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Analytical essay on the great gatsby
Analytical essay on the great gatsby
Literary Analysis Of'The Great Gatsby
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In stories, minor characters are often highlighted to display or represent a certain idea. The novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, shows the rich and their romps. Most are carefree and only care about themselves and their status. The novel focus’ on Jay Gatsby, a mysterious extravagantly rich man who throws blowout parties and lives in luxury in hopes of winning over his love, Daisy. Gatsby builds his life of from nothing, as the son of poor farmers from the west and then morphing himself into a New York millionaire. Only to be destroyed when Daisy kills her husbands mistress and Gatsby takes the blame for her; eventually leading to his murder. No one but a party goer nicknamed Owl Eyes and Gatsby’s live-in resident Klipspringer attends his funeral. All of Gatsby’s business partners and the thousands that came to his parties did not care enough to come to his funeral. Gatsby spent all his time focusing on one dream that he did not make connections and socialize with people that cared about him, but his parties. The lifestyle of the American Dream arguably became the only thing that people were chasing. Through the character of Owl Eyes, Fitzgerald shows the rise and fall of the American Dream and the consequences that come with it. Fitzgerald uses Owl Eyes to build on the glory of the American Dream, the reader is able to see the possessions and theatrics that come along with it. The reader first sees Owl Eyes in Gatsby’s library; he is astounded by the fact Gatsby’s books are real. “Absolutely real- have pages and everything. I thought they’d be a nice durable cardboard . Matter of fact, they’re absolutely real.” (45) It shows Gatsby is like an act. Owl Eyes thought Gatsby was just making the illusion of everything ... ... middle of paper ... ...ead to isolation. Owl Eyes takes the reader through the different stages of chasing the Dream, first we see the theatrics that are put on to impress people and make up a character for the hopeful person to play. Then Owl Eyes demonstrates the consequences of living one's whole life chasing a dream around the wrong people. Finally the reader sees the downfall the American Dream can cause on a person. Leaving them alone and with nothing to show for themselves. Gatsby was chasing the his dream of Daisy and being with her, he focused so much on achieving this dream he never paused to see that he was dealing with people that did not care about Gatsby and were only concerned with themselves. If Gatsby was not so caught up in winning Daisy over and realized that in the end she would only act to protect herself perhaps the outcome of the story would be completely different.
Gatsby’s explanation of this dream focused on money and social status. He has always yearned for this, even when he was a child. Fitzgerald frequently emphasises Gatsby’s desire, throughout the entirety of this novel. Though, Fitzgerald accentuates this desire when Nick discovers the truth of Gatsby’s past. During this elucidation, Nick explains that “his [Gatsby’s] parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people-his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all.” (Fitzgerald, 98) This shows the reader Gatsby’s lifelong determination for wealth and power. Even in his adult life, he strives for more than what he has. In John Steinbeck’s essay, he explains that “we [Americans] go mad with dissatisfaction in the face of success” (Steinbeck, 1) This is exactly how Gatsby feels, he is not content with his success, the amount of money he has, or the height of his social status and is constantly wishing for more than he has. Though, once he meets Daisy he no longer strives for wealth, but rather for her. As shown in this novel, even though Gatsby has achieved all he had wanted when he was growing up, he will not be content until he is able to call Daisy his
Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby tells the story of wealthy Jay Gatsby and the love of his life Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby dream was to secure Daisy just as things were before he left to the war. His impression was that Daisy will come to him if he appears to be rich and famous. Gatsby quest was to have fortune just so he could appeal more to Daisy and her social class.But Gatsby's character isn't true to the wealth it is a front because the money isn't real. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the rumors surrounding Jay Gatsby to develop the real character he is. Jay Gatsby was a poor child in his youth but he soon became extremely wealthy after he dropped out of college and became a successful man and create a new life for himself through the organized crime of Meyer
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby provides the reader with a unique outlook on the life of the newly rich. Gatsby is an enigma and a subject of great curiosity, furthermore, he is content with a lot in life until he strives too hard. His obsession with wealth, his lonely life and his delusion allow the reader to sympathize with him. Initially, Gatsby stirs up sympathetic feelings because of his obsession with wealth.
The character of Gatsby and Fitzgerald’s commentary on the logical fallacies of the American Dream are closely intertwined, which is why Fitzgerald goes to such great lengths to separate the two. By distinguishing Gatsby from the flaws he possesses allows the reader to care for Gatsby, and the impact of his death all the more powerful when it finally occurs. By making Gatsby a victim of the American Dream rather than just the embodiment of it, Fitzgerald is able to convince his audience of the iniquity of the American Dream by making them mourn the life of the poor son-of-a-bitch
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, a motif of “unrequited desire” runs deep through the novel, and while the main characters exemplify this theme, the fact that the minor characters also demonstrates this unreturned respect suggests that the motif runs deep in the novel. These minor characters include the girls in yellow at Gatsby’s parties, who fail to gain the recognition they desire from the wealthy. Also through the different minor characters and especially the McKees, Fitzgerald illustrates different methods that the minor characters attempt, yet fail, to gain acknowledgment. Besides the behaviours of the characters, the time of appearance for the characters also becomes significant, as Catherine, who fails to achieve recognition
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...
Gatsby’s distinct charisma indicates his struggle against moral corruption and sets him apart from the moral decay evident in the upper class. Owl eyes is very surprised when he finds out all the books in Gatsby’s library are real, “‘The books?...Absolutely real--have pages and everything...It’s a bona-fide piece of printed matter. It fooled me. This fella’s a regular Belasco’” (45). While most of the upper class uses outward displays of wealth to cover their inner moral corruption, Gatsby uses his extravagant opulence to mask his love for Daisy. In this way his morals and ability to conceal his love prove his willingness and drive to acquire Daisy’s love and acceptance. The majority of the upper class suffers from moral poverty, lacking internal morals to keep them grounded acting out in ways that diminishes their social status. Gatsby is so close to Daisy his whole life yet he is unable to get any closer until their relationship is destroyed forever. “I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock...his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him” (180). Gatsby continually reaches out for Daisy with hope and optimism, but the distance between his dock and the Buchanan’s does not get any closer symbolic for the
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, tells the story of a man of meager wealth who chases after his dreams, only to find them crumble before him once he finally reaches them. Young James Gatz had always had dreams of being upper class, he didn't only want to have wealth, but he wanted to live the way the wealthy lived. At a young age he ran away from home; on the way he met Dan Cody, a rich sailor who taught him much of what he would later use to give the world an impression that he was wealthy. After becoming a soldier, Gatsby met an upper class girl named Daisy - the two fell in love. When he came back from the war Daisy had grown impatient of waiting for him and married a man named Tom Buchanan. Gatsby now has two coinciding dreams to chase after - wealth and love. Symbols in the story, such as the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, the contrast between the East Egg and West Egg, and the death of Myrtle, Gatsby, and Wilson work together to expose a larger theme in the story. Gatsby develops this idea that wealth can bring anything - status, love, and even the past; but what Gatsby doesn't realize is that wealth can only bring so much, and it’s this fatal mistake that leads to the death of his dreams.
“It was the man with owl-eyed glasses whom I found marveling over Gatsby’s books…” (Fitzgerald, Chapter 9,pg.175 ) This reoccurring symbol of the owl-eyed man represents that his wisdom and vision saw through Gatsby’s image. Only a handle full of people knew Gatsby’s true image and his past. The people who knew where Gatsby came from and his roots, have tremendous respect and admiration for him. This is why only three people attended his funeral. The others did not see through Gatsby’s image, they did not know his past. To them, he was just another rich guy who gained wealth through his family. To them, he was average, another face in a crowd. The group that knew the real Gatsby only knew how great he actually was, how different he was from anyone else. Gatsby was great, but he spent his whole life hiding the greatness. Gatsby perceived his current status great, but it was James Gatz who got him there. James Gatz was the foundation of his success and he is the key reason why Gatsby is so great. Not because of his colored suits or his huge mansion, but the journey he has been on to get himself here, this is what makes Gatsby great. The owl-eyed man saw Gatsby’s books and notices none of them were read. He did not know Gatsby’s past, but he saw through the image Gatsby tried to create. This gives a deeper meaning to Gatsby’s life. The owl-eyed man knew how great Gatsby was, just by looking at the effort he put into his image. Gatsby put so much time and effort into this image that he neglected making friends and getting to know people. His main focus was Daisy and only Daisy, nobody else mattered to him. The owl-eyed man creates almost a relieving mood because we see that Nick wasn’t the only one that got to know Gatsby. The fact that someone else respected Gatsby just as much as Nick, gives the readers relief that someone else knew the real Gatsby. I wish more people knew the story of Gatsby after he died, people would have been lining the
Fitzgerald does this by using description of Owl Eyes he specifically used owl as a representation. The author wanted Owl Eyes to represent the role of a guardian angel and an omen of death because it provides meaning in the book. The meaning of having Owl Eyes is to foreshadow unfortunate events that can impact Gatsby. The novel is told by Nick yet is revolved around Gatsby which is why Fitzgerald would want a character like Owl Eyes to be this all knowing forgive that can oversee what is going to happen. To restate, Owl Eyes is present in the scenes which Gatsby needs someone or something and is happening to him. All of this relates back to the theme of death because Owl is a symbol for an omen of death so he would be the only character to be in the scenes which death would occur, which also explain why he is a guardian angel role because death could occur so he needs to be there to help. He plays a double role of death and angel that has significance because it shows the reader when conflict is going to arise. The juxtaposition of his roles adds complexity to Owl Eyes and why he is always there for Gatsby even though he was most likely not invited to Jay’s party. Overall, the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald used Owl Eyes character as a way to convey the theme of death and portray an all knowing
Book Analysis F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of "The Great Gatsby," reveals many principles about today's society and the "American dream. " One of the biggest fears in today's world is the fear of not fitting into society. People of all age groups and backgrounds share this fear. Many individuals believe that to receive somebody's affection, they must assimilate into that person's society. In the story, Jay Gatsby pursues the American dream and his passion for being happy only to come to a tragedy and total loss.
There I no doubt that the eyes seen throughout the story symbolize the corruption, demise of spiritual values, and the true emptiness of the American Dream during the 1920’s. This time eventually led to the Great Depression and the worst economic times our country has ever seen. There are many connections that a reader can find between life and The Great Gatsby. The biggest one being that there will always be people surrounding you that are genuinely bad people. However, if a person withholds from being like the horrible people that surround them, they show their true character and who they really are.
Gatsby is a dreamer; he does everything only to pursue the only dream that he had in his life- Daisy, who also stands as a symbol for the American dream in the 1920s.
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald employs the use of characters, themes, and symbolism to convey the idea of the American Dream and its corruption through the aspects of wealth, family, and status. In regards to wealth and success, Fitzgerald makes clear the growing corruption of the American Dream by using Gatsby himself as a symbol for the corrupted dream throughout the text. In addition, when portraying the family the characters in Great Gatsby are used to expose the corruption growing in the family system present in the novel. Finally, the American longing for status as a citizen is gravely overshot when Gatsby surrounds his life with walls of lies in order to fulfill his desires for an impure dream. F. Scot. Fitzgerald, through his use of symbols, characters, and theme, displays for the reader a tale that provides a commentary on the American dream and more importantly on its corruption.
In these two chapters we learn some new information about Gatsby’s background. Do you believe he is telling the truth this time or lying?