ipl-logo

The Great Gatsby Comparative Essay

884 Words4 Pages

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway are two central figures whose lives and ideologies contrast, providing deep insight into the novel’s exploration of the American Dream, love, and societal norms. A detailed comparison of these characters unveils the complexities of their approaches to romance, ambition, and societal expectations, revealing the broader themes and analysis showcased in the narrative. Jay Gatsby’s approach to romance is significantly characterized by an obsessive and idealized love for Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby’s affection is deeply rooted in the past, driven by an unwavering desire to relive and recreate the perfect moment he shared with Daisy before the war. His entire life, including his …show more content…

It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it” (Fitzgerald 48), indicating that Gatsby’s charm and wealth cannot overcome his foreigner status. Nick Carraway, by contrast, is comfortably established within his social class, a product of societal expectations. His family background and education at Yale placed him securely within the upper middle class, allowing him to maneuver East Egg’s social scene with relative ease. Unlike Gatsby, Nick is not striving to break into a higher social class. Instead, he seeks moral and personal clarity amidst the moral decay and superficiality he observes. Nick’s final judgment of Tom and Daisy Buchanan surrounds his disillusionment with their world: “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated into their money or their vast carelessness” (Fitzgerald 179). His decision to return to the Midwest symbolizes a rejection of the hollow values of the East Egg society and a return to the authenticity he

Show More
Related

Who Is Nick Carraway Responsible For Gatsby's Downfall

1326 Words | 6 Pages

I called up Daisy but she and Tom had gone away”(Fitzgerald 90). Tom and Daisy had left New York as Nick recovers from the death of Gatsby alone. Daisy’s reflection on Nick brought out a whole new way of looking at her, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness”(Fitzgerald 98). Nick had finally realized how shallow and greedy Tom and Daisy were and the selfishness of the wealthy. “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.

Read More

Unreliable Narration In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

849 Words | 4 Pages

Nick’s personal bias is not only seen through Gatsby but also through The Buchanans. Nick reveals his true opinions about Tom and Daisy when he

Read More

Fuecurity In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

651 Words | 3 Pages

At the height of American opulence, the extravagant lives of New York City’s elite, and the dramatic affairs that arise within them are highlighted in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 20th century classic, “The Great Gatsby”. On a steaming day in the summer of 1922, the novels observant protagonist Nick Carraway, lounges amongst his companions in a hotel suite, as tensions rise between Tom Buchanan and his wife's love interest, Jay Gatsby. In this passage, through Toms verbal belittling of Gatsby and Nicks critical observations, Fitzgerald indirectly characterizes Tom, exemplifying his insecurity from threats to his masculinity and status. The passage centers around a one-sidedly antagonistic conversation between Tom and Gatsby that comes after Tom

Read More

Nick Carraway's Deception In The Great Gatsby

1201 Words | 5 Pages

Nick had attempted to escape from this lifestyle but because he was unable to make a complete decision in the beginning, he kept living it through the Buchanans; they were Nick’s window to the past. He witnesses Tom’s affair being “insisted upon wherever he was known” (21) without shame, and Daisy “[turn] out the light” (117) in her relationship with Gatsby, as it it never happened. A quiet bystander, never interfering, he experiences their life of ignorance, one with no repercussions, the one he had. Unwilling to remove himself from them, he instead complies to their wants, their decisions that create a sense of accomplishment. Doing nothing to change and move on from his past, Nick makes his choice to move to the east pointless.

Read More

Compare And Contrast Nick Carraway And Jay Gatsby

366 Words | 2 Pages

Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway are two of the most important characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Throughout the novel many comparisons and contrasts can be made, however, this may be arguably the most important due to the magnitude of importance of these two characters and the roles they play in progressing the story. Jay Gatsby, a fabulously wealthy young man living in a Gothic Mansion in West Egg and the protagonist, throws constant parties every Saturday night, but nobody has much insight about him. Nick Carraway, a young man from Minnesota who lives in New York City to learn the bond business, is typically an honest and tolerant man. Although they do share some similarities, they also share a plethora of differences in their

Read More

How Is Jay Gatsby Selfish

797 Words | 4 Pages

“The Great Gatsby” opens with Nick Carraway reflecting on his past, including his move to West Egg, Long Island, where he becomes neighbors with the mysterious and wealthy Jay Gatsby. As time passes, Nick meets Gatsby’s extravagant parties, as well as his lifestyle, he becomes drawn into a world of wealth, excess, and unfulfilled desires. Through Nick’s narration, we are immersed in the glittering yet superficial society of the Roaring Twenties, where appearances often mask deeper truths and where the pursuit of the American Dream takes on a darker, more elusive quality. Jay Gatsby was a bumbling fool, as his obsession took him nowhere. Jay Gatsby is portrayed as a mysterious figure, whose persistent pursuit of wealth and status is fueled by his desire to win the affection of Daisy Buchanan.

