... knowledge. Although they lead glamorous and seemingly carefree lifestyles, the characters in the novel possess many glaring moral deficiencies and personal insecurities. They endlessly seek personal advancement and overall happiness by any means necessary, yet in the end, they fall short of true happiness. Throughout the novel, moral decadence, frequent exploitation, and the unobtainable American Dream represent significant themes in understanding various interpretations of The Great Gatsby's storyline. Throughout the novel, moral decadence is ... displayed by many members of the wealth...

• Word Count: 1491
• Approx Pages: 6

... American dreams, and how society (which they have rejected) fails to sustain them in their desperate hour. The Great Gatsby embodies the failure of romantic idealism. The hero achieves a great deal, but he loses the individual qualities that defined him at the beginning of the book and ends, as he lived, essentially alone" (Meyers, 343). One of the dominant themes of The Great Gatsby was surely one of the prevailing themes of Scott Fitzgerald's life. Jay Gatsby became love ... -stricken and despite rejection, dedicated his entire life to winning ... ...

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

... The Great Gatsby gives the reader a dark and pessimistic view of the lives of its characters. This tone is set by the incorporation of numerous negative 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 ... . Fitzgerald modeled Nick after his own life and personality. Nick's "down to earth" persona is the absolute contrary to the people of the 1920's whom Fitzgerald deteste...

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

... with the Characters in The Great Gatsby As F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby in the early 1920's, he used a variety of sources to develop the setting, themes and characters. Since Fitzgerald lived through the corrupt era of the 1920's he is able to lend authenticity in his portrayal of the materialism and deceit among the characters of his novel. Fitzgerald was influenced by the novel, The Waste ... Land by C.F. Elliot (Richard Lehan "Sugar Lumps- 95). The ... a story- (qtd. in Lehan "Careless People- 68). Fitzgerald paralleled his characters with people he knew to bring in an ...

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