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Geography In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

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In literature, geography can be deeper than a place; it can also define and develop characters. Thomas C. Foster argues this in his book How to Read Literature Like a Professor and F Scott Fitzgerald's 1987 novel The Great Gatsby gives prime examples of just that. Knowing that geography can define character in literature, East Egg is used to show astonishing wealth while West Egg represents the poor; Gatsby’s party develops the characters and their moral standards through gambling and the rich snobs; Gatsby’s foreignness to East Egg shows the mood of lies and deceitfulness. After Nick’s recent move to New York and meeting new people, he compares West and East eggs to reveal the undesirable and heavenly wealth to characterize East Egg as better. …show more content…

Foster writes that geography shows “emotions” and events good and bad(Foster 174). In other words, Foster means that geography can influence people’s emotions and how they react to different situations. This is seen throughout the novel, as many characters tend to have particular personalities from East and West Egg. Correspondingly, Nick interprets Gatsby's party attendees from West Egg as gamblers while East Egg's residents are rich snobs(Fitzgerald 65-66). This implies that there are different standards from West and East Egg and they act differently in social gatherings. Furthermore, living and growing up in these communities allowed people to grow different roots and morals. Additionally, Nick reads the names of the attendees of Gatsby's party and depicts West Egg names of those coming from new money while those of East Egg come from old money (Fitzgerald 61-62). This depiction implies that people from West and East Egg bring different people with different stereotypes and personalities. This is because people coming from West Egg value their money differently as it was inherited and made differently causing them to spend it differently, like at Gatsby’s party. Nick describes the personalities and attendees from Gatsby;s party to criticize the shortcomings of West and East Egg. Overall Fitzgeral uses Gatsby’s party to develop West and East Egg typical

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Despite Gatsby’s efforts of throwing big parties at his estate and living in an extravagant mansion, Daisy is not impressed and Gatsby’s fate leads him to a life without Daisy. Additionally, the parties Gatsby hosted “offended her — and inarguably, because it wasn’t a gesture but an emotion… appalled by its raw vigor that chafed under the old euphemisms and by the too obtrusive fate that herded its inhabitants along a short-cut from nothing to nothing” (Fitzgerald 83). Daisy is unimpressed due to her old money status of East Egg, which provides her with stability and security. While, the new money of West Egg is illustrated in a way that Daisy is

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"Exploring the Differences Between West Egg and East Egg in The Great Gatsby" The setting of F. Scott Fitzgerald's ‘The Great Gatsby’ is 1920’s New York, more specifically the Long Island community of East Egg and West Egg. At the start of the novel, East Egg and West Egg residents are similar on the surface. This is due to the fact that both are communities of wealthy individuals. As the story progresses, clear differences can be seen between East Egg’s “old money” inhabitants and West Egg’s “new money” population.

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An opposition between two settings is significantly shown in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, “The Great Gatsby”. The characters in this novel live in either the East or West egg. These two settings represent two distinguishable forces. East Egg is made up of individuals who are born rich, in the other hand, West Egg is known as "new money", which is where people who newly became rich live; their aspiration is to be like the East Egg. The two places in this novel show Jay Gatsby's ambition to become wealthy and win the love of Daisy.

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Nick living in the West Egg describes it as “the less fashionable” Egg compared to the East Egg (Fitzgerald 5). Though right after Nick almost takes it back calling it the most “superficial tag to express the bizarre [...] contrast between them” (5). To help confuse this contradiction Nick describes the houses or “mansions” that surround him. The neighbor to the right had a “tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden” (5).

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After Gatsby’s death, Nick’s search for his American Dream came to a halt, as West Egg was no longer a new and exciting place for him. Gatsby’s parties represented a new, unseen life to Nick, therefore progressing his dream of striving towards a newer and better future. Once Gatsby is gone, and therefore the progression of Nick’s dream, life on West Egg goes back to a normal and Nick strives for new opportunities and experiences

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To begin with, geography played a huge role in the characters of The Great Gatsby. In chapter 19 of Thomas C. Fosters ' book, he notes how geography can "define or even develop character" ( p.175).

