How Does Jay Gatsby Reinventing Himself

In chapter 8, Gatsby reveals to Nick what his life was truly like. While reading about Gatsby's past the read comes to realize how much he changed just for one person. Gatsby was actually born James Gatz, a man from a poor family who had fallen in love with Daisy. With the love that James had for Daisy he was willing to give her up to try and better himself for her. James had known that the only way he could be with her, was if he was wealthy. When analyzing this chapter, we truly see how much James had changed himself and left his family just so he could have money to be with the women he loved. Now it seems to be something romantic, however one should not to gain more wealth to be with someone. The reader will read more and find out that, however Jay Gatsby had actually bootlegged to earn more money. It seems to be that Gatsby had been worried about his social status just to have Daisy back.

No one has heard of this man till now, and the old money in East Egg is very curious to know where it came from. We the reader know that he was originally supposed to get his money from an older man named Cody, but that money was taken by Cody's mistress after he passed on which leaves the reader wondering what moral high-grounds he had to disregard to get where he is. Since this is an era of prohibition, alcohol being banned at every age, when the reader is shocked when they find out Gatsby was selling alcohol to make this money. However, when it comes up, Gatsby is not concerned with being caught in the lie, “'What about it?' Gatsby said politely. 'I guess your friend wasn't too proud to come in on it.'” (Fitzgerald 284/285) As Gatsby sees it, everyone is involved in some type of deceit. Morality comes into question more than once throughout the book, not just with Gatsby's money but also his love for Daisy. She is married to a wealthy man named Tom, whom she doesn't love, and begins to have an affair with Gatsby (facilitated by her cousin and the narrator, Nick Carraway). This parallels how Tom Joad killed two men during the entire caravan trip to California because it was what he needed to do to get him and his family closer to the

Jay Gatsby and Benjamin Franklin share the view that one’s affluence and one’s display of it are the measures of one’s success in achieving his goal. If one truly has the money required to be affluent, there will be no need to display that wealth because others will inherently know that one is rich. In fear of being thought to be poor, Gatsby and Franklin both try to exhibit whatever amount of money they may have even if they do not posses the wealth they truly desire. Franklin searches for items of monetary value in order to accumulate the resources necessary to make a reputation for his name, while Gatsby seeks to acquire the “old wealth” of East Egg in order to win the heart of his loved one, Daisy. The description of Gatsby’s personal library reveals that he only throws elaborate parties in order to prove to Daisy that he has acquired the money necessary to support a relationship with her, when in reality he can never achieve that status. During Nick’s first visit to Gatsby’s mansion for one of his lavish parties,

In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby abandons the army a poor man, but has visions of making money, climbing the social ladder, and getting Daisy back in his life. Gatsby thinks he is succeeding when he meets Dan Cody and Wolfsheim, yet he is actually tarnishing his

Many works of literature contain a character who intentionally deceives others. In Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, the character Jay Gatsby deceives the entire world with his riches and his extravagant house on West Egg, as well as his bootleg industries. Although it was deliberate and a little selfish, he does it all to find and woo what he believes to be his true love, Daisy Buchanan.

Everyone knows that people change throughout their lives whether that be looks or character, but how much might you change if you were involved in an illegal business, war, deaths and having more money than most can even imagine? In my opinion, the Great Gatsby was a dramatic love story that told the fictional story of a man and his love for riches and the determination he used to get what he wanted.Throughout the life story in the book “The Great Gatsby” characters change so much from the beginning of the book to the end. In this book you’ll see Nick, Gatsby, and Daisy all express changes in their characters throughout the book.

Gatsby creates an identity for himself as a wealthy man, who lives a glamorous life by throwing huge parties, and is known by the most prestigious figures in New York. What the partygoers don’t realize is that the parties and his wealth is all in the hopes of rekindling with his love from the past, Daisy. In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald tells the story of a young man named Jay Gatsby, who came from nothing, and built up to be everything that he had hoped and dreamed of being. However, his one dream did not become a reality due to misfortunate events. All the money in the world couldn’t make Gatsby happy, as he died as his true self, not the identity he created for himself.

In The Great Gatsby, a prominent underlying theme is self transformation, or the reinventing of oneself. Throughout the book Gatsby is not what he says he is. He made up his whole life story in order to impress a girl he falls in love with before he is sent off to war. Jay Gatsby sets out to completely reinvent himself in every way, starting with his name. Growing up in the midwest, he was James Gatz, son of poor a poor farmer. In the text, the characters that

