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Great Gatsby Archetype

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The importance of the East and West conflict in The Great Gatsby is a central theme found throughout the novel, both on a literal and figurative level; the geography of the islands differs along with the personalities and experiences of the inhabitants. Fitzgerald describes West Egg as “less fashionable” (5) and “fashionable East Egg” (5) across the bay; the homes on West Egg are either imitations or small while the homes on East Egg are white and sparkly along the water. These physical differences play into the people who live on the islands and connect the ideas to the geography of America. New money was found in the western part of the US while old money can still be found in the eastern states. Tom and Daisy live on East Egg and Tom dresses …show more content…

sexy ... alluring, dangerous, mysterious … his victims become more like him” (Foster 15). The Buchanans display these aspects of this archetype as Daisy describes Tom as a “‘... hulking physical specimen’” (Fitzgerald 12); this draws on the appearance of the figurative vampire as Foster defines one. In search of the past, Daisy pursues a relationship with Gatsby, but she only draws on the benefits for herself leaving him literally lifeless in the end. Weather is also a key feature of The Great Gatsby, particularly rain and the mud created; the significance of rain is most evident in the tea meeting between Daisy and Gatsby at Nick’s house. “The day agreed upon was pouring rain” (Fitzgerald 83), and the servants struggled with the lawn and set up; then “the rain cooled...to a damp mist” (Fitzgerald 84) just before the meeting time. Once Nick leaves them alone inside, “...it was pouring” (Fitzgerald 88) again which leads the reader to connect confusion and mystery as Foster states rain can create through atmosphere (Foster 75). However, after Daisy and Gatsby spend some time together, the weather clears again causing the reader to believe the situation cleared and their relationship can progress. Foster states “ violence is [an]...intimate and personal act but also has cultural and social implications;” (Foster 87) one of the strongest pieces of evidence confirming this in The Great Gatsby occurs at Tom and Myrtle’s Party. At the end of the party “Tom...broke her nose;” (Fitzgerald 37) while this appears simple and obsolete, Tom asserts his power over women in general and lack of concern for others

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719 Words | 3 Pages

"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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106 Words | 1 Pages

In the end, The Great Gatsby is a widely respected book of symbols and themes of deeper meaning. It is a book that on the outside appears as a love tale but on the inside is a rich complex meaningful story. Fitzgerald, the author, has effectively used the symbols and representation of weather to help aid the reader in understanding the deeper complexion of his book. Between Rain, Fog, and Heat any reader of The Great Gatsby can easily identify what the different weather events mean and represent. It proves how Fitzgerald is an effective writer and his stories have more than what meets the eyes.

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1230 Words | 5 Pages

Lindsey Klotthor Overlord Whitt STEM English 24 March 2023 The Great Gatsby Literary Criticism The Great Gatsby is an unparalleled story of the 1920s told through the eyes of Nick Carraway. Though the novel is complex and significant, it is important to delve further and understand why it is an influential part of American Literature. To do this, we must look at it from three important viewpoints: in a historical context, through archetypal criticism, and in a moral and philosophical focus.

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1147 Words | 5 Pages

During this particular example, Daisy and Gatsby reunite for the first time in five years. As the scene unfolds, we notice there is a significant change in the weather that’s interchangeable with Gatsby’s mood and his overall feelings. When Gatsby has his first interactions with Daisy, he’s understandably nervous, embarrassed, and a bit sad that it’s been so long since he’s seen the woman he loves. While he’s feeling these strong and steady emotions, the rain is also coming down strong and steadily, enough to cause large puddles in Nick’s

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1111 Words | 5 Pages

James Gotwals April 5, 2024 Honors American Literature Mrs. Wegener Comparing the houses of Gatsby and Tom Buchanan During the 1920s, there were vast amounts of wealth which were dispersed between many of the characters in the book. The book The Great Gatsby focuses on Long Island and the split between characters in the East and West eggs, different wealthy communities which are close in wealth and location, but are socially considered different. Jay Gatsby lives in West Egg, which is a community of very rich people who make their own money, and the house he lives in shows how he portrays himself differently than how he actually feels. Tom Buchanan lives in East Egg, the community of very wealthy people who come from old money, and his house

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253 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the weather reflects the mood and serves as a foreshadowing for the events that come later. Fitzgerald makes a point of describing the weather patterns and conditions towards the beginning of the chapter as the weather always has some symbolic meaning. For example, a large storm hits while Gatsby is awaiting his meeting with Daisy. This sets a dark mood that eventually leads to uneasy feelings between Daisy and Gatsby, which eventually wears away. In literature, rain is used to symbolize a cleansing and in the case of Gatsby and Daisy, their uneasy feelings are swept away with the rain.

