literature review the great gatsby

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

We're Hiring!
Help Center

Literature review of 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Related Papers

Sharjeel Ashraf

The paper explores the corrupted idea of the American Dream in one of the greatest novels written on the topic, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Even though the pursuance of the American Dream stems from the idea of hard work and success that is pure, truthful, and just, Jay Gatsby's approach in achieving it leads to his demise. His relationships with other characters, particularly Tom Buchanan and Daisy Buchanan, were tainted because of the morally corrupted notion of the American Dream. This paper textually analyzes The Great Gatsby and explores that how Gatsby runs after a dream (Daisy) that he cannot achieve even after becoming financially wealthy, and how the corrupt ideals of the American Dream become the reason that he cannot fulfill his own dreams.

Adriana Mancaş

Ahmed Maklad

The thesis explores how the literary status of Fitzgerald’s novel published in 1925 evolved from being dismissed to becoming a canonical work of American Literature after the death of its author. The role of criticism and adaptations and how they intertwined to popularize the novel among the academic elite and the general public is examined. Four critical studies in different decades of recent history are analyzed to show the different approaches to the novel as well as its relation to the American Dream. The thesis suggests that the four critical studies discussed reflect viewpoints impacted by the cultural and socio-economic factors that marked the decade of their appearance: Kermit Moyer (1973), Ross Posnock (1984), Ray Canterbery (1999), and Benjamin Shreier (2007). Their approaches demonstrate the many ways The Great Gatsby can be viewed and thus its richness as a text. The three film adaptations of the novel in turn depict directors’ take on the novel as well as exhibiting the limitations, predilections, and technical possibilities of the time of their production: Nugent’s (1949), Clayton’s (1974), and Luhrmann’s (2013). The controversial aspects of these adaptations as indicated by reviews and articles, which evaluate them as to how they present Gatsby and the American Dream, have increased the debate and the interest in the novel. Though the novel is located in the U.S. in the Roaring Twenties associated with the Jazz Age, it continues to speak to present audience by evoking issues related to class, mobility, ethics, and romance.

Ani Khachatryan

Azhin Namiq

Intro The lexical deviation and word connotations are mainly used for characterization and theme revelation. In terms of the syntactical aspects, narrative sentence type and the contrast of registers are employed, and the author's sentence endings with elaborate appositions and prepositional phrases provide an effective way to describe the surroundings and evoke moods, serving to generate suspense as well as to create interest and expectation on the part of the reader. Abstract —The thesis tries to adopt the method used by Leech and Short in their book Style in Fiction to make a relatively overall and objective analysis of the novel's language from the context category. From the context perspective, point of view and modes of speech presentation are used to produce special stylistic effects. In the category of point of view, the author makes use of both limited first-person witness perspective and shifts of narrative perspective-the adoption of these narrative techniques is closely related to the theme of the novel. Modes of speech presentation in the novel, which involve

Joseph Vogel

ELITE Journal

Dewi Christa Kobis

This study discusses both Fitzgerald's works entitled The Great Gatsby as a novel (1926) and Winter Dreams (1922) as a short story. These works talk about a man who is originally from low social status but try to pursue his dream to be rich in purpose to get the women that he loves. ABSTRAK Penelitian ini membahas dua karya sastra karya Fitzgerald yang berjudul The Great Gatsby yang merupakan sebuah novel (1926) dan Winter Dreams (1922) yang merupakan cerita pendek. Kedua karya ini menceritakan tentang seorang pria yang sebelumnya berasal dari kalangan kelas ekonomi rendah tapi mencoba untuk menggapai mimpinya untuk menjadi kaya dengan tujuan untuk mendapatkan wanita yang dicintainya. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui alasan mengapa Gatsby dan Dexter ingin sekali untuk menjadi kaya dan mapan secara ekonomi, dan apakah alasan mereka untuk menjadi kaya berhubungan dengan kekuasaan ekonomi dan perjuangan kasta dalam konteks kritik Marxist dari Karl Marx atau tidak. Penelitian ini juga bertujuan untuk mengetahui apakah masyarakat Amerika pada periode tersebut memberikan konstribusi terhadap perlakuan dari Gatsby dan Dexter dalam menggapai mimpi mereka untuk menjadi kaya seperti apa yang digambarkan oleh Fitzgerald. Penelitian ini adalah penelitian kualitatif deskriptif dan menggunakan penelitian pustaka dan analisis dokumen. Akhirnya, penelitian ini mendapati bahwa The Great Gatsby dan Winter Dreams yang ditulis oleh Fitzgerald mempunyai tema yang sama terkait status sosial dan kuasa ekonomi. Dua karya ini punya sebuah perbedaan dimana Gatsby percaya bahwa dia akan mendapatkan Daisy jika dia menjadi kaya dan Dexter mengethaui bahwa dia tidak akan pernah mampu untuk bersama Judy dikarenakan status sosialnya. Secara spesifik, kedua karya dari Fitzgerald ini sama-sama membawa banyak permasalahan dan isu sosial terkait pengaruh kuasa ekonomi yang banyak diperbincangkan pada tahun 1920an.

María Bullón

The aim of this dissertation is to compare T.S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land (1922) and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby (1925). The study is based on the intertextual references and common themes found in both works, i.e.; the loss of a transcendental vision in modern civilization; materialism in the society; the feeling of isolation and boredom of modern man; the notion of destiny seen as ruled by the Wheel of Fortune, or fate, and finally, the conception of death as a necessary step towards regeneration.

Shreya Sachan

Karunakaran Thirunavukkarasu

RELATED PAPERS

tom cousineau

Natascha Ewert

The Journal of Men's Studies

Maggie Gordon Froehlich

F. Scott Fitzgerald Reviiew

Yasuhiro Takeuchi

Abhik Maiti

Clifford A Bates Jr

Farah Hussein Ragab Mahmoud , Farah Hussein

Jesús Ángel González

Greg Forter

Alex Benson

Stephen L. Gardner

Arkaprabha Chakraborty

The Space Between: Literature and Culture, 1914-1945

Francisca Armijo

Celine Tung

Josep Armengol

CriticalSpace Journal

Marcos Antonio Norris

Fahmida Chowdhury

The Great Gatsby

Introduction to the great gatsby.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the greatest American writers, wrote The Great Gatsby. It was first published on 10th April 1925 and did not win instant applause. However, later it became the most read American novel , read by a diverse range of audiences. As time passed, it impacted the American generations, proving an all-time bestseller and a masterpiece. The novel shows the regions of West Egg and East Egg near Long Island known for its prosperity during the Jazz Era after World War 1. The story revolves around the obsession of the millionaire, Jay Gatsby for a fashionable woman, Daisy. She is very popular among the military officers for her parties. On account of the exploration of a host of themes, the novel has been termed Fitzgerald’s magnum opus.