Gatsby fails to earn respect from wealthy socialites of the East Egg because he disguises his true identity, which hinders him from achieving his dream. The world Fitzgerald creates in his novel is split into three different categories: old money, new money, and no money. “Old money” are those who inherited their money since many generations whereas “New money” are those who recently acquired money. As a young child, Gatsby was not familiar with wealth since his parents were poor and unsuccessful farmers. When Gatsby does earn his wealth he is not accepted by the “old money”. Gatsby tries to trick others about his social status with lies of his own “I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years” (Fitzgerald 65). Gatsby’s tries to hide his background by saying he was “brought up in America” this implies that he wants others to think of him as socialite because he studied at a prestigious college, Oxford. Gatsby thinks that lying about his education at “Oxford” will increase his chances of being accepted into the society of “Old Money”. For instance, Gatsby lies about his education and birthplace to deceive people into thinking that Gatsby has always been a part of the “Old Money”. Gatsby’s own account of his prominent past seems very exaggerated. Gatsby’s spontaneous response to give proof to substantiate his story is itself very mysterious. Gatsby is willing to distort his past

Even though Nick believes that Gatsby is different than the others in the wealthy he was just as corrupt and dishonest as the others in the upper class. When they were all together Tom revealed what he had find out about how Gatsby made his money and he disclose “I find out what your ‘drug-stores’ were”(The Great Gatsby 284). He was referring to the illegal alcohol that Gatsby as selling to make his fortune. Tom was pointing out how Gatsby’s money wasn’t honest to make him look bad in front of Daisy and everybody else. Nick was trying to know more about Gatsby and his business life and he because some of the things Gatsby was saying didn’t add up so Nick indicated "I thought you inherited your money." "I did, old sport," he said automatically, "but I lost most of it in the big panic – the panic of the war." I think he hardly knew what he was saying, for when I asked him what business he was in he answered, "That's my affair," before he realized that it wasn't the appropriate reply”(The Great Gatsby 97). The fact that Gatsby was lying about how he made his money shows how dishonest and corrupt he was that he had to hid it.

Transforming his name and developing new life values are only parts of the lifecycle in which Jay Gatsby participates in order to follow his dreams. Although not always successful in creating new individualities, Gatsby’s attempts are fully genuine.

He starts out as a poor boy from North Dakota, Gatsby at this time is working for his money, he is a clam digger and salmon fisher in lake Superior, he also works as a janitor when he attends college. He returns back to lake Superior where he meets Dan Cody and he takes him in, letting him work on his boat. Gatsby was supposed to inherit money from him, however that never happened and he became poor again. He does eventually become rich again but not without compromising his morals. Before, Gatsby did what any normal person would do, he worked hard for his money doing everyday jobs, but after, he got his money through illegal drug stores and bootlegging. He is called out by Tom who says, “I found out what your ‘drug stores’ were… he and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug stores… and sold grain alcohol over the counter.” (141). In this indirect characterization you can see how far Gatsby went in changing his morals to become rich. Instead of sticking to his morals and working regular jobs like he did before, his demand for money corrupted his morals and he turned to bootlegging, forever changing his morals and who he was as a person. The richest and happiest man is the one who sets the joy and happiness of others in the center of his

Jay Gatsby, the title character of The Great Gatsby, is really not all that the title might suggest. First of all, his real name is James Gatz. He changed it in an effort to leave behind his old life as a poor boy and create an entirely new identity. He is also a liar and a criminal, having accumulated his wealth and position by dishonest means. But he is still called ‘great,’ and in a sense he is. Gatsby is made great by his unfaltering hope, and his determination to live in a perfect world with Daisy and their perfect love. Gatsby has many visible flaws—his obvious lies, his mysterious way of avoiding straight answers. But they are shadowed over by his gentle smile and his visible hunger for an ideal future. The coarse and playful Jay

The greed within both characters has a major role in the downfall of their charcter. Gatsby has an idealistic view that money can get him anything for the typical american dream. Moreover, no where can it be seen Gastby is using his money without his selfish desire and with the doctorine of tout comprendre, c'est tout pardonner, it continues to make Gatsby think when there is no guilt, there should be no punishment. Thus, Gatsby does not take his greed as guilt and thinks it is okay, leading to the downfall of his charecter. East Eggers have "inherited money" whereas West Eggers have newly acquired money Gatsby attains all his money through boot legging and wants to win Daisy Buchan's heart by throwing parties in fact, Gatsby throws soo many parties to impress Daisy showing he has money, his own guests do not even know who he is "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 he champagne and the stars." 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. (3.1)3.1 Materialistic objects persue Gatsby's happiness and his neighbour Nick Carraway explains how Gatsby does so much partying for the reason we come to know as his love life since Daisy ended there affair because Gatsby was not wealthy enough with the desire for wealth and high status Gatsby started to participate in dishonest and illegal deeds such as bootlegging to attain wealth and there should be no punishment as long as no one knows according to his doctorine of belief.. Hence, no one comes to

Time tells us that success often comes with a price. Often money will create more problems than it can solve. The richness of a person’s soul can be hidden in the folds of money. Such is the case of Jay Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is constantly altering in the readers mind due to the various puzzling events that transpire in the novel creating a level of mystery.