A significant section of the plot of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald unfolds when Nick Carraway is assimilated into the lavish lifestyle of the wealthy inhabitants of East and West Egg. After moving to New York from the Midwest in search of prosperity and happiness, Nick Carraway involuntarily finds himself in the midst of luxury after buying a dainty house right next to Gatsby’s overwhelming mansion in West Egg. Because of his close proximity with the great Jay Gatsby, Nick becomes a detailed observer of the mysterious fellow, for he has never met the man and is extremely curious. Soon after moving into his new house, Nick notices that Gatsby has thrown a magnificent party filled with hundreds of people, who are in constant supply of alcoholic beverages, gourmet foods, and amusing entertainment. Nick surveys the scene from a distance, wondering how Gatsby can manage such a party, and why he is having the boisterous event in the first place.
There was music from my neighbor’s house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars. At high tide in the afternoon I watched his guests diving from the tower of his raft, or taking the sun on the hot sand of his beach while his two motorboats slit the water of the Sound, drawing aquaplanes over cataracts of foam. On weekends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city between nine in the morning and long past midnight. (Fitzgerald 39)
Fitzgerald is able to illustrate to the reader that Nicks’ “neighbor” has a significant presence in the story; however, this neighbor is covered with an equivocal personality that fills both Nick and the reader with wonder. Within Gatsb...
... middle of paper ...
... the east coast. For example, on the east coast, life has a more lively and chaotic feel compared to the midwest. This feeling of excitement portrays how Nick’s change of settings has caused a change of Nick’s morals. Throughout the story, his thirst for living the in the limelife, like Gatsby, increases which shines light on an ambitious side of Nick. Moreover, Nick’s transition from his obsolete life in the midwest, to the prosperity and havoc of the east coast described in this passage opens up an opportunistic view of the American Dream for Nick, and also sets an example of what he, one day, strives to be-- surrounded in grandeur. Additionally, Nick falls into an American Dream trance brought by Gatsby’s opulence; however, the pandemonium seen in the passage reveals a possible shady aspect to Gatsby’s compilation of resplendent material wealth and prosperity.
“The Great Gatsby” was a extremely sophisticated novel; it expressed love, money, and social class. The novel is told by Nick Carraway, Gatsby’s neighbor. Nick had just moved to West Egg, Longs Island to pursue his dream as a bond salesman. Nick goes across the bay to visit his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom Buchanan in East Egg. Nick goes home later that day where he saw Gatsby standing on his dock with his arms out reaching toward the green light. Tom invites Nick to go with him to visit his mistress Mrs. Myrtle Wilson, a mid class woman from New York. When Nick returned from his adventure of meeting Myrtle he chooses to turn his attention to his mysterious neighbor, Gatsby. Gatsby is a very wealthy man that host weekly parties for the
The story of Jay Gatsby is a romantic one that actually began years before. However, his romantic story turns into a troubling one when we realize that he is not the man he seems to be. The story of Jay Gatsby is not only filled with romance, but with secrecy, obsession, and tragedy. The symbol of Jay Gatsby's troubled romantic obsession is a green light at the end of the dock of Daisy Buchanan, a woman to whom he fell in love with five years earlier. The green light represents his fantasy of reuniting with Daisy and rekindling the love they once had. This light represents everything he wants, everything he has done to transform himself, and ultimately everything that he cannot attain.
Nick Carraway, the narrator of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, assigns certain types of images and descriptive words to Tom, Daisy and Jordan and continues to elaborate on these illustration throughout the first chapter. Nick uses contrasting approaches to arrive at these character sketches; Tom is described by his physical attributes, Daisy through her mannerisms and speech, and Jordan is a character primarily defined by the gossip of her fellow personages. Each approach, however, ends in similar conclusions as each character develops certain distinguishing qualities even by the end of the first chapter. Lastly, the voices of the characters also helped to project truly palpable personalities.
the 1920s as we can see with Gatsby's five cars, one of which he gives
The maturation of Nick begins with his description of his time leading to his arrival in West Egg, “I graduated from New Haven in 1915, just a quarter of a century after my father, and a little later I participated in that delayed Teutonic migration known as the Great War” (Fitzgerald, 3). The protagonist comes into the story having not lived much of his life in the normal world that he desires to successfully conquer. He goes directly from schooling into the war, where he found heroic satisfaction. Yet, somehow, Nick is able to keep part of himself innocent and pure despite being in the horrors of war. It is not long after attending his first party at Gatsby’s that Nick confesses that “Every one suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known’ (Fitzgerald, 59). The level of Nick’s idealism and virtuousness begins at such an innocent pl...
Dubbed the ‘roaring 20s’, because of the massive rise in America’s economy, this social and historical context is widely remembered for its impressive parties and sensationalist attitude. However, Fitzgerald also conveys a more sinister side to this culture through numerous affairs, poverty and a rampage of organised crime. By exposing this moral downfall, Fitzgerald reveals to the responder his value of the American dream and his belief of its decline. As a writer, Fitzgerald was always very much concerned with the present times, consequently, his writing style and plot reflects his own experiences of this era. So similar were the lives of Fitzgerald’s characters to his own that he once commented, “sometimes I don't know whether Zelda (his wife) and I are real or whether we are characters in one of my novels”. In 1924, Fitzgerald was affected by Zelda’s brief affair with a young French pilot, provoking him to lock her in their house. A construction of this experience can be seen in the way Fitzgerald depicts the 1290s context. For example in ‘The Great Gatsby’, there are numerous affairs and at one point, Mr Wilson locks up his wife to pre...