Summary of The Great Gatsby

The story of the novel, The Great Gatsby , revolves around a young man, Nick Carraway, who comes from Minnesota to New York in 1922. He is also the narrator of the story. His main objective is to establish his career in the bonds. Nick rents a house in West Egg on Long Island, which is a fictional village of New York. He finds himself living amidst the huge mansions of the rich and famous . Right across the water, there is a refined village of East Egg. Nick’s cousin Daisy and her wealthy husband Tom Buchanan live in that part of the village. Tom is known to be cruel, absurdly rich as well. One day Nick goes to meet Daisy and Tom for dinner. There, he meets Jordan Baker, Daisy’s friend. Daisy is a well-known golf champion. She tells him about Tom’s affair. Apparently, Tom has a mistress in New York City. Daisy secretly confesses to Nick that she is not happy with Tom. Once Nick returns to his house in West Egg, he sees his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Jay is standing alone in the dark calling out to a green light across the bay. The place points to Tom’s and Daisy’s place.

After a few months, Tom introduces Nick to his mistress, Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle is married George Wilson, who is not as lively or joyful as Tom. According to Nick, George is “a valley of ashes”. He also compares George to an industrial wasteland supervised by Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. They meet her at the garage where George works as a repairman. Tom, Nick, and Myrtle go to her apartment in Manhattan. Myrtle’s sister and some other friends join them. As they are heavily drunk, they fall into an argument . Tom punches Myrtle in the nose when she talks about Daisy and insults her. Nick also wakes up in a train station.

A few months pass, Nick grows comfortable with the noises and lights of dazzling parties held at his neighbor Jay Gatsby’s house. Jay always has the famous and rich people gather on Saturday nights . There all the rich and famous enjoy Gatsby’s extravagant bar and enjoy listening to jazz orchestra. One day, Nick receives an invitation from Gatsby to one of these parties. There he meets Jordan and spends most of the evening. Nick notices that Jay is mostly absent during his parties. He overhears the guests talking about Gatsby’s dark past. Later, Nick meets him at the end of the party. While at first, he doesn’t know who Jay Gatsby was. Nick is properly introduced to Gatsby asking Jordan to speak privately. When Jordan returns she doesn’t share any details of the conversation between her and Jay Gatsby.

Nick becomes even more suspicious about this mystery character and decides to learn more about him through Jordan. Nick continues to see Jordan Baker. He also gets acquainted with Jay Gatsby at the same time. During one of the drives for lunch in Manhattan, Gatsby tries to dismiss the rumors that has been reaching Nick. Jay tells Nick that his parents were very wealthy people and were dead. He studied in Oxford and discharged as a war hero after World War 1. Nick doesn’t believe Jay at this point. At lunch, Nick is introduced to Gatsby’s business partner, Meyer Wolfsheim. Meyer is known to fix the World Series in 1919. (This character was based on a real person and a real event from the author’s time). Nick meets Jordan Baker. She reveals Nick about her conversation with Gatsby. Gatsby knew Daisy, Nick’s cousin five years before. While he lived in Louisville, Jay and Daisy were in love. When Jay left to fight in the war, Daisy married Tom Buchanan. Gatsby bought his current mansion on West Egg to be across the water to see Daisy from distance.

Gatsby request Nick to invite Daisy to his house so that he can meet her. After a few days Jay Gatsby, invited by Nick, meets Daisy over tea. Daisy is surprised to see Gatsby after five years gap. Initially, they are quiet and hesitant, making the meeting extremely awkward. Nick observes this and leaves them alone for some time. He believes that by giving them a little privacy, they might talk and sort things out. Surprisingly, when Nick returns, Jay and Daisy speak without any uneasiness in the environment. Jay Gatsby is beaming with happiness; and Daisy is crying happy tears. Later, they head to Jay Gatsby’s mansion. Gatsby begins to show all his rooms and artifacts to her.

Few days pass, with Daisy and Jay Gatsby meeting frequently, Tom comes to know about Daisy’s meeting with Gatsby. He doesn’t like it. One day, Tom unwillingly attends Jay Gatsby’s party with Daisy. Daisy feels uncomfortable at the party. She is disgusted by the bad behavior of the rich crowd at West Egg. Tom assumes that Gatsby has a business of selling goods illegally. He accuses Jay Gatsby at the party and also shares his frustration with Nick after the party. Gatsby tries to ignore all the fight and asks Daisy to leave Tom. He begs her to tell the truth to Tom that she does not love him. Gatsby asks Daisy to marry him after they separate. He confesses that he had never stopped loving Daisy.

Right after that incident, Jay Gatsby stops throwing his wild parties. Daisy visits him almost every afternoon. One day, Nick is invited for lunch by the Buchanans. Jay Gatsby and Jordan are also invited. During the lunch, Daisy compliments Gatsby in front of everyone. This also proves as a declaration of her love for Jay Gatsby. Tom also notices Daisy but chooses not to react. He requests them to come to the town. Daisy and Jat Gatsby go to Tom’s car. However, Tom takes Jay Gatsby’s car with Jordan and Nick. Tom stops for the fuel at George Wilson’s garage in the valley of ashes. Wilson breaks the news to Tom that he had been planning to go west of the city with his wife Myrtle to raise more money.

Hearing the news Tom is visibly mad and speeds towards Manhattan. He catches up with Daisy and Gatsby. They go to a parlor at the Plaza Hotel, while Tom is still disturbed by hearing George’s and Myrtle’s moving news. While having a drink Tom confronts Gatsby about his and Daisy’s relationship. Daisy tries her best to calm them down. However, Gatsby begs Daisy to reveal the truth of their love. When Tom continues to threaten Jay Gatsy, Daisy threatens to leave Tom. Out of prejudice, Tom tells them that he had been investigating Gatsby. He concludes that Jay Gatsby was selling illegal alcohol at drugstores in Chicago with Wolfsheim. Gatsby denies the allegations and tries to diffuse the situation. However, Daisy loses hope. They leave the Plaza, just as Nick turns 30, without celebrating his birthday.

While returning, Daisy drives Gatsby’s car. On the way they accidentally hit Myrtle. Just before the accident Myrtle and George had a severe argument. She runs toward the street thinking Tom is still driving Gatsby’s car. While Jay Gatsby and Daisy see Myrtle they don’t stop. Daisy is afraid to stop and is caught by a couple of witnesses. Tom who is following them from Plaza stops his car after seeing the accident scene and the crowd on the road. Tom is shocked and heartbroken after seeing Myrtle’s dead body in Wilson’s garage. Wilson reveals to Tom that a yellow car was responsible for the accident. Tom tells that the car was not his and leaves to East Egg while mourning. When Nick sees Jay Gatsby at the Buchanans’ mansion he comes to know that Daisy caused the accident. However, Gatsby tells him that he will take the blame if his car is found. Jay also decides to be at Daisy’s house as a guard to protect her from Tom.

