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Corruption In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

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A Comparison of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Jay Gatsby: How Corruption Polluted Their Relationships and Diminished Their Dreams. 1. What is the difference between a. and a. Introduction In his lifetime, F. Scott Fitzgerald never achieved the success he desired. Only years after his death did his work, The Great Gatsby, become an American classic. Initially, Fitzgerald received criticism and backlash, with many critics not even considering him a “serious craftsman” because of the many controversies that clouded his life: affairs with multiple women and an unhealthy obsession with alcohol (“A Brief Life of Fitzgerald”). Fitzgerald used these struggles to develop a personal novel, utilizing themes of desire, obsession, and greed. He also took inspiration …show more content…

Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald explores parallels between himself and Gatsby and their relationships with Zelda and Daisy to show the difficulty of their desired lives — filled with prosperity and love — deriving from societal expectations and complications with their dreams. Through these connections, Fitzgerald proves that their dreams are unattainable because of the mass corruption in 1920s America and due to personal ambitions involving the simultaneous climb of the social and economic ladders. 2. What is the difference between a'smart' and a'smart'? F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gatsby’s Interconnected Pasts Throughout the novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald makes several connections with Gatsby, using shared personal history: their impoverished origins, their desire to better themselves, and their failures in college. With these comparisons, Fitzgerald portrays himself through Gatsby and establishes that Gatsby’s life is an extension of his own. Born into the low middle class, F. Scott Fitzgerald came from simple beginnings and was the only son of Edward Fitzgerald — an unsuccessful father who worked and failed at many jobs. He “failed as a manufacturer of wicker furniture. …show more content…

To win Zelda back, Fitzgerald worked tirelessly to finish a novel that would quickly garner success and riches. His novel, This Side of Paradise, was an instant hit and “made the 24-year-old Fitzgerald famous almost overnight” (Mizener). The novel sold numbers that were extremely impressive at the time: “This Side of Paradise sold 40,000 copies in its first year. he earned $17,055” (McLoughlin). In earning “$17,055” off one novel, Fitzgerald proved to Zelda that his career could provide for them — Zelda came rushing back. One week after the novel’s release, “He married Zelda Sayre in New York” (Mizener). From then on, the two became like the “prince and princess” of their generation, spending Fitzgerald’s writing funds on a lavish lifestyle (Mizener). The pair indulged in travel, parties, and liquor, spending all of their money in the process. To survive, Fitzgerald “wrote his way out of debt” with short stories and used the excess profits to fund the couple’s extravagant living (“A Brief Life of Fitzgerald”). By devoting his time to these short stories, Fitzgerald compromised his midwestern beliefs of “honesty and hard work” (Lanahan). Fitzgerald would have preferred to continue writing short stories — what

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