The third chapter from the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald deserves the title “The Man behind the Myths”. There is a plethora of rumors and stories circulating about Gatsby, one of the main characters in this novel. He is a man of wealth; however, he appears to be unemployed and have no source of income. At his own parties, Gatsby is like a ghost unnoticably floating about the guests. The legends and actions of Gatsby are described and explored in this chapter, “The Man behind the Myths”. Throughout the third chapter the narrator, Nick, speaks with and overhears many rumors about the party host, Gatsby. There are not many people really know who Gatsby is because he remains hidden within the abundant crowd which consumes …show more content…
No one has any idea who he is because he is watching from afar or blending in with the numerous guests at his parties. People do not realize who he is because he mixes in with the crowd and does not converse with any of the other party goers. His behavior creates a mystery about him and who he really is, which causes his guests to speculate about him and his absence at his outings. All of Gatsby’s obscure actions make the meeting between Nick and Gatsby all the more shocking, because their meeting is not some illustrious meeting between the two. It just so happens that they stumble upon each other. They begin conversing like two regular party guests getting to know one another, when Nick asks if the stranger knows about any of the rumors about their host. Then the stranger reveals himself as Gatsby. Nick is stunned to realize that this humble person with whom he has been speaking owns such a beautiful property and possesses an amazing wealth. Prior to their meeting, Nick expected Gatsby to be some shady fellow with an extreme past due to the rumors. Nick comes to realize that none of the over the top rumors about Gatsby were true; Nick now knows the truth about “The Man behind the Myths”. In conclusion, the third chapter of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, rightfully earns the the title of “The Man behind the Myths”. Throughout the course of the chapter Nick is brought to the attention of the multifarious myths surrounding Gatsby. During the course of the chapter Nick meets the man behind the myths, and is given the answers to who this man really
Through this conversation with Nick as well as later revelations, Gatsby shows just how much he has truly put into this new persona, and is also willing to lie to his closest friends to uphold this new
The first of which is Nick's first party, "As soon as I arrived I made an attempt to find my host, but the two or three people of whom I asked his whereabouts stared at me in such an amazed way, and denied so vehemently any knoweldge of his movements, that I slunk off in the direction of the cocktail table-the only place in the garden where a single man could linger without looking purposeless and alone." (Fitzergerald, 46) This revealed two major things, one about Gatsby and one about Nick. Nick came from a different society, one in which things such as knowing the host and meeting them was rather common-place. Meanwhile, Gatsby was so aloof from the very people he hosted that none of them knew where he was, or had any intention of finding him.
After Gatsby’s rise to fame and fortune, many of his peers are uncertain on Gatsby’s true past. While attending one of his extravagant parties, Nick learns of various rumors regarding his past: “‘Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once’ [...] ‘it’s more that he was a German spy during the war’“(Fitzgerald 42). The people at Gatsby’s parties know little of his origins, which causes many people to envision Gatsby’s journey to luxury in various ways. There are some people who believe that Gatsby murdered a man, whereas others think he was a German spy.
The third chapter of the novel The Great Gatsby, composed by F. Scott Fitzgerald, reveals the true nature of Jay Gatsby and his world of extravagance. Through his use of imagery, simile and personification, Fitzgerald uses a simple anecdote to portray a world where extravagance is shown. The chapter begins with a simple narration of an event. Fitzgerald immediately establishes a touch of imagery, telling the readers about the people and what they accomplish on the summer days at
Almost all of the people that go to his parties don’t know who he is and have never seen him. At his parties many rumors float around like him being an Oxford man, a bootlegger, the nephew to Von Hindenburg, and killing a man. No one is sure if these rumors are true. That is what makes Gatsby so mysterious to many people. Nick finds Gatsby so mysterious by the way he is always watching Nick at the beginning of the book then he seems to disappear without Nick being able to see his face or talk to him.
On the western side of Long Island, a charming young man captures the attention of East Egg with his new money in the 20’s. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, follows Nick Carraway’s retelling of the tragic story of the great Jay Gatsby. His friend Nick Carraway admits Gatsby represents everything everyone should hate, but he insists that Gatsby was a great man. Despite this, Gatsby’s blindness from his restless dreams, materialistic values, and dishonesty contradicts his “greatness”.
