Many authors use irony as a way of questioning the reader or emphasizing a central idea. A literary device, such as irony, can only be made simple with the help of examples. Irony can help a reader to better understand certain parts of a novel. F. Scott Fitzgerald helps the reader to recognize and understand his use of irony by giving key examples throughout The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s lush parties, Myrtle’s death, Gatsby’s death, and the title of the novel to demonstrate how irony plays a key role in the development of the plot. Gatsby displays his new money by throwing large, extravagant parties. The old money establishment of East Egg think Gatsby does this to show off his new money, but his motif is different. Jordan states, “I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties” (Fitzgerald 64). This shows that even Daisy’s friends know what the parties are centered around. Gatsby waits for Daisy to walk in one night, wanting her to see everything he has become, but she never does. He does it all for her: the money, the house, the cars, the criminal activities, everything. It takes Gatsby finding Daisy, to get her there. Gatsby tells Nick in a panic, “She didn’t like it,” he insisted. “She didn’t have a good time” (Fitzgerald 87). Ironically, Daisy does not enjoy the parties as much as Gatsby wants her too. She loves his new found wealth, but that still is not enough for her. Gatsby’s lack of understanding concerning the attraction of his money is described as follows: As a romantic, Jay Gatsby does not understand how money actually works in American life. He believes that if he is rich, then Daisy can be his. This is displayed most powerfully and poignantly in the scene where Gatsby shows Daisy and ... ... middle of paper ... ...e from Gatsby is what ultimately gets him murdered. There is much more to the novel than irony: lost hope, the corruption of innocence by money, and the impossibility of recapturing the past, are important essentials to the story. Fitzgerald uses those elements to combine the story with the American lifestyle. The multiple examples of irony throughout the novel help with the development of the successful plot. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004. Heims, Neil. "CRITICAL CONTEXTS: Paradox, Ambiguity, and the Challenge to Judgment in The Great Gatsby and Daisy Miller." Critical Insights: The Great Gatsby 2010: 58-71. Kellman, Steven. ed. Magill's Survey of American Literature. California: Salem Press, Inc., 2007. SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Great Gatsby.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
How they treat each other shows how selfish both of them are and how they only care about themselves. Gatsby finds himself falling in love with Daisy, and the idea of her, when he returns to Long Island and discovers the lavish lifestyles that are being led. Jay Gatsby is a man who has been obsessed with the idea of being wealthy ever since the age of seventeen, when he met an older gentleman named Dan Cody. Gatsby was supposed to inherit all of Cody’s money but was cheated out of it at the last minute. Ever since then, Gatsby has been obsessed with the idea of being wealthy and he would do whatever it would take for him to be wealthy. Once Gatsby and Daisy begin a relationship, Bloom points out that, “Gatsby, with his boundless capacity for love, a capacity unique in the sterile world he inhabits, sees that the pursuit of money is a substitute for love. He knows himself well enough to see that his own attraction toward wealth is tied to his love for Daisy.”. It is hard for Gatsby to admit, but it becomes evident to the reader that Gatsby values wealth and status over human love and affection. Gatsby had an obsession with money that unfortunately he was never able to shake, and ultimately led to a lonely life and eventually to his
As a young man, Jay Gatsby was poor with nothing but his love for Daisy. He had attempted to woe her, but a stronger attraction to money led her to marry another man. This did not stop Gatsby’s goal of winning this woman for himself though, and he decided to improve his life anyway he could until he could measure up to Daisy’s standards. He eventually gained connections in what would seem to be the wrong places, but these gave him the opportunity he needed to "get rich quick." Gatsby’s enormous desire for Daisy controlled his life to the point that he did not even question the immorality of the dealings that he involved himself in to acquire wealth. Eventually though, he was able to afford a "castle" in a location where he could pursue Daisy effectively. His life ambition had successfully moved him to the top of the "new money" class of society, but he lacked the education of how to promote his wealth properly. Despite the way that Gatsby flaunted his money, he did catch Daisy’s attention. A chaotic affair followed for a while until Daisy was overcome by pressures from Gatsby to leave her husband and by the realization that she belonged to "old money" and a more proper society.
Initially, Gatsby stirs up sympathetic feelings because of his obsession with wealth. Ever since meeting Dan Cody, his fascination for wealth has increased dramatically. He even uses illegal unmoral methods to obtain hefty amounts of wealth to spend on buying a house with “ Marie Antoinette music-rooms, Restoration Salons, dressing rooms and poolrooms, and bath rooms with sunken baths.” (88) His wardrobe is just as sensational with “ shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine fennel.” (89) Gatsby buys such posh items to impress Daisy but to him, Daisy herself is a symbol of wealth. Jay remarks, “[Daisy’s] voice is full of money.” (115). For him, Daisy is the one who is “ High in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden gir...