Fitzgerald's book at first overwhelms the reader with poetic descriptions of human feelings, of landscapes, buildings and colors. Everything seems to have a symbolic meaning, but it seems to be so strong that no one really tries to look what's happening behind those beautiful words. If you dig deeper you will discover that hidden beneath those near-lyrics are blatancies, at best.
Nick Carraway, the narrator, is an essential part of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Nick is able to stay in the background and be observant for most of the novel but simultaneously is able to remain a very important character. Coming home from the war back to his home in the Midwest, he began to feel stifled. Hence, he longed for a more exciting lifestyle. When he moved to New York, readers are able to see his fascination with the lives of those belonging to the upper class. However, this fascination soon ends when he realizes everyone’s true character. Nick manages to distance himself, and learns that he loves the quieter and more genuine Middle West.
Nick notices that although the characters had lived in the east they were not truly from there. “I am part of that”, he mentions as he realizes he is a part of the West and not the East. Fitzgerald also adds realization that “this has been a story of the West, after all.” upon having Nick reminisce on his origin and that of his one time friends (176).
The novel, The Great Gatsby focuses on one of the focal characters, James Gatz, also known as Jay Gatsby. He grew up in North Dakota to a family of poor farm people and as he matured, eventually worked for a wealthy man named Dan Cody. As Gatsby is taken under Cody’s wing, he gains more than even he bargained for. He comes across a large sum of money, however ends up getting tricked out of ‘inheriting’ it. After these obstacles, he finds a new way to earn his money, even though it means bending the law to obtain it. Some people will go to a lot of trouble in order to achieve things at all costs. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, conveys the numerous traits of Jay Gatsby through the incidents he faces, how he voices himself and the alterations he undergoes through the progression of the novel. Gatsby possesses many traits that help him develop as a key character in the novel: ambitious, kind-hearted and deceitful all of which is proven through various incidents that arise in the novel.
Analysis The exchange between Nick and Gatsby that opens this chapter highlights the uncertainty at the heart of their relationship : is Gatsby's friendship with Nick merely expedient that is, is he merely using him to draw closer to Daisy or is he genuinely fond of him? The question cannot be absolutely decided: while it becomes clear that Gatsby has great affection for Nick, it is also true that he uses his money and power as leverage in all of his personal relationships. Gatsby, in his extreme insecurity about class, cannot believe that anyone would befriend him if he did not possess a mansion and several million dollars a year.
Nick Carraway, the first character introduced in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, is primarily acts as the “guide and pathfinder”; he relates the story from what others have told him. He strives at all times to be objective, and his comments are balanced. His amusingly contemptuous remarks show his sense of humor, and although he is straight-laced, he does not bore the reader. Nick is introduced directly, but Gatsby remains a distant character for a good while. The establishment of Nick’s reflective, tolerant personality is essential, as are his limitations, so the reader doesn’t just dismiss him as Fitzgerald’s mouthpiece. The fact that he disapproves of Gatsby so early on helps the reader to go along with his judgments when he tells of Gatsby and unfolds the story.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby paints the picture of the way life was in the twenties. This society has the characteristics of an egotist and one who pays no attention the character of themselves. Fitzgerald's style influences the reader to portray this era as a carefree "do what feels good" society. However, Fitzgerald introduces the countless number of tragedies that take place. Through diction, imagery, and details Fitzgerald creates a morose tone. The writer evokes the reader's feelings through particular words and their meanings. In the phrase, ". . . I began to look involuntarily out the window for other cars," the word involuntarily grabs the reader. This phrase makes the reader feel melancholy for Gatsby because it it's depressing for no one to come to the funeral. It reveals how Nick and Mr. Gatz experience anticipation. Both of them know devoutly that no one will come pay their respects to Jay Gatsby. Mainly because they wait half an hour for people to show up. Also, in the phrase ". . . his eyes began to blink anxiously" the word anxiously shows Nick's dolefulness for the lack of sympathy that Gatsby fails to receive. The word procession reflects the despair and lack of friendship that Gatsby witnesses in his life. The lack of companionship that Gatsby has cogitates how lonely and despondent he is. Through the uses of certain words the author helps express feelings and emotions of the morose tone. Through imagery Fitzgerald can make the reader feel like they are in the story. Water, specifically evokes the senses. It describes how the procession of cars stopped in a thick drizzle. This depicts how gloomy it appears outside. The reader can hardly see the three cars because of continuous soaking. They describe a motor hearse as ". . . horribly black and wet." A hearse normally portrays a solemn feeling, but the words horribly, black, and wet allow the reader to feel the misery and mournfulness of death. The ground is soggy as someone splashes through it. You can smell the wet turf and feel the saturation beneath the feet. The use of water in the story aids the reader in understanding the morose setting. Fitzgerald uses certain detailed sequences to help explain the somberness of Jay Gatsby. In the first significant sequence Nick and Mr. Gatz wait for people to show up at the funeral.
At the onset of this book, the reader is introduced to the narrator, Nick Carraway, who relates the past happenings that construct the story of Jay Gatsby and Nick during the summer of 1922. After fighting in World War I, or the Great War as Nick called it, Nick left his prominent family in the West of America for the North where he intended to learn the bond business. Nick was originally supposed to share a house in West Egg near New York City with an associate of his, but the man backed out and so Nick lived with only a Finnish cook. Right next door, Gatsby lived in a glorious mansion with expansive gardens and a marble swimming pool, among other luxuries. Yet Nick did not even hear about Gatsby until he went to visit his distant family at East Egg next to West Egg.