This Side of Paradaise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Who is Amory Blaine? It seems, in certain ways that Amory serves as the quintessential portrait of the American youth, always struggling between individuality and the desire for acceptance. But also we get glimpses of situations in which he seems to be the embodiment of America itself – of old European heritage, struggling with his uniqueness in a world where, to survive, he must fit in.
Fitzgerald described the novel as a “quest novel” that focuses on Amory’s journey to self-understanding. The three primary elements that influence Amory on his road to self-realization are convention, women, and money. This is what makes him a purely American character. These three elements are indeed what make the American persona go forth: individuality vs convention, the quest for fulfilling romance, and the American Dream in the form of personal achievement and importance. Amory’s arrogance and egotism is also a trademark of his purely American nature, as the American way of life is, in essence, a lonely one, the journey of which focuses on self-fulfillment, the self itself, and personal individuality and importance in a societal context.
Fitzgerald’s “This Side of Paradise” follows less the thread of a story, rather it provides a sketch portrait of Amory and his quest to understand the world. The story is told by a knowledgeable third person narrator who follows and adds to Amory’s point of view, interjecting his own thoughts in the narrative from time to time. Amory is the center of the narrative, much like the American youth is the center of their own. It’s a purely American approach to life – that is, you are the star of it, the rest are just secondary minor characters to your main story. The portraits of the other character in the novel a...

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...ng at a job he loathed.

Identity
It’s discussed among critics whether or not Amory knows himself at the end of the book, or if it’s just a fleeting state of self-awareness. Much like the average American, Amory does not know who he is, rather who he wants to be, who he should be, and what others consider him to be.

Conclusions
Amory is essentially a prototype for the lazier side of the virile young American man, thus a semi-negative archetype of an American. Self-centered, focusing on popularity more than hard work, Amory seeks wealth and validation while also avoiding adhering to social norms.
His individuality and otherness, and stubbornness to go forward against all odds mark him a stereotypical true American, despite his egocentrism and numerous other flaws.
The novel is Amory’s quest for his own identity. If he achieved it at the end, it’s still debatable.