F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

640 Words2 Pages

The 1920s was a decade when the newly rich discovered the fast life style and would do nearly anything to conquer their idea of the American Dream. Women were on the transition towards equally, however some chose not to transition into their newfound roles. The atmosphere of this era was one of fear and constantly living for other people’s views instead of your own. Every person was motivated to attain financial success, and a method of gaining a higher position within the social order. The wants, needs, desires, dreams, and aspirations represent the society as a whole during the 1920s; both in an economical, social, and political way. F. Scott Fitzgerald shows the transition people go through when their lives are no longer controlled by traditional morals and values. The Great Gatsby, is a novel that appropriately illustrates the struggle society faces with living up to the standards that were posed within their social classes.
Throughout this novel there are various situations when the issues of gender and societal roles are brought to the attention of the reader. Growing up in the 1920s gave Fitzgerald a personal insight into these issues, and his writings may bring to light his perception on the matters he was never able to voice. It is important to note that many of the characters in the book are similar to those in Fitzgerald’s own life. According to “The Class Consumerism of Fitzgerald’s Life”, Daisy, Gatsby’s love affair, and Zelda, Fitzgerald’s wife, are similar in their life style needs. Originally, Fitzgerald and Zelda planned to be married, but, when his success did not blossom, Zelda left him and would wait to marry him until his career took off. Similarly enough, in The Great Gatsby Daisy does not marry Gatsby becau...

