Nature Of Man In The Great Gatsby

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The Nature of Man The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a detail filled trip back in time to the 1920’s. Fitzgerald tells the story of the inhabitants of West Egg, East Egg, New York City, and everyone in between. He is able to turn something as simple as a party into an entire plot to earn someone's affection and, what might seems like a harmless old billboard, into a symbol that is talked about on numerous occasions. As the novel progresses, more and more characters are introduced. Among these are George Wilson and Tom Buchanan, these two both seem completely different, but, have much more in common than what meets the eye. The nature of man is displayed countless times throughout The Great Gatsby by acts of violence, reactions to cheating, …show more content…

It starts very early on in the book. On page 37, Fitzgerald wrote, “Making a short, deft movement Buchanan broke her nose with his hand.” This quote is referring to Tom breaking Myrtle's nose. Some people just assume that people are violent. There was a lot of speculation about Gatsby early on in the chapter, “Somebody told me that they thought he killed a man once” (Fitzgerald 30). Later on in the novel the violence escalates, “The death car, as the newspapers called it, never stopped...” (Fitzgerald 137). This quote is referring to Myrtle getting hit by a car. This incident causes a reaction from her husband, George Wilson. From his reaction we get to see a glimpse into the nature of man. “It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson's body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete” (Fitzgerald 112). This quote is referring to Nick and the gardener carrying Gatsby’s dead body inside. George Wilson had shot Gatsby and then shot himself. This murder and suicide are the peak of violence portrayed in The Great Gatsby. Wilson was devastated because of Myrtle, his beloved wife. Because of this built up anger and sadness, Wilson shoots Gatsby and then himself. This is a portrayal of the nature of man. According to Fitzgerald, violence is a natural