Similarities Between Carraway And The Great Gatsby

In contrast to Carraway, Gatsby lives externally trying to bring happiness from his surroundings whether it is the material possessions he has or the people who are attracted to him for his wealth. For example, for Gatsby, his home symbolizes immense wealth and a sense of him being a part of the wealthy society. In fact, when Gatsby shows Daisy his house for the first time in order to show her how rich he is now, he “revalues everything in his house according to the measure of response it draws from Daisy’s well-loved eyes” (Fitzgerald 96-97). In addition, when Gatsby responds to Daisy’s question of how he lives in such a big house alone, he responds by saying, “I keep it always full of interesting people, night and day. People who do interesting

While both Fitzgerald and Gatsby desperately try to make money in an attempt to win the affections of Zelda and Daisy respectively, only Fitzgerald succeeds. After publishing This Side of Paradise, Fitzgerald makes enough money to convince Zelda to marry him. After marriage, both Fitzgerald and Zelda go to Paris and participate in numerous social events, trying to live life like the wealthy. On the other hand, Gatsby tries to marry Daisy, but ultimately he fails. At first, after seeing his wealth, Daisy falls in love with Gatsby; however, once she realizes that Gatsby has no real money, she goes back to the wealthy Tom despite Gatsby’s immense love for her. At the end, Gatsby loses Daisy forever, and all his dreams get shattered. Another difference between Fitzgerald and Gatsby is in the parties that each hold. While both Fitzgerald and Gatsby love leisure and socializing, Gatsby never drinks alcohol in his parties. On the other hand, Fitzgerald always used to get drunk in parties. In fact, due to his drinking problems, his health deteriorated which eventually led him to his death at the age of

Because of this, the reader can connect to the main characters because they all represent something real. By adding real experiences, Fitzgerald transforms a piece of fiction in to a piece of art that represents something more than just its characters and its society; it represents the real world’s society during that time period. By writing about his experiences during the 1920’s, Fitzgerald adds his own commentary about that society in his book. For example, when Fitzgerald writes Gatsby’s character, he shows the real life corruption and greed present in American society during the 1920’s. Fitzgerald also shows other aspects of society during the 1920’s such as partying, drinking, and getting