The Story Behind The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby by Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is a novel that eloquently summarizes what the entire American society represents through Fitzgerald’s view. This novel develops its story in New York, at a time when the jazz age was at its peak. The roaring twenties, the era of glamour, infringed prohibition, conflict, growth and prosperity. The main concern in that age was materialism, sex, booze, and entertainment. The American Dream was the idea that anything, especially success, was possible through hard work and determination no matter where the individual comes from. On the other hand, in Fitzgerald’s perspective, he was aware of the falsity of the values in the American society; and also he was aware of the importance of honesty and sincerity. The argument is poetically obvious, through his novel Fitzgerald shows us that reality will always end by demolishing any idealism; because the American dream is untouchable, intangible, a hoax, a fraud, and a lie that only leads to the destruction of those who believe in a single dream for too long. Since the beginning of the novel, Fitzgerald attempted to set the tone and point of view from which the story is going to be told. “IN MY YOUNGER and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had” (Fitzgerald 1). In this quote, the language that Fitzgerald is implying serves to persuade the audience in trusting every word the narrator, Nick Carraway, is going to tell. As the novel progresses, the reader encounters that Nick is an observer, but abov... ... middle of paper ... ...ng left but the ash residues, grime, and the squalid world of crime, and easy money. The American Dream, as drawn by the perspective of Fitzgerald is simply a clear lie, a fraud, an illusion and a corruptible idea that only leads to problems, tragedy and the destruction of any individual living the American Dream. Works Cited Cartwright, Kent. "Nick Carraway As An Unreliable Narrator. "Papers On Language & Literature 20.2 (1984): 218. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 May 2014. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004. Print. Hauhart, Robert C. "Religious Language And Symbolism In The Great Gatsby’s Valley Of Ashes." Anq 26.3 (2013): 200-204. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 May 2014. Lewis, Anthony. "ABROAD AT HOME; the Great Gatsby." New York Times, Late Edition (East Coast) ed. Aug 06 1987. ProQuest. Web. 8 May 2014.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, captures a fine description of how life was in America during the Jazz Age. The Jazz Age signaled an end to traditional American values and a movement towards new ones. The purpose of The Great Gatsby was to show how traditional American values were abandoned and how the pursuit and desire for wealth could lead to the downfall of one’s dreams and goals in life. Happiness obtained from money is only an illusion, money has the power to corrupt and obscure one’s mind and lead one down the path of failure and misery. By using symbolism, imagery, and character personalities and traits, F. Scott Fitzgerald manipulates language to fulfill the purpose of The Great Gatsby.
In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald gives the reader a glimpse into the life of the high class during the 1920’s through the eyes of a man named Nick Carraway. Through the narrator's dealings with high society, Fitzgerald demonstrates how modern values have transformed the American dream's ideas into a scheme for materialistic power and he reveals how the world of high society lacks any sense of morals or consequence. In order to support his message, Fitzgerald presents the original aspects of the American dream along with its modern face to show that the wanted dream is now lost forever to the American people. Jay Gatsby had a dream and did everything he could to achieve it, however in the end he failed to. This reveals that the American dream is not always a reality that can be obtained.
The character of Gatsby and Fitzgerald’s commentary on the logical fallacies of the American Dream are closely intertwined, which is why Fitzgerald goes to such great lengths to separate the two. By distinguishing Gatsby from the flaws he possesses allows the reader to care for Gatsby, and the impact of his death all the more powerful when it finally occurs. By making Gatsby a victim of the American Dream rather than just the embodiment of it, Fitzgerald is able to convince his audience of the iniquity of the American Dream by making them mourn the life of the poor son-of-a-bitch
The word visually stunning could be used to describe the 2013 Baz Luhrman directed adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless novel The Great Gatsby. Speaking of the director, I enjoyed his portrayal of the lavish lifestyle and carefree party like attitude in such a beautiful visual experience. The way in which the party scenes were filmed in the movie made perfect sense compared to the source material and were something I have never seen done by any other directors in a live action film. Another positive for me about this film was the soundtrack. When I first started watching the film I expected to hear old time music prevalent in the 20s. I however was pleasantly surprised when I learned the soundtrack was compiled by Jay-Z and featured many tracks I enjoyed featuring him either alone or accompanied by another musical guest. While Jay-Z is not exactly an accurate representation of the music of the 20s, the soundtrack adds a modern flavour over the previously mentioned beautiful backgrounds and architecture. The story however is where the movie at times falls flat. When stripped down to basics it is nothing more than a generic love story with a few twists added in for extra kick. The characters in the same vain can be very bland and not make you care much for them due to their backstories not being deeply explored. The only character that I found to be interesting was Jay Gatsby because of the mystical aura that surrounds his character at the beginning of the movie that leads you to want to uncover more of this ever mysterious man. All in all the visuals clearly outpace
‘Nick Carraway as an Unreliable Narrator’ Kent Cartwright. Papers on Language and Literature 20.2. 1984. Pg 218-232
The novel The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald is the great American novel. It is full of the disillusioned, the skeptics, the hypocrites and the careless dreamers of high society New York. The characters are reckless in the way they live, hurting each other and having fake relationships, abandoning people. The characters betray each other, over and over throughout the novel, they question Gatsby’s sincerity, and they are horrible people. This novel truly breaks the traditions associated with the pureness of the American dream; it reflects the contemporary American experience. It does so by the carelessness of the characters as well as their hypocrisy and skepticism.
