Architectural Allegory in 'The Great Gatsby'

555 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on f scott fitzgerald

If These Houses had Souls F. Scott Fitzgerald in considered to be one of America’s greatest novelist. Fitzgerald creates an array of characters with a variety of backgrounds, social classes, and personalities. Many say that one's car or house is a direct representation of oneself. This is also happens to the case for Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, Tom, Daisy and the Wilson’s in The Great Gatsby . Nick Carraway lives in a simple cottage in West Egg. Nick is simply renting the house he stays in. This is foreshadowing for Nick leaving West Egg after Gatsby's death. Nick's small house resides between mansions. This is a representation of how Nick is a go between for Gatsby and Daisy when they first rekindle their love. One example of this is in chapter 5, when Gatsby asks Nick if he will invite Daisy over for tea so he can see her. Finally Nick's house represents his role as the narrator. He simply sits back and watches unnoticed; The same what that no one notices the small house in midst of all of the giant mansions. At the age of 17 Gatsby meets and begins working for Dan Cody. Dan Cody was very rich but an alcoholic. One of Gatsby jobs was to take care of Dan while he was intoxicated. This leads to Gatsby choice to remain sober. After Dan's death Gatsby inherits some money. After this experience Gatsby designates his life to creating something of himself. This includes building a extravagant house and throwing elaborate parties in an attempt to attract Daisy. Like his personality his home is simply an attempt to make people (mainly Daisy) to be attracted to him. After Gatsby's death, his house begins to fall apart which is symbolic of the crumbling of Gatsby's

Show More
Related

  • Jay Gatsby is a Sympathetic Character in Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby

    591 Words  | 2 Pages

    Initially, Gatsby stirs up sympathetic feelings because of his obsession with wealth. Ever since meeting Dan Cody, his fascination for wealth has increased dramatically. He even uses illegal unmoral methods to obtain hefty amounts of wealth to spend on buying a house with “ Marie Antoinette music-rooms, Restoration Salons, dressing rooms and poolrooms, and bath rooms with sunken baths.” (88) His wardrobe is just as sensational with “ shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine fennel.” (89) Gatsby buys such posh items to impress Daisy but to him, Daisy herself is a symbol of wealth. Jay remarks, “[Daisy’s] voice is full of money.” (115). For him, Daisy is the one who is “ High in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden gir...

    Read More

  • Examples Of Greed In The Great Gatsby

    2143 Words  | 5 Pages

    How they treat each other shows how selfish both of them are and how they only care about themselves. Gatsby finds himself falling in love with Daisy, and the idea of her, when he returns to Long Island and discovers the lavish lifestyles that are being led. Jay Gatsby is a man who has been obsessed with the idea of being wealthy ever since the age of seventeen, when he met an older gentleman named Dan Cody. Gatsby was supposed to inherit all of Cody’s money but was cheated out of it at the last minute. Ever since then, Gatsby has been obsessed with the idea of being wealthy and he would do whatever it would take for him to be wealthy. Once Gatsby and Daisy begin a relationship, Bloom points out that, “Gatsby, with his boundless capacity for love, a capacity unique in the sterile world he inhabits, sees that the pursuit of money is a substitute for love. He knows himself well enough to see that his own attraction toward wealth is tied to his love for Daisy.”. It is hard for Gatsby to admit, but it becomes evident to the reader that Gatsby values wealth and status over human love and affection. Gatsby had an obsession with money that unfortunately he was never able to shake, and ultimately led to a lonely life and eventually to his

    Read More

  • Buying Happiness and Love in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

    1639 Words  | 4 Pages

    The first example of Gatsby's belief that money can buy his happiness is when Nick Carraway describes the subdivision in which he lives, West Egg. The subdivision across the water is East Egg. The houses are very luxurious to say the least. On the other hand, there is a distinction between the two. The West Egg house are more recently built and are elaborately decorated, where as the houses in East Egg are still as big but very conservative in architecture. The two neighborhoods represent the division in the upper class at this time in America. During the 1920's, the conservative "old rich" despised the "new rich". A good example of an "old rich" family would be the Rockefellers, where as a "new rich" family would be the Kennedys. The East Egg represented the conservative money of the "old rich". For generations their money passed down giving them the belief that the "new rich" with their newly acquired wealth were still lower and not equal to them. The "new rich" liked to display their wealth in lavish ways that the conservative wealthy did not approve. In addition, the "new rich" often did not earn their money in legitimate ways; most earned their money from boot legging. Carraway in an ironic way is neither "new rich" nor "old rich". He lives in a rather modest house compared to Gatsby's huge mansion. Gatsby owns a huge house but is the only person living there besides some servants. Gatsby tries to use the house to win the happiness and respect from others. Another reason for the house is to hide the way in which he really makes his money.

