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Critical analysis of the Great Gatsby
The great Gatsby literary analysis
The great gatsby analysis
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Admired Author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, in his renown novel, The Great Gatsby, emphasizes the emotional state of Nick after the passing of his close friend. Fitzgerald’s main purpose is to reveal the gloomy, final thoughts that still linger in Nick’s mind about the demise of Gatsby and his elaborate lifestyle. His strong use of imagery creates a heartrending attitude in Nick which grasps on to the mind of the readers. Fitzgerald presents the paragraph by using various types of syntax to contrast the past thoughts of Gatsby and his house from the melancholy truth of the present. Fitzgerald has Nick illustrate the great memories he had at Gatsby's house when describing his saturday nights in New York by the “gleaming, dazzling parties” that were
The falsity of the American Dream based on the Great Gatsby The imagery and diction convey the illusion of the American Dream. In the Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism to portray the falsity of the American Dream. Fitzgerald uses diction to compare Americans trying to reach the American Dream, to a small boat going against a raging current. This paints the picture that no matter how hard you work, it is impossible to truly be apart of the elite class.
In the first chapter of the book, “The Great Gatsby”, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald advances the idea that despite Daisy’s husband, Tom’s, countless achievements he was granted, his character development became an anticlimax. Fitzgerald’s use of juxtaposing diction, a glorious diction to an arrogant diction depicts Tom’s change in personality parallel to to his success. The author uses glorious diction, such as “accomplishments”, “excellence”, “wealthy”, “freedom” and “powerful”, to reinforce Tom’s countless achievements and fame he has received that shaped his character. This pattern of diction allows the author to display Tom as a successful figure, compared to many others in the same generation as him. While Tom is portrayed as a successful
American Dream is the idea that anyone can achieve financial success and happiness through hard work and determination. But author F. Scott Fitzgerald gives readers a twist in his novel, The Great Gatsby, when his hero loses everything he worked to achieve. The great American Dream is not always the best dream. Gatsby had become a great success and was close to achieving the great American dream. Gatsby was an Archetypal character because the typical archetypal character goes through searches of fulfillment.
The American Dream is a concept that is embedded into the fabric of American society. The American Dream promises prosperity, social mobility and encourages the pursuit of happiness for all Americans. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, calls the idea of the American Dream into question through Gatsby Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson. The Great Gatsby demonstrates that the American Dream is unachievable, as both Gatsby Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson attempt to achieve it, but due to being impoverished, failing to find true love, and their sudden untimely deaths, it is unreachable, despite their social status.
Colorful Characters: An Excerpt that Reflects upon the Characters in Scott Fitzgerald’s Novel The Great Gatsby Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, a true modern American classic, has various thematic considerations, ranging from the American Dream to life in the Roaring Twenties. Fitzgerald takes several approaches towards establishing these themes, whether it be by creating a specific setting or using extensive figurative language. Moreover, while many of the scenes in the novel may, at first read, seem insignificant, upon closer examination of the passages’ elements, one can see that they all tie together to the big picture of the novel in one way or another. In a Chapter 3 passage in which the narrator, Nick Carraway, is at his
F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “You don’t write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.” Fitzgerald had something great to reveal to his readers in The Great Gatsby. To give some background, the novel is about a man, Nick, who is on the outside peering into the lifestyle of the extremely wealthy. His neighbor, Gatsby, has persistently worked for the past few years to meet Daisy again after he woefully departed from her to fight in the war. In the classic novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald has something to say and he uses effective diction, symbolism, and characterization to convey his idea that Americans must ceaselessly work towards living their own version of the great American Dream but they must not get caught up in wanting too much.
Heather Kletzky Dr. Bankirer 10th Grade American Literature 15 February 2023 The Value of Symbolism and Diction in The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby acts as a time capsule of the 1920s, perfectly demonstrating the wilful romantic ways of the elitist class of America. The story follows Jay Gatsby, a charismatic and mysterious entrepreneur obsessed with the past that defines his future.
The American Dream suggests that every American citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work. One of the major ways that Fitzgerald portrays this is by alluding to outside events or works of literature specifically from that time period. Another major relationship that develops in The Great Gatsby is between Tom and Daisy. F. Scott Fitzgerald alludes to things such as the World’s Fair and “The Love Nest” to display the eventual dismantling of Tom and Daisy’s relationship. Both of these separate plots consolidate under the idea of Gatsby trying to become the epitome of the American Dream, as seen through his strive for a “perfect life.”
The Destruction of the American Dream The American Dream for many individuals, is a goal. Some achieve it, others result in failure. So what is the American Dream and why does it seem so appealing to the average person? The American Dream is the idea that anyone can work hard and achieve wealth and success in America.
Overall the American dream is the pursuit of goals. However, those goals are different for everyone. In the book The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s goal was to make something of himself and get Daisy, the girl of his dreams. Gatsby did achieve his dream of making something of himself, even if he did make his money illegally.
Scott Fitzgerald would say that the American dream is a concept that you can achieve greatness or better circumstances by any means that you can. Also, the real dream is not riches because then people would become reckless, but the real goal is to reach ultimate happiness. He would say this because when people desire for something they are not, they go to measures the affect others and the outcomes are not often positive. The novel and Gatsby’s story show that the failure of achieving his dreams proves the the foolishness of short-cutting the dream by corruption without hard work, integrity, or real love. Fitzgerald’s version of the American dream would say that all have the ability to gain more success with hard work and being true to yourself.
The diction and details in the fifth, sixth, and seventh paragraphs on page 48 of The Great Gatsby favor the idea of division between social classes. The word choices in The Great Gatsby are often more sophisticated and lead insight into the differences between the upper and lower class. Diction is a key element in the separation of the upper and lower class because just the simple changes in vocabulary hold a different meaning. At the end of the passage, Gatsby excuses himself to take a call from “Chicago.”
Fitzgerald focused on the shift in the American Dream - from being the idea of self-fulfillment, dignity and comfort that is achieved through hard work, to being equated with the pursuit of wealth and power, and identifying happiness with having money. The novel depicts the rise and fall of the concept and describes the causes of its decay. The downfall of the American Dream is most accurately shown through the main protagonist of the story – Jay Gatsby. To reiterate, the American Dream is the concept that anyone can achieve a better life and become self-fulfilled, if they put enough effort to it and make the most of their abilities.
James Truslow Adams defines the American Dream as the “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (The American Dream). An idea sought after by millions of people is the American Dream; they believe there is a reward for hard work and that that reward is happiness and prosperity. The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, and The Crucible are all works, which portray the pursuit and destruction of the American Dream. Jay Gatsby’s American dream was to marry the woman he loved. This is evident throughout the novel; Gatsby is determined to transform his life from dirt to diamonds all to be a suitable man for Daisy.