Fitzgerald definitely proves his point through Gatsby who plays the prime example of deteriorated morals. Displaying the useless merriment and unfathomable desire to possess money and fame; Gatsby hopelessly shows his fortune off due to his unrequited affection from Daisy Buchanan. Nick Carraway, an insightful friend as well a narrator, guides you through the lives of the filthy rich and starts off admitting that “whenever you feel like criticizing any one, just remember that all people in this world haven't had the advantages you've had.” (Fitzgerald 1) thus allowing the reader to keep this quote in mind throughout the novel. Moving from the Midwest, Nick arrives to New York City to be welcomed for dinner at his cousin, Daisy's house, where the reader comes to know of Nick's neighbor Gatsby, and Daisy, the love of Gatsby's life, herself. Nick learns about the backstabbing ways of people who've inherited riches such as Tom, Daisy's deceitful husband, who seems to also have a mistress. Nick also steadily increases his curiosity towards his lavish neighbor. As the novel proceeds, the readers come to know of the love story left unfinished betwe...
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is the unbelievable story of a man who was forsaken by his one true love, and his ongoing struggle to reclaim her heart. Fitzgerald does a outstanding job of capturing the idea of the true American dream. The novel highlights the concept of the affluent spending without consequence; this thematic structure of the text parallels the concept of the American dream in current popular culture and for this reason this story is a classic novel shared all over the world.
Book Analysis F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of "The Great Gatsby," reveals many principles about today's society and the "American dream. " One of the biggest fears in today's world is the fear of not fitting into society. People of all age groups and backgrounds share this fear. Many individuals believe that to receive somebody's affection, they must assimilate into that person's society. In the story, Jay Gatsby pursues the American dream and his passion for being happy only to come to a tragedy and total loss.
The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, perfectly symbolizes many emerging trends of the 1920’s. More importantly, the character of Jay Gatsby is depicted as a man amongst his American dreams and the trials he faces in the pursuit of its complete achievement. His drive to acquire the girl of his dreams, Daisy Buchanan, through gaining status and wealth shows many aspects of the author's view on the American dream. Through this, one can hope to disassemble the complex picture that is Fitzgerald’s view of this through the novel. Fitzgerald believes, through his experiences during the 1920’s, that only fractions of the American Dream are attainable, and he demonstrates this through three distinct images in The Great Gastby.
Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is one of the most carefully structured stories of all time. The narrator, Nick, is a very clever and well spoken storyteller. Nick confides with the reader in the first pages of the novel. He says that he needs to tell the story of a man called Gatsby. It is as if Nick has to overcome disappointment and frustration with a man who has left him with painful memories. Nick says that, even though Gatsby did alright in the end, “it was the foul dust that collected in his wake” that disgusts him now. Nick, thus, begins the novel with uncomfortable memories. Time is a meaningful concept in this story. It is evident that dreams and memories are central to the overall plot and meaning. Secondly, the American Dream is a “green light” of desire that Gatsby never stops yearning for and something he will not forget over time, even as he is dying. This is so, even though no one cares about Gatsby or his dreams after he died, except maybe Nick. Finally, the fact that Fitzgerald uses flashback; that Nick is telling us about a main character after he has already died and before the story begins, is ultimate proof. The Great Gatsby is structured by Nick’s memory. Fitzgerald’s clever use of flashback throughout and within the novel is the greatest evidence that he intended his novel to be centered on memory and going back in time, which will be sort of a focus as we go further into this essay.
Summary of 'The Great Gatsby'. The Great Gatsby is a book about rich people that are fighting for women, money etc. After I read this book, I realized that even if you are rich, you don't have to be happy. There are two main characters: Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby, both rich men.
During the 1920's America was a country of great ambition, despair and disappointment. The novel The Great Gatsby is a reflection of this decade, it illustrates the burning passion one man has toward his "American Dream" and the different aspects of the dream. Fitzgerald's work is a reflection of America during his lifetime. The Great Gatsby shows the ambition of one man's reach for his "American Dream," the disappointment of losing this dream and the despair of his loss.
The pursuit of the American Dream has been alive for generations. People from nations all over the world come to America for the chance to achieve this legendary dream of freedom, opportunity, and the “all American family”. However, in the 1920’s this dream began to take a different form. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, unfolds what the American Dream really meant during the roaring 20’s. The Great Gatsby tells a story of the affluent Jay Gatsby and his dream of attaining the love of the married Daisy Buchanan. In this novel, Gatsby’s dream of love is unmasked and reviled as a dream of materialistic things. Fitzgerald shows that each character truly glorifies only money, power, and social stature. During the 1920’s, these things were the only thing people dreamt about. The symbolism in The Great Gatsby illustrates how the American Dream became corrupt in the 1920’s.
The tour bus clattered over the rough, rocky surface at an inappropriately rapid pace. The vast desert landscape swept by the windows, blurring the sagebrush into one huge mass of brown. Loud, Midwestern voices filled the cramped interior. Vast expanses of floral patterned shirts assaulted the eyes. The tour was unused to such exotic foods as a “taco” or a “burrito”, and as a result, the air had a higher methane concentration then any Wisconsin dairy farm.