The Great Gatsby: The Glory Days
One of my favorite classic rock songs has always been “Glory Days” by Bruce Springsteen. I grew up listening to my dad’s music and this is one song that has always stuck with me. When I first found out that it was inspired by the Novel “The Great Gatsby” by F Scott. Fitzgerald I was shocked, I had never really listened to the lyrics before. After Reading the book and listening to the song a few more times, I realized that every verse is loosely based on different main characters. This gave the song new meaning for me, it now makes me picture the characters from the book and also has reminiscent sadness attached to it while still connecting to the idea of the American dream, a theme which is also very prevalent in the great Gatsby. The inspiration of characters for verses in this song makes it connects with the book on a whole new level.
The way that I interpret most this song is that is is being narrated by Nick, just like in the novel. The first verse tells the story of the narrator walking into a bar and running into an old friend of his. This old friend was a star athlete back in high school and all that he would talk about were those days. This man clearly hit his peak early and now spends his time dwelling in the past on how things used to be. This man is clearly supposed to be Tom Buchanan. Although Tom was a star college athlete this verse describes him very well. At the beginning of the book Nick describes Tom as, “A national figure
I really loved the idea of finding a song about Gatsby, because he is the main character and his life is so interesting. This song really represents what Gatsby is thinking about how he feels. In the song it says “You held me close against your heart” then it goes on to say “Then one day he took you away”. This explains to us what Gatsby feels about Daisy all his life then someone (Tom) took her away. It says, “My life has crumbled since you’ve gone, somehow I must carry on.” This is like Gatsby not knowing how to live life without Daisy and he does not know how to start life again without her. In this quote, it explains how much Gatsby truly wants Daisy but he knows he cannot meet her expectations (money). “Gatsby chased the future. He wanted
“... it is a story about failure and death, an idealistic quest for unworthy goals, and the almost total collapse of the aspirations of nearly all of the principal characters” (Nagel 113). The Great Gatsby is a story that represents people’s unachieved aspirations that lead to a sad existence and ultimately death. They are all trying to attain one thing, the American Dream. The American Dream is almost impossible to attain and that is why a lot of people failed when it came to living out the American Dream. In Fitzgerald’s, “The Great Gatsby”, Gatsby tries to attain the American Dream through Daisy throughout the whole novel but fails and is left heartbroken.
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is told from the perspective of one of the main characters, Nick Carraway. Nick tells the story of a man named Jay Gatsby, who is his neighbor in the West Egg. Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby as a man who everyone wants to know and copy but deep down are very envious of him. Gatsby trusts few people and those whom he trusts know his life story. To everyone else, he is a mystery. Everyone seems obsessed with Jay Gatsby. For this reason the novel revolves about rumors of Gatsby rather than the truth.
This song relates to Jay Gatsby and Wes Moore. Gatsby longs for Daisy and wants them to run away together. Nick tries to explain to Gatsby that you can't always get what you want but Gatsby won't believe it. Wes Moore also realizes that you don't always get what you want when he is sent to jail after being accused of murder.
Time remains a universal continuation of the past into the present and bears a strong hold on the future. The destruction of satisfaction in history withholds the contentment of the future with an impeding sense of unalterable guilt. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates “the past is forever in the present” through numerous literary and narrative techniques, suggesting that memories serve as crucial components in the development of individuals.
The Great Gatsby is based upon wealth in the “Roaring 20’s”. The novel itself contains not a single dull moment of the narrators experience in the East, as it reflects people’s aspirations corrupted by greed and money. In addition, the romance between characters can help relate the readers to the novel. The film does a great job capturing almost all the aspects of the novel; through colors and themes. It gives the viewer a clear understanding of how shallow characters get mixed up into complex
The Great Gatsby is too concerned with conveying a picture of 1920s American society to have relevance to modern readers.
Have you ever read a novel and the story reminded you of a song? If so its ok because that is why people say their song tells a story. In the book Great Gatsby there are many songs in todays world that verbalize the story Great Gatsby. Whether it is a slow song or fast song in some way it can relate to the book because the Great Gatsby is such a complex book. The song Hurt by Johnny Cash is similar to the book by F. Scoot Fitgeralds because both decompresses determinations, heartbreak, and pain.
Gatsby. Penguin, 2014. Print. This novel is an investigation of a double murder that happened quickly after F. Scott Fitzgerald’s return to New York. With evidence from newspapers, letters, and newly found archives, the author describes the new opinions of the readers of The Great Gatsby. The author then interweaved both stories with the hope to solve the mysteries of a murder and the success behind Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. As the author does this, she compares and contrasts the events of the book and the murder to one another.This is a credible source because the author found many direct sources from the time era,
Fitzgerald writes a story with a character that is considered “larger than life”; he throws massive parties, is in love with a married woman, is rich and goes by the name of Jay Gatsby. Nick is the narrator who is sees a different side of Gatsby that sees him “great” aside from his wealth and corruption. Nick grew up in the Jazz age and it was replaced with the vitality, and favor of the artificial American dream. Gatsby’s life was full of winnings along with failures that followed him into death throughout the novel; never the less he achieves a form of “greatness” because of his morality in Nick’s perspective.
In The Great Gatsby, the author, F Scott Fitzgerald depicts the post - war roaring 20’s, a time of overwhelming prosperity and a new found sense of hope for the future. While this novel is often perceived as a romance, it is also a criticism on the devastating nature of the elusive american dream. The story of Jay Gatsby is a representation of what had become the values of the individual at the time. With the progression of the early 1920’s the vision of the perfect life, or the american dream, had been skewed. It was replaced with greed, and an abundance of reckless spending in which the wealthier individuals placed their misguided ideas of happiness. In the Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald chooses to expose the hidden truth behind the illustrious concept of the American dream. Through his use of literary devices such as, symbolism, metaphor, and, irony the central idea of the truly unattainable American dream is supported throughout the novel.
1. What is revealed when Nick says that people aren’t actually invited to Gatsby’s parties, that they just sort of go there?
| Jordan finds herself living a fast-paced and lurid lifestyle, with no prospects for finding a deeper meaning to life.
In the “Great Gatsby” movie soundtrack, Jay-Z, the soundtrack’s executive producer, compiled an excellent variety of modern day songs in this movie reflecting the 1920’s era. The songs chosen for this film would be most characterized as songs of love, romance, extravagance, grandeur, high society, mystery and many other qualities. These traits of song themes were chosen for this soundtrack as well as modern day songs twisted into a 1920’s melody. Jay-Z did an excellent job of doing so. Although all the songs were excellent and connected very well to the movie, there were two songs in the soundtrack that really caught my eye for various reasons. “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey, a modern day song, was best chosen for the love scenes and can be a song that tells about Daisy’s perspective. Another piece of music which was composed in the time period of when this story is told is “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin. Its power, grandeur, as well as elements of surprise fit very well in several scenes in the movie.
In the book The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Daisy Buchanan is a perplexing character. She is charming and pretty, yet her personality is almost robotic. Daisy has no sincere emotions; she only knows social graces and self-preservation. A materialistic society makes Daisy a jaded person who lacks any real depth.