In Fitzgerald’s work, The Great Gatsby, the character Jay Gatsby shows many struggles and hardships as he seeks to gain power over others. As Jay’s motives become more controlling, the intended theme of the book of achieving the American dream, is overshadowed by greed and human lust. In the novel, Jay Gatsby, a manipulative and wealthy man, longs for his old lover, Daisy Buchannan. However, conflict arises when it is found out that Daisy is engaged to another man.
During the 1920’s, many people were power-hungry. They all wanted to be at the top and be the richest of the rich and be able to buy whatever they want. The 1920’s was a time where people were able to go from rags to riches, industries were growing and making money, and it was also the era of the Prohibition, a law that banned alcohol. “The Great Gatsby” was able to reflect on noticeable and non-noticeable aspects of the 1920’s. It reflects on the postwar disillusionment, the rise of the nouveau riche, and how business became the new religion for the United States.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's infamous novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby plays a massive role, giving the title to the book. While Gatsby may appear to be a simple character at first, there’s evidence that he’s much more complexity in his design. Jay Gatsby isn’t just a rich guy trying to win a past lover, but very obsessive, deceiving, and unrealistic. It’s unclear of the limit to Gatsby’s monomania even after he reaches his death. It’s evident he cares for Daisy, but there’s almost no limit to what he’ll do for her.
1. Three things in the first chapter that prove the setting of the story is England, 1843 are the following: “Saint Paul’s Churchyard” (3),“The treadmill and the Poor Law” were part of England’s English Poor Laws (7), “Scrooge had as little of what is called fancy about him as any man in the city of London” (9). 2. The characters that have been introduced so far have been Scrooge’s nephew Fred, Marley’s ghost (Marley was his business partner), the Portly Gentlemen who ask Scrooge if he wishes to donated, and his clerk Bob who works for him. 3.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was a story chock full of deceit, corruptness, loneliness, and a myriad of facades. The wretched life of Jay Gatsby, a man so in love he would lose himself in attempt to find her, Mrs. Daisy Buchanan. As the story begins to unfold, the least unsuspected man turns out to be the most corrupt character of the whole book, Jay Gatsby. Jay Gatsby lived a life of poverty leading him to create a whole new identity that entailed success and wealth. The first sign that reveals his deceptive mannerism is how Jay felt it was necessary to re-write his life instead of work with the life he has been given.
The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel that focuses on Jay Gatsby, and his attempt to regain a relationship that was left in the past with Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby is an ambiguous character. Gatsby had many great qualities, such as being a dreamer, determined, devoted and wealthy. On the other hand, Gatsby possesses many flaws, a few being dishonest, possessive, naive, and living off an idea from the past. His inability to let go of the past and move on ultimately leads to chaos and reveals that Gatsby can not process the passage of time.
The American Dream comes and goes throughout everyone’s lives in America. But for some, it shows a spark of hope of a dream that will allow them to succeed in life. Whether it is something that people want to have in their lives or having a goal in their mind, it is what allows people to continue pushing through life and doing everything to get what they want. The American Dream creates a vision of what people want in their future but, if this “vision” fails, many people would either give up or find a new dream. There are many reasons why people give up on their dreams, but some, they believe that it is out of their control to accomplish their dreams such as the main characters in The Great Gatsby.
Living the American Dream, a once in a lifetime experience. That’s how it’s depicted in The Great Gatsby, like in real life you must be lucky to live the American Dream. Yet, that experience can slip right out of your hands with today’s society. Fitzgerald’s vision of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby is similar to today’s ideals as it was influenced by American history, depicts the hardships, different ideas of the American Dream, lack of mobility, and inequalities in society. Like in real life, the character’s actions were influenced by historical events.
In the book The Great Gatsby there are many different relationships that make the book what it is. These being good, bad, and most resulting in the inevitable death of Jay Gatsby. The Great Gatsby introduces us to many different characters. The narrator, Nick Carraway, does a good job at telling us who these characters are and how they act. One of the most important characters being Jay Gatsby.
As said by other critics, “Jay Gatsby's determination to establish a new identity for himself sets him apart from the other characters in the text” (Verderame). Gatsby grew up as a poor farmer boy. Born into poverty from the beginning, Gatsby cared little for his family and was determined to leave them behind for a new life. This tragic past encourages Gatsby to entirely start a new life by changing his identity and personality before the reader is even introduced to the character. “So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end” (98).Critics say, “In doing so, Gatsby has proven to himself that he can successfully change the story of his past” (Scisco).
Jay Gatsby is a proclaimed self- made man, war hero, and the host of some of the most extravagant parties. He is constantly surrounded by beautiful women, but only cares about winning over the heart of Daisy Buchanan. In order to woo her Gatsby becomes obsessed with the idea of chasing wealth and making a name for himself in society. This goal driven attitude fully embodies Gatsby’s upbringing and entire new persona. Throughout the book Gatsby conveys a very passionate and determined idealistic character that goes through life solely looking for the approval of Daisy.
Jay is so consumed by his pursuit for fake status and tasteless importance he loses reality in his drive for indulgence. Fitzgerald writes Gatsby to describe the collapse of someone who has been rotted out from inside by money and the pursuit of status. Piece by Piece Gatsby loses his sense of self, his value in money, and his pursuit in life because of his addiction to the taste of drempt status.
Jacobo Delara Mr. Horner English II CP September 15 2014 The Great Gatsby The classic American Novel Nick Carraway is man from a wealthy family in Minnesota moving to west egg to learn about the Bond business. Then he gets involved with Mr. Gatsby which then sparks the beginning of the novel.
Gatsby Analysis Jay Gatsby is the main character in the novel “The Great Gatsby.” He is who Fitzgerald focused most of the story on, he included many details about Gatsby’s life. In order to correctly analyze Gatsby one must begin to understand his character beyond what details are provided in the novel. There are more complex ways of understanding Gatsby than one might think at first glance.
In Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” we see several different themes portrayed in creative and visionary ways that connect the reader to the book in ways that the reader becomes so connected to the story as if they were in it. As for character development, we see the main characters change tremendously from start to finish; as if they have become completely different people. As a group we have gathered the idea of creating a collage in the “media product” section because a collage is a series of pictures based off of what your assignment is. We felt as if a collage would best represent the themes and character development because we're able to visually provide proof of what we’re claiming, and we can show the interpreter why we chose each picture for each theme/character development.
