and Trump view themselves as winners because their pockets are stuffed with cash. Jay Gatsby and Donald Trump can agree on one thing: money. Both men are ruthless, business tycoons, and measure their success in life based on their wealth. Jay Gatsby meets his demise towards the end of F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby, while Donald Trump is just getting started on a new business venture. Donald Trump is the modern-day Jay Gatsby. Donald Trump and Jay Gatsby find comfort in lavish lifestyles, are willing to go to desperate measures for a business deal, and attempt to win the hearts of the ladies they love.

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, about half of the main characters present themselves as something they are not. Throughout the novel, the theme of passing is apparent in Nick, Jay Gatsby, Daisy, and Myrtle Wilson, although they are all passing, each does it for a very different reason. Many scholars have touched on the idea that these characters are not who they appear to be and that their passing is associated with social class issues of the 1920s. Fitzgerald’s characters are built around the idea of passing and social class restrictions.

When Cody died, he left the boy, now Jay Gatsby, a legacy of $25,000. Unfortunately

Example: "And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy." (The Great Gatsby)

A yearning for power, the thirst to become wealthy, intense cravings of lust, these examples of greed affects humanity in various ways, yet always seems to control a society. This constant longing for more is prevalent among most people, including the protagonists of beloved novels, often resulting in their gradual downfall. This corrupt behavior is addressed in Siddhartha Gautama’s ancient fire sermon, which discusses the important Buddhist idea of freeing oneself from desire. This ancient saying is among some of the most treasured and analyzed Buddhist compositions, and molds the values and morals of a culture. Its teachings illuminate the destructive qualities shown in society and throughout literature and its relevance can be examined in The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Macbeth written by William Shakespeare.

After The Great War concluded in 1918, America entered a state of prosperity and luxury throughout the 1920’s. This significant accumulation of wealth marked the start of the Roaring 20’s, a time the American economy grew to be the most powerful worldwide but in which people began exploiting their earnings on excess materialism. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous novel, The Great Gatsby, accurately re-creates this time period yet criticizes the changes of societal attitudes and its values that occurred, making Fitzgerald the first “American writer to write seriously about money and the effects of money on character” (Bruccoli). The two main characters, Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby, both made the decision to reside in New York in hopes of obtaining their own fortune in order to achieve the wealthy, comfortable lifestyle they always desired. However, their growth and change of perspective as the novel progresses in response to the constant presence of immeasurable wealth reveals how the novel criticizes this time era as an “American social order delimited by patriarchal capitalism in which there is little possibility for authentic love or desire” (Froehlich). The two novel inspired poems “Changing Hours” and “Carried Away” express differing perspectives and reactions towards the idea of progressing into a carefree and extravagant lifestyle. While “Changing Hours” and “Carried Away” both illustrate the deceptive and futile nature of a luxurious lifestyle within The Great Gatsby, only

Imagine if the love of your life betrays you in a way that you would have never imagined. The pain that you feel may be forgiven but never forgotten. This is clearly represented in the novel and adaptation The Great Gatsby written by Francis Scott Fitzgerald and directed by Baz Luhrmann. Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s novel appropriately portrays the Roaring Twenties, also known as the Jazz Age. Every individual’s goal during this time was to accomplish their own version of the American Dream. Luhrmann’s adaptation is both unfaithful and faithful through mise-en-scene in various scenes throughout the film adaptation.

Many of us want to be remembered when we pass away. For most, the best way is through an obituary. Almost every day, there are numerous obituaries submitted to many newspapers, such as The New York Times. There are brief obituaries submitted by family members in which the said deceased individual played a major role throughout his/her life (whether it be charity or a major work accomplishment) and there are longer obituary articles written by reporters, usually on a well-known individual. When looking at those two kinds of obituary articles, there are many similarities and differences.

Thesis: The pursuit of the American Dream is a dominant theme throughout The Great Gatsby, which is carried out in various ways by F. Scott Fitzgerald, how the author represents this theme through his characters and their actions is one small aspect of it.

Any American is taught a dream that is purged of all truth. The American Dream is shown to the world as a belief that anyone can do anything; when in reality, life is filled with impossible boundaries. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald gives us a glimpse into the life of the upper class during the roaring twenties through the eyes of a moralistic young man named Nick Carraway. It is through the narrator's dealings with the upper class that the reader is shown how modern values have transformed the American Dream's pure ideals into a scheme for materialistic power, and how the world of the upper class lacks any sense of morals or consequence. In order to support Fitzgerald's message