The Great Gatsby 13
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is an intriguing account about love, money and life during the 1920s in New York. The story begins when Nick Carraway, a young man, moves to New York from the Midwest to join the bond business. There, he soon becomes acquainted with his wealthy neighbor Jay Gatsby, and they become good friends. Gatsby confides in Nick and tells him that he is in love with Nick's cousin, the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. However, she is already married to the young and successful Tom Buchanan, who is unfaithful and has an affair with poor George Wilson's wife. Later, Nick arranges a meeting between Gatsby and Daisy and soon thereafter, they become involved in a love affair. It is revealed that many years ago, Gatsby and Daisy were in love, but Daisy would not marry him because he was rather poor. Gatsby, however, made his fortune and became determined to win Daisy's heart. Towards the end of the story, however, Tom finds out about Gatsby and Daisy's affair. One day, while they were all in New York City, he confronts Gatsby and Daisy and a heated argument ensues. That fateful night, returning to their homes on Long Island, Daisy, while driving Gatsby's car, accidentally runs over Tom's mistre
The Great Gatsby is a novel that shows man's weak willpower through its anxious efforts to be accepted by society, its love for materialistic things, and its inclination to sin, as exemplified by Nick Carraway, Daisy Buchanan and Tom Buchanan. F. Scott Fitzgerald successfully captures the lifestyle of the 1920s in The Great Gatsby. This novel has a theme with historical significance, since life during the booming decade was one of extravagance and glamour. People were starving for money and love. Fitzgerald, who lived during this time period, observed first-hand the superficial lifestyle of the American population and was reminded that the human spirit is weak and selfish. He masterfully laces that message into his masterpiece The Great Gatsby to share with future generations. Finally, the character of Tom Buchanan symbolizes man's tendency towards sin. Although married to Daisy, Tom is unfaithful and has an affair with Myrtle Wilson. Tom says to Nick, " 'We're getting off,' [Tom] insisted. 'I wanted you to meet my girl'" (Ch. 2, pg. 24). Fitzgerald uses Tom as the antagonist in the novel, because he gets in the way of the love between Gatsby and Daisy. Yet, Fitzgerald also uses Tom as an example of evil and sin. Men are always looking for adventure and a thrill, even if these adventures and thrills will get them into trouble. In Tom's case, having a mistress is a thrill to him, although it eventually leads to the deaths of Myrtle Wilson and Jay Gatsby. Another example that Tom symbolizes man's tendency towards sin is that Tom's temper often has violent flares that usually have destructive results. Fitzgerald writes, "Some time towards midnight Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face, discussing whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy's name.... Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke [Myrtle's] nose with his open hand" (Ch. 2, pg. 37). Controlling human emotions is a very difficult thing to do. Many people often fail in doing so; therefore, they hurt others physically or emotionally. Tom is a man who finds it difficult to keep his emotions to himself so he ends up expressing those emotions, whether appropriate or not; consequently, he becomes a despised charac
Some common words found in the essay are:
Seelbach Hotel, Jay Gatsby, Tom Buchanan, Gatsby Daisy, Scott Fitzgerald, Jordan Baker, July Gatsby's, Baker I'm, Fitzgerald Tom, Nick Carraway, tom buchanan, jay gatsby, gatsby daisy, nick carraway, love gatsby, daisy buchanan, myrtle wilson, gatsby nick, gatsby novel, man's tendency towards, love fitzgerald, hundred fifty thousand, symbolizes man's tendency, fifty thousand dollars, ch 5 pg,
Approximate Word count = 1486
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