New Essays on The Great Gatsby. Ed. Matthew J. Bruccoli.
Thomas, S. (28 Aug, 2010). The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Retrieved 17 April, 2011, from
For five years, Gatsby was denied the one thing that he desired more than anything in the world: Daisy. While she was willing to wait for him until after the war, he did not want to return to her a poor man who would, in his eyes, be unworthy of her love. Gatsby did not want to force Daisy to choose between the comfortable lifestyle she was used to and his love. Before he would return to her, he was determined to make something of himself so that Daisy would not lose the affluence that she was accustomed to possessing. His desire for Daisy made Gatsby willing to do whatever was necessary to earn the money that would in turn lead to Daisy’s love, even if it meant participating in actions...
One example that stood out to me was the fact on how the author described the character Harrison Bergeron and how he is extremely big and tough and dangerous this character is. The part that threw me off was how Bergeron started to dance with the girl on the television show. Most readers reading this story most likely would not see someone as tough as this man was, break out his dancing shoes and tear up the floor. George Bergeron, and his wife Hazel Bergeron, are the parents of Harrison. They are actually watching the T.V. show that their son is on. Hazel, has difficulties remembering certain things. Well, while harrison is dancing with this girl, another character named Diana Moon Glampers, the General, came in and shot Harrison Bergeron and the girl for taking off all their gear with a shotgun. The reason why this is ironic is because of the fact while this was all going down, George stepped out of the room to go grab a drink and missed the whole situation. He came back in the room and noticed his wife was shocked by something but she was unable to remember on what happened. So they are unaware that their son had been shot and killed. One more example of the irony that caught my attention while reading this story was the fact on how Vonnegut explained that Harrison bergeron escaped from prison and is running free with all this heavy metal and different
This title demonstrates the idea of irony and how Fitzgerald used it throughout the chapter to show that Gatsby's character is opposite to what the readers expected him to be. The chapter opens up by Nick describing Gatsby's Saturday night parties: they have ended up incredible in New York for their extravagance and gratification. The visitors wonder about Gatsby's Rolls-Royce, his colossal swimming pool, the live musical performers he connects with week by week, the rich sustenance that he accommodates several individuals, and above all, the boundless alcohol he liberally supplies. These wild type of parties Gatsby hosts gives off the impression that he is a not the nicest person around and all he cares about is wealth. While Nick and Jordan
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
Its theme is far more complex than a simple love story. It tells about the corruption of the American dream, the broken promise of “equality for all” and the fact that you can’t be “whatever you want”. The novel is concerned with Jay Gatsby’s life, who is the protagonist of the story and perhaps American’s literature most powerful character.Gatsby lives a luxurious life in west Egg, we learn about his glamorous parties full of drinks and people from everywhere! But all this is just a facade that hides what Gatsby really is- a simple man in love. It seems that years ago Gatsby had fallen in love with a golden-haired girl named daisy. However, he wasn’t always rich and wealthy there was a time when he was poor and had nothing. This was the reason he lost the love of his life, and now does everything only to gain it back.
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
Sutton, Brian. "Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby." Explicator 59.1 (Fall 2000): 37-39. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Linda Pavlovski. Vol. 157. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 24 Feb. 2011.
He does not become rich for Daisy because “James Gatz” changes his name and goals “at the age of seventeen”, which is before he meets Daisy. When he meets her, he starts to build a relationship with her “she [blossoms] for him like a flower and the incarnation [is] complete” (98, 111). Daisy embodies an icon of wealth. Furthermore, no matter how “glorious might be” Gatsby's “future as Jay Gatsby, he [has been] a penniless young man” (149). And if he does acquire Daisy then he will become rich. However, Gatsby’s love for Daisy does not work out due to the fact that she is higher on the socio-economic ladder than Gatsby. Gatsby believes that the only way to get Daisy to love him is by being wealthy. When Gatsby becomes rich he uses his money to throw extravagant parties in order to get Daisy’s attention. He also buys non-mediocre things to impress her. When they meet again, he is wearing “a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold-colored tie” (84). Gatsby is literally wearing the embodiment of money which is gold and silver. He is trying to show off, but at the same time impress Daisy. He also forces her into his house and Daisy is surprised by the expensive but amazing things he has. He even tries to impress her with his shirts which make Daisy cry because she has “never seen such-such beautiful shirts before” (92). The
Through Fitzgerald's use of symbolism, expectations, and relationships, he explores the American dream, and how it is an illusion that corrupts and destroys lives. Through Fitzgerald’s symbolic description of Gatsby, he explores the extent of the American Dream’s deceptive nature that slowly destroys a person and his/her morals. During the Roaring 20s it was very common for people to project illusions to mask who they truly were; to fit in, it was almost essential to have one to survive in the highly materialistic and deceitful society. Nick is introduced as the objective narrator of the novel.... ...