Despite the stories that went around about Gatsby, Nick looked past them to learn who he truly was. “He smiled understandingly… 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… the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself… I'd got a strong impression that he was picking his words with care” (Fitzgerald, 49).
Gatsby allows few people to truly know who he is and even few know his honest background. Gatsby not allowing many people to know who he really is affects the novel because it increases secrecy throughout. Nick did not even know who Gatsby was until he met him at a party. This element of secrecy affects the novel because the reader never truly knows what is real and what is a lie. Along with affecting the reader, the mystery behind Jay Gatsby intrigues other characters, like Tom, to unbury Gatsby’s past and understand the man himself.
The guests act as if they are in an amusement park. One day one of Gatsby’s servants gives Nick an invitation to the party and he realizes he is probably the only one there who was actually invited. Nick hears many rumors about Gatsby throughout the night. No body really knows anything about Gatsby or how he got his money. Him and Jordan Baker hear rumors that he killed a guy, was a german spy, and also attended Oxford.
During Gatsby's party when no one knows who Gatsby is, Nick and the members of the groups discuss the many things that they have heard about Gatsby. To their surprise many of them don't match up, such as they heard he was, “‘a german spy during the war’” ( Fitzgerald22) or that “‘ he told me he once was an oxford man, I don't think he went ‘“(25) , and they think “‘he killed a man’”(23). Gatsby telling each of them different stories like how he was an Oxford man and portraying himself falsely leads many of the party members to doubting him as they hear different and conflicting stories mixed with other rumors . By telling conflicting stories that don't match up Gatsby makes them trust him less and distance themselves from him even though the stories were designed to make him look better.
The 1920’s, America booming with newly found individuality, independence, and freedom that bared from the fallout of World War 1, a time where practically penniless men turned into billionaires overnight, and back again within the next, where women could dress, do, and go wherever they desired, but above all, what began to determined the world of some, that determined the world of many. “The Great Gatsby”, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a perfect example of this truth. This literary piece exemplifies a almost satire like critique of American life in the 1920’s. Each character of “The Great Gatsby” display a certain quality of a particular persona of the middle to high white social classes that were common at the time. All of which are observed by the self righteous judgemental eyes of Nick Carraway, through him we observe immoral, ill content, and irrational actions that enact all in the name of the pursuance of love and happiness.
Jay Gatsby, one of the main characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, is a wealthy man with dubious sources of money; Gatsby is renowned in New York due to the lavish parties he holds every friday in his mansion. These are spectacles that fully embody the wealth and glamour of the roaring twenties, and are narrated through the eyes of another character Nick Carraway, an ambitious 29 year old man that recently moved back to a corrupt new york in a cramped cottage next to Gatsby’s palace. After admiring the careless behaviour of the parties from a distance, Nick gets a personal invitation to Gatsby’s next party, he promptly becomes infatuated by the extravagant and frivolous lifestyle the parties portray, along with the superficial
In the story "The Great Gatsby" Nick has a favorable opinion of Jay Gatsby. In the first chapter of the book Nick states "When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction- Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. " The book gives many examples of Nick thinking of Gatsby as the "Great" such as Gatsby 's smile, what Gatsby was willing to do for Daisy, and what Gatsby did for himself.
In conclusion, The Great Gatsby is a work of fiction by F. Scott Fitzgerald which includes detailed characters, an exploration of universal themes about money and happiness, and the writings of an author with a very interesting life and influence for his writing. It is still relevant to the modern day because of its commentary on unhappiness in relationships and its powerful storyline about a man searching for joy. F. Scott Fitzgerald, in this masterpiece, successfully created a story to be read and celebrated for a long
He gives us information on the fascinating social class and status of the great Gatsby. Gatsby is introduced to the story because of Nick being his neighbor. Nick describes the house as marvelous and massive. Mrs. Baker brings him up when talking about his legendary parties to which she had never gone. Once Nick gets to know Gatsby better he joins him for one of his parties and describes the house and all of the luxurious items it contained.