The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby symbolizes an era. It is both an indictment and a glorification of the 'Jazz Age' and proved the most enduring novel to come out of America in the inter-war period. Jay Gatsby, the hero of the title, represents all that is glorious and tarnished about the 'Roaring Twenties'. It was an age before the Great Depression, when the economy was booming and conspicuous consumption was the order of the day. Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda subscribed to this era of wanton abandon every bit as much as the characters in The Great Gatsby - it was hard to know which was the more celebrated - Fitzgerald or his work. At the same time as reveling in the affluence of the time, Fitzgerald could appreciate its lack of profundity. He was too intelligent to be a mere socialite, and his disenchantment is captured perfectly in The Great Gatsby

This double view of his own existence contributes to the success of The Great Gatsby. We are presented with two characters who seemingly represent the dichotomy Fitzgerald sees in himself - Nick Carraway, the boy from the mid-West who is wide-eyed at the showiness of the materialism he sees around him; and Jay Gatsby, who represents and fully subscribes to this material world. However, as Fitzgerald states in his biographical work The Crack Up, 'the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.' We can see that although the two characters seem entirely in apposition to one another, they actually have a great deal in common, and stand for the extent to which Fitzgerald sees some synthesis rather than complete antithesis in his parallel views of the Jazz Age.

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The Great Gatsby epitomizes Fitzgerald's skill in understanding the romantic. The most enduring symbol of the novel is Gatsby gazing out at the light at the end of Daisy's pier. This symbol could stand for the whole of Fitzgerald's life. He is seeking to capture the melancholy and beauty in life - traits which he found in his wife, the troubled Zelda Sayre. Gatsby is a tragic figure, consumed by the lifestyle he has chosen, doomed by trying to be something he is not. This returns us to Fitzgerald's doubleness. The dream of a no one attaining (and maintaining) the heights ...

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The quality of written communication is mostly excellent. The essay is fluently structured, utilises advanced and appropriate vocabulary, and makes no errors of spelling grammar or punctuation. Due to the aforementioned lack of textual analysis, technical terms are underused. An appropriate mention of Fitzgerald’s use of colour symbolism, proleptic irony or even of simple metaphor would have improved the writer’s argument noticeably, especially in terms of the GCSE or A Level mark scheme. Some slightly inelegant syntactical choices only detract slightly from the writer’s arguments.

The writer’s analysis is generally excellent, exploring in depth the themes of the text. The contrast between East and West of America is adeptly interpreted, and the writer clearly recognises the importance of setting and context in conveying the themes and social commentary of the text. The author could perhaps improve the essay further by examining in greater depth the significance of each of the book’s principal locations, and their power to affect behaviour and subvert identity (note for example Myrtle’s transformation between the Valley of Ashes and New York City, or perhaps the guests acting “according to the rules of behaviour associated with an amusement park” once having arrived at Gatsby’s house in West Egg). A more significant criticism however – and indeed the reason that this otherwise superb essay didn’t achieve a 5-star rating – is the writer’s complete lack of detailed textual analysis. Though a great piece in itself, in the context of GCSE or A Level mark schemes it is ESSENTIAL to choose quotations from the text to support your arguments and analyse how the author’s use of language and literary techniques helps to convey deeper meaning. Due to the lack of detailed textual analysis this essay would likely be unable to score above a C/D grade, despite the generally high quality of the piece. The writer could have hugely improved their mark by including some quotations from the book which support the otherwise excellent points made.

The writer provides an insightful study of ‘The Great Gatsby’ within its social and biographical context. Depending on exam boards, discussing these issues can be essential to gaining higher marks, and the writer’s examples of how the exuberant, hedonistic culture of the 1920s is represented by Fitzgerald, as well as the influence of Fitzgerald’s personal experience upon the book’s characters and events, reveal originality and a perceptive awareness of the social commentary behind the text.