Literary Analysis Essay On The Great Gatsby

The Allure and Destructiveness of Wealth in The Great Gatsby The desire for wealth is something that humans have been chasing after for centuries. In the U.S., Americans’ aspirations for wealth increased during the 1920s. During this decade, America underwent a period of great economic growth. Throughout The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald explores both the glamour and deceit that comes with wealth through the lives of the novel's main characters during this time period.

In The Great Gatsby, prosperity is frequently linked with happiness. As Banach explains, “Fitzgerald’s own lifelong pursuit of wealth and fame suggests that he found [it] persuasive” (19). Since Fitzgerald was so interested in this idea, he used it as the main goal for his female characters. Materialism, class movement, and the necessity of economic prosperity were all deemed imperative personality traits in Fitzgerald’s novel. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s real life connections to his text display his opinions on a woman’s behavior altered by the corrupt society she lived in, whether it be by an elite carelessness, class refusal, or blatant materialism.

The thematic concept I am choosing that relates to me in a way for this final writing assignment for The Great Gatsby is visions of America. This relates to me because i want to do something when I am older, make money, own a big house with a nice car, have a family. Like Nick, it it isn’t going to be easy to become rich. He was poor while in west egg lived in a small house. Nick was trying to succeed the American dream, he was reading books on how to do his job the best he could.

In the article “The Great Gatsby” written by John A. Pidgeon, includes an intricate assessment of the American psyche and “The American Dream” and how Jay Gatsby represents both. Pidgeon provides a history lesson on the Calvinist beliefs that Puritan settlers brought with them to America. The idea that everyone will suffer eternal damnation as is already determined, with the exception of a few wealthy members dubbed, “The Elect.” Some time later, Pidgeon claims, that the idea appeared where when more wealth was gained, then the poor may be accepted rather than turned away and damned forever. This idea of gaining wealth is found in Gatsby throughout the story.

Critic Tony McAdams writes about the parallels between Gatsby’s goals in the story and Fitzgerald’s own real life experiences in his literary criticism of the novel, Ethics in Gatsby: An Examination of American Values. McAdams describes Fitzgerald’s attempts at courtship, while paralleling them to Gatsby’s by writing, “King, however, married a wealthy suitor. Fitzgerald later sought to marry Zelda, but she put him off on the grounds that his prospects were uncertain. Fitzgerald then published his first novel, This Side of Paradise, Fitzgerald and Zelda married, and eventually Ginerva and Zelda served as ‘models’ for Daisy” (McAdams 116). McAdams makes the argument that not only is the novel’s setting equivalent to a real time in the United States, but also some of its characters are as well.

Set against the backdrop of post-war America, F. Scott Fitzgerald epitomizes the withering of social and moral values in society. Fitzgerald conveys his mixed feelings towards a transient society. With stories written and told, absent and present authors and listeners, a variety of voices pervades the narration, evoking a conflict between illusion and reality. Moreover, Fitzgerald employs a faded catalog of guests to symbolize the vulgarity of society and the inevitable disintegration of time, exposing the superficial society hidden under the shimmering surface of wealth. Fitzgerald begins the passage with the setting of a ‘Sunday morning while church bells rang in the villages alongshore’, underscoring the existence of a moral code in society.

The novel, The Great Gatsby, is an amazing book with a great story about a decently well-rounded man in the 1920s discovering the dirty secrets about the general people of the era. More specifically, mainly of the wealthy people. The story revolves around him paying particular attention on one other upper-middle class man as well. This novel contains many, many varieties of themes. Some of them are crystal clear, some not as much, and some one has to read carefully to connect small, subtle pieces to figure them out.

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel about a young man named Nick Carraway who fell into the corrupt world of the wealthy and affluent over the course of a summer. Nick formed a close relationship with a man named Gatsby, which the story revolves around to a certain extent. Fitzgerald may have secretly been a homosexual in real life. Because of this, The Great Gatsby has a startling amount of queer subtext focused on the protagonist Nick Carraway.

Known as a member of the lower class, Myrtle tried to marry herself into the elite class. She wanted to live a life of luxury, and be the person that all women looked up to. To achieve this, she tried to exploit George Wilson. Looking back on her marriage, Myrtle says “‘I knew right away I made a mistake. He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in, and never told me about it, and the man came after it one say when he was out…’”

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

The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis The Roaring Twenties was a period of rowdiness and economic prosperity. Memories lived on in New York City. The Great Gatsby proved this point in various situations, including the stupendous and extravagant parties. Located in West Egg of Long Island, a home made of millions of dollars belonged to Jay Gatsby. He was one to experience all types of emotions and events during his short lifetime.

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway was given some advice from his father that “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, all people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” (Page 1) Nick was inclined to reserve all judgments, but his father’s advice revealed its truth when encountered with Tom and Daisy. The married couple were two different individuals with the same behaviors of being: untrustworthy, selfish, and inconsiderate. Tom and Daisy portrayed a very perfect lifestyle, but in the mist of that lifestyle being ideal, there was no commitment or trust between the two.

Second-hand car vendor Mr. George Wilson determinedly grabbed his gun and shot Mr. Jay Gatsby dead without an accident of fate that prevented him from pulling the trigger. Known by all for his signature way of addressing people as “Old Sport”, Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, was a wealthy man who often wore flamboyant suits, drove a rich cream colored car of monstrous length, and hosted decadent parties with wild jazz music weekend after weekend in his mansion. He had a rare smile that seemed to emanate reassurance without end, but he was mysterious. Nobody knew who he really was, what he did, or why he organized so many parties - or, at least, most people did not until just recently… Rumors hence traveled here and there in whispers,

An alarming, more dark layer to Scott’s personality is revealed as a consequence of Nora’s curiosity. When she begins prying, asking about Scott’s personal life, he reacts madly, much to Nora’s dismay. “Then his arm lashed out, shoving me up against the wall….’You’re hurting me,’ I said with venom, but I was shivering with fear” (267). Scott most obviously strikes great terror in Nora, who was lovingly in his arms just moments before. The way Scott’s demeanor changes when even someone he cares about asks a few questions indicates that his true nature is especially violent and secretive.

Every student coming into the upcoming school expects to learn things from an academic standpoint, and quite often personal growth is overlooked. When students are taught how to properly read and analyze literature, the students mainly focus on their improved abilities and miss lessons that can be learned from the stories themselves. When papers are due and are being written the night before, sometimes thoughts such as “this is stupid,” or “why does this matter,” arise instead of thinking about not procrastinating and understanding that paper was put off. As a senior on the verge of graduating, I can say I have finally realized the best parts of academics, the life lessons learned and the social aspect. Yes the content learned is very important,