'Examine Fitzgerald's use of time and place in The Great Gatsby'.
English James Heim Essay May 2003 MYP English Assessment: The Great Gatsby 'Examine Fitzgerald's use of time and place in The Great Gatsby' In the novel The Great Gatsby, the use of time a place is an important factor in the story, which relates to the different themes of the story. Fitzgerald uses a certain setting throughout the book to try and express his fundamental and universal ideas. It is quite clear that Fitzgerald also uses the setting to establish the mood of the story along with revealing the different characters. The choice of his setting directly affects the development of the plot of the story and helps reveal the various motifs and symbols within the text. The story of The Great Gatsby takes place in the1920s time period, in a fictional area of Long Island, New York. Fitzgerald portrays the 1920s as an era in America, of decayed social and moral values. The evidence of this being the fact that he describes the time period as a time of greed and empty quest of pleasure. The Great Gatsby as a whole symbolizes the decline of the American dream in the 1920s through the era of unique prosperity and desire for money. After World War I ended in 1918, the sudden rise of the stock market in America, led to the unexpected increase of national wealth and a newfound materialism. People in The U.S. began to spend and consume at very
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby In F. Scott Fitzgerald's book The Great Gatsby the narrator, Nick Caraway makes a statement that, in my opinion, reveals to the reader why the book is called The Great Gatsby. "They're a rotten crowd" Nick shouted across the lawn to Gatsby "You're worth the whole damn lot put together." I agree with Nicks statement because Gatsby has outstanding values that differ and set him apart from the other characters in the book. Also the one main feature that really sets him apart from the crowd and makes him worth more than the whole crowd is his ability to set himself goals and achieve them. He had a dream, An American Dream. Throughout the book Gatsby is portrayed as a mysterious character. The first impressions of Gatsby, which are conveyed to the reader, are through gossip. This is mainly due to Gatsby's inaccessibility. He surrounds himself with people but never interacts, instead opting to watch other people enjoy themselves. The rumours about Gatsby are abundant and come from the very people who take advantage of his hospitality. Jordan and the two twins, tell Nick at one of Gatsby's parties "Somebody told me that he killed a man." There are also disputes about which country he fought for in the war. As one man tells Nick "I heard that from a man who knew all about him, grew up with him in Germany." This is opposed by another woman at the party
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby 'Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn' This is the phrase which Nick Carraway uses at the beginning of The Great Gatsby to describe his next door neighbour. In this essay I will be looking at the relationship between Carraway and Gatsby, significant events that affect their relationship, and how Nick Carraway's opinion of Gatsby changes throughout the book. Mr Gatsby is a very mysterious character. Though he is Nick Carraway's neighbour, Nick knows noting about him and does not meet him until chapter 3, when they have been neighbours for some time. Indeed many events in the book only reinforce the mystery surrounding Gatsby. Though hundreds of people come to his lavish parties, almost none of them have met him, and know nothing about him. Thus many rumours circulate about him: 'Somebody told me he killed a man once.' 'Its more that he was a German spy before the war.' Thus before Carraway has even met Gatsby, Gatsby seems surrounded by an aura of illusion. Gatsby is a relative newcomer to the island of West Egg, the island for the incredibly rich. Over on East Egg, live Carraway's cousin Daisy and her husband Tom. Sporting girl Jordan Baker also lives with them When Carraway finally meets Gatsby, his reaction is negative. 'I was looking at an elegant young roughneck.' After meeting Gatsby, Carraway is told by Jordan
the great gatsby
Corruption Conquers Faith: An Analysis on F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby By Sunil Mirpuri IB English AII Ms. S. Bartel August 31st, 2006 Word Count: 1,874 Outline Thesis: Fitzgerald, in his novel The Great Gatsby, portrays the corruption in the 20th century through his characters as well as the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg which lead the reader to believe that God, although He is referred to throughout the novel, is absent from the distorted society they live in. Body I. * Tom and Daisy embody certain morals and values which completely disregard God and religion. Tom Buchanon, for example, is racist, classist, and unfaithful. * "'Civilization's going to pieces,' broke out Tom violently. 'I've gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things. Have you read 'The Rise of the Coloured Empires' by this man Goddard?'"(p. 17). * "Tom's got some woman in New York." * Tom Buchanon, as well as Daisy, belongs to a "secret society" where only people of old, wealthy descent are admitted. * It is very odd to think that God is present in a society filled with corruption and immoral values where the wicked live prosperously. Body II * The Great Gatsby, as he is referred to in the book, is probably the most controversial character when analyzing God's influence in the 20th century society. * Gatsby had to perform several immoral and corrupt duties in order to reach
The Great Gatsby
Stephen Lee Period 1 June 3, 2007 Ridge The Great Gatsby Reflective Essay Since the first spark that ignited the now radiant fire of civilization and humankind, dreams have remained omnipresent and universal. These dreams that we as humans have so dearly held on to drove us to such great heights, a level of life in which we live in today. It seems that people from every end of the world have believed that dreams tend to come true as the sheath of life unravels in the way that they want it to; however, over time, they realize that the mere act of living is a trial of survival, a tough and harsh struggle. Subsequently, they find that these dreams that encompassed their lives, if not reached, join with the other obstacles that darken and trouble their path. Yet, we find that they also uplift our spirits and tend to our wounds in the "big picture". Though dreams are sometimes achieved, but often corrupted and unattainable , the key significance is not whether dream itself comes true but rather the motivation and drive it generates to put meaning and purpose in one's life. Throughout the novel, Gatsby adhered tenaciously to a single, grand dream: to love and be loved by once again by Daisy. Even from the beginning, when Nick first laid eyes upon Gatsby, he was "[stretching] out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way...[and] was trembling. I...distinguished nothing
