Great Gatsby Essays (Examples)

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He half-admires Gatsby, and gradually as the story wears on he begins to admire Gatsby uncritically and becomes overly credulous: at one point he actually believes that Jay is an Oxford man. Gatsby did serve in World War I, but the most significant aspect of his service manifests itself in meeting Daisy -- Gatsby vowed to be worthy of Daisy by any means necessary, even if he had to lie, cheat, steal, create a false persona, and break the law.
The climax occurs when Daisy and Gatsby meet, and commence their affair, getting back together as if nothing ever changed. By this time, Tom is almost completely 'in love' with the idea of Gatsby and Daisy, and sees them both as pure and noble. However, gradually this image begins to erode, especially after Gatsby willingly takes the blame when Daisy runs over Myrtle, Tom's lover. The falling action is not….

Even after Daisy commits murder, Gatsby remains unmoved in his emotions towards her. What's more, he assumes responsibility for her actions. Or consider the statement: ' Of course she might have loved him, just for a minute, when they were first married -- and loved me more even then, do you see?' (Fitzgerald, p. 133). Gatsby clings to this hope despite Daisy's professed loved her husband. Such explanations indicate how an individual's tenacious hold on an ideal can corrupt his rational faculties.
At one point, it appears Gatsby almost grasps this dichotomy when he states, ' Her voice is full of money' (Fitzgerald, p. 115). egrettably, this is only a fleeting moment of clarity; it remains obscured by a firmly constructed schema -- a corruption of the American Dream. In fact, this moment exemplifies the subconscious hold on Gatsby's mania for the American Dream; it proves that an obsession's roots….

However, his single focus on getting Daisy's green light, something he cannot have, creates a motive of greed in Gatsby that he is unable to control and eventually destroys him. For example, Nick talks of Gatsby's idealization of Daisy by saying:
"There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams -- not through her own fault but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion." (Fitzgerald, p. 101).

Even Gatsby himself recognizes this fatal flaw, namely that following his first kiss with Daisy that he "forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God." (Fitzgerald, p. 117).

This comparison to God is also symbolic of the American Dream. America was founded on the belief that this was a country that would act as God by setting moral examples to the rest of the world, like….

Great Gatsby
The iconic novel The Great Gatsby is set in the "Roaring Twenties" in New York City. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald used the setting and the cultural era to great effect, as his characters, their parties and extravagant lifestyles -- and conversations -- offer readers a good glimpse into the American that existed during those years. This paper points to the details of the period, and this paper agrees with the statement that Fitzgerald was in fact making a comment on the era of the Twenties, the new rich that had come into money in that time period, and their values.

The Great Gatsby

hat can we learn from the novel about New York in the 1920s? e can learn that there was certainly racial segregation, and fear of the black community by the rich upper crust white community was a reality. hether this was culturally exact or not at that time….

Great Gatsby in F Scott
PAGES 1 WORDS 359

With enough wealth amassed and an impressive mansion right across the Sound from hers, Jay Gatsby feels certain that he can "repeat the past" when Daisy had loved him.
The American Dream is different for other characters in the novel. For Daisy, it appears to be maintaining the status quo by marrying someone in her social set. Tom Buchanan probably feels the same way. For Nick Carraway, the saddened narrator of the story, the American Dream is more elusive. His feelings that people should not be criticized because they have not had all the opportunities other people have had would appear to echo the American idea of equality. His disgust at the shameless pursuit of wealth and the actions of the wealthy suggest that a dream of simply becoming rich is not a dream worth pursuing.

The failed result of Gatsby's re-creation and the disgust with which Nick Carraway leaves the….

Gatsby loved Daisy when the two of them were very young, but believed that the only reason she rejected him was because he was poor. Unlike Nick and Daisy, however, all of Gatsby's wealth is new, won by ill-gotten gains. His recent status as a man of great social standing is only an appearance of reality, not reality itself and the 'old money' of est Egg will not accept him as one of their 'own.' People know that Gatsby is a bootlegger, and gossip about him even while they go to his parties but Nick comes to like Gatsby, and tries to deny the truth of these allegations.
The climax of the novel occurs when all of the various infidelities that have been taking place are revealed to their respective participants. As Nick is the only character who has not been involved in an extramarital affair he is once again….

Characters in the Great Gatsby -- the American Dream
A. Nick Carraway is the narrator in this novel and plays a very important role

1) Nick is the readers' source of description and information about the other characters, especially Gatsby, Daisy,

2) Nick is an honest person in the beginning of the novel, but the more he becomes involved in the relationships with Tom, Daisy and Gatsby, and through his romantic relationship with Jordan, his honesty and credibility breaks down;

B. Daisy was the subject of Gatsby's desire, and Gatsby made up things about her to place her on a pedestal where she really didn't deserve to be placed

1) Gatsby was fascinated with Daisy; Gatsby loved Daisy's voice, and when she

sang it brought out meaning to all the words that Gatsby had never thought of

2) Gatsby threw himself after Daisy and eventually came to realize that she was not all he had built….

