An autobiographical portrayal of F. Scott Fitzgerald as Jay Gatsby, in The Great Gatsby

An autobiographical portrayal of F. Scott Fitzgerald as Jay Gatsby, in The

Frances Scott Key Fitzgerald, born September 24, 1896 in St. Paul,

Minnesota, is seen today as one of the true great American novelists.

Although he lived a life filled with alcoholism, despair, and lost-love, he

managed to create the ultimate love story and seemed to pinpoint the

“American Dream” in his classic novel, The Great Gatsby. In the novel, Jay

Gatsby is the epitome of the “self-made man,” in which he dedicates his

entire life to climbing the social ladder in order to gain wealth, to

ultimately win the love of a woman: something that proves to be

unattainable. As it turns out, Gatsby’s excessive extravagance and love of

money, mixed with his obsession for a woman’s love, is actually the

autobiographical portrayal of Fitzgerald.

While attending Princeton University, Fitzgerald struggled immensely with

his grades and spent most of his time catering to his “social” needs. He

became quite involved with the Princeton Triangle Club, an undergraduate

club which wrote and produced a lively musical comedy each fall, and