    Read More

  • F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Expression of Temptation, Deceitfulness, and Jealousy in The Great Gatsby

    1264 Words  | 3 Pages

    F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book The Great Gatsby was a remarkable book. Fitzgerald Made the characters of the book as real and as personal as possible. Three characteristics stood out in the novel to me. Tom’s Jealousy of Gatsby relationship with his wife, Gatsby’s lies about who he is and his life, and Daisy’s ways to tempt Gatsby to fall in love with her. The novel was inspired by the way he fell in love with his wife Zelda.

    Read More

  • Gatsby and Daisy, Tom and Myrtle, and George and Gatsby’s Relationships in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

    604 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is a thirty-year-old young man that changed his lifestyle from having a poor childhood to becoming rich. In 1917, preparing to leave for World War 1, Gatsby, being presented as a military officer in Louisville, laid his eyes upon a charming, graceful young woman, Daisy Buchanan. Daisy was a beauty from Louisville. She then was not only Nick Carraway’s cousin but also suddenly the love of Gatsby’s life. In order to make him look like the perfect person for Daisy, Gatsby presented himself to have a clear background. In all reality, Gatsby participated in crimes, such as providing alcohol when it was illegal and selling stolen objects.

    Read More

  • Symbols and Symbolism - Houses and Cars in The Great Gatsby

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nick lives in West Egg in a rented house that "[is] a small eye-sore" and "had been overlooked"(Fitzgerald 10). Nick lives in a new-rich West Egg because he is not wealthy enough to afford a house in the more prominent East Egg. His house symbolizes himself shy and overlooked. Nick is the Narrator and also the "trust worthy reporter and, ...judge" that has ties to both the East and West Egg crowd(Bruccoli xii).

    Read More

  • What Does The House Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

    509 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the setting of the novel The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s Mansion is where it’s taking place throughout the whole story because Gatsby started out as a poor boy helplessly in love with a rich girl named Daisy. In the story of The Great Gatsby, Tom says “...was a colossal affair by any standard - it was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy and a marble swimming pool, and than forty acres of lawn and garden. It was Gatsby’s mansion...” (Fitzgerald 5).

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Summary

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was being set in New York in 1922. . It was in Long Island where the rich and wealthy people lived and that was split into West and East Egg. The wealthy people lived in East Egg. There are seven characters that make up The Great Gatsby is. First there is Nick Carraway and he is a graduate student from Yale, and he used to live in the Midwest. He was in World War 1 and later moved to New York to become a bonds salesman. Next there is Jay Gatsby. He is a millionaire that lives in a mansion and is known for throwing massive parties. He got all of his fortune from doing illegal criminal activities. He is in love with a woman named Daisy Buchanan. Daisy is Nick’s cousin and is married to Tom. She has had history with Gatsby before she got married to Tom. Tom Buchanan is a millionaire that lives in East Egg. He is rich because of his family name and He attended Yale with Nick. Jordan Baker is one of Daisy’s friends that is a professional golfer. She later ends up being Nick’s girlfriend for a while. George Wilson is a man that owns an auto shop and is married to Myrtle. Myrtle is Tom’s mistress that he fools around with. Lastly there was a man named Meyer Wolfshiem. He was known for fixing the 1919 World Series.

    Read More

  • Social and Moral Values in Relation to the Downfall of Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gatsby downfall came when he sacrificed his morality to attain wealth. Gatsby realises that the illusion of his dream with Daisy, demands wealth to become priority, and thus wealth becomes the desire overriding his need for her [Daisy’s] love. Gatsby claims to others that he has inherited his wealth, but Nick discovers "[h]is parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people" (Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, pg 104) and that Gatsby has lied about his past. In a society that relies on luxuries, Gatsby throws parties to attract Daisy’s attention. Also, Gatsby expresses that same need to keep busy, just as Daisy does, in a society of the elite. Nick describes Gatsby as "never quite still, there was always a tapping foot somewhere or the impatient opening and closing of a hand" (Fitzgerald, pg 68). Gatsby fills his house "full of interesting people...who do interesting things" (Fitzgerald, pg 96). Gatsby's dream is doomed to failure in that he has lost the fundamental necessities to experience love, such as honesty and moral integrity.

