Social Commentary In The Great Gatsby

Introduction

The Great Gatsby is a classic American novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and published in 1925. The novel is set in the summer of 1922 during a time that the author described as the “Jazz Age”, this was a time after the war when American society was getting back on its feet. The Great Gatsby is narrated through the protagonist Nick Carraway, a young man who moves to West Egg Long Island, during the summer. During this time Nick Carraway moves next door to a mysterious neighbour named Jay Gatsby, who throws lavish and extravagant parties every Saturday night. Upon meeting Gatsby, Nick is

Content of novel

F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of the most recognised classic American writers. Although the Great Gatsby was not he’s first

Nick Carraway is our first-person narrator, but he 's not the centre of the story—and that makes him a peripheral narrator, someone who 's always on the outside looking in. He tells us at the beginning of the first chapter that "I 'm inclined to reserve all judgements, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bores" (1.3). People like to tell Nick their stories. And boy do we get stories: Gatsby 's story, of course, but also Tom 's story, Jordan 's story, Daisy 's story, and even the story of the Wilsons.The writers illustrate this in the way he portrays the character and the setting, such as the geographical locations of West Egg, East Egg. Although both locations are wealthy one is considered to have a higher standard due to the people that live there, Tom and Daisy live in …. Which is considered as “old money”. Even though Jay Gatsby is just as wealthy his wealth is considered as “new money” which is not looked as higher. By creating distinct social classes — old money, new money, and no money — Fitzgerald sends strong messages about the superiority running throughout every levels of society.Another theme in the novel is gender roles “I hope she 'll be a fool -- that 's the best

Nick character and tone of voice comes across as being cynical and at times judgmental of the other characters and the world the live in. we have Nick as the primary person whose tone there is to discuss because we can see into his thoughts, while with the other characters, we have only dialogue and action to decipher them. Nick wants to be seen as a somewhat cynical and "with it" kind of person, but part of him longs for a world of true love and heroism. His tone reflects these contradictory aspects of his character. When we see him assess Jordan Baker, for example, or Tom Buchanan, we see his cynical take on the world. Even when he assesses and discusses Daisy, we know that he sees her as she is, a very material girl. But when he starts to see more of Gatsby and watches Gatsby 's love for Daisy, as he reveals his thoughts to us, we can see that he is longing to have a hero to admire, and his longing for true chivalry and true love. If you read the novel carefully, paying particular attention to the opinions and thoughts Nick shares with the reader, as opposed to what he has to say in dialogue, you will see the difference in tone. He also sees something noble and admirable in