More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay on the key incidents in the great gatsby
Key incidents in the great gatsby
Violent incident the great gatsby essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
F. Scott Fitzgerald brilliantly wrote many novels as well as short stories. One of his best known works is The Great Gatsby. In the novel, the main character Jay Gatsby tries to obtain his lifetime dreams: wealth and Daisy Buchanan. Throughout the story, he works at achieving his goals while overcoming many obstacles. Fitzgerald’s plot line relies heavily on accidents, carelessness, and misconceptions, which ultimately reveal the basic themes in the story.
During the book, Fitzgerald is able to create a superior storyline by tying all the events in the story, directly or indirectly, together. Ernest Lockridge notes in his criticisms about the book:
Yet in a triumph of art, Fitzgerald makes even accidents seem unaccidental, he incorporates ‘real’ disorder within fictional order. He accomplishes this by repetition (in the ‘real’ world, repetition does not exist): the accident involving Tom and the chambermaid, the reference to both Nick and Jordan baker as ‘bad drivers,’ the wreck just outside Gatsby’s driveway after his party in which, as in Tom’s accident, a wheel is ripped off, the hit-and-run death of Myrtle Wilson, and finally the accidental conjunction of events which leads to Gatsby’s murder and Wilson’s suicide.
Lockridge, 7
Fitzgerald is capable of picking an event and referring back to it while still staying on topic. One of these events is accidents. Almost every character is related to an accident that occurs to another character:
You see, when we [Gatsby and Daisy] left New York she was very nervous and she thought it would steady her to drive—and this woman [Myrtle Wilson] rushed out at us just as we were passing a car coming the other way. It all happened in a minute, but it seemed to me that she wanted to speak to us, thought we were somebody she knew. Well, first Daisy turned away from the woman toward the other car, and then she lost her nerve and turned back. The second my hand reached the wheel I felt shock—it must have killed her instantly.
Gatsby; 151
As one of the main accidents in the story, Fitzgerald connects the death of Myrtle Wilson to Daisy. The connection is completely accidental, because Daisy does not know that Myrtle is her husband’s mistress. In this incident, Fitzgerald is able to create irony between the two characters to make one think that it was actually not an accident, when in reality it was.
During the course of the story, it is relevant that some of the characters in the book use careless actions.
On August 6th, 1945, the United States of America dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima in Japan. Two days later, a second bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. These two bombs were the most devastating weapons ever seen, and their effects on human beings and property were plainly horrifying. Approximately 110,000 people were killed; most of them were innocent civilians who just happened to have lived in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although using this weapon was an atrocity to both the Japanese, and humanity in general, the world was at war. No matter what ulterior motives may have existed, the fact remains that the bomb was a justifiably necessary measure to bring an early end to aggressive war that was instigated by Japan. Japan would never have surrendered unconditionally, as decreed in the Potsdam Ultimatum. Invasion of the Japanese home islands were out of the question because of the ferocious defense that would have been staged, and the huge number of casualties that it would entail. The bomb shocked the Japanese militarists into surrender and gave the “peace-party” the added credibility they required to bring about a quick end to the war. The use of the bomb also kept Russia out of the war, preventing problems that had occurred in post-war Germany, and later on in Korea. When all factors are taken into consideration, the use of the atomic bomb actually saved more lives, both Japanese and American than it took.
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...
Daisy's selfish nature is magnified a hundred times at the end of the novel. Driving home after an uncomfortable evening with Tom and Gatsby, she strikes and kills Tom's mistress in Gatsby's car. Daisy allows Gatsby to take all the blame for the accident. As a result, Myrtle's husband kills Gatsby. To add insult to injury, Daisy does not even show up at Gatsby's funeral, despite her role in his death. This uncarin...
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.
The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald that follows a cast of characters living in the fictional town of West Egg on prosperous Long Island in the summer of 1922. The story primarily concerns the young and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his quixotic passion for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. Considered to be Fitzgerald's magnum opus, The Great Gatsby explores themes of decadence, idealism, resistance to change, social upheaval, and excess, creating a portrait of the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties that has been described as a cautionary tale regarding the American Dream.
The dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan were ethical decisions made by President Harry Truman and the United States government. By the time of the atom bomb was ready, the U.S. had been engaged in military conflict for over four years and lost over 400,000 soldiers. Truman claimed, "We would have the opportunity to bring the world into a pattern in which the peace of the world and our civilization can be saved" (Winkler 18). The bomb was aimed at ending the war immediately and avoiding prolonged battle in the Pacific Theater and the inevitable invasion of Japan. President Truman hoped that by showing the Japanese the devastating weapon the U.S. possessed, that the war could be brought ...
In 1945, Germany had surrendered, but the war in the Pacific raged on. The allies were becoming desperate to end the war before it was necessary to carry out a full scale invasion. New developments in science had made it possible for the United States to weaponize the atom, and the consequent bomb created was dropped on Hiroshima and later Nagasaki at the approval of President Harry S. Truman and his advisors. In years to come, Truman would have to face questions over the merit of his actions. Although some may believe the atomic bomb was needed because it ended WWII, it was unnecessary to drop the nuclear bomb because of the alternatives that existed, the effect it had on the Japanese people, and because of the unethical reasons for dropping it.
