The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald describes a tragic love story of the protagonist, Jay Gatsby. Gatsby’s conquest to pursue Daisy Buchanan analyzes and critiques the lifestyle of the Roaring Twenties, the period between World War I and the Great Depression. Fitzgerald introduces and glamorizes the primary notion of the entire novel, the American Dream. The American Dream is defined as regardless of race, class, or gender standing, an individual has the potential to achieve success in America. The storyline deals with the human aspiration to start over, social politics, and the use of judgement while using the elements of irony and tragedy. The idea of the American dream is not only seen within the story plot itself but also …show more content…
Due to society’s corrupt and superficial idea of wealth, the types of wealth needed to be separated. This was the birth of West Egg and East Egg. “I lived at West Egg, the—well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them. [...] Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water” (Fitzgerald 14). People in East Egg came from families that always had money, the “old money” type of wealth. These were the trust fund babies, the families that had so much money that they didn’t even need to flaunt or brag about it because the community already knew how wealthy they were. These were the type of people that did not know what work was or had to ever work in their lives. They were unaware of the hardships of labor and were often stuck up. East Egg was personified by Tom and Daisy Buchanan. They represented the moral decay and the increase of shallow characteristics. Although characters such as Nick and Gatsby had just as money as the Buchanans, they were segregated and were placed in West Egg. West Egg was often defined as “new money”, money derived from hard work, the “rags to riches story”. Those that live in the West Egg were portrayed as less sophisticated, which is seen from the different types of parties held throughout the novel. The first party mentioned in the novel was Tom Buchanan’s party; it had less people, less decoration, and less entertainment, more simplistic. This is a sharp contrast from Gatsby’s extravagant and lavish parties. Although those in West Egg were seen as less sophisticated, they have more moral values than those that live on East Egg. Both cities are located on peninsulas and are separated by a body of water, symbolizing Gatsby’s separation from Daisy. The peninsulas will never merge together or become one, just like
Great Gatsby Essay According to the oxford Canadian dictionary the definition of irony is, “the expression of meaning using language that normally expresses the opposite.” I will discuss some instances were irony takes place within The Great Gatsby by F. Scott. Fitzgerald. Some of these examples of irony are Gatsby’s huge parties for Daisy, Tom’s two lovers, and Daisy’s car crash.
The novel makes a naturalism argument about ambition in that humans are ever reaching for that which they do not have, but are thwarted by factors out of their control. Starting at the top of the social hierarchy, the story illustrates that the wealthy will stay comfortable within their class, take advantage of others’ desire to ascend all the while barring them entrance to the upper echelons of society. The Buchanans, that exemplify the upper class, are unsatisfied with both their marriage and station in life and seek happiness outside of their social class. In this, the reader is constantly bombarded with color symbolism when it comes to these two.
The Great Gatsby: an intuitive story The rain present at Gatsby's funeral echoes, drip drip. As the book ends with Nick's final thoughts, Fitzgerald is adamant about creating a melancholy tone that is omnipresent, as a great man is taken away before his time. The Great Gatsby is an incredible book by F. Scott Fitzgerald that shows off its impressive literary prowess through its revolutionizing storytelling.
In the sixth chapter of the great Gatsby, Daisy, Nick, and Tom both go to one of Jay Gatsby’s parties. There, she danced with Gatsby and sat at tables with Nick when Gatsby had to take a phone call. Even though Daisy attended Gatsby’s party, “‘she didn’t have a good time’” (page 109). Gatsby expected Daisy to enjoy herself but got proven wrong, this represents situational irony, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes this form of irony to portray how Daisy requires some form of material object for her to feel happy, as shown in this chapter, she had the only option to socialize, which “She saw something awful in the very simplicity she failed to understand” (page 107).
Despite Gatsby’s efforts of throwing big parties at his estate and living in an extravagant mansion, Daisy is not impressed and Gatsby’s fate leads him to a life without Daisy. Additionally, the parties Gatsby hosted “offended her — and inarguably, because it wasn’t a gesture but an emotion… appalled by its raw vigor that chafed under the old euphemisms and by the too obtrusive fate that herded its inhabitants along a short-cut from nothing to nothing” (Fitzgerald 83). Daisy is unimpressed due to her old money status of East Egg, which provides her with stability and security. While, the new money of West Egg is illustrated in a way that Daisy is
F. Scott Fitzgerald once said “‘Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me… They think, deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are because we had to discover the compensations and refuges of life for ourselves. Even when they enter deep into our world or sink below us, they still think that they are better than we are. They are different’”.
