F. Scott Fitzgerald third book, “The Great Gatsby”, stands as the supreme achievement in his career. According to The New York Times, “The Great Gatsby” is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s. In the novel, the author described Daisy Buchanan as childish, materialistic, and charming. These characteristics describing Daisy is also description for the way women were seen during the 1920s.
Daisy is describe as childish, because like a child playing pretend, she pretends to be someone she is not, she cannot make up her mind, and does not think about how her action will affect everyone else. For example, Nick said, “The instance her voice broke off, ceasing to compel my attention, my belief, I felt the basic insincerity of what
In a conversation she was having with Nick, she was telling him what she said to the doctors when she gave birth to her daughter. She told the doctor, “And I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”(17). She is telling the doctor, just like herself, she will like if her daughter is a fool and marry a man that will do everything for her and just be like a trophy wife. She wants her to mostly use her beauty rather than her brains. Another example of Daisy being materialistic is between a conversation with Nick and Gatsby, and what Gatsby said was, “Her voice is full of money,’ he said suddenly. That was it. I’d never understood before. It was full of money — that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it. . . . high in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl. . . . ”(120). Here, Gatsby is saying because Daisy has always been wealthy, that everything that she says is always related to money. Gatsby has experience being poor and rich, and when he said Daisy’s voice is full money, he meant that because she has been wealthy all her life, that there is a difference in the way a rich person talks compared to a unfortunate person. Gatsby sees that Daisy’s voice has so much sophistication and upper class in it that it seems to be full of money, money that rich people always have. One more way that F. Scott Fitzgerald describes Daisy as materialistic is when Gatsby said, “She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved any one except me!”(130). When Gatsby said that Daisy only married Tom because she was tired of waiting for him and that he was poor, makes the reader think that she choose money over true love. In the novel, women’s in the 1920s only cared about having fun and spending money. They did
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Show MoreConsidered 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 are 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. In this novel, symbols are used to represent the changing times and create a picture of this era for generations to come. The history, settings, characters, and symbols embedded in The Great Gatsby exemplify life in America during the 1920s.
Andrew T. Crosland, an expert on the Jazz Age writings of author F.Scott Fitzgerald, wrote that Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby included over 200 references to cars (Crosland). This is not surprising as the automobile, like the flapper were enticing novelties at the time this book was written. The main characters in The Great Gatsby who, by the way, all drive cars are Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Myrtle and George Wilson. Attractive, yet enigmatic, Gatsby tries to win the love of an aristocratic woman, who rebuffs Gatsby for her upper class husband. This leads to Gatsby’s tragic murder after he is falsely accused of killing Myrtle with his Rolls Royce. The automobile, as
The dawn of the 20th century was met with an unprecedented catastrophe: an international technological war. Such a horrible conflict perhaps threatened the roots of the American Dream! Yet, most do not realize how pivotal the following years were. Post war prosperity caused a fabulous age for America: the “roaring twenties”. But it also was an era where materialism took the nation by storm, rooting itself into daily life. Wealth became a measure of success and a facade for social status. This “Marxist materialism” threatened the traditional American Dream of self-reliance and individuality far even more than the war a decade before. As it morphed into materialistic visions (owning a beautiful house and car), victims of the change blindly chased the new aspiration; one such victim was Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. As his self-earned luxury and riches clashed with love, crippling consequences and disasters occur. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby delves into an era of materialism, exploring how capitalism can become the face of social life and ultimately cloud the American Dream.
Daisy, the wife of Tom Buchanan, has no goals in life; no discipline, nor any morals. She can't even think for herself because she has never had to before. She talks to Nick as if he is part of a group which is secluded from the lives of the East Eggers and in some aspect he is " 'All right,' said Daisy. 'What'll we plan?' She turned to me helplessly. 'What do people plan?'," (153). Daisy lacks competence. Daisy has nothing to do or care about each day. She has no idea of how to plan something because she hasn't had to do anything that requires thinking since the day that she thought money would solve her problems. She can go through life without having to think about anything that would probably require an elementary education. In the scene where Daisy runs over Myrtle, she doesn't care what has happened, she just cares about herself. "For Daisy was young and her artificial world was redolent of orchids and pleasant, cheerful snobbery and orchestras which set the rhythm of the year, summing up the sadness and suggestiveness of life in new tunes," (158). This quote shows that Daisy is living in a dream world where she doesn't have to obey any laws. Her snobby personality gets her in trouble. Killing Myrtle has no affect on her. She just keeps living her boring carefree life with no regard for other people.
How does reading a story benefits an individual and improve his or her daily life? Extensive reading does not only serve as an entertainment purpose, but it is also beneficial to many readers because reading fiction can help enhance a person’s understanding of the type of society the reader lives in. For example, the famous novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is regarded as a brilliant work of literature, for it offers a detailed glimpse of the American life in the 1920s and comments on various social problems during that time period. The novel tells the story of a mysterious millionaire named Jay Gatsby who lives in the fictional town of West Egg, located on Long Island, during the summer of 1922. Gatsby wants to pursue his first
Daisy’s original impression of Gatsby is evident in her early letters to him, “...he had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let her believe that he was a person from much the same stratum as herself- that he was fully able to take care of her” (149). Daisy loved Gatsby under the false hope that they belonged to the same social class. She grew up surrounded by riches, never working a day in her life, and she could not comprehend the struggles of a man who must work for the food he eats each day. Daisy knew that she must marry when she is beautiful, for being a beautiful rich girl of good social standing was her highest commodity and most valuable chip in marrying well. In order to live a secure life, she had to find someone the had the means to provide for her extravagant lifestyle, and the deep care for her that would allow Daisy to do as she pleased. The only definition of love Daisy knew was one of disillusioned power and commitments under false pretenses in order to keep the wealthy continually rich. Daisy acknowledges the false pretenses of marriage for the wealthy in how she describes her daughter’s future. She tells Nick, “‘And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this
F. Scott Fitzgerald tends to write with a very poetic style in his otherwise prose novels. The Great Gatsby is no exception. In the novel, Fitzgerald takes an obscure and rather insightful look on basic issues of the 1920’s. One of those issues is that of east vs. west. The 1920’s were a time of booming youthful energy in the east and of age-old tradition in the west. Fitzgerald uses a somewhat naturalistic approach when he suggests that people belong to one or the other and cannot function in the wrong one. The character of Daisy Buchanan in the novel The Great Gatsby illustrates the defining differences between the east and the west and the people who belong in each place.
Daisy is described from a male’s perspective as being careless and selfish. This is because the narrator, Nick, does not know much about Daisy and just forms an opinion about her from what other people have to say. Since the story is from his perspective, it evokes the readers to agree with his speculations,
In the 1920’s, America changed its way of living from being more religiously based to being more materialistic. The idea that social status was directly related to how rich you were and how much you had was very strict in the 1920’s. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby highlighting the culture and materialism of the 1920’s like the riskier dresses that put more emphasis on the body than the woman’s personality, the boom of the illegal alcohol production a very addictive substance but specifically at parties, a place to flash social status. Gatsby, though, holds extremely expensive and boisterous parties not so that he can flash his money, but to catch the eye of Daisy, the love of his life who lives on the opposite Egg of Long Island.
Daisy represents individuals who see the walls put in place but are too frightened to knock them down. She reveals her understanding of the norms imposed on her when telling Nick that she hopes her daughter will,"be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”(17) The ironic tone Fitzgerald integrates in Daisy's dialogue shows her understanding of her gender role. She describes her desire for her daughter to be a “beautiful little fool” as expected of upper class women (17). Daisy, although recognizing the existent problems with 1920's New York, perpetuates the same standards that were imposed on her. Contrastingly, during her wedding, a drunk Daisy reveals her desire to break free from the confines of society when proclaiming, "Tell ’em all Daisy’s change’ her mine. Say: ‘Daisy’s change’ her mine!” (76) Her true desires are ironically only obvious when she is inebriated, which would be considered unbecoming of a woman of her status. Even with her newfound realizations, she carries on with the wedding, subduing her conscience and locking herself into a role society has relegated her to. Nick details this as, “The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.” (68) Because she cannot break free of the misogynistic society
Materialism has a negative influence on the characters in the novel, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. “The most terrible thing about materialism even more terrible than its proneness to violence, is its boredom, from which sex, alcohol, drugs, all devices for putting out the accusing light of reason and suppressing the unrealizable aspirations of love, offers a prospect of deliverance.” This quote, stated by Malcolm Muggeridge, says that people get bored with the things that they have when they get new things all of the time. When they get bored with these things, they turn to stuff like sex, alcohol, and drugs. In The Great Gatsby, Myrtle, Daisy, and Gatsby are greatly influenced by money, and material things. The negative influence that materialism has on these characters is shown throughout the entire novel.
His possessions symbolize the power of money, and materialism. Gatsby buys things to impress his peers, mainly Daisy. One night when Daisy does not enjoy Gatsby’s party, Gatsby becomes frustrated when Nick tells him he cannot recreate the past with her. Gatsby then protests that he can because his money can accomplish anything for Daisy (Fitzgerald 109-110). Gatsby has this whole idea that money controls everything, which is true because of their society. Because of that he feels that he can win Daisy by just buying her things, and that she will love him just because he has a lot of nice material possessions. Gatsby tries to attract her by showing off his things, and the huge mansion where he throws extravagant parties. When Gatsby showed Daisy his shirts “Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily. ‘They’re such beautiful shirts.’ She sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. ‘It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such—such beautiful shirts before’ ” (Fitzgerald 92). Daisy further proves Gatsby’s point that he can buy her over with material possessions. Daisy falls more in love with Gatsby by just seeing his closet. The realization that Gatsby has more money, makes Daisy sad because she’s been missing out with Tom, so she is swayed by Gatsby’s material possessions to be with Gatsby because he is more successful because he as more money. Gatsby empowers materialism by making it the leading power to win Daisy over by just buying things. John Pidgeon says, “in the American dream there is always the belief that the only truly worthy
Excessive pride, derived from a beautified understanding of their pasts, motivates both Jay Gatsby, from The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald, and Willy Loman, the salesman from Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, to constantly prove themselves to others. Their obsessions quickly invalidate their morals, ultimately leading to their downfalls. As an elderly man, Willy is disappointed that his son, Biff, did not satisfy his dreams of becoming successful and had become a failure due to his own constant uplifting excuses. For example, when Happy notifies Willy Biff had stolen a football from his high school, Willy asserts the coach will allow such delinquent behaviour, claiming “he likes you. If somebody
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is his statement of lifestyle in America in the 20’s. The author develops unlikable characters like Tom Buchanan an Old Money racist and Daisy a vapid spoilt individual to show the greediness and wealth in the 20’s. Overall, the worst character in this novel is Daisy Buchanan because she is careless, insensitive, and disloyal.
Money is the first element that represents consumerism in The Great Gatsby. The Jazz Age was characterized by the abundance of money. “Even when you were broke, you didn’t worry about money, because it was in such profusion around you” (Cowley 54). Like Gatsby, most people during the 1920s believed that money was essential to happiness. Gatsby tries to boast his money around to bring Daisy back. His fortune was described as “new money”. Tom and Daisy’s