In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses tone, diction, syntax and imagery to voice Nick's perception of the world around him. In this passage his use of language is used repetitively to convey Jordan Baker, Daisy and Tom Buchanan's lives. On the outside it may look like they all are living a perfect and ideal life, however Fitzgerald's illuminating use of language highlights how far from perfect their lives truly are.
In 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald published The Great Gatsby, a novel set in The Roaring Twenties, portraying a flamboyant and immortal society of the ‘20s where the economy booms, and prohibition leads to organized crimes. Readers follow the journey about a young man named Jay Gatsby, an extravagant mysterious neighbor of the narrator, Nick Carraway. As the novel evolves, Nick narrates his discoveries of Gatsby’s past and his love for Daisy, Nick’s married cousin to readers. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald develops the theme of the conflict which results from keeping secrets instead of telling the truth using the three characters – Tom Buchanan, Nick Carraway, and Jay Gatsby (James Gats).
August 6th, 1945, 70,0000 lives were ended in a matter of seconds. The United States had dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Today many argue whether or not the U.S. should have taken such a drastic measure. Was it entirely necessary that we drop such a devastating weapon? To answer that first we must look at was going on in the world at the time of the conflict. The U.S. had been fighting a massive war since 1941. Moral was most likely low, and resources were at the same level as moral. Still both sides continued to fight and both were determined to win. Obviously the best thing that could have possibly happened would have been to bring the war to a quick end with a minimum of allied casualties. Harry Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb was entirely warranted and was in the best interest of Americans and the world. Three factors should be considered to fully realize this. First, what would have happened should we have not dropped the bomb? Would WWII have ended shortly afterwards without nuclear arms-not likely. Secondly we must consider the Japanese people’s extreme dedication to their country and emperor, willing to give up their own lives without thinking to stop the enemy. Lastly the morality of nuclear bombing must be explored. While many may argue against the use of such a seemingly cruel form of attack was unnecessary, it is obvious that the atomic bomb was the only means to an end of WWII.
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was directed towards peace, it was also used as a fear factor to fear the opponent side of what they can do. The action taken toward Japan was made to reduce or ended the war. In the article The Men Who Dropped the Bombs, they explained how their mission would impact and change the world. “ Were going to do something that I can’t tell you about right now, but if it works, it will end or significantly shorten the war.”2 (Theodore Van Kirk, 84). Kirk reminiscence about his colonel Paul description of how powerful their mission would be when they reach their target and successfully achieve their goal to stop or minimized the death tolls and safety of both Americans lives and its allies by stopping and putting an end to Japan role in the war. Every leader and president of a nation or country will do what are in the best interest of the country and it civilians especially during a national threat and president Truman and prime minster Churchill found that it was necessary for the use of the atomic bomb. In their memoirs Linethal (1996) notes that Truman and Churchill insisted that the use of the bomb prevented a huge causalities that would have resulted in ipso facto, from an invasion of Japan by more conventional forces. Although there are many resources and facts that support both sides, many historians, research and others lean more on the unjustified actions taken by The United
Studies indicate that bullies often come from homes where physical punishment is used, where the children are taught to strike back physically as a way to handle problems, and where parental involvement and warmth are frequently lacking. Students who regularly display bullying behaviors are generally defiant or oppositional toward adults, antisocial, and apt to break school rules (2013).
The passage in which Myrtle Wilson is killed exemplifies the recklessness of Daisy and Tom. Daisy sees Myrtle running out into the road and at first swerves toward the other car and seems to change her mind and just collide with Myrtle and continue on. Afterwards, Tom and Daisy just pack up and leave, without even attending Gatsby’s funeral. Nick seems to think they used their position in society to escape any mess they had gotten themselves into. Later on in the book, Nick says, "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness." That quote supports the way Daisy and Tom acted with the Myrtle incident. In this passage they retreat back into both their money and carelessness by running away.
One example of a modernism technique that Fitzgerald uses is loss of control. The characters often lose control and make bad decisions that have horrible effects. For example Tom Buchanan to whom is married to Daisy Buchanan who is the second cousin to nick the main character and narrator of the story, is having an affair with a Mrs. Myrtle Wilson and because she is saying Daisy’s name hits her. “Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand,”(page 41). This shows his loss of control over his emotions. He was showing anger toward his mistress and because she was not obeying his demand of not mentioning Daisy’s name. In another instance in The Great Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan ran myrtle Wilson-her husband’s mistress-which killed her instantly. She was hysterical when she discovered Gatsby‘s true source of his money and she could not be linked with someone of “Dirty Money,“(page153). George Wilson, who is Myrtle Wilson’s Husband, is so upset over myrtle’s death that he, after being misinformed, shoots and kills Gatsby to whom he believes is responsible for his wife’s death and then takes his own life. “…the gardener saw Wilson’s body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete,”(page170).
Bullying is an issue that has been happening for years now, this is a continuous issue. “The word “bully” can be traced back as far as the 1530s. (Donegan 33). In its most uncomplicated sense bullying involves two people, a bully or intimidator, and a victim. The bully abuses the victim through physical, verbal, or other means in order to gain a sense of superiority and power” (Donegan 33-34). Bullying can happen among school children up to adults. “Bullying ranks high on the list of the tremendous challenges facing kids” (Kevorkian). Although most people who are the bullies are stronger and is attacking the weaker. Intimidators may possibly abuse their victims verbally, physically, or psychologically. Bullying is an act of unwanted and aggressive