Fitzgerald uses white to describe Daisy, and it is fairly certain he used white to depict Daisy's original innocence. Daisy's car is white, her clothes are white and the paint on the walls of her house are white.
However, toward the end of the novel Daisy has been corrupted by Gatsby and the whole social scene, and she becomes careless and destructive. A reader can surmise that Fitzgerald is simply showing that even the purest in society can be corrupted and can turn bad.

hat is there to be learned about how people lived and behaved the 1920s in New York City from this respected novel? An alert reader finds out that there was racial segregation, and that the rich folks had a kind of fear of the African-American community. The novel does also present a tone that is considered racist by today's standards. And there was negative stereotyping on page….

Great Gatsby: A orld of Illusion
The 1920s were a time of change for America. The war was over and America was ready for some fun. The poor lived in a world of little opportunity and destitution, while the rich threw lavish parties in exquisite gardens. These parties were portrayed in magazines and the lives of the rich and famous were everywhere. These glimpses into the lives of the rich provided food for fantasy in the minds of those less fortunate. They wanted to be like them and to have all of the material things that symbolized their fortune in life. However, behind this public image of grandeur was a corrupt world built on deception and deceit. Greed was the master of destiny. The contrast between the "American Dream" and reality is the central theme of the Great Gatsby. Gatsby represented the ideals and attitudes of an era. He stands….

In this context, Tom is actually the one who lives his life in idleness, without giving it any meaning. Moreover, Daisy's superficiality makes of her an exponent of the consumerist world as well. Daisy makes a choice between the ideal, represented by Gatsby and the conventional stability offered by Tom, symbolizing materialism in general: "She wanted her life shaped now, immediately -- and the decision must be made by some force -- of love, of money, of unquestionable practicality -- that was close at hand."(Fitzgerald, 89) the woman is indeed charming, but at the same time she seems artificial at some point, suggesting the shift from true idealism to mere superficiality and ornament: "For Daisy was young and her artificial world was redolent of orchids and pleasant, cheerful snobbery and orchestras which set the rhythm of the year, summing up the sadness and suggestiveness of life in new tunes."(Fitzgerald,….

The Great Gatsby
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Related Topics
Jazz Age

Set in the Jazz Age, the novel’s backdrop is one in which flappers, music, booze, riches, and alcohol-fueled festivities serve as some of the main points of interest.  Fitzgerald often focuses out the squalid nature of the proceedings and the more-often-than-not infantile manner in which affairs are carried out.  When Gatsby makes his entrance to the tune of The Jazz History of the World—a fictitious musical number invented by Fitzgerald to underscore the ridiculous faddishness of the proceedings—Nick can’t help but remark at the way the titular character sets himself apart from the others:  the source of the orgiastic festivities, Gatsby in person is rather remarkably staid and sober.  If you wanted to discuss the Jazz Age in relation to the novel, you could easily examine some of the more glaring contradictions of the times and how these relate to Gatsby himself.

Prohibition

Booze was outlawed throughout the 1920s—but in the novel, among….

Great Gatsby -- the Great
PAGES 4 WORDS 1517


Fitzgerald wrote his novel during the Roaring 1920s, but his book seems uniquely relevant to our own times. The Roaring 1920s was coming to a rapid slow-down of material prosperity, and questions of who was a 'real' American arose as social mobility had introduced individuals of new races and ethnicities into higher American society. Fitzgerald suggests that it is important to question what lies beneath the veneer of American society and good breeding. He demanded his readers also carefully examine the assumption we can all pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, and whether the material goals we strive for will really bring fulfillment at all.

orks Cited

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Hayes Barton Press, 2007.

Mellard, James. "Counterpoint as Technique in "The Great Gatsby." The English Journal.

55. 7. (Oct., 1966): 853-859.

Millet, Frederick. "The Great Gatsby: Analysis." Michigan State University. 2004.

October 12, 2008. https://www.msu.edu/~millettf/gatsby.html

Pearson, Roger L. "Gatsby: False Prophet….

hile his modes of achieving his money might be questionable, he can know that he did become successful and he did not need the help of anyone else to do it. For this reason, Gatsby deserves a certain amount of respect. In fact, we can almost bet that Gatsby worked harder and longer than Tom ever did. If we are to hold any grudges against Gatsby, it must be in his foolishness toward Daisy but that is what makes him a romantic at heart. Gatsby is torn between the life he lives and the dream he wants. There is nothing wrong with the dream; however, what Gatsby chooses to do with it proves to be the biggest mistake of his life. Gatsby is living in the past and believes that it can be relived. Nick writes, "He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted….

The characters have to travel through this Hell to reach the "paradise" of New York City, the place where they work, play, and show off their wealth.
The eyes also symbolize the emptiness of the character's lives. They have money and lavish lifestyles, but none of them are happy. In fact, many of them end up dead by the end of the novel. The blue eyes on the billboard are empty of life, and so are the characters, so they are watched over by empty eyes as they go about their very empty lives. Daisy sums this up late in the novel when she says, "What'll we do with ourselves this afternoon?' cried Daisy, 'and the day after that, and the next thirty years?' 'Don't be morbid,' Jordan said" (Fitzgerald 118). These people seem to have everything they could ever want or need, and yet, they are unhappy in their….

Great Gatsby. The writer discusses the story and the plot line, the writer's life and motivation for writing it, what the critics said about the story and the writer's opinion.
hen authors write their stories, it is with the hope that someone will find them interesting and want to read them. Every once in awhile, they produce a work that is so well crafted that it becomes an American classic. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is such a story. It has been studied, read and analyzed in class rooms and lecture halls throughout the world. It is considered one of the all time classics and continues to be used as an example of classic literature. On the surface, the story seems simple enough, but when one peels off the top layer and examines the underlying aspects of the story one will begin to understand how it came to….

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3 Pages
Essay

Literature

Great Gatsby The Moral Journey

Words: 834
Length: 3 Pages
Type: Essay

He half-admires Gatsby, and gradually as the story wears on he begins to admire Gatsby uncritically and becomes overly credulous: at one point he actually believes that Jay…

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3 Pages
Term Paper

Literature

Great Gatsby Acknowledged as a

Words: 920
Length: 3 Pages
Type: Term Paper

Even after Daisy commits murder, Gatsby remains unmoved in his emotions towards her. What's more, he assumes responsibility for her actions. Or consider the statement: ' Of course…

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3 Pages
Term Paper

Literature

Great Gatsby the Prevailing Theme

Words: 802
Length: 3 Pages
Type: Term Paper

However, his single focus on getting Daisy's green light, something he cannot have, creates a motive of greed in Gatsby that he is unable to control and eventually…

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2 Pages
Essay

Literature

Great Gatsby the Iconic Novel the Great

Words: 749
Length: 2 Pages
Type: Essay

Great Gatsby The iconic novel The Great Gatsby is set in the "Roaring Twenties" in New York City. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald used the setting and the cultural era to…

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1 Pages
Term Paper

Literature

Great Gatsby in F Scott

Words: 359
Length: 1 Pages
Type: Term Paper

With enough wealth amassed and an impressive mansion right across the Sound from hers, Jay Gatsby feels certain that he can "repeat the past" when Daisy had loved…

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2 Pages
Thesis

Literature

Great Gatsby Narrative Structure and

Words: 717
Length: 2 Pages
Type: Thesis

Gatsby loved Daisy when the two of them were very young, but believed that the only reason she rejected him was because he was poor. Unlike Nick and…

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3 Pages
Term Paper

Literature

Great Gatsby Is Considered One

Words: 784
Length: 3 Pages
Type: Term Paper

Characters in the Great Gatsby -- the American Dream A. Nick Carraway is the narrator in this novel and plays a very important role 1) Nick is the readers' source…

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2 Pages
Book Report

Literature

Great Gatsby the Famous Novel

Words: 731
Length: 2 Pages
Type: Book Report

Fitzgerald uses white to describe Daisy, and it is fairly certain he used white to depict Daisy's original innocence. Daisy's car is white, her clothes are white and…

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6 Pages
Essay

Literature

Great Gatsby A World of Illusion the

Words: 2281
Length: 6 Pages
Type: Essay

Great Gatsby: A orld of Illusion The 1920s were a time of change for America. The war was over and America was ready for some fun. The poor lived…

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4 Pages
Term Paper

Literature

Great Gatsby the Elusive American

Words: 1307
Length: 4 Pages
Type: Term Paper

In this context, Tom is actually the one who lives his life in idleness, without giving it any meaning. Moreover, Daisy's superficiality makes of her an exponent of…

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13 Pages
Essay

The Great Gatsby

Words: 3672
Length: 13 Pages
Type: Essay

Related Topics Jazz Age Set in the Jazz Age, the novel’s backdrop is one in which flappers, music, booze, riches, and alcohol-fueled festivities serve as some of the main points of interest.  Fitzgerald…

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4 Pages
Thesis

Literature

Great Gatsby -- the Great

Words: 1517
Length: 4 Pages
Type: Thesis

Fitzgerald wrote his novel during the Roaring 1920s, but his book seems uniquely relevant to our own times. The Roaring 1920s was coming to a rapid slow-down of material…

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image
4 Pages
Essay

Literature

Great Gatsby the Moral Wasteland

Words: 1184
Length: 4 Pages
Type: Essay

hile his modes of achieving his money might be questionable, he can know that he did become successful and he did not need the help of anyone else…

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3 Pages
Term Paper

Literature

Great Gatsby the Green Light

Words: 1150
Length: 3 Pages
Type: Term Paper

The characters have to travel through this Hell to reach the "paradise" of New York City, the place where they work, play, and show off their wealth. The eyes…

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8 Pages
Term Paper

Literature

Great Gatsby The Writer Discusses the Story

Words: 2113
Length: 8 Pages
Type: Term Paper

Great Gatsby. The writer discusses the story and the plot line, the writer's life and motivation for writing it, what the critics said about the story and the…

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