The middle class were rich but not as rich when compared to Gatsby and Tom and Daisy. Nick and Jordan were both part of the working society. “I lived at West Egg, the – well, the least fashionable of the two, .... My own house was an eyesore, but it was a small eyesore, and it had been overlooked, so I had a view of the water, a partial view of my neighbor's lawn, and the consoling proximity of millionaires—all for eighty dollars a month” (Fitzgerald 5). Nick was a rich man but wanted to make more money so he moved east to New York to study the bond business.
Tom’s and Gatsby’s party differed in almost every aspect possible. While Tom’s party was a small party to assert his dominance to his mistress and friends, Gatsby’s party was to lure and impress the love of his life. Tom’s party displayed his snobby old money ideals by not spending much money and effort, while Gatsby’s party symbolized new money with its excessive and flaunting spending and grandiose show. The level of intimacy at both parties differed significantly. Despite Tom’s party being small, it was far from intimate with all the guests budging into all conversations, Nick couldn’t even have a talk with Catherine long enough without Ms. Mckee budging in.
Gatsby’s dreams and aspirations in life are rather interesting and amazing as he goes about his life in the book. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald helps highlight the social, moral, and political issue that were very present during the 1920’s and today. Gatsby is the focus of the book as before the book began, he was an ex-soldier who came to wealth by some rather illegal ways. Daisy a married woman is his person of interest, who was his ex-lover 5 years before the book started. Gatsby’s actions, and words demonstrate a clear obsession with Daisy that seems to have no end.
When people grow up in two completely different societies you would never expect them to be more alike. They are different in every aspect. This is about Catton’s Grant and Lee. Lee was very rich all of his life, this means he had a lot of land in the olden days this is how they defined how wealthy someone was, and everyone looked up to him. He was their idol.
Fitzgerald portrays the East Egg and West Egg as two distinct classes of social status. For example, Gatsby's lie to Daisy about his rich family causes her to leave him and marry Tom, a wealthy man from East Egg. Therefore, Tom is an elite and part of the upper class. In contrast, West Egg is build off of lower and middle class
The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and narrated by a man named Nick Carraway. This novel was written with the intent of showing the readers how morally corrupt the 1920s were. Throughout the novel, characters abandon their moral values for a materialistic lifestyle. The novel depicts a great picture of the roles men and women played in the 1920s. Even with the changing roles of men and women, they continued to rely heavily on whom they were married to and what social class they belonged to.
American dream became important for the people who were affected by the First World War. It showed effects in the personal as well as the private lives of the people , it affected the economical conditions and also the political parties. After the end of this war , it left people in a deep state of remorse and suffering. People could not realized the true sense of happiness and had to face difficulties and problems in their lives. Prior to this war, people had different views of their values such as women had to think twice before taking any decision and they could not think of playing a role of a boss.
There is not much irony found in the Great Gatsby, but, there is irony found in the fact that Daisy killed Tom’s mistress, Myrtle Wilson. Not only was Daisy the one who killed Myrtle, she was also the reason that Jay was killed. The irony lies in the knowledge that both of these people were killed either by or because of Daisy and her need to feel loved. Daisy was also heartless in the murder because she allowed Gatsby to take the blame for her actions.
Tom Buchanan is an important character throughout the course of The Great Gatsby, and is used as a symbol of the emotional and moral decline of the era. Tom forms part of the social critique of the upper classes, and reflects the lack of values in the ideal appearance of the wealthy. Tom is married to Daisy, they are a couple living in “East Egg”. They are described as people that without any further point: “here and there unrest fully wherever people played polo and were rich together” (Fälth). In The Great Gatsby, “West Egg” represents the newly rich, while “East Egg” and its people, especially Daisy and Tom, represent poise, taste and those who have inherited their wealth.