Read More

Great Gatsby Comparison Essay

499 Words | 2 Pages

As in all adaptations, there are noticeable differences in Baz Luhrmann's rendition of The Great Gatsby and the original work. Luhrman’s 2013 variation held true to the majority of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s original masterpiece one of the key scene that was changed was Gatsby’s death. In the book, Fitzgerald allows the reader to ponder the exact way Gatsby died by only providing vague details. Gatsby leaves his house and goes outside to swim at two o'clock and leaves the butler with the instructions of informing him if the phone rang. These directions imply that Gatsby’s phone was indoor and not at the poolside, however, in the movie Gatsby has a phone outside by his pool.

Read More

Great Gatsby Selfish

512 Words | 3 Pages

In the beginning of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Nick perceives Jay Gatsby as a mysterious yet typical rich man. Nick’s limited knowledge of Gatsby leads him to view Gatsby by his belongings, as he refers to Gatsby’s mansion as “a mansion… inhabited by a gentleman of that name” (5). However, building a relationship with Gatsby, Nick quickly distinguishes Gatsby’s personality from that of the typical rich man in 1920’s New York. Therefore, despite the dubious source of his wealth, the reader discerns Gatsby as “great” because of his extreme generosity, remarkable attitude and motivation, and everlasting love for Daisy. Unlike other rich West- and East-Egg citizens, Gatsby uses his wealth to benefit others and offer them opportunities.

Read More

The Great Gatsby Compare And Contrast Essay

1223 Words | 5 Pages

“And what's more, I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time” (Fitzgerald 138). These words, spoken by Tom Buchanan in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby, exemplify the personality traits that are omnipresent throughout the novel. Tom is Daisy Buchanan’s husband whom she marries after her first love, Jay Gatsby, leaves for the war.

Read More

The Great Gatsby Comparative Analysis

2175 Words | 9 Pages

In Search of Human Morality Although the past is generally portrayed as a recollection of mistakes, regrets and unfond memories, it does not define one’s self identity. This plot is explained in vivid detail in both novels The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a coming of age novel of an uncommon bond between two unlikely friends who separate due to the increasing religious and political tension in Afghanistan 's years of corruption. After several years, Amir, the protagonist, receives a call and a familiar voice reminds his that there is a way to be good again. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald bases in Long Island, New York in the Nineteenth Twenties where

Read More

The Great Gatsby Compare And Contrast

243 Words | 1 Pages

While reading The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, Although Tom and Gatsby are very different people and do not get along, they have a lot in common. Both of these men are in their 30’s, the same age as Nick, and are very wealthy. Tom and Gatsby both are having affairs, Tom having an affair with Myrtle Wilson and Gatsby and Daisy. Tom, on the other hand, also loves Daisy, as does Gatsby. Both men are crushed at the thought of losing Daisy.

Read More

Comparative Essay On The Great Gatsby

844 Words | 4 Pages

The Great Gatsby Literary Comparative Essay “Say goodbye to white picket fences, say hello to palm trees and Benzes, say we gotta fall to have it all. We don’t want two kids and a wife, I just want a job I just want a life. And the underdogs rise and the mighty will fall.” With over 10 million views, American Dream by MKTO has become a world-renowned song, only to find that the actual lyrics attack the American Dream and how it is unattainable. The American Dream was once thought of as an achievable task by everybody, but it has been proven that this is untrue.

Read More

The Great Gatsby Essay

421 Words | 2 Pages

Gatsby suddenly stops throwing parties, which he only did that to lure in daisy. He also fires all his servants to prevent gossip and replaces them with weird people connected to Meyer Wolfshiem. On the hottest day of the summer Nick goes to east egg to have lunch with Jordan and the Buchanan's. Gatsby is there as well. When the nurse brings in Pamela, Daisy's child, Gatsby is stunned and can barely believe the child is real.

Read More

Essay On The Great Gatsby

691 Words | 3 Pages

Katherine Gooch Ms. Silver DC American Literature 23 April 2023 Critical Analysis The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald What would you do if you could not marry the love of your life because of your social status?7k The book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a fascinating story that describes love triangles, corruption, and hatred all because of social status. The narrator of the story is Nick Carroway who is a neighbor of Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is considered to have “new money” and is known for throwing wild parties every weekend. Having “new money” is looked down upon in the story and puts a person in a different social class.

Read More

Alienation In The Great Gatsby Analysis

1334 Words | 6 Pages

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless classic The Great Gatsby gives readers a look at 1920s America through Nick Carraway’s narration of the events following his move into the West Egg village of Long Island, New York. Nick chronicles the occurrences that happen amongst specific members of the American bourgeois - his second cousin (once removed) Daisy Buchanan, Daisy’s husband Tom Buchanan, and Daisy’s best friend Jordan Baker and a member of the “new rich” Jay Gatsby. Nick Carraway is a reflective Midwesterner who travels to New York to partake in the bond business. He comes from a prominent family that descended from the Dukes of Buccleuch. A graduate of Yale University, Nick Carraway is certainly a member of the upper class.

Read More

More about The Great Gatsby Comparative Essay

Open Document