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Literary analysis on the great gatsby
Literary analysis on the great gatsby
Character analysis of jay gatsby
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In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick Carraway, the narrator, tells a story that takes place in Long Island, New York, during the summer of 1922. There are two parts of Long Island, West Egg, which is full of flashy new money people, and East Egg, which is inhabited by high-class old money people. Nick lives in a small house in West Egg, right next door to Jay Gatsby’s mansion. Jay Gatsby is a mysterious man who throws very long and wild parties, but nobody knows the truth about his past or how he gets his money. One night, Nick visits East Egg to have dinner with his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, her husband, Tom Buchanan, and their friend, Jordan Baker. At this dinner, Nick finds out that Tom treats Daisy very poorly and has a mistress …show more content…
by the name of Myrtle Wilson. As the story progresses, everything seems to go wrong for Tom. Daisy has an affair with Jay Gatsby, with whom she fell in love with five years earlier before he went to the war and was left out of her life. Then, Myrtle’s husband, George Wilson, a poor mechanic, finds out Myrtle has been cheating on him and decides he is going to force Myrtle to move west with him. When Myrtle sees a car pass by that she thinks is Tom’s car, she runs out into the street thinking it is her opportunity to escape her husband. In reality, the car is Gatsby’s, which at the time is being driven by Daisy, with Gatsby riding in the passenger seat. Daisy never stops the car and runs into Myrtle, who is killed on impact. As a result, George Wilson is led to believe it was Gatsby who killed Myrtle, and he responds by shooting Gatsby and then himself. Myrtle plays a large role in the novel, initiating most of the tragic events that take place. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson is portrayed as self-absorbed and foolish. Throughout the story, many of Myrtle’s actions show that she is very self-absorbed. Myrtle is not happy with her low-class lifestyle, so she disregards her marriage and uses her affair with Tom as a way to experience her dream of a wealthy lifestyle. Talking to Myrtle, her friend, Mrs. McKee says, “I almost married a little kike who’d been after me for years. I knew he was below me” (Fitzgerald 34). Then Myrtle responds by saying, “at least you didn’t marry him… that’s the difference between your case and mine” (34). Myrtle thinks she is too good for her husband and she is meant for a high-class, wealth lifestyle,even though she is a working-class citizen herself and what little she had before Tom came from George. She also really enjoys showing off the possessions that Tom provides her with. For example, after Tom takes her shopping and buys her a new dog, she says, “I’m going to have the McKees come up… And, of course, I got to call up my sister, too” (28-29). She wants her friends and sister to see that she is wealthy. Myrtle thinks the most important thing in life is wealth and she loves showing off her possessions, making her self-absorbed. In The Great Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson is presented as a very foolish character.
While at a party, Tom warns Myrtle that she has no right to say Daisy’s name. Myrtle then provokes Tom by saying, “Daisy! Daisy! Daisy! I’ll say it whenever want to! Daisy! Dai-” (Fitzgerald 37). Myrtle’s n0nsense makes Tom so furious that he hits her in the face, breaking her nose. Myrtle shouts Daisy’s name because she is so desperate for attention, and it shows how poor her judgement is. Her jealousy of Daisy incites her foolishness. Myrtle also is clueless about high-class society and she makes a fool of herself trying to fit in. She says, “I told that boy about the ice. These people! You have to keep after them all the time” (32). Myrtle thinks that being rude to servants is normal for old money people, but, in reality, it just makes her look snobby. Another example of Myrtle trying to fit in is how she decorates the apartment. Nick narrates, “The living room was crowded to the doors with a set of tapestried furniture entirely too large for it, so that to move about was to stumble continually over scenes of ladies swinging in the gardens of Versailles” (29). She over-decorates the apartment, thinking that Tom is flashy, just because he is wealthy. However, Tom’s house is decorated much more tastefully and simple. Myrtle’s foolishness eventually leads to her death. After a fight with her husband, she runs out in front of a moving car because she thinks it is Tom (137). Because Myrtle constantly tries too hard and fails at fitting into high class society and getting attention from Tom, she is very
foolish. Myrtle Wilson is characterized as self-absorbed and foolish in The Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald. She thinks she is too good for her low-class lifestyle and husband, so she uses Tom to gain material wealth and get a glimpse at a wealthy lifestyle. She also is very foolish and doesn’t know how to fit in with the high-class society. Eventually, she displays her lack of intelligence by running out in front of a moving car, which results in her tragic death. Myrtle Wilson is never able to fully achieve the luxurious life that she thinks she is meant for.
From early civilizations to modern day social systems, economic status has always been a determining factor of power. Kings, queens, dukes, princes, and princesses possessed the greatest amount of wealth and thus the greatest amount of power over others. By having large amounts of wealth, royalty could control the actions of others below their economic status. This fact even applies the functions of modern American society. For instance, regardless of the specific circumstance, wealthy individuals have power over the actions of those below them. They control others by buying their loyalty or simply through others’ envy of them. Such principles can be applied to both men and women of wealth. The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald,
He rents a house in the West Egg district of Long Island surrounded by newly rich people. Nick is happen to see the garish display of wealth by his next-door neighbor a mysterious man named Jay Gatsby, who lives in a colossal Gothic mansion. Nick plans to meet his cousin Daisy Buchanan, and her husband, Tom, a former classmate of Nick’s at Yale, who belongs to the reputable upper class society in the East Egg, a fashionable area of Long
The first time that the reader catches an insight of Myrtle, Fitzgerald develops Myrtle to be a mere object of Tom's’ desire. Fitzgerald does this to extenuate the fact that Tom will not move on past Daisy to be with her. Tom “got some women” that supposedly is a secret but there is a lack of secretism on Myrtles end seeing as she is now calling during evening meals from “New York” just to talk to Tom. This further proves that she is in need of attention, something her husband can not fully give her at any random moment of the day. Myrtle is willing to express herself even when she’s already married. It reveals that she is deceiving her own husband, who is later mentioned in the novel. This allows for Myrtle to be looked down upon by the reader, it also entails her to be seen as an attention seeker. Again, Fitzgerald appeals to present-day behaviors by allowing Myrtle to be viewed as someone who wants to be showcased. Almost everyone can relate that they’ve wanted attention in their life at some point. This connects Myrtle to the reader's past or current feelings. Fitzgerald uses this to let readers feel compassion for Myrtle which emphasizes all she needs is for someone to properly love her, treat her, and show her what she needs to do to become successful in her
“Nick-” she reluctantly drew words. “-Did I ever tell you of the letter Myrtle sent Tom, back in Christmas, about three years ago?” I already knew I didn’t want to have this conversation. I wanted to sit and hold my breath like a toddler until I got my way and she withheld this talk with me.
“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
Daisy knows very well that tom is cheating on her, but doesn’t care because it's more convenient to stay in her unhappy marriage. Even though she wants to be with Gatsby, she wants to keep her social status and being with Tom makes this all the easier. Now, this is quite the opposite of Myrtle. She has a loving husband who would do anything for her, but her social status is all she cares about. Myrtle is willing to hurt George and ruin their marriage in order to climb up the social ladder. Neither of these women have respect for themselves. Both Daisy and Myrtle allow Tom to treat them
Our story, The Great Gatsby, starts out when Nick, a stock trader, moves to West Egg. West Egg is a part of Long Island where the "new" rich people live. "New" rich is a term used to describe people who have recently acquired their wealth, and have no connections in East Egg, where the people who have established their wealth live. Gatsby befriends Nick for a good reason, to meet his long lost love, Daisy, Nick’s cousin and resident of East Egg. Unfortunately for Gatsby, Daisy is married to Tom, a boisterous man who has taken in a mistress and everyone in the novel knows about it.
Myrtle eventually had similar goals as Gatsby, but her life did not begin the same way. She was of the lower class of society and married a simple man. The two pursued a poor life, but Myrtle’s husband George was a decent man. Nevertheless, Myrtle became unsatisfied, and when the opportunity arose to better the quality of her life, she took it. Daisy’s husband Tom, an unfaithful, rough man not very committed to his marriage, began an affair with Myrtle.
Tom knew Myrtle better than any of the main characters. He had met her on a train headed for New York. When the train reached the city, she went with him in a taxi, and their affair began. Tom never made much of an effort to keep their relationship secret. In fact, he almost paraded her around in the presence of his acquaintances. They made frequent trips into New York so that they could be together. Myrtle was Tom's escape from his own life in East Egg. While Daisy provided him with a wealthy, acceptable social image, she was not much more to him than a mere possession. His affair with Myrtle offered him a chance to defy his social expectations. Their relationship was important to him because of this opportunity to escape. When Myrtle died, it shook him deeply, especially because he believed Gatsby had been driving the yellow car. After leaving George Wilson's garage the night of the accident, he managed to drive slowly until he and Nick were out of sight. Then he slammed his foot down on the accelerator, driving much faster. He began quietly sobbing, privately mourning her death. He immediately blamed Gatsby for bringing their relationship to an abrupt halt. "That God damned coward!" he cried. "He didn't even stop his car." His feelings of anger and hurt were greatly intensified by the day spent in New York....
Tom realizes her desperate situation and takes total advantage of her. The clearest example of this is when Myrtle shouts Daisy’s name and Tom warns her not to say it again but Myrtle says Daisy's name anyway. Tom Buchanan in a “A short deft movement..., breaks her nose with his open hand.” Tom views her as not even being allowed to lick the dirt of his shoe. She is just another one of Tom’s possessions. Myrtle isn’t even allowed to say Daisy's name. He knows that she's in desperate situation. Tom is all she has and he knows this, he could do whatever he wants. He realizes that without her she will have to go back to George’s measly garage and she doesn't want that. Therefore Tom takes control of her desperation. Additionally, at the party, Catherine tells Nick that neither of them can stand the person they’re married to. They don't divorce and marry one another because Daisy is a Catholic. Nick knows that Tom is lying indicating to the reader, yet again, that Tom uses Myrtle for his own pleasure. She is nothing to him and he could do this because of Myrtle’s desperation. Another example in the novel is Mr. McKee asks Tom for a reference to be able to work in West Egg and Tom replies “Ask Myrtle,” said Tom, breaking into a short shout of laughter as Mrs. Wilson entered with a tray. “She’ll give you a letter of introduction, won’t you Myrtle?” She answers in confusion “Do what?” Tom is mocking her in front of
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.
In chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby the narrator reveals himself to be Nick Carraway, a man from Minnesota. Nick moved to New York to get a job in the bond business and he rented a house in the West Egg. The West Egg is considered “less fashionable” (5), than the East Egg where all the people with connections live. Nick was invited to dinner at the home of his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom Buchanan, who lived in the East Egg. At dinner Nick meets Jordan, Daisy’s rather laid-back friend, and learns that Tom is having a very open affair with another woman.
In The Great Gatsby by Francis Scott Fitzgerald written during the 1920’s, Fitzgerald presents a classic tale of infinite love and betrayal. The story is told by one of the main characters Nick Carraway. Back in the war days a young Jay Gatsby meets Daisy, he left for the war and vowed to never stop loving her. Years later of out coincidence Nick (Daisy’s cousin) ,moves right next door to Mr. Gatsby. Gatsby soon realizes the kinship between Nick and Daisy and becomes very close friends to Nick. Gatsby himself is a very mysterious man,with so many rumors about him going around nobody really knows how Gatsby became rich or where exactly he even came from. One thing is for certain though, the extravagant house and the expensive cars he drives
The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in the 1920s. The story is narrated by Nick Carraway as he moves from the Midwest to New York City, in the fictional town of West Egg along Long Island. The story is primarily focused on the attractive, young and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his love for Daisy Buchanan. Pursuing the American Dream, Nick lived next door to Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her husband, Tom Buchanan. It is then that Nick is drawn into the striking world of the riches' lusts, loves, lies and deceits.
A seemingly easy read, The Great Gatsby has won over critics around the world, and rightfully so, has become one of today's greatest classics due to its complex literary content. The narrator of the novel, Nick Carraway, grew up in the Midwestern United States and went to school at Yale University. Returning home after traveling a great deal, he is discontent and decides to move to the East in 1922, renting a house in Long Island's West Egg section. Jay Gatsby is a wealthy neighbor living next door in a lavish mansion where he holds many extravagant weekend parties. His name is mentioned while Nick is visiting a relative, Daisy. As it turns out, Jay Gatsby had met Daisy five years before while in the military. Meanwhile Gatsby spent all of his effort after the war to buy his mansion through shady business dealings in order to be nearer to Daisy in the hope that she would leave her rich husband, Tom, for him. Daisy is impressed by Gatsby's wealth and the two begin spending much time together, raising the suspicions of Tom who had also has his own affair with a gas station owner's wife, Myrtle Wilson.