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In-Depth Analysis Of The Great Gatsby

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F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby has been viewed as a standout masterpiece of American writing since it was published in the 1920s. The novel has been distinctly consecrated in American culture where it remains applicable and regularly read over ninety years after publication. Why it is still relevant turns out to be clear when reading the novel. Fitzgerald tells a moderately contained and straightforward story by using an elaborate style and concerning different distinctive topics. In addition, it lets plenty of space for alternative views and speculations about some elements of the novel. This essay will focus on a in-depth analysis of Nick Carraway, with the intention of showcasing his character traits, background and relations, and …show more content…

When he talks about her he often uses masculine terms and and at one point of the Novel describes her as a “clean, hard and limited person” (77). Lois Tyson, states the allegation that Nick could be a gay man who is unaware of his own homosexuality (343). In this case the masculine descriptions of Jordan could be a clue for this, he seems to be attracted to women whose physical properties are not traditionally feminine. On the other hand, someone Nick does spend a lot of time describing is the main protagonist Jay Gatsby. The amount of detail and volume of text dedicated to Nick’s description of Gatsby can be attributed to the fact that the book is about Gatsby, not Jordan Baker, but the how is what makes Nick’s possible sexual tendency more obvious. Not only are the descriptions of Gatsby noticeably more deep and detailed, they tend to lean towards the more traditionally feminine and are especially romanticizing and glorifying. Nick calls the way Gatsby's smiles “understandingly” and notes that it is “one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance […] that you may come across four or five times in life” (49). Nick also notes that: “Gatsby's “tanned skin was drawn attractively tight on his face and his short hair looked as though it were trimmed every day” …show more content…

Nick travels to New York from West Egg with Tom Buchanan, stopping on the way to pick up Myrtle, Tom's secret affair. They then head to an apartment where they, together with Myrtles sister and the married couple, the McKees, have a party. Nick comments that at this afternoon it was the second time in his life that he had been drunk and that everything therefore had a “dim, hazy cast over it” (27- 32). At this party Nick meets the photographer Mr. McKee, which is a important scene for characterizing Nick's sexuality. Nick describes McKee as “a pale, feminine man” (32) and it can be assumed that there is some sort of attraction between the two men, because of events that will follow. Nick and McKee end up leaving the party together, something Maggie Gordon Froehlich says “clearly (if subtly) suggests a pickup” (215). The pair drunkenly stumble into the elevator where they start making vague plans about going to lunch (39). At first sight, the confused vagueness could be seen as a representation of their intoxication, but it could also be argued that when looking closely, their talk about their plans to get lunch (when asked where, McKee answers “anywhere” [39]) is subliminal homoerotic intended (because they are not planning lunch at all, but rather planning to “do something” else). Whether or not the offer is salacious, the non specificity is suggestive an leads questions

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