Gatsby Allegory
F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby, uses figuration within the novel to develop an understanding of the concept that identity is not who you are. From evaluating Jay Gatsby, it can be concluded that from certain experiences in which he had to contend, he contributed to this meaning of work in different ways.
One way that Jay Gatsby helps prove that identity is not who you are is when Jay and Nick are on their way to lunch and Jay wants to know Nick’s opinion of him. Gatsby interrupts Nick and says “I don’t want you to get a wrong idea of me from all these stories you hear”(69). In the novel, Jay is telling Nick how all the rumors he hears about him are not who he really is. This quote displays how Jay is attempting to persuade Nick that there is more to him then what people say. Jay begins informing Nick on his past life and how he had always been poor and he had to work to achieve his goal of having money which ties into his past relationship with Daisy Buchanan, and how money was the issue that essentially prevented them from being together.
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During the war, Daisy and Jay Gatsby fell in love. When Jay left for the war, Daisy ended up marrying Tom Buchanan. Later on, Jay sends Nick to invite Daisy over for tea without knowing Jay will be there also. In the novel, Nick Carraway says “He was pale and there were dark signs of sleeplessness under his eyes”(89). This quote contributes to the idea that Jay Gatsby feels nervous when he is around Daisy. It can be conveyed throughout the novel that many characters in the novel often assume that Jay is full of confidence, however, Jay often loses himself when he is around