... 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 ... . "Its lavish weekend parties in impressive surroundings, which attracted girls from New York, Philadelphia and beyond, may well have provided the first grain of inspiration for Fitzgerald's...

• Word Count: 2254
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... something more than he was. When James was taken under the wing of Dan Cody, a product of the silver fields, he got that opportunity. Now Jay Gatsby and a young officer at Camp Taylor in 1917, he fell in love with Daisy, then Daisy Fay. He was sent overseas, and she had eventually ... given him up and married Tom Buchanan, and had a daughter. When Gatsby finally returned from Europe he decided to win Daisy back. His first step was to buy a house in West Egg. From here he could look across ... the bay to the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. In an effort to "run into her", Gatsby b...

• Word Count: 1111
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... here in the shadow of his house, just out of reach of his hand. "I"m going to fix everything just the way it was before""(Fitzgerald 116). Jay Gatsby believes that he can manifest a fantasy life where he is prosperous, and where Daisy is devoted to him. R. W. Stallman in his critical essay states, " ... His devotion to Dan Cody and his vision of his career can be seen when Robert Ornstein writes in his critical essay, "Like his romantic dream Jay Gatsby belongs to a vanished past. His career began when he met Dan Cody"(Ornstein 58). A couple years later he is living up to his big time .....

• Word Count: 1000
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... The very phrases were worn so threadbare that they evoked no image except that of a . . . "character- leaking sawdust at every pore- (70). It takes Gatsby numerous attempts before he finally tells Nick the truth. Another example of the differences in the moralities of these two characters is in the way they maintained these morals. ... aimed to profit while living in New York, but did so in very different ways. Nick went East to make money honestly in "the bond business- (7). Gatsby claims that he "was in the drug business and then . . . [he] was in the oil business- and that he had also...

• Word Count: 928
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... Fitzgerald makes many references to points of time, throughout the story, as told by the narrator Nick Carroway. While Fitzgerald also uses the character Jay Gatsby to portray the effects of trying to turn back time, to the point of never realizing the changes that time has made in the present ... of leaves growing on the trees--just as things grow in fast movies--I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.""(Gatsby, Page 8). "Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water and the history of the summer re...

• Word Count: 914
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... what he is. There are those who are responsible for the ending of his life. So, those who are around him are all collectively responsible. Jay Gatsby is not a tragic hero because of his behaviors and actions that was done throughout the book. According to the AP Language on Tragedy and Tragic Flaw ... a tragic hero is a person "who may bring about his or her own downfall because of an error in judgment of because of a personality failure." Jay Gatsby definitely "bring[s] about his own downfall." Not only he ruined his own life, he also jeopardized the Buchanan's marriage, even though Tom...

• Word Count: 696
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... of the novel are also based on people with whom Fitzgerald had associated throughout his life (H, Nicole 1). The Characters of Nick Carroway and Jay Gatsby are both a little bit of Fitzgerald himself. Nick is like Fitzgerald in the way that they both are kind, thoughtful young men from Minnesota. ... to be Tommy Hitchcock, war hero and champion polo player (H, Nicole 1). Born in 1900, Tommy Hitchcock was, at the time of the writing of "Gatsby,"" a world famous champion polo player. From 1922-1940, with the exception of 1935, he had received the coveted 10-goal handicap rating, the highes...

• Word Count: 1690
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... Tom Buchanan, a man of great wealth and social standing. Tom is very arrogant and hypocritical. When Tom discovers that Daisy and Gatsby may be having an affair, he wants to kill Gatsby. This is very hypocritical because at the same time Tom is having an affair with a woman, Myrtle, from the valley of ... us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms out farther ." (189). This shows that Gatsby will always be in pursuit of his dreams and won't let anything get in his way of accomplishing them. Another important symbol that F. Scott Fitzgerald...

• Word Count: 867
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... work. The novel is an almost perfect artistic creation, which is perhaps the single most American novel of its time. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses The Great Gatsby as the vehicle by which he offers the central concerns of his writing career and much of the United State's life as a nation to the world. ... whether this is a distorted or accurate version of this dream is left up to the reader. (Randall, 2-4) As a romantic, Jay Gatsby does not understand how money actually works in American life. He believes that if he is rich, Daisy can be his. This is displayed most powerfully where ... seen ...