The great gatsby
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in the 1920's. F. Scott Fitzgerald was born into an Irish Catholic house hold. He was born in the 1890's in Minnesota in the US. He became a great author of many books (such as The Mystery of the Raymond Mortgage, The Romantic Egoist, This Side Of Paradise, etc.). His first literature was published in the school paper when he was thirteen years old. Many of F. Scott Fitzgerald novels and short stories are said to reflect on his own life. F. Scott Fitzgerald used his wife, Zeldas, mental breakdowns and their overall dysfunctional relationship in his writings. Zelda was in and out of clinics. She eventually moved back in with her mother. F. Scott Fitzgerald died of a second heart attack in 1940. Zelda lived on for eight more years and later died in a fire at a hospital in North Carolina. One of the famous books written F.Scott Fitzgerald, was The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby, by F.Scott Fitzgerald, represents 'the American Dream" of hard work, a persons hard work to achieve the goal of wealth and property. This American dream of 920's is overshadowed by the morel decay of the values once held high, the unprecedented gain of material excess. The social and moral values of 1920s', "The Roaring Twenties", was an era of decay of set values. The
The Great Gatsby
Steven Lin Period 8 English 11 Mr. Glatt The capacity to dream is a natural characteristic possessed by all mankind. Americans living in a country based on the philosophy of pursuing great American dreams go about pursuing their own goals in many ways. Ironically the American dream itself is the ultimate illusion that can never satisfy those who pursue it. The American dream was only possible when it was a potential. Nick in Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby, realized this as he imagines a past when the Dutch first laid their eyes on the vast wilderness of the uninhabited United States. Gatsby's ideals in this novel are the ideals of all Americans. Gatsby and Americans search for a dream and yet nobody truly understands what it is they are really in search of. People go about fulfilling these dreams by using cheap reality and in the end it does not measure up to the size of the dream itself; the dreamer is bound to be disappointed with every accomplishment of the dream. At the conclusion of Fitzgerald's book, The Great Gatsby, the main character Gatsby has recently died and Nick stands facing the front door of Gatsby's mansion. From this moment, Nick looks at Gatsby's house for a last time. He sees a swear word on the wall, and like Holden in the book, The Catcher in the Rye, he too crosses the word out; trying to preserve the innocence. Nick wants to keep
The Great Gatsby.
The Great Gatsby Essay People can appear attractive and we often admire outer beauty. When studying literature, we often get the images of scenes from the descriptive words use by the author. But when looking for an extraordinary person in a novel, we need to look at Gatsby's personality as shown in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Gatsby has such unique personality that narrator Nick Carraway, feels he may never find another person like Gatsby again. Throughout the novel, Gatsby remains determined in his goal to reunite with Daisy. His love and passion for material possessions never lets up. He is dedicated to Daisy and sacrifices himself to protect Daisy. Although Gatsby's life has been difficulty for him, he still turns out all right at the end of the novel because of his unique personality, his eye for beauty and his unselfish sacrifice of his own life. Gatsby has a unique personality through his persistent pursuance of a dream. All he wants is to regain Daisy's love and somehow wipe out five years of memory and start over in his relationship with Daisy. Nick describes Gatsby as having an "extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person" (Page 8). Gatsby's determination is symbolized by the green light on Daisy's dock and this aspect of Gatsby's personality immediately attracts Nick. "He stretched out ... end of a
Great Gatsby
In chapter 6 of The Great Gatsby, a reporter comes to Gatsby’s door to interview him about his personal life. Jay Gatsby’s original name was James Gatz and he was born on a North Dakota farm but went to college in St. Olaf, Minnesota. He dropped out of college and later met the wealthy Dan Cody who hired him as a personal assistant. When Dan Cody died he left Gatsby $25,000, but his mistress prevented Gatsby from claiming it. After that, Gatsby was determined to become rich and successful. Later on, Nick visits Gatsby and is shocked to find Tom Buchanan there, and the next Saturday Tom and Daisy attend one of Gatsby’s parties. After the party Gatsby is worried that Daisy did not enjoy it and Nick tells him to give up on Daisy, however, Gatsby refuses and instead tells Nick about he and Daisy’s past. The quote that best describes Jay Gatsby is, “He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy” (110). The good qualities of Jay Gatsby are he is a loyal person and he has a good heart. The bad qualities of Gatsby are he is amoral, dishonest, and throws his money away. Fitzgerald developed this character to show how people use their wealth to get love only to discover the love is not real. Additionally, he is developed throughout the novel to be an example of how living
The Great Gatsby
The novel 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald examines the American dream through the perspectives, personalities and actions of the characters. Through the characters and elements of setting and writing style the novel concludes the dream as one of extreme disillusion. Firstly, through the central character of the novel Fitzgerald is able to explore the American Dream and its nature of disillusion and false hope. Jay Gatsby is a character who is depicted through two conflicting personalities. He is at first displayed as an ambiguous mysterious person who may be involved with criminal associations, through his relationship with Meyer Wolfshiem who is a shady character with underground business connections. His materialistic parties displayed vulgar wealth attracting people with worthless socialites. However Gatsby's aspiring ambition was not to indulge in these social events, instead to show his love Daisy that he could provide for her like her husband Tom Buchanan could. This shade of Gatsby's character, of a man pursuing blind love, depicts the American Dream as he realizes the opportunity to turn back time and once again be with Daisy. This personal strife limited only by his imagination is the essence of the American dream. Using this character Fitzgerald also displays the tragedy of the American Dream through the tragedy that befell Gatsby, for example 'Gatsby