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The next major symbols in The Great Gatsby are the East and West Egg, and the differences between them. Nick and Gatsby live in West Egg. It is not as luxurious as East Egg, Nick describes it as, “the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not little sinister contrast between them” (14). West Egg seems as though it is for the families and people who are newly wealthy, Gatsby for example, or young, as Nick has moved into a small house, with the “consoling proximity of millionaires - all for eighty dollars a month” (14). When comparing West Egg to East Egg, the reader is able to see what each island symbolizes, which helps to create depth in the novel.

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In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby," Nick Carraway is the narrator and main character who provides the reader with an insight into the lives of the wealthy socialites in 1920s New York. As he is introduced to Tom and Daisy Buchanan's opulent lifestyle, he uses language that reveals his opinion of them and what they represent. Through a careful analysis of the stylistic elements such as tone, diction, imagery, and syntax in Nick's language, it is clear that he views the Buchanan's as superficial, careless, and corrupt. Nick's use of tone sets the stage for his initial impression of the Buchanan's home and lifestyle. The opening of the novel finds Nick describing the East Egg as a "factual imitation" of a French chateau, which sets

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Where one settles and decides their surroundings shapes who they become and who they are. It determines morals, values, and beliefs all while shaping one’s character. Occasionally, one’s address is determined by wealth, which for centuries, has divided people into separate categories and class systems. This idea of surroundings forming and molding an individual, was included in The Great Gatsby, for Fitzgerald uses the various settings to carefully illustrate how wealth positively and negatively affects individuals' lives in the roaring 20’s and the traits it reveals about each character. East Egg and West Egg are both known as a residence for the socially elite and affluent of the east coast, but possess differences that separate the characteristics

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East Egg is where people born into wealthy families live, while West Egg is home to those who acquired wealth. This indicates that the American Dream is not equal. Gatsby, who comes from a lower-class family, must do illegal activities to achieve

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The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel that includes objects and ideas with deeper meanings than they appear. Throughout the book, there are multiple things that show great importance in fully understanding the concept and idea of what it was like to live during the 1920s. There are simpler symbols in The Great Gatsby, such as the valley of ashes and the colors used, but then there are others more elaborate, like the green light that Gatsby always reaches for and the disguise that money seems to bring. Symbolism also appears in the setting, too. West Egg and East Egg both hold a certain significance to understanding what type of people live in the area.

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The “Great” Gatsby During the 1920s the world was fighting for money and growth in social status. This novel which takes place four years after the war is a result of the crisis that occurred from the war. Two sides of the world during the 1920s are presented throughout the novel; one being East Egg which represents old money and West Egg which is the representation of new money. West Egg is set around Gatsby because he is growing into a new person and has new money, money that was made after the war. By Gatsby’s house being in West Egg it shows he has money but is lacking real sophistication.

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In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald the misperception between appearance versus reality is thoroughly demonstrated throughout the whole novel. We meet certain characters such as Jay Gatsby, Daisy and Tom Buchanan who all paint us a vivid picture of what it is like to be living in close geological quarters, but are ranked differently in society. Fitzgerald describes New York as two separated locations, East Egg and West Egg. Although they are geographically close, they differ in respect to morality, happiness and values. These factors are expressed through the characters which overall contribute to the theme of contrast within a society.

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In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, its protagonist, Nick, possesses a chronic ambivalence towards life. Throughout the novel, he claims to hold himself to a higher moral standard, reserving judgments and being aware of the crude nature of life. Despite this, he does not follow through on his beliefs, continuing to stay in West Egg and surrounding himself with people that immerse themselves in opulent lifestyles. This ambivalence is seen in his attitude toward the East Coast culture, Gatsby, and the Buchanan family. Nick’s chronic ambivalence towards life is first shown in his attitude toward the East.

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Nick Carraway and Gatsby live in “West Egg, the -- well, the less fashionable of the two” (Fitzgerald 5). West Egg is the area where the self-made men and women,

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