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612 Words | 3 Pages

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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770 Words | 4 Pages

Gatsby is well known for his outrageous parties every Saturday night. Gatsby lives directly across the bay from his long lost love, Daisy. Gatsby wants Nick to invite Daisy over, and “The day agreed upon was pouring rain.” Gatsby and Daisy reunite amidst a rainstorm, while their love reawakens when the sun comes out. The stormy weather could represent Gatsby’s nervousness.

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176 Words | 1 Pages

Weather in ​The Great Gatsby ​is a very important element and conveysmore information than just telling the reader about the setting. In ​How toRead Literature Like a Professor, ​by Thomas Foster, he says “Weather isnever just weather. It’s never just rain.” Rain in literature is used to portraydifferent thoughts and emotions. The weather and atmosphere played alarge role in some scenes from ​The Great Gatsby​. On page 86 when Daisymade it to Nick’s house Gatsby, trying to make it seem like he wasn’twaiting for Daisy and just happened to stop by, left through another door ofNick’s house and went around the house in the rain.

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510 Words | 3 Pages

Such as when Nick and Gatsby are eating lunch and Tom begins to talk to Nick, when Nick says “” I’ve been having lunch with Mr. Gatsby---” I turned towards Mr. Gatsby, but he was no longer there.” Page 79, Fitzgerald. The relationship that Gatsby is trying to build with Daisy calls for him to forget Tom, and he seems to be going a great job of it! Gatsby really wants their relationship to be the same, strong, fiery love that they once had, and they can achieve it with the use of

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182 Words | 1 Pages

Prior to Gatsby and Daisy’s meeting, it is said to be extremely rainy, symbolizing Gatsby’s release of his emotions for Daisy. Additionally, the pouring rain foreshadows the tears Daisy sheds when she and Gatsby speak while Nick stepped out. During this time, the rain has increased. The conversation, where contents are left absent to the readers, most likely goes through an intense peak. Furthermore, after the allusive conversation completes Gatsby is happier than when he arrived, which is mimicked in the Pouring rain turned bright sun.

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683 Words | 3 Pages

From day one of Nick Carraway’s arrival, to the tragic ending of the Gatsby story, the weather continues to play a big part in predicting what’s to come. While reading, the weather might seem to be of little importance, but looking back, it’s hard to miss its meaning. The weather in The Great Gatsby, foreshadows character behaviors and gives insight on certain events and people in the novel. Fitzgerald uses the theme of weather through a combination of temperature and wind, rain storms, and hot summer days all while intertwining it into the character’s lives.

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306 Words | 2 Pages

F. Scott Fitzgerald develops the symbolism of the weather throughout The Great Gatsby in order to convey the emotions and relationships between the characters which then provides the realism of the connections between the characters. First and foremost, Fitzgerald wrote “The day agreed upon was pouring rain” (Fitzgerald, page 83). Thus, the rain generally symbolizes complication, foreshadows downfall, and elaborates a sense of gloominess.. Therefore, as it rains on the day that Daisy and Gatsby reunite, the reader is able to understand that their forming relationship can soon be complicated. For this reason, the evidence of the rain helps achieve the author's purpose of identifying the realism between Gatsby and Daisy by sampling the rain

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1311 Words | 6 Pages

As defined by Aristotle, “a tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction” (“Tragic Hero” 1). In The Great Gatsby, Great historical writers like Sophocles and the aforementioned Aristotle used this character archetype while manifesting their works to create characters that were both larger than life, but also were human. Like these dateless litterateurs, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses this timeless archetype to create the titular character Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald likens Gatsby to fellow tragic heros like Antigone, Oedipus Rex, and Odysseus by describing him to be both a common man and larger than life. Furthermore, similar to other tragic heroes, Gatsby has a tremendous fall from grace.

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1108 Words | 5 Pages

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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