• Word Count: 868
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... Daisy; he even "revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes." (Fitzgerald 97) Gatsby has built his fortune through some mysterious business practice. He knows Daisy loves money, wealth, and prestige, and he believes he can use his ... he eagerly tries to points out to Daisy: "You must see the faces of many people you've heard about." (Fitzgerald 111) Daisy's reactions justify Gatsby's beliefs. "'I've never met so many celebrities!' Daisy exclaimed." (Fitzgerald 111) She is dutifully impressed with his mansion: "'That huge place o...

• Word Count: 1325
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... to be extremely wealthy and generally happy with his place in life, and this is how he appears to Nick at the beginning of the novel. Gatsby threw big parties and people were not invited; they just showed up, as explained by Nick on page 45: "I was one of the few guests ... It has consumed his life so much that he spent five years leading an illegal life just because of her. The final thing the reader learns abou! t Gatsby is that no one really cared about him. He had alienated himself so much from the rest of the world because of his love for Daisy, he never ... made friends. In fact...

• Word Count: 519
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... can almost call it a dream world. The quality of living is not an absolute; you can never truly be living since the ultimate destination is death. Gatsby thought that "of course you can" repeat the past. Therefore, he must have been living in some sort of dream world where he thought he can ... crisis Nick was left all alone with no one to share his void. This was the perfect opportunity for Nick to create Gatsby. Gatsby's character had to have been an illusion created by Nick since his personality contradicts itself. The reader learns that after working for Cody ... piece of his child ...

• Word Count: 593
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... a stomach ache due eating so much. That is what Thoreau is also saying in his quote. If one does an action, a reaction will happen. Jay Gatsby is a man who has gone through the cycle of karma continuously. He started to deal in drugs and have an illegal business and gain lots of money. ... gave that up and only the dead dream fought on the afternoon slipped away" (142). The dream the quote refers to is Gatsby's dream of Daisy being with him. Gatsby was beginning to loose Daisy and did not have her at all in his love. She was beginning to become confused and just ... young rajah in all ...

• Word Count: 881
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... still looked down on by the old rich. This time in American history was an era when people were "exploited, maltreated, and discarded," as in Gatsby's case. Achieving the American Dream sometimes became an American Nightmare. In the 1920's throwing lavish parties became a way of life. These parties served as ... a connection between the different classes of the time. Gatsby was one of the people who threw big parties to impress the social elite. No one was personally invited to these parties, but everyone desired to ... respected and encouraged to pursue their dreams of wealth. However...

• Word Count: 786
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... its impossible goals. The attempt to capture the American Dream is used in many novels. This dream is different for different people, in The Great Gatsby, for Jay, the dream is that through wealth and power, one can acquire happiness. Fitzgerald wanted to make the reader believe that the American ... standards. Once he acquires wealth, he moves near to Daisy, and throws extravagant parties, hoping by chance she might show up at one of them. Gatsby must have his enormous mansion before he can feel confident enough to try to win Daisy. He, himself, does not attend his parties but watches t...

• Word Count: 933
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... aspects into the novel such as the continuous strings of insignificant parties, the recklessness of the wealthy, the cruelty of the Valley of Ashes, and Gatsby and Myrtle's tragic deaths. Nick Carraway's moral and honest view of life is the only slight relief from the feel of tragedy. Not only ... the absolute contrary to the people of the 1920's whom Fitzgerald detested. The simple pleasures of life satisfy and excite Carraway and Fitzgerald also. The Great Gatsby was a way for Fitzgerald to verbalize his disapproval of the people of the "roaring twenties." Although most people view thi...

• Word Count: 1839
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... symbolism, portrayal of the speakeasy life, and a catastrophic love triangle. It is set in the east coast near New York in the 1920s. Gatsby is a mysterious man from the Midwest who creates himself an image of wealth and prosperity and eventually reaches his goal through bootlegging alcohol. He lives ... your narrator as a moral authority, you have no one to turn to "making character judgments distracting. Fitzgerald makes up for this flaw with Gatsby and Daisy's dynamic relationship. When the two met again at Carraway's house, they were speechless. The long awaited reunion was happening...