The next day, Nick asks Gatsby to disappear, as his car will eventually be traced. Gatsby refuses to leave. He reveals the truth of his past to Nick. Jay Gatsby was from a poor farming family and met Daisy while serving in the army in Louisville. As he was too poor to marry, he did use illegal methods to gain his wealth after the war. Proving that Tom was correct.

Nick returns for work unwillingly. Gatsby desperately waits for Daisy’s call. After a few days, George Wilson visits Tom at the East Egg. He tells him that Gatsby killed Myrtle. After revealing the new George barges into Gatsby’s mansion. Gatsby is relaxing by his pool when George shoots him and then turns the gun on himself. Nick is shocked and arranges Jay Gatsby’s funeral. Nick and Jay Gatsby’s father is the only audience at the funeral. Eventually, Daisy and Tom leave Long Island without revealing their new address. Nick returns to the Midwest and realizes that his life in the East was never good.

Major Themes in The Great Gatsby

The American Dream: The novel, Great Gatsby , presents the theme of the American Dream through its character of Jay Gatsby. When Nick meets him, he overemphasizes his lifestyle. He even desires to be in his parties and introduces him to Daisy when a chance arises. Therefore, Gatsby meets Daisy and tries to revive his past love, seeing that he has achieved fame through his riches and would get her now . However, Daisy disappears from his life after the accident. Nick with his American dream is the only friend in the end who arranges his funeral. The frequent uses of business and business jargon show the theme of the American Dream.
Home: The novel shows its theme of home through different characters. Nick leaves home and returns when he learns about the importance of home distinctively different from the mansions of East Egg and West Egg. Jay Gatsby, too, learns that mansions do not become home of a person. That is why he reverts to Daisy to set up a home but fails in his attempts.
Money: Money is not only an important theme but also a theme in the novel. Money brings a few characters close to each other. The discussion of places like East Egg and West Egg and new and old money shows that money makes the mare go for Nick, Tom, Daisy as well as Gatsby. However, by the end, Nick comes to know that money is not everything as he performs funeral rites of Gatsby alone with nobody else besides his dead body.
Materialism: Materialism is another significant theme of The Great Gatsby in that it shows its ravages and destruction where it is desired to be the most important value. The lush and extravagant parties, the mysterious and rich lifestyles, and extravagant shows of wealth do not go side by the side the sincerity of relations in the human world. Gatsby’s lifestyle attracts others, but nobody knows his mental condition, though, he fails to win Daisy by the end of the novel when meets his end, as she is already married.
Past: Past is a constant theme in the novel that Gatsby, Tom, and Daisy want to leave their past but it constantly haunts them. Gatsby has made remarkable progress in his life. Daisy and Tom have caused quite a scandal in their previous city of Chicago, the reason that they are running away from it. Jordan Baker also tries to bury her past life. Nick then clearly explains it to Daisy that he cannot bring back the past.
The hollowness of Upper Class: The novel shows the hollowness of the elite class or upper strata of the American society through the characters of Jay Gatsby as well as the region of East Egg as corrupt and devoid of the moral and ethical framework but West Egg as the social fabric tied in a morality. When Nick learns about Gatsby and Daisy, he reaches the conclusion by the end that all is rotten to the core.
Life and Death: Fitzgerald has presented the theme of life and death through the parties that are being thrown in the West Egg region in New York and through the character of Nick and Gatsby. However, it is Owl Eyes that shows the looming shadow of death amid life. Death is shown to end Jay Gatsby’s life of extravagance.
Love and Marriage: The novel shows two strained marriages of Tom with Daisy and Myrtle Wilson with George Wilson as bad examples of marriages. Although Nick and Gatsby are in search of love and they find it to some extent, this is not the real love but just a type of tender curiosity in Nick’s words.
Class: The novel shows the class system through different characters such as Gatsby represents the upper strata, for Nick is seeking to join this class despite his being form the middle class. The incompatibility of the marriage of Myrtle with George shows this class difference.

Major Characters in The Great Gatsby

Jay Gatsby: James Gatz or Jay Gatsby is the main protagonist , known for his mysterious past and extravagant lifestyle. His parties and mansion located in West Egg make other characters seek his attention and be invited to his parties. Later, he reveals the truth to Nick that he was a young man from a poor family and lived in Dakota. He made fortune after serving in WWI in the army and knew Daisy then. His love, though, stays unrequited until the end as Daisy gave importance to money. Though he amasses a vast fortune. George Wilson kills him by the end of having an affair with his wife. Though in reality, Daisy commits the crime and kills Myrtle, but Jay takes the blame upon himself.
Nick Carraway: Nick is the narrator of the story. He is from a rich family from Minnesota and wants to join the upper class of the society by joining the bond business in New York. Hence, he moves to the city. Nick is seen as an honest and responsible man. He joins Gatsby and Buchanan’s just to experience the East Egg society. Once, Nick gets close to Gatsby, he comes to know the truth and stands by him. When Gatsby is killed by George, he arranges his funeral and leaves East Egg for good.
Daisy Buchanan: Daisy Buchanan is Tom’s wife. In the past, she was with Gatsby while he was serving in World War 1. She leaves Jay Gatsby because of his financial status. Through her cousin Nick, she meets Jay Gatsby after five years. She kills Myrtle in an accident. She leaves Gatsby when takes the blame on himself to protect her. She is quite selfish and immature.
Tom Buchanan: Tom is a former soccer player from Yale and comes from an elite family. However, the brutal and deeply insecure, the reason that he often displays racism. He is dominating over his wife, Daisy, and condemns her for meeting Gatsby. While he disapproves, Daisy’s choice, he has a mistress, Myrtle. Tom is also a bully and a narcissist.
Jordan Baker: Jordan is a strong woman and Daisy’s old friend who once won golf tournament through deceit. However, unlike her friend, she is quite cold in manners and does not respond to Nick’s advances.
Myrtle Wilson: Myrtle is Tom’s mistress and promiscuous woman. She crosses social boundaries if she finds a chance. In her desperation, she marries George, the owner of a garage, but continues her affair with Tom. When she picks up a fight with her husband over the move, she runs to the street where speeding Daisy accidentally kills her. though Gatsby takes the blame.
George Wilson: A poor and lazy garage owner, George Wilson. He married ambitious Myrtle but faces agony and mental torture over her affair with Tom. He later murders Gatsby assuming Gatsby had killed Myrtle by accident.
Meyer Wolfsheim: Meyer is Gatsby’s colleague and famous for his involvement in the world of crime and fixing series. He is a mixture of morality and the criminal world and offers condolence on the death of Gatsby.
Dan Cody: Dan is one of those men who exploited the Gold Rush and won riches. Gatsby became his disciple and learned the art of making money but didn’t receive anything else. Though he left some fortune for Gatsby, it was taken away by his previous wife.