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...rough the character Tom. This can be accredited to the passing of the nineteenth amendment. This amendment was first ratified in June of 1919 in Wisconsin, and was later ratified throughout the rest of the states. This amendment “guaranteed all woman the right to vote” although it was acquired through a “lengthy and difficult struggle” (Our Documents). It was inevitable for a man during these times, to feel a sense of loss in his manhood when a woman became equal to him, especially when dealing with politics. All in all, Tom and Daisy represent the superficial nature of the people during the rolling 20’s; money was the main focus and they would do anything to attain as much of it as possible. Daisy was no where near the epitome of a real woman; in that she put on a façade in front of a group of people to show that she had no problems and her marriage was going well.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby - The Dynamic Gatsby
417 Words | 1 Pages
The Great Gatsby is a book filled with dynamic characters, written by a dynamic person. Throughout the book, the themes and situations are on many symbolic levels. The Great Gatsby is such a novel, that the hero is portrayed to the reader by a man who, with seemingly no effort, will not judge a man easily. He perceives him, takes him in, and analyzes him. This man’s name is not, in fact, Gatsby, but Nick Carraway, the narrator of the story. The man who is being perceived, of course, is Jay Gatsby, our hero.
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F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
727 Words | 2 Pages
Crossing the porch where we had dined that June night three months before, I came to a small rectangle of light which I guessed was the pantry window. The blind was drawn, but I found a rift at the sill.
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Sympathy For Myrtle's Death In The Great Gatsby
686 Words | 2 Pages
The Great Gatsby displays how the time of the 1920s brought people to believe that wealth and material goods were the most important things in life, and that separation of the social classes was a necessary need. Fitzgerald’s choice to expose the 1920s for the corrupt time that it really was is what makes him one of the greatest authors of his time, and has people still reading one of his greatest novels, The Great Gatsby, decades
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The Girls of Fitzgerald
1376 Words | 3 Pages
The great Gatsby gives us an accurate insight into the 1920s zeitgeist regarding the role of women in society. America was in a state of an economic boom and rapid change. Society had become less conservative after world war one. The role of women was revolutionary during this time and although women had a lot more freedom now; they were still confined to their sexist role within society; Men were still seen as the dominant gender. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates the extremities of gender and social class, and the lack of independence this brought upon women. This essay will discuss the three major female characters and the ideas that Fitzgerald confronts of female stereotypes of the 1920s.
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F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
1437 Words | 3 Pages
The Value of Jay Gatsby Jay Gatsby, who is one of the main characters of the Great Gatsby, is a man with a mysterious background and an unknown personality. He doesn't mention too much about his past except certain fabricated highlights of his life which were designed to impress others. The strange and humorous thing is that he carries articles of evidence that back up most of his lies to prove that he isn't lying. Gatsby is also the kind of man that is used to getting what he wants no matter what the consequences are, causing him to be a very determined man that once has an idea in his mind won't let it go until he accomplishes it. The things that Jay Gatsby values the most is money, to impress others and gain acceptance and most of all, having things his own way.
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Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
1040 Words | 3 Pages
Toady a new patient came in named Nick Carraway. Carraway is a struggling bond salesman that just moved next to that big place on the island, Gatsby’s place. He seems to like his new home, but he often talks about how the homesickness he feels is relating back to his fathers conduct. "Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope. I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that, as my father snobbishly suggested and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth"(Fitzgerald 6). It kind of struck me how Carraway’s attitude could be shaped by a simple code of conduct. He began to talk about how this person eluded some moral standards. "I wanted to no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart . Only Gastby, was exempt from my reaction"(6). He said that he gave this a reason because Gatsby was, basically, everything Carraway hoped to be. I thought a while before I gave my reply. I explained to him that life was about how rich a man was in experience, not how much material he has. He kind of shrugged it off like it was a cheap psychiatrist line. The more he told me about Gastby, it seemed the more he felt he needed to emulate him. He then began to talk of a Mr. Tom Buchannan. Tom was not to Carraway’s liking. He seemed harsh and too masculine to have any relation in Nick’s life. Nick is simple, innocent, and he is just starting out. From what he has told me about him, Tom seems to be a bigot of sorts, not to fond of Nick’s existence in this side of town at all. How does tom fit in to all this, I asked myself. Tom is Daisy’s husband; Daisy is Nick’s cousin. Kind of confusing, eh? Carraway started to finish up the session with a story of how he and Tom took a trip to Manhattan. On the way they stopped at Wilson’s Gas Station to meet "Tom’s girl." I was shocked by this finding. Nick carried a new burden upon his shoulders. Should he tell Daisy about they affair? I told him not to worry and to wait until next week.
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F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
410 Words | 1 Pages
Characters in books can reveal the author feeling toward the world. In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald suggested the moral decline of the period in America history through the interpersonal relationships among his characters. The book indicates the worthlessness of materialism, the futile quest of Myrtle and Gatsby, and how America's moral values had diminished. Despite his newly acquired fortune, Gatsby's monitory means could not afford his only true wish, therefore he cannot buy everything which is important to Daisy. (Fitzgerald, -page 42) What you wish for is not always what you want or not all that glitters is gold.
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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.
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F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
1422 Words | 3 Pages
According to the dictionary, the definition of dissatisfaction is the quality or state of being unhappy or discontent. Dissatisfaction is a disease that theoretically knows no prejudices, has no cure, and almost everyone has it. This is a global epidemic, that can destroy a man in the time it takes to snap your fingers. Physically most people will be alright but discontent will rot you to the core on the inside. Unfortunately, not being content seems to be a very common part of society today and in the past. The theme of not be satiated by life is especially seen in the famous novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. All the characters in this novel seemingly have achieved the american dream but they are all unhappy and never get what they really want in the end. Also, no character is satisfied with their marriage, with love, and with life in general. They are all unhappy with their lives and they destroy the lives of others in order to satisfy themselves. The Great Gatsby teaches us that even being wealthy and powerful, people can still be dissatisfied and will do anything in order to be happy. Therefore, despite believing that we have it all, dissatisfaction still plagues the human spirit.
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Free Great Gatsby Essays: Criticism of American Society
869 Words | 2 Pages
In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald is criticizing American society of the 1920s. He uses the characters to demonstrate the power than men had over women during these times, as well as their mindless, self-indulgent actions, where consequence was only an afterthought. The attitude towards and the role of women is shown throughout the novel. Fitzgerald also shows how many people in America during this time were delusional and had meaningless existences.
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The American Dream in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
1085 Words | 3 Pages
The 1920’s was a time of great change to both the country lived in as well as the goals and ambitions that were sought after by the average person. During this time, priorities shifted from family and religion to success and spontaneous living. The American dream, itself, changed into a self centered and ongoing personal goal that was the leading priority in most people’s lives. This new age of carelessness and naivety encompasses much of what this earlier period is remembered for. In addition, this revolution transformed many of the great writers and authors of the time as well as their various works. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, perfectly symbolizes many emergent trends of the 1920’s. More importantly the character of Jay Gatsby is depicted as a man amongst his American dream and the trials he faces in the pursuit of its complete achievement. His drive for acquiring the girl of his dreams, Daisy Buchanan, through gaining status and wealth shows many aspects of the authors 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.
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F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
655 Words | 2 Pages
During Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, it is apparent to be an absurd time for the wealthy. The shallowness of money, riches, and a place in a higher social class were probably the most important components in most lives at that period of time. This is expressed clearly by Fitzgerald, especially through his characters, which include Myrtle Wilson, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and of course, Jay Gatsby. This novel was obviously written to criticize and condemn the ethics of the rich.
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F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
705 Words | 2 Pages
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Daisy Miller by Henry James, most of the characters are under illusions during the majority of the plot. The plots are carried out with the characters living under these illusions, which are mainly overcome by the ends of the stories. The disillusionment of most of the characters completely diminishes the foundation in which the plots were built upon, leading to the downfall of some of the main characters and the altering of the other characters.
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The Jazz Age Explored in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
1388 Words | 3 Pages
In the past century in America, one of the decades that has stood out most as a time of change is the 1920s. In a post-war economic boom, the decade was a time of cultural and societal change. Among the parties and the more relaxed way of life, Americans experienced new wealth and luxury. Capturing the essence of the Roaring Twenties is a daunting task, especially because of the many different factors contributing to the decade’s fame. However, F. Scott Fitzgerald managed to capture and define the spirit of the 1920s through his novel. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the characters and events of the novel manifest the trademark qualities of America in the 1920s.
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The Great Gatsby: America in the 1920s
2392 Words | 5 Pages
Considered as the defining work of the 1920s, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was published in 1925, when America was just coming out of one of the most violent wars in the nation’s history. World War 1 had taken the lives of many young people who fought and sacrificed for our country on another continent. The war left many families without fathers, sons, and husbands. The 1920s is an era filled with rich and dazzling history, where Americans experienced changes in lifestyle from music to rebellion against the United States government. Those that were born into that era grew up in a more carefree, extravagant environment that would affect their interactions with others as well as their attitudes about themselves and societal expectations.
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F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby