Overview: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby

In The Great Gatsby, the main character, Jay Gatsby, dedicates his life towards becoming a man based on materialistic objects and money to get together with the larger than life Daisy Buchanan years after their departure from each other. Gatsby throws away his hard working morals and turns to bootlegging during prohibition for “easy money” to get to the social standard for Daisy. All was going well until daisy accidentally killed Tom Buchanan’s mistress, Myrtle. Myrtles husband is led to believe Gatsby killed her. In response to this, myrtles husband kills Gatsby and then himself, ending any possible future relations between Daisy and Gatsby. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald highlights the concept of gaining relationships from material objects; this thematic structure of the text parallels the concept of the American dream in current popular culture and for this reason the text is studied today.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life is a back and forth motion between fortune and misfortune.

Throughout his childhood, Fitzgerald wanted to be a rich and famous writer. He was born on September 24, 1896. His father Edward Fitzgerald lost his job, and became a failure. Luckily there was a good deal of wealth in his mother’s side of his family continuing his life in prep schools. During this time he wrote many poems, short stories, and plays. This was his way of gaining social acceptance (A&E).

In 1913, Fitzgerald was accepted into Princeton. He had a great time there but he was already developing a drinking problem. His grades started to suffer after he was spending most of his time writing plays. He then met 16 year old Ginevra King at a dance. They began a relationship and this ended up playing a role in Fitzgerald’s...

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...920’s by means of prohibition and bootlegging.

Works Cited

F,.Scott Fitzgerald: The Great American Dreamer. Prod.. History Television Network

Productions A&E. 1997. Videocassette.

Giles, Paul1. “A Good Gatsby.” Commonweal 140.12 (2013): 12-15. OmniFile Full Text

Select (H.W. Wilson). Webn. 16 Jan. 2014

Roberts, Marilyn. “Scarface,” “The Great Gatsby,” And the American Dream.” Literature Film

Quarterlty 34.1 (2006): 71-78. OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson). Web. 16 Jan.

2014.

Froehlich, Maggie Gordon. “Gatsby’s Mentors: Queer relations Between Love And Money In

The Great Gatsby,” Journal Of Men;s Stdies 19.3 (200=11): 209-226. OmnFile Full Text

Select (H.W. Wilson). Web. 16 Jan 2014

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925.

The Great Gatsby. Jack Clayton. Paramount Pictures. 1974. Film.

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