Writing Style of The Great Gatsby ‎

Fitzgerald applies wry and elegiac which also includes sophisticated style in The Great Gatsby . The language, though, creates a sense of loss and nostalgia , becomes poetic, at times, loaded with figurative images. In one way, it seems to be an extended elegy that laments the corruption of a whole class merely for the abstract concept of a dream which is rotten to the core on account of greed, avariciousness, and lasciviousness that it breeds. However, when the novel shows metaphorical language and elaborate images, it seems highly sophisticated. Fitzgerald is an expert writer and knows where to apply what type of language.

Analysis of Literary Devices in The Great Gatsby

Action: The main action of the novel comprises Jay Gatsby yearning for Daisy’s affection. He took the blame for the accident and faced sequences as George Wilson kills him. The rising action comprises the reunion of Daisy and Gatsby, while the falling action is the death of Gatsby or maybe his final funeral rites.
Allegory : The Great Gatsby shows some strands of allegory in the character of Gatsby who is a symbol of something to be re-created through dreams . However, as a representative figure of every common American, Gatsby seems to have made it an allegory, for his dream of winning his love after having won a Gothic mansion and name in the parties proves a miserable failure.
Antagonist : Tom Buchanan is the antagonist of the novel, The Great Gatsby . He is not only an imposing figure but also a dominating man who represents obstacles that stand between a man’s desire and his attempts to reach his goal. He does not let Daisy and Gatsby meet to fulfill their desire of marriage after loving each other.
Allusion : Some of the allusions used in The Great Gatsby are such as a reference to Midas, a Greek legend , another to Morgan, an American financier, to Maecenas, an art patron of Rome, to Oxford, a university in England and to Rockefeller, a self-styled billionaire of the 19 th century.
Conflict : There are two types of conflicts in the novel, The Great Gatsby . The first one is the external conflict going on between Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan, the husband of Daisy how to dodge him to win his wife. The internal conflict goes in the mind of Gatsby about himself, about his love and renewal of relationship with Daisy.
Characters: The Great Gatsby presents both static as well as dynamic characters. The young man, Nick Carraway, the narrator is a dynamic character . He not only sees the entire situation but also sees his friends and near and dear ones in a wider perspective . His opinion also changes from good to bad by the end of the novel about different characters such as Tome, Jordan, and Daisy. However, Gatsby and Tom stays the same and does not show any change. Therefore, they are static characters .
Climax : The climax in The Great Gatsby takes place when the group of all of them is coming back from New York and Myrtle is killed by Gatsby. Then Gatsby shows greatness by taking the blame and getting killed by George.
Foreshadowing : The novel, The Great Gatsby , shows several examples of foreshadowing . Its fourth chapter shows the first such example when Nick sees that the gambler Wolfsheim is the friend of Gatsby which points to the means of his riches. The second example occurs when Jordan asks Nick that Gatsby wants to meet Daisy which clearly shows that he is going to rekindle his old love.
I’m p-paralysed with happiness.’ (Chapter-1)
The Flowers were unnecessary, for at two o’clock a greenhouse arrived from Gatsby’s, with innumerable receptacles to contain it. (Chapter-5)
‘FIer family is one aunt about a thousand years old. (Chapter-1) All these three examples show good use of the literary device of hyperbole .
If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. (Chapter-1)
He wouldn’t say another word. His correctness grew on him as we neared the city. We passed Port Roosevelt, where there was a glimpse of red-belted ocean-going ships, and sped along a cobbled slum lined with the dark, undeserted saloons of the faded-gilt nineteen-hundreds.” (Chapter-4)

In the first example, the passage shows the description of a person while the second presents the description of Port Roosevelt. In both descriptions, Fitzgerald has used senses of sound, sight, and hearing extensively.

Metaphor : The Great Gatsby shows various metaphors throughout the novel. For example, 1. The lawn started at the beach and ran towards the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sundials and brick walks and burning gardens. 2. Twenty miles from the city a pair of enormous eggs, identical in contour and separated only by a courtesy bay, jut out into the most domesticated body of saltwater in the Western hemisphere, the great wet barnyard of Long Island Sound. 3. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” The first metaphor compares the law to an animal , the second the places to eggs, and the last compares life to a voyage.
Mood : The novel, The Great Gatsby, shows a very serious mood that depicts pessimism and vapidity along with uselessness of the riches. It also becomes somber at the ugliness of the Valley of Ashes and the sad at the death of Gatsby.
Motif : The most important motifs of the novel, The Great Gatsby, are judgment, infidelity, and wealth which occur recurrently in the storyline.
Narrator : The novel, The Great Gatsby , has been narrated in a first-person narrative by Nick Carraway. It presents impressions of the place, society, and events from his personal point of view .
Half a dozen fingers pointed at the amputated wheel. (Chapter-3)
Blinded by the glare of the headlights and confused by the incessant groaning of the horns , the apparition stood swaying for a moment before he perceived the man in the duster. (Chapter-3)
The Dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away trying to touch what was no longer tangible. (Chapter-7) The first example shows fingers, second apparition, and the third dead dream as if they have lives of their own.
Protagonist : Although it seems that Nick Carraway is the protagonist, yet he is not. He is only the narrator. It is Jay Gatsby who is the real protagonist of the novel. It is because he demonstrates greatness by the end by telling truth to Nick, taking the blame on himself, and getting killed.
Paradox : The Great Gatsby, at the deep level, shows that Gatsby is a person of many paradoxes. He idealizes the American Dream and has become a gentleman to be liked. However, he has left this world with a single friend at his funeral.
Rhetorical Questions: The novel shows the use of rhetorical questions in several places. For example, 1. What could you make of that, except to suspect some intensity in his conception of the affair that couldn’t be measured? 2. Who wants to go to town?’ demanded Daisy insistently. The first example shows the use of a rhetorical question posed by Nick that he does not want an answer. The second shows the same used by Daisy.
Theme : A theme is a central idea that the novelist or the writer wants to stress upon. The novel, The Great Gatsby , not only shows class, society, American Dream, and mortality but also demonstrates loneliness and the impacts of riches or wealth.
Setting : The setting of the novel, The Great Gatsby , is the city of New York and its Long Island with two fictional towns East Egg and West Egg.
Simile : The novel shows good use of various similes. For example, 1. Instead of being the warm center of the world, the Middle West now seemed like the ragged edge of the universe. (Chapter-1) 2. They (bonds) stood on my shelf in red and gold like new money from the mint. (Chapter-1)
The first simile compares the Middle West to a ragged edge, while the second compares the gold to new money.
Symbol: The Great Gatsby shows various symbols such as the green light, the clothes of Gatsby, and the Valley of Ashes as well as his car which shows that it is due to the new money that he has earned. Even the East Egg and West Egg or symbols of capitalism and materialism.
Irony : The novel shows irony in that, though, Gatsby is the center of attention of the parties, nobody shows up at his funeral except one person. The second irony is that Gatsby shows shyness when meeting Daisy despite his mundane success. The third example of irony is that Myrtle wants to die at the hands of Tom but it is Daisy who becomes her killer, for she was driving the car.