• Word Count: 521
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... everything except what he most desires, Daisy. Appearance is another important factor in the American dream. In his quest to win Daisy's heart Gatsby chooses to wear his best outfit. Gatsby is so proud of his clothes that when Daisy visits his mansion, "He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them, ... Nick and Daisy the grand tour of his house, showing off all of his "worldly" possessions. Room after room, everything was shown and mentioned. Gatsby's ideals were parallel to the typical American dream. He wants to claim Daisy by the use of his assets. He thinks that his money wil...

• Word Count: 547
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... ways that were both illegal and unconstitutional, he still achieved the kind of money one would need to piece together the "American Dream". Even though Gatsby did manage to accumulate the kind of wealth he has through corrupt ways, it didn't seem to effect him the least bit throughout the novel. He ... American Dream". And not only did he have the money to show for it, he also had the power. The kind of power possessed by Jay Gatsby is almost unimaginable for most Americans. He was able to achieve his power through his money and illegal actions. He had the power to anything he ... a cli...

• Word Count: 531
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... another man's wife. Daisy Buchanan has married Tom, but Jay lives in the hope that she will return to him one day. Jay acquisition of wealth also reveals his morality. Gatsby makes his fortune by selling liquor illegally during the prohibition. Nick, on the other hand, works honestly for his wealth. Nick proclaims himself as honest, as shown in his description ... feel superior to other men. His obsession with Daisy causes him to buy a lavish home. Jay, because of this obsession, wishes to destroy the man keeping him from Daisy. When Gatsby says ""Your wife doesn't love you," "She's nev...

• Word Count: 598
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... truth. Color plays a major part of the symbolism in the novel. Ironically, Daisy is associated with the color white. In a conversation between Tom and Gatsby it's discussed that daisy seems to live, "High in a white palace." (Pg. 127) This is symbolic because it shows how this upper-class girl ... and why they acted the way they did; because each character has a different interpretation of each symbol. Gary J. Scrimgeour, author of "Against the Great Gatsby", has a similar outlook on the novel; however his feelings aren't as strong as Kenny's. Scrimgeour states, "It may serve to teach bo...

• Word Count: 1284
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... asked about them. His obsession with Daisy almost borders on insanity. However, he made his money work for him by impressing Daisy with his home. Gatsby thought that all of his material possessions would overwhelm Daisy. Still, Gatsby's personality won over most of the people he encountered. He was an overall charming, and charismatic character that, in the end, proves that money ... thought that having a relationship with a poor man, would soil her reputation. The situation that Daisy found herself in, could have been prevented, if love mattered more to her than money. Gatsby, Daisy, a...

• Word Count: 457
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... , but rather a more in-depth view of American history and the ordinary people living during this time. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel the Great Gatsby, morality played a huge factor in how the reader views the people of the 1920s. The 1920s was a period in our history, much like many ... 1920s were so defined that for both of these groups and many others, true love was virtually impossible. Even though the characters in the Great Gatsby, and man! y of the social elite of the 20s and even possibly today, would say other wise, money cannot buy true happiness. Through ... illegally were pr...

• Word Count: 1559
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... depth into simple words. He was able to portray more than one meaning with simple sentences. Fitgerald used amazing symbolism throughout the book "The Great Gatsby", and it forces the reader to consider each word for more than face value. Because of the great quantity of underlying symbolism within the story ... in it... High in a white palace the king's daughter, the golden girl...." In this passage, we gain further understanding into the character of Daisy. Gatsby observes something that we as readers are forced to imagine and consider. This passage marks the beginning of the change of...

• Word Count: 785
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... no principle to hold it together (Lehan "Sugar Lumps- 95). Fitzgerald incorporates his personal background, peers and close friends, to form the personalities of the various characters in The Great Gatsby. F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota (Michael Reynolds 2360). His mother's father was a self made Irish immigrant millionaire, and his father was a salesman who married above his social ... Zelda was committed on and off, to a sanitarium (Reynolds 2360). As a result of Fitzgerald's struggle with alcoholism he struggled with his writing career (Reynolds 2360). "The subst...

• Word Count: 1494
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School