The Great Gatsby Title Meaning

Whilst readers are frequently warned against judging a book by its cover, the opening illustration is often a dependable way for a reader to determine the tone of the book, and to some extent what it will be about. Arguably, a factor of this decision of even more importance is the book’s title. When naming his novel Fitzgerald considered multiple titles before somewhat reluctantly settling on ‘The Great Gatsby’. For many, this is more than fitting- set in a period of dramatic change and economic growth, the novel is full of excitement and glamour which fully reflects its name; ‘among the whispering and the champagne and the stars’, characters with an apparent zest for life revel in the magnificent outcomes of consumerism. For others, the title

As the title ‘The Great Gatsby’ is fairly flexible, it lends itself to many different interpretations; for example, as well as reading it as a literal statement alluding to Gatsby's wealth and apparent generosity, it is possible to read it sarcastically, as a reflection of his failure to achieve his dream. An important factor of the interpretation is the definition of ‘great’, which could refer to anything from a large size to something that is merely above average. Nick’s direction is therefore very helpful in determining just how the title should be read and how the novel should be judged. He appears to encourage us to think of ‘great’ as an adjective meaning excellent, and consistently tries to present Gatsby in this way. Throughout the novel, Gatsby is shown to be a unique and special individual- despite representing all that Nick has an ‘unaffected scorn’ for, he is somehow ‘exempt’ from reaction, set apart from all others for some unknown reason. Although his flaws are noted, they are often excused, or recorded in a way that encourages a more sympathetic and positive feeling towards the character- despite Gatsby’s lack of proper etiquette when first meeting Nick, this is brushed over, and Nick instead hyperbolically describes Gatsby’s smile. Furthermore, Nick states that ‘Gatsby turned out all right in the end’, which is in many ways a contradiction of the facts- by the end of the novel, it is revealed that Gatsby was a consistent criminal, whose selfish and deceitful nature corrupted even the most innocent of things. He is one of the reasons behind the lack of success in Daisy and Tom’s marriage and particularly represents the increasing impurity of