The Great Gatsby Quotes
The Great Gatsby Symbolism
Behind Every Great Man There Is A Great Woman
To Be Great is to Be Misunderstood
The Great Unwashed
Great Expectations
The Great Storm
Great Expectations Quotes
Great Expectations Characters
10 Great Metaphors in R&B Songs
10 Great Metaphors from Popular Music
Top 6 Great Metaphors in Presidential Speeches
After Great Pain, a Formal Feeling Comes
Great Metaphor Examples for Kids
Great Allegorical Poem Examples
10 Great Metaphors from Popular 2000’s Songs
10 Great Metaphors from Popular Disney Songs
10 Great Metaphors from Popular 1960s’ Songs
10 Great Metaphors from Popular 1970’s Songs
10 Great Metaphors from Popular 1980’s Songs
10 Great Metaphors from Popular 1990’s Songs
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald

Critical Overview of "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Discussing the plot, main character, and theme of an American classic

Authors & Texts
Top Picks Lists
Study Guides
Best Sellers
Plays & Drama
Shakespeare
Short Stories
Children's Books

The Great Gatsby is F. Scott Fitzgerald's greatest novel—a book that offers damning and insightful views of the American nouveau riche in the 1920s. The Great Gatsby is an American classic and a wonderfully evocative work.

Like much of Fitzgerald's prose, it is neat and well-crafted. Fitzgerald has a brilliant understanding of lives that are corrupted by greed and turn out incredibly sad and unfulfilled. He was able to translate this understanding into one of the finest pieces of literature of the 1920s . The novel is a product of its generation—with one of American literature's most powerful characters in the figure of Jay Gatsby, who is urbane and world-weary. Gatsby is really nothing more than a man desperate for love.

The Great Gatsby Overview

The novel's events are filtered through the consciousness of its narrator, Nick Carraway, a young Yale graduate, who is both a part of and separate from the world he describes. Upon moving to New York, he rents a house next door to the mansion of an eccentric millionaire (Jay Gatsby). Every Saturday, Gatsby throws a party at his mansion and all the great and the good of the young fashionable world come to marvel at his extravagance (as well as swap gossipy stories about their host who—it is suggested—has a murky past).

Despite his high-living, Gatsby is dissatisfied and Nick finds out why. Long ago, Gatsby fell in love with a young girl, Daisy. Although she has always loved Gatsby, she is currently married to Tom Buchanan. Gatsby asks Nick to help him meet Daisy once more, and Nick finally agrees—arranging tea for Daisy at his house.

The two ex-lovers meet and soon rekindle their affair. Soon, Tom begins to suspect and challenges the two of them—also revealing something that the reader had already begun to suspect: that Gatsby's fortune was made through illegal gambling and bootlegging. Gatsby and Daisy drive back to New York. In the wake of the emotional confrontation, Daisy hits and kills a woman. Gatsby feels that his life would be nothing without Daisy, so he takes the blame.

George Wilson—who discovers that the car that killed his wife belongs to Gatsby—comes to Gatsby's house and shoots him. Nick arranges a funeral for his friend and then decides to leave New York—saddened by the fatal events and disgusted by the way lived their lives.

Gatsby's Character and Societal Values

The power of Gatsby as a character is inextricably linked to his wealth. From the very beginning of The Great Gatsby , Fitzgerald sets up his eponymous hero as an enigma: the playboy millionaire with the shady past who can enjoy the frivolity and ephemera that he creates around him. However, the reality of the situation is that Gatsby is a man in love. Nothing more. He concentrated all of his life on winning Daisy back.

It is the way that he attempts to do this, however, that is central to Fitzgerald's world-view. Gatsby creates himself—both his mystique and his personality—around rotten values. They are the values of the American dream—that money, wealth, and popularity are all there is to achieve in this world. He gives everything he has—emotionally and physically—to win, and it is this unrestrained desire that contributes to his eventual downfall.

Social Commentary About Decadence

In the closing pages of The Great Gatsby , Nick considers Gatsby in a wider context. Nick links Gatsby with the class of people with whom he has become so inextricably associated. They are the society persons so prominent during the 1920s and 1930s. Like his novel The Beautiful and the Damned , Fitzgerald attacks the shallow social climbing and emotional manipulation—which only causes pain. With a decadent cynicism, the party-goers in The Great Gatsby cannot see anything beyond their own enjoyment. Gatsby's love is frustrated by the social situation and his death symbolizes the dangers of his chosen path.

F. Scott Fitzgerald paints a picture of a lifestyle and a decade that is both fascinating and horrific. In so doing, he captures a society and a set of young people; and he writes them into legend. Fitzgerald was a part of that high-living lifestyle, but he was also a victim of it. He was one of the beautiful but he was also forever damned. In all its excitement—pulsating with life and tragedy— The Great Gatsby brilliantly captures the American dream in a time when it had descended into decadence.

Why Was "The Great Gatsby" Banned?
10 Classic Novels for Teens
49 Unforgettable F. Scott Fitzgerald Quotes
'The Great Gatsby' Overview
The Great Gatsby and the Lost Generation
Top Conservative Novels
F. Scott Fitzgerald's Inspiration for 'The Great Gatsby'
What is the role of women in 'The Great Gatsby'?
'The Great Gatsby' Themes
'The Great Gatsby' Characters: Descriptions and Significance
'The Great Gatsby' Plot Summary
'The Great Gatsby' Study Questions
'The Great Gatsby' Quotes Explained
Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Writer of the Jazz Age
The Lost Generation and the Writers Who Described Their World
The Most Commonly Read Books in High School

– Entertainment Analysis and Reviews

Exploring “The Great Gatsby” book: Review, Themes, Characters

“The Great Gatsby” is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and first published in 1925. It is widely considered a masterpiece of American literature and a quintessential representation of the Jazz Age, a term coined by Fitzgerald himself to describe the cultural and social atmosphere of the 1920s. The book tells the story of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious and wealthy young man who throws lavish parties in his mansion on Long Island, and his pursuit of his former love interest, Daisy Buchanan, who is now married to Tom Buchanan, a wealthy and arrogant man. The novel deals with themes of love, wealth, social status, and the corruption of the American Dream.

Since its publication, “The Great Gatsby” has become a classic and a staple of high school and college curricula. It has also been adapted into several films, stage plays, and musicals, cementing its place in popular culture. The book’s enduring appeal lies in its vivid portrayal of the Roaring Twenties and its insightful commentary on human nature and society. In this article, we will delve into the plot, themes, symbolism, and cultural context of “The Great Gatsby,” as well as its critical reception and legacy.

The Great Gatsby book Summary

The great gatsby book characters, the great gatsby book review: literary analysis, historical and cultural context, the great gatsby movie vs book, critical reception.

“The Great Gatsby” is a complex and multilayered novel that weaves together different narrative threads and characters. The story is narrated by Nick Carraway, a young man from the Midwest who moves to New York City to work in the bond business. Nick rents a small house in West Egg, a wealthy suburb of Long Island, next to the extravagant mansion of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby.

As Nick becomes acquainted with the social circle of his cousin Daisy Buchanan and her husband Tom, he discovers the secret past of Gatsby, who turns out to be a self-made millionaire with a shady reputation. Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy, his former lover, drives him to throw lavish parties and to pursue her at all costs, even though she is already married to Tom, who is having an affair with a woman named Myrtle Wilson.

As tensions rise and secrets are revealed, the novel reaches a tragic climax that exposes the corruption and emptiness of the high society of the 1920s. Here are some key events and characters in the plot of “The Great Gatsby”:

Jay Gatsby: the enigmatic and mysterious protagonist who is driven by his desire to win back Daisy’s love and to achieve the American Dream.
Daisy Buchanan: the object of Gatsby’s affection, a beautiful and shallow woman who is torn between her feelings for Gatsby and her loyalty to her husband Tom.
Tom Buchanan: Daisy’s husband, a wealthy and arrogant man who embodies the social and moral decay of the upper class.
Nick Carraway: the narrator and a peripheral character who becomes involved in the lives of the other characters and serves as a moral compass for the reader.
Myrtle Wilson: Tom’s mistress, a working-class woman who dreams of a better life and is ultimately killed in a tragic accident.
The Valley of Ashes: a symbolic location between West Egg and New York City, where the industrial and social waste of the modern world is dumped.
The green light: a recurring symbol of Gatsby’s hopes and dreams, representing his longing for a better future and his nostalgia for the past.
The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg: a haunting and ominous billboard in the Valley of Ashes that symbolizes the loss of spiritual values and the rise of materialism in American society.

Here are the main characters of “The Great Gatsby,” along with their characterizations and motivations:

Jay Gatsby – A mysterious and enigmatic millionaire who throws extravagant parties at his mansion in West Egg. Gatsby is motivated by his love for Daisy Buchanan, his former flame, and his desire to win her back.
Daisy Buchanan – A beautiful and wealthy socialite who is married to Tom Buchanan. Daisy is portrayed as shallow and self-absorbed, but she also has a sensitive side and is torn between her feelings for Gatsby and her loyalty to her husband and her social status.
Nick Carraway – The narrator of the story, who rents a small cottage in West Egg and becomes friends with Gatsby. Nick is portrayed as an honest and observant character, who is often caught in the middle of the other characters’ conflicts.
Tom Buchanan – Daisy’s husband and a wealthy former football player who is arrogant and domineering. Tom is motivated by his desire for power and control, and he becomes increasingly suspicious of Gatsby’s intentions towards his wife.
Jordan Baker – A professional golfer and friend of Daisy’s who becomes romantically involved with Nick. Jordan is portrayed as cold and cynical, and she often serves as a foil to Daisy’s more vulnerable and emotional character.

Overall, the characters in “The Great Gatsby” are complex and multi-dimensional, with their own motivations, flaws, and desires. The novel explores themes of love, wealth, power, and the illusion of the American Dream through the actions and interactions of these characters.

“The Great Gatsby” is a rich and layered work of literature that employs various literary devices and techniques to convey its themes and messages. In this section, we will explore some of the most prominent aspects of the book’s style and structure.

Themes and Motifs One of the central themes of “The Great Gatsby” is the pursuit of the American Dream, the belief that anyone can achieve success and happiness through hard work and determination. However, the novel also exposes the dark side of this ideal, showing how it can lead to greed, corruption, and moral decay. Other themes in the book include the power of love and obsession, the illusion of wealth and status, and the consequences of societal and class divisions.

The book also makes use of several recurring motifs, such as the green light, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, and the valley of ashes. These symbols reinforce the themes of the novel and create a sense of unity and coherence.

Symbolism Fitzgerald’s use of symbolism is one of the most striking and effective aspects of his writing. The green light, for instance, represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams, as well as the elusive and unattainable nature of the American Dream. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, on the other hand, symbolize the loss of spiritual values and the rise of materialism in American society.

Other symbols in the book include the white dresses that Daisy and Jordan wear, which suggest their purity and innocence, but also their superficiality and emptiness. The valley of ashes, meanwhile, represents the desolation and decay that lurk beneath the glittering surface of the Jazz Age.

Writing Style and Techniques Fitzgerald’s writing style is characterized by its elegance, lyricism, and attention to detail. He uses vivid and evocative descriptions to bring his characters and settings to life, and his prose is imbued with a sense of nostalgia and melancholy. The novel also employs various narrative techniques, such as flashbacks, foreshadowing, and symbolism, to create a sense of depth and complexity.

“The Great Gatsby” is set in the 1920s, a period of great social and cultural change in America. In this section, we will explore some of the historical and cultural factors that shaped the novel and its themes.

The Roaring Twenties The 1920s, also known as the Roaring Twenties, was a time of great economic growth and cultural experimentation in America. The end of World War I brought about a sense of optimism and confidence, and the nation experienced a boom in consumerism, entertainment, and new technologies.

This era also saw the rise of the Jazz Age, a cultural movement that celebrated youth, freedom, and rebellion against traditional values. “The Great Gatsby” captures the spirit of this era through its depiction of lavish parties, fast cars, and flapper fashion.

Society and Class in the 1920s The 1920s was also a time of great social and economic inequality. While the wealthy elite enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and freedom, many Americans struggled to make ends meet and faced discrimination and prejudice.

“The Great Gatsby” reflects this divide through its portrayal of characters from different social classes. The working-class characters, such as George Wilson and Myrtle Wilson, live in poverty and are marginalized by the rich and powerful. The upper-class characters, such as Tom Buchanan and Daisy Buchanan, are insulated from the harsh realities of life and pursue their own selfish desires.

Relevance to Contemporary Society Although “The Great Gatsby” is set almost a century ago, many of its themes and messages still resonate with contemporary society. The novel’s critique of the corrupting influence of wealth and power, for instance, remains relevant in a world where income inequality and political corruption are major issues.

