The Great Gatsby Survival Analysis

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In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald there is an unanswered question on who survives and who doesn’t. To survive, according to dictionary.com, is “to remain or continue in existence or use”. Although there are deaths, a character does not necessarily need to live in order to survive. Fitzgerald is not basing survival on life and death alone. Jay Gatsby, George Wilson and Myrtle Wilson all die in the book, but did the inner aspect of the characters fail to survive? Nick Carraway is a survivor in this novel. “Instead of being the warm center of the world, the Middle West now seemed like the ragged edge of the universe-so I decided to go to East and learn the bond business.” (Fitzgerald 3). Nick decides to take initiative in his life and …show more content…

Scott Fitzgerald blends his personal life into “The Great Gatsby” to shine light how life was in the 1920’s, not only for the characters, but for him as well. Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and when he was 15 years old, he moved east to New Jersey to pursue his literary studies. Nick Carraway also moves east, to find something new and to make a living by selling bonds. In 1917, Fitzgerald joined the U.S. army to fight in World War 1. Fitzgerald was a second lieutenant in the infantry and was assigned to Camp Sheridan outside of Montgomery, Alabama, where he met his future wife, Zelda Sayre. After the war ended in 1918, Fitzgerald moved to New York City and married Zelda. This incorporates with Gatsby because he is also sent to the fight in the war, but he does not get to marry his lover. Fitzgerald however dies an unexpected death, such as Gatsby, when halfway through writing a book at age 44 to a heart attack. Gatsby also dies at a young age while in the middle of his plans to run away with Daisy. Fitzgerald portrays his life throughout the actions and personalities in the novel. Fitzgerald views Gatsby’s quest as a long, everlasting attempt for something that no longer exists. That no matter how hard you try, there will always be something in the

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