Sometimes the significance of the title of a novel is not immediately obvious. Choose a novel which fits this description and shows how, after careful study, the full significance of the title becomes clear. The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby
Sometimes the significance of the title of a novel is not immediately obvious. Choose a novel which fits this description and shows how, after careful study, the full significance of the title becomes clear.
"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel about a man, Jay Gatsby, who came from nothing, but who invented a new life for himself and tried to make something of himself to win over a woman, Daisy Buchanan, who he had loved since he had met her. At the start of the novel we do not know why Gatsby is great and we see evidence which doesn't really point to any greatness, but after careful analysis of his actions, we realise he is great because of what he is willing to do for the love of Daisy.
When we first see Gatsby, we find out how ostentatious he is. He shows off his wealth by having big parties and having a big, dramatic car. Tom refers to his car, calling it a "circus wagon". We also see that Gatsby is tasteless due to the pink suit that he wears. We do not necessarily see someone being great if they are tawdry in the way that Gatsby is, so this is not immediate proof that he is as great as the title of the book suggests.
Gatsby is suspected of using dishonest methods of earning money, and Tom claims he is a bootlegger. He has associates with questionable reputations. This, both his illegal means to earn money and the fact that he was earning money, so he was "new money", was frowned upon greatly by the society Gatsby wanted to be a part of. This behaviour is not very fitting to the heroic image Gatsby is seen to have by having the title "great".
Through the novel we read about lots of different rumours people have learned about Gatsby, but the truth ...
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Gatsby is suspected of using dishonest methods of earning money, and Tom claims he is a bootlegger. He has associates with questionable reputations. This, both his illegal means to earn money and the fact that he was earning money, so he was "new money", was frowned upon greatly by the society Gatsby wanted to be a part of. This behaviour is not very fitting to the heroic image Gatsby is seen to have by having the title "great".
Through the novel we read about lots of different rumours people have learned about Gatsby, but the truth is, no one knows the truth about him. We then learn Gatsby's true history, that he was not born Jay Gatsby at all, but named himself this. In the course of the novel, we see lots of lies and half truths he tells. There is always an element of truth in what Gatsby says, but he is quite dishonest, and we feel we cannot fully trust him. This dishonestly in him leads us to believe him not all that great.
However, there is a lot to Gatsby that does make him a great man. His love for Daisy is very pure, and he does everything that he does just for her, such as the criminal activity to gain money, just to impress her. Everything he has ever done since he met her has been for her. We are drawn to this, to how romantic he is, and this makes him great because this makes us be on his side.
This love he has for Daisy is signified by the hope he has about the situation. Gatsby has a very large capacity for hope. He thinks that because he has loved Daisy for so long, and worked so hard to get her, that he should get her, no matter what. This is a very romantic idea, and is quite naïve, but makes us like Gatsby more, making him quite heroic.
Gatsby has quite a magnetic personality, drawing people to him, such as Nick. This charisma and his smile have always been an advantage to him.
"It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced-or seemed to face-the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favour."
In my opinion Nick believes that Gatsby could influence people just by simply smiling at them, an attribute which shows his greatness.
The arguably greatest thing about Gatsby is that he is prepared to follow his dream as far as is required for as long as possible, through anything. For years he follows his love for Daisy and his quest to make a lot of money to win over Daisy. He never sways from this romantic idea of taking her away and pretending the last five years of his and her life never existed. This naivety and single mindedness makes him lovable and shows how much of a "great" character he is.
In conclusion, when we first meet Gatsby he, despite the title of the novel, does not seem all that great. As the novel progresses, however, we see the different side of Gatsby, the side which loves Daisy so utterly and completely and follows her like a dream he can never attain, which shows us how great he really is, in the end. Gatsby himself is not a great character in what he does, but it is what he has in his heart that's great.