The debate between whether the book or the movie adaptation is better has been ongoing for years, and “The Great Gatsby” is no exception. Here are some points to consider when comparing the book and the movie:

Plot and Characterization One of the main differences between the book and the movie is the amount of detail and depth in the plot and characters. The book, being a novel, has much more room for character development, backstory, and subplots, while the movie must condense these elements to fit within a two-hour runtime. This can result in some characters and plot points being left out or simplified in the movie adaptation.
Visual and Cinematic Elements The movie adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” has the advantage of being able to use visual and cinematic elements to convey the story and atmosphere of the book. The movie’s stunning visuals, elaborate costumes, and elaborate sets help to bring the opulence and decadence of the Jazz Age to life in a way that the book cannot.
Adherence to the Source Material When comparing a book and its movie adaptation, it’s important to consider how faithful the movie is to the source material. While “The Great Gatsby” movie follows the basic plot of the book, it also takes some liberties with the story and characters. For instance, the movie adds some scenes and subplots that are not present in the book, and it changes some aspects of the characters’ personalities and motivations.
Personal Preferences Ultimately, whether the book or the movie adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” is better is a matter of personal preference. Some readers may prefer the depth and complexity of the book, while others may enjoy the visual spectacle and soundtrack of the movie. Similarly, some viewers may prefer the movie’s changes and additions to the story, while others may prefer the more faithful adaptation of the book.

“The Great Gatsby” has been widely acclaimed as a masterpiece of American literature, but it has also generated a range of opinions and critiques over the years. In this section, we will explore the critical reception of the novel from its initial publication to the present day.

Initial Reviews and Reactions When “The Great Gatsby” was first published in 1925, it received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised Fitzgerald’s lyrical prose and his evocative portrayal of the Jazz Age, while others criticized the book’s morality and shallow characters. Despite this mixed reception, the novel was a commercial success and has since become a classic of American literature.
Modern-Day Opinions and Critiques In the decades since its publication, “The Great Gatsby” has been the subject of continued analysis and critique by scholars and readers alike. Some have praised the book for its exploration of the American Dream, its vivid characters, and its timeless themes of love, loss, and disillusionment. Others, however, have criticized the novel for its elitism, misogyny, and failure to fully engage with issues of race and class. Some readers have also found fault with the book’s ambiguous ending and its portrayal of the morally bankrupt wealthy elite.

“The Great Gatsby” remains a timeless classic that continues to captivate readers and viewers to this day. Through its vivid depictions of the Jazz Age and its cast of complex and multi-dimensional characters, the novel offers a powerful commentary on the themes of love, wealth, power, and the illusion of the American Dream.

The first section of the article discussed the plot of the book, highlighting its themes of love, wealth, and the corruption of the American Dream. The second section focused on the style and literary techniques used in the novel, such as symbolism and foreshadowing. The third section explored the characters of the book, providing insight into their motivations and personalities. The fourth section delved into the historical and cultural context of the 1920s, and the relevance of the novel to contemporary society. Finally, the fifth section explored the critical reception of “The Great Gatsby,” highlighting the initial reviews and modern-day opinions, as well as its impact on literature and popular culture.

Hi, I’m William Jones, the administrator of the exciting website explainedthis.com, which offers movie, music, and book reviews. With a deep passion for entertainment, I created this platform to provide a trusted source of information for fellow enthusiasts who want to stay up-to-date on the latest releases and trends.

I take great pride in my team of reviewers to provide high quality content that is informative and entertaining. Each review is thoroughly researched and written to ensure readers have a complete understanding of the subject matter.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

grandmaster of demonic cultivation novel

Read TIME’s Original Review of <i>The Great Gatsby</i>

Read TIME’s Original Review of The Great Gatsby

T he main book review in the May 11, 1925, issue of TIME earned several columns of text, with an in-depth analysis of the book’s significance and the author’s background.

But, nearly a century later, you’ve probably never heard of Mr. Tasker’s Gods , by T.F. Powys, much less read it.

Meanwhile, another book reviewed in the issue, earning a single paragraph relegated to the second page of the section, has gone down in history as one of the most important works in American literature — and, to many, the great American novel. It was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby , published exactly 90 years ago, on April 10, 1925.

TIME’s original review, though noting Fitzgerald’s talent, gave little hint of the fame waiting for the book:

THE GREAT GATSBY—F. Scott Fitzgerald—Scribner—($2.00). Still the brightest boy in the class, Scott Fitzgerald holds up his hand. It is noticed that his literary trousers are longer, less bell-bottomed, but still precious. His recitation concerns Daisy Fay who, drunk as a monkey the night before she married Tom Buchanan, muttered: “Tell ’em all Daisy’s chang’ her mind.” A certain penniless Navy lieutenant was believed to be swimming out of her emotional past. They gave her a cold bath, she married Buchanan, settled expensively at West Egg, L. I., where soon appeared one lonely, sinister Gatsby, with mounds of mysterious gold, ginny habits and a marked influence on Daisy. He was the lieutenant, of course, still swimming. That he never landed was due to Daisy’s baffled withdrawal to the fleshly, marital mainland. Due also to Buchanan’s disclosure that the mounds of gold were ill-got. Nonetheless, Yegg Gatsby remained Daisy’s incorruptible dream, unpleasantly removed in person toward the close of the book by an accessory in oil-smeared dungarees.

But not everyone had trouble seeing the future: in a 1933 cover story about Gertrude Stein, the intellectual icon offered her prognostications on the literature of her time. F. Scott Fitzgerald, she told TIME, “will be read when many of his well known contemporaries are forgotten.”

More Must-Reads From TIME

Jane Fonda Champions Climate Action for Every Generation
Passengers Are Flying up to 30 Hours to See Four Minutes of the Eclipse
Biden’s Campaign Is In Trouble. Will the Turnaround Plan Work?
Essay: The Complicated Dread of Early Spring
Why Walking Isn’t Enough When It Comes to Exercise
The Financial Influencers Women Actually Want to Listen To
The Best TV Shows to Watch on Peacock
Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time

Review: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald book cover

← Older Posts
Newer Posts →

1/ Now go read Trimalchio ! 2/ I believe The Great Gatsby was inspired by Great Expectations . 3/ You may find this interesting: http://dgmyers.blogspot.no/2013/08/baz-luhrmanns-final-paper.html

Great review. The last ten pages of the novel are just exquisitely wrought. The automobile at the time was for the rich only, transforming America. The African Amerucans in the expensive motor vehicle are an important symbol of a changing America.

Thanks, I'll take a look at Trimalchio when I get a chance. I can certainly see the comparison with Great Expectations . Interesting post - properly puts the boot into Luhrmann's adaptation. Good discussion in the comments too. Clearly, quality people frequent the place. ;)

Thanks, Mel - thousands of words could probably be written about the Automobile in Gatsby . There are some great passages - I imagine a re-read would only throw up more for me to enjoy.

Great review and I knew the green light meant more but I did not tie it into jeaulously until I read this. Very good point.

Thanks, the green light is a brilliant metaphor - visually moving and deeply layered. Such a simple idea but one that works so well.

I always welcome comments...

Analysis: The Outsider by Albert Camus

Analysis: Money by Martin Amis

Search this blog.

The Great Gatsby

By f. scott fitzgerald.

'The Great Gatsby' is generally considered to be F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece. It represents a cultural period in the United States that's now referred to as the Jazz Age.

About the Book

Article written by Emma Baldwin

B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.

In The Great Gatsby , readers will find themselves thrust into New York in the 1920s and the lives of Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, and Daisy and Tom Buchanan. The relationships between these central characters are defined by their understanding of the past, social climbing, and their desire for wealth.

‘Spoiler Free’ The Great Gatsby Summary

The Great Gatsby follows Nick Carraway, a young man from the midwest who moves to New York. He meets Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire, and spends time with his cousin, Daisy, and her husband, Tom. As Nick learns more about the dynamic in East and West Egg, he also learns that Gatsby is in love with Daisy and wants Nick to help him rekindle their relationship.

What at first seems like a perfect match soon results in a tragic event that should shatter the lives of everyone involved. But, as Nick learns, the people he’s surrounded himself with are vapid and entirely without empathy.

The Great Gatsby Summary

Spoiler alert: important details of the novel are revealed below.

The Great Gatsby opens with Nick Carraway moving to New York from Minnesota in the summer of 1922. He intends to learn the bond business. The reader learns about the difference between West Egg and East Egg, districts of Long Island. Nick moves to the former, a wealthy area in which the newly rich live. It’s not as fashionable or well established as East Egg, where the generationally wealthy and upper class live.

Nick soon meets a mysterious man, Jay Gatsby, who is his next-door neighbor. He lives in a huge mansion and throws outrageous parties every Saturday night. He travels to East Egg soon after moving in to visit his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and her husband, Tom. The two are socially popular and have a great deal of money. Tom is a large man with gruff habits and prone to racist comments. He also meets Jordan Baker, a professional golfer, at their home. The three live in luxury and demonstrate their disregard and lack of empathy for others on many different occasions.

It’s that night that Nick sees Gatsby for the first time. He’s standing at the end of his dock, looking across the water. Nick spots a green light in the distance. A light he eventually learns is on the end of Daisy’s dock.

Soon after, Nick travels with Tom to see Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s most recent mistress. He openly flaunts this relationship even though Nick is his wife’s cousin. Her husband runs a garage in a run-down section of the city. It’s an area very different from that in which the main characters live. Myrtle and Tom fight about Daisy, Tom’s wife, and the evening ends when Tom hits Myrtle, breaking her nose.

Nick turns up to one of Gatsby’s parties after this incident, knowing that everyone who comes to his home is accepted into the gathering. No one is ever turned away, nor is anyone ever invited. Gatsby is mysterious, staying away from his guests and preferring to watch everything than participate himself. Gatsby and Jordan speak briefly, and the latter expresses amazement at what she heard.

Gatsby and Nick drive into the city where Nick meets Meyer Wolfshiem, one of Gatsby’s underworld associates. He’s linked to organized crime. At this time, the reader learns that Gatsby told Jordan that he knew Daisy in 1917 in Louisville and is in love with her still. His parties are only an opportunity to see her. He hopes every night that she shows up. The two originally met when Gatsby was in the army. He didn’t have the money to support the kind of life she wanted to have. But, in the intervening years, he’s focused on making as much money as possible so that he could win her back.

Daisy, on the other hand, found someone with more money to marry. It turns out that Gatsby even selected his home so that he’d be across the sound from her, as close as he could get.

Gatsby asks Nick to help him reestablish his connection with Daisy. But he’s worried Daisy isn’t going to want to see him. This results in Nick inviting Daisy to his house without informing her that Gatsby was all invited. The two reconnect and start an affair, making Nick feel like the odd one out. The three go to Gatsby’s house, where he shows Daisy around to prove how far he’s come since they knew one another years earlier.

The reader learns more about Gatsby’s past, including the time he spent working for Dan Cody on a yacht. Gatsby changed his name when he was seventeen from James Gatz and determined to make a different kind of life for himself. Now, Gatsby believes that he can recapture the love he had in the past marking a dichotomy between the type of peers Gatsby turned himself into and the person he’s trying to reclaim.

Tom grows suspicious about the relationship between his wife and Gatsby and soon realizes that Gatsby is in love with her. Daisy doesn’t hide her affection for Gatsby either. Tom eventually confronts Gatsby in the Plaza Hotel. Gatsby tries to get Daisy to admit that she’s never loved Tom and it was always him that she cared for. She’s unable to do that. Tom then tells Daisy that Gatsby is a criminal who made his fortune from bootlegging and other illegal activities. She returns to Tom, and he sends her home. Myrtle’s husband has also learned that his wife is having an affair, but he doesn’t know who the man is.

The climax of the novel occurs when it’s revealed that there’s been a car accident. Daisy was driving and hit Myrtle, Tom’s mistress, with the car. But, Gatsby wants to take the blame. Myrtle’s husband, George, is informed of the death and decides that Myrtle’s lover must’ve driven the car. He finds Gatsby at the mansion and shoots him, and then kills himself. Gatsby has a small funeral, one that isn’t attended by any of those who took advantage of his hospitality. No one seems especially bothered by the man’s death. Nick, who has been having a relationship with Jordan, ends it and moves back to Minnesota. He is determined to get away from the vapid people in Gatsby’s circle.

It turns out that Tom told George that Gatsby owned the car that hit Myrtle, a roundabout way of naming him as Myrtle’s lover rather than take the blame for that himself. Nick is disgusted by the actions of those he briefly considered friends.

The book ends with Nick contemplating what happened to Gatsby’s dream of a life with Daisy. It was corrupted by money and the desire for social climbing. He lands on the thought that the time of the American dream, just like Gatsby’s dream, is over.

What is the basic plot of The Great Gatsby ?

The book tells the story of a self-made millionaire, Jay Gatsby, who tries and fails to reclaim a relationship from five years prior.

What is the main message in The Great Gatsby ?

The main message is that American dream is impossible to obtain.

How did Gatsby kill himself?

Gatsby was killed by George Wilson who later killed himself.

What lesson can you learn from The Great Gatsby ?

You can learn that the past is impossible to reclaim and that the American dream is a myth.

What did Gatsby do to get rich?

Gatsby worked bootlegging alcohol and in other miscellaneous criminal enterprises with people like Meyer Wolfsheim.

About Emma Baldwin

Emma Baldwin, a graduate of East Carolina University, has a deep-rooted passion for literature. She serves as a key contributor to the Book Analysis team with years of experience.

Cite This Page

Baldwin, Emma " