Fitzgerald grew up in St. Paul Minnesota. His parents were both Catholic and of Irish descent, but came from extremely different social backgrounds. Between 1919 and 1936, Fitzgerald recorded everything that could possibly define him as a person in his Notebooks and his Ledger. In one section of these books, Fitzgerald noted the social structure of St. Paul. St. Paul modeled itself after the East and Europe. The older established families considered themselves superior to the self-made businessmen and those who had gained their wealth by chance (Meyers 2). This is portrayed in The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is looked down upon because of his “new” wealth, and it is even investigated as to how he acquired it. New wealth was considered tacky and gaudy. Th

Soon, Zelda became impatient with Fitzgerald’s numerous failures, so she broke off the engagement. During this period, Fitzgerald became concentrated on his work and discovered his tone, voice, and style. This period of time transformed him from an unemployed amateur into a professional writer. In order to support himself, Fitzgerald wrote several short stories and sold them. After the success of some of these stories, he persuaded Zelda to become engaged again. A week before their wedding, This Side of Paradise was published and became an instant success. After the wedding, the Fitzgeralds embarked on an extravagant life as young celebrities. They often played pranks on people, jumped into fountains for no good reason, and Zelda even rode on the hood of a taxi.

After his father lost his job in Buffalo, the family moved back to Minnesota. The children lived with their grandmother while the parents live with a friend. Fitzgerald attended St. Paul Academy where his first writing appeared in print in the school newspaper. His years at a second prep school, the Newman School, are reflected in This Side of Paradise, where he states that he was resentful to authority and indifferent to his work. He was also considered to be conceited and arrogant. Also in this novel, he goes into great detail about the reasons for his extreme unpopularity. Fitzgerald’s favorite memories were when he could escape the school for long periods and return to his parents. In The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway’s fondest and most vivid memories were coming back from prep school. “That’s my Midwest – not the wheat or the prairies or the lost Swede towns, but the thrilling returning trains of my youth.” (Meyers 16)

on Dick’s mother, had saved him from a spoiling by becoming his moral guide.” (Meyers 5) After his father’s furniture business failed, the family moved to Buffalo so that he could become a salesman for Procter & Gamble. Upstate New York left a negative impression on Fitzgerald. At the end of Tender is the Night, Dick Diver starts an unsuccessful medical practice in Buffalo, where his father died, and became a drifter. He always associated upstate New York with isolation and failure. In conjunction with his father’s tendency to fail and the way his mother looked down upon his father, the fathers of most Fitzgerald’s fictional heroes are dead before the novel begins.

When Zelda first saw the new baby she exclaime

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Approximate Word count = 1673
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)