    Read More

  • F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nick Carraway is the narrator of the entire novel, he is also the protagonist of his own plot. He is a practical and conservative man who turns thirty during the course of the story. Raised in a small town in the Midwest, in New York he is in the bond business. He rents a small bungalow out from the city on a fashionable island known as West Egg. His next door neighbor is Jay Gatsby, and his distant cousin, Daisy Buchanan, lives across the bay with her husband, Tom. Nick plays an important role in the main plot of the novel, for he is responsible for reuniting Gatsby and Daisy.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby: Money, Power, and the Fulfillment of Dreams

    894 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gatsby is a dreamer, he dreams that one day he and Daisy will be able to be together once again. To achieve this dream Gatsby has made himself a rich man. He knows that in order to win Daisy back he must be wealthy and of high social stature. Gatsby becomes rich, has a beautiful mansion, nice things, things like shirts “They’re such beautiful shirts. . . it makes me sad because I’ve never seen such-such beautiful clothes” (pg.98).Gatsby believes his dream will come true because of all the money and nice things he has. The way that Gatsby becomes rich is in a way the demise of his dream. Gatsby becomes wealthy by participating in organized crime, including distributing illegal alcohol and trading in stolen securities. Daisy eventually learns about this and it is one of the reasons she will never again be with Gatsby. The other reason is Daisy a...

    Read More

  • What Is The Reality Of Reality In The Great Gatsby

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    Starting at a young age Gatsby strives to become someone of wealth and power, leading him to create a façade of success built by lies in order to reach his unrealistic dream. The way Gatsby’s perceives himself is made clear as Nick explains: “The truth was Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God… he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty” (Fitzgerald 98). From the beginning Gatsby puts himself beside God, believing he is capable of achieving the impossible and being what he sees as great. Gatsby blinds himself of reality by idolizing this valueless way of life, ultimately guiding him to a corrupt lifestyle. While driving, Nick observes Gatsby curiously: “He hurried the phrase ‘educated at Oxford,’ or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before. And with this doubt, his whole statement fell to pieces…” (Fitzgerald 65). To fulfill his aspirations Gatsby desires to be seen an admirable and affluent man in society wh...

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Themes And Motifs

    1347 Words  | 3 Pages

    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 passions to be happy to only come to a tragedy and total loss. The author illustrates through the characters that the search of wealth, love, or fame or going after the past ideals may not lead to true happiness.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Chuck And The Great Gatsby

    1284 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gatsby is seen to be a sympathetic and kind individual who is deceived multiple times because of his kind nature. For instance, when Nick illustrates Gatsby’s history with Dan Cody he says that, “When he saw Dan Cody’s yacht drop anchor over the most insidious flat on Lake Superior, it was James Gatz who had been loafing along the beach that afternoon in a torn green jersey and a pair of canvas pants, but it was already Jay Gatsby who borrowed a row – boat, pulled out to the tuolomee and informed Cody that a wind might catch him and break him up in a half an hour (Fitzgerald, 104). This illustration of Gatsby’s first meeting with Dan Cody allows the reader to understand the caring and empathetic character Gatsby is. The deceit that Gatsby continuously faces in his life can be seen when Dan Cody passes away and Gatsby is not given his share of Dan Cody’s will. His kind and caring nature is once again seen when he takes the blame for hitting Myrtle with the car. Not only does Gatsby take cover for Daisy, but he camps outside of the Buchanan mansion in fear that Tom may hurt Daisy for what she had done. He does this without informing anyone including Nick, which shows that he does what he does because he cares for those he loves. Like before, Gatsby once again faces unbearable deceit as Daisy choses Tom over Gatsby and doesn’t even bother to

    Read More

  • American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis

    1013 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gatsby was born into a poor household. He had no wealth and no social background. He meets the love of his life and decides to pursue endlessly to be with her. He even claims “I am the son of some wealthy people in the Midwest- all dead now"(Fitzgerald 34). to get to daisy but in reality he isn’t the son of a wealthy family and his father is alive at the end of the novel. He uses these lies as a way of covering up so people don’t find out what he actually does, smuggling alcohol and earning money illegally. When tom exposes him “He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter.” (Fitzgerald 133). Gatsby 's image starts falling apart, the fake image he created brought him his own demise. After returning from the war, Daisy changes drastically from the women he once thought to a women of another man but Gatsby 's image of daisy causes him to pursue her endlessly and leads him to say “I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before”(Fitzgerald 110). “Can 't repeat the past? Why of course you can”(Fitzgerald 116).Gatsby 's image of Daisy is an illusion mistaken for reality. When he leaves in WW1, Gatsby sets out on marrying Daisy. He returns to the states,builds up a million dollar fortune to get to her and expected they be together forever but to instead find out she is married with tom. He says he will repeat the past but it is

    Read More

More about Architectural Allegory in 'The Great Gatsby'

Open Document