Great Gatsby Criticism Essay

1800 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The great gatsby narrative essay

Brittney J. Murugesan Mrs. Valerie Watson English 9 GT 11 April 2014 The Great Gatsby Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby established himself as a great American author. Published in 1925, The Great Gatsby is classified as modernism and highlights life during the Jazz Age. A dominant theme of the novel is the quest for the “American Dream.” Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is somewhat autobiographical; emphasizes the literary elements of setting, theme, and symbolism; and has received extensive criticism. The Great Gatsby is narrated by Nick Carraway who recently traveled to New York City to embark on his new career. Fortunately, Nick’s cousin, Daisy Buchanan, lives in New York and is the wife of Tom Buchanan who also happens to be Nick’s former friend in college. Nick moves into to his new home and meets a popular, mysterious, and successful neighbor, Gatsby, who hosts extravagant parties every Saturday night. Nick and Gatsby begin to develop a strong friendship. Gatsby is essentially living the American Dream. Throughout the book, the reader learns that Gatsby grew up in a poor family and went off to serve in World War II. Nick learns that Gatsby and Daisy have an intimate history, and Gatsby still holds on to those feelings. In an attempt to win Daisy back, Nick invites Daisy over for tea with Gatsby. They rekindle their love for one another, and a love affair begins. Tom, Daisy’s husband, has been having an affair with Myrtle Wilson. Even though she has her own husband, Tom and Myrtle continue their relationship. Tom becomes aware of the love Gatsby feels for Daisy, and, after being presented with the two ultimatums, Daisy chooses wealth over true love by choosing Tom. Daisy accidentally killed Myrtle while drivin... ... middle of paper ... ...spite Gatsby’s love for Daisy and how much he thinks he knows her, he is still blind of who she truly is. Unsurprisingly, the true man who is most like God or some other providential figure is not Gatsby, but rather, Nick Carraway, because he is the only one who objectively truly sees everyone for who they are. It is clear that Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s life experiences has greatly influenced the novel The Great Gatsby. He was not only an author, but he was something much more superior due to his artistic use of figurative language such as setting, symbolism, and theme. In addition, the remarkable reviews the Great Gatsby received is the reason why the novel is acknowledged as his finest novel. An artist would be a more accurate term to describe Fitzgerald. He does not simply write words on paper. He takes the agony in his life and paints a picture with words.

Show More
Related

  • Love, Money, And Social Class In The Great Gatsby

    1183 Words  | 3 Pages

    “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

    Read More

  • Consequences of Nick Carraway as Narrator of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald critiques the disillusionment of the American Dream by contrasting the corruption of those who adopt a superficial lifestyle with the honesty of Nick Carraway. As Carraway familiarizes himself with the lives of Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker and Jay Gatsby, he realizes the false seductiveness of the New York lifestyle and regains respect for the Midwest he left behind. "Fitzgerald needs an objective narrator to convey and prove this criticism, and uses Carraway not only as the point of view character, but also as a counter example to the immorality and dishonesty Carraway finds in New York" (Bewley 31). Fitzgerald must construct this narrator as reliable. Due to the nature of the novel, the reader would not believe the story if it were told from the perspective of any other character. Fitzgerald cannot expect the reader to believe what the immoral and careless characters have to say, and he spends so much time establishing them as such. Thus, Carraway is deemed narrator and the reader trusts him.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Final Essay

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    As depicted by Scott F. Fitzgerald, the 1920s is an era of a great downfall both socially and morally. As the rich get richer, the poor remain to fend for themselves, with no help of any kind coming their way. Throughout Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, the two “breeds” of wealthier folk consistently butt heads in an ongoing battle of varying lifestyles. The West Eggers, best represented by Jay Gatsby, are the newly rich, with little to no sense of class or taste. Their polar opposites, the East Eggers, are signified by Tom and Daisy Buchanan; these people have inherited their riches from the country’s wealthiest old families and treat their money with dignity and social grace. Money, a mere object in the hands of the newly wealthy, is unconscientiously squandered by Gatsby in an effort to bring his only source of happiness, Daisy, into his life once again. Over the course of his countless wild parties, he dissipates thousands upon thousands of dollars in unsuccessful attempts to attract Daisy’s attention. For Gatsby, the only way he could capture this happiness is to achieve his personal “American Dream” and end up with Daisy in his arms. Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy is somewhat detrimental to himself and the ones around him; his actions destroy relationships and ultimately get two people killed.

    Read More

  • Eros Love In The Great Gatsby

    1265 Words  | 3 Pages

    "The Great Gatsby" is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald centered on a man 's life in the 1920 's. Although the narrator, Nick Carraway, is a character in the novel, his story revolves around a mysterious man named Jay Gatsby. Gatsby befriends Nick Carraway, in order to reconnect with his former love, Daisy, who happens to be Nick 's cousin. Gatsby is mysterious for the reason that he throws large parties at his elegant mansion and is never seen at the

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby: A Foolish Gatsby and a Corrupt Daisy

    1658 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Great Gatsby, is a classic American novel about an obsessed man named Jay Gatsby who will do anything to be reunited with the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. The book is told through the point of view of Nick Caraway, Daisy's cousin once removed, who rented a little cottage in West Egg, Long Island across the bay from Daisy's home. Nick was Jay Gatsby's neighbor. Tom Buchanan is Daisy's abusive, rich husband and their friend, Jordan Baker, has caught the eye of Nick and Nick is rather smitten by her. Gatsby himself is a very ostentatious man and carries a rather mysterious aura about himself which leads to the question: Is Gatsby's fortune a house of cards built to win the love of his life or has Daisy entranced him enough to give him the motivation to be so successful? While from a distance Jay Gatsby appears to be a well-educated man of integrity, in reality he is a corrupt, naive fool.

    Read More

  • The Complex Themes Hidden in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    1703 Words  | 4 Pages

    “The great Gatsby” is an inspiring novel written by the famous American author Scott Fitzgerald. The novel was published in 1925. It is regarded as Scott’s supreme achievement and also as a masterwork in American literature, and it’s entirely justified.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Chapter 8 Essay

    379 Words  | 1 Pages

    Despite lacking recognition when it was first published, The Great Gatsby--by F. Scott Fitzgerald--is now regarded as both a literary classic and a great American novel. While well known for its use of symbolism, The Great Gatsby uses other literary techniques to an effective degree. One of the several techniques Fitzgerald used was one of creating mirrors between scenes. A good example of this is how chapter eight is a dark mirror to chapter two; several events that occur in chapter two appear again in chapter eight; however, when they appear again they do with a dark twist to signal the different tone the story has taken. By comparing how Gatsby, the advertisement of Doctor T.J. Eckleberg, and the theme-- the uninhibited pursuit of wealth

    Read More

  • Great Gatsby

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Great Gatsby is a book about Jay Gatsby’s quest for Daisy Buchanan. During the book, Jay tries numerous times at his best to grasp his dream of being with Daisy. The narrator of the book Nick Carraway finds himself in a pool of corruption and material wealth. Near the end, Nick finally realizes that what he is involved in isn’t the lifestyle that he thought it was previously, and he tries to correct his mistake.

    Read More

  • Essay Outline On The Great Gatsby

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thesis: How does F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, compares the American Dream in today's generation and back in the 1920's-30's? What did the American Dream really mean and why? So why did this issue happen? Do you think America can change in the future? What is the american dream really about? When did the phrase: ‘american dream’ started? Have you ever wondered what the 20s and 30s were like back then? How can this so called dream ever bring hope to our country? These are all the questions I would like to know myself. I’ve found three online sources & one source from the novel that can help explain about the 20th century, the Gatsby novel, today's generation, and about Mr.Gatsby from the book.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Essay: The Great Gatsby is Not So Great

    505 Words  | 2 Pages

    F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is an absurd story, whether considered as romance, melodrama, or plain record of New York high life.  The occasional insights into character stand out as very green oases on an arid desert of waste paper.  Throughout the first half of the book the author shadows his leading character in mystery, but when in the latter part he unfolds his life story it is difficult to find the brains, the cleverness, and the glamour that one might expect of a main character.

    Read More

  • Greatness In The Great Gatsby

    1105 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nick Carraway, Gatsby’s neighbor and close friend, considers Gatsby to have achieved greatness. Nick sees greatness in Gatsby that he has never seen in any other man; unfortunately, all great characters do not always have happy endings. Gatsby’s ambition from a young age, along with his desire to please others, pave the road to his prosperity, but, ultimately, his enduring heroic love for Daisy, steers him to his demise. Several individuals mark Gatsby as a man of great wealth, with a beautiful estate, and an abundance of friends.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby A Criticism Of The Twenties (grade 11 Essay)

    1454 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Roaring Twenties is considered to be a time of excessive celebration and immense corruption. The novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a criticism of American society and its values during this era of history. This criticism is first apparent in the people who go to Gatsby's parties. They get absurdly drunk, do not know who their host is and are rude by excessively gossiping about him. This commentary is also shown in the corruption of the police. Gatsby is able to pay off the police so that the activities going on at his home will go unnoticed and so that he may behave as he wishes. This criticism is finally shown in the corruption of friendship and love, the simple fact being that there is none. People use Gatsby and then throw him away. Fitzgerald's criticism of American society and its values during this time period is first shown in the behaviour of people at Gatsby's parties.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Foreshadowing In The Great Gatsby

    690 Words  | 2 Pages

    ‘The Great Gatsby’ is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald published in 1925. The novel is based in America during 1920s Jazz Age. Fitzgerald was known as a social critic as he exposed the harsh reality of America during the Jazz Age through the novel. The novel is revealed and explored through Nick Carraway’s eyes as he narrates the story. Fitzgerald enhances literary techniques such as simile to demonstrate the theme of American society and class during the 1920s. The theme of love between Gatsby and Daisy is portrayed by applying foreshadowing. Symbolism is used to represent and convey the ideas of The Great American Dream throughout ‘The Great Gatsby’.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Theme Essay

    1400 Words  | 3 Pages

    Themes of hope, success, and wealth overpower The Great Gatsby, leaving the reader with a new way to look at the roaring twenties, showing that not everything was good in this era. F. Scott Fitzgerald creates the characters in this book to live and recreate past memories and relationships. This was evident with Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship, Tom and Daisy’s struggling marriage, and Gatsby expecting so much of Daisy and wanting her to be the person she once was. The theme of this novel is to acknowledge the past, but do not recreate and live in the past because then you will not be living in the present, taking advantage of new opportunities.

    Read More

  • Textual Analysis Of The Great Gatsby

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the most compelling twentieth century writers, (Curnutt, 2004). The year 1925 marks the year of the publication of Fitzgerald’s most credited novel, The Great Gatsby (Bruccoli, 1985). With its critiques of materialism, love and the American Dream (Berman, 1996), this dramatic idyllic novel, (Harvey, 1957), although poorly received at first, is now highly regarded as Fitzgerald’s finest work (Rohrkemper, 1985) and is his publisher, Scribner 's most popular title, (Donahue, 2013). The novel achieved it’s status as one of the most influential novels in American history around the nineteen fifties and sixties, over ten years after Fitzgerald 's passing, (Ibid, 1985)

    Read More

More about Great Gatsby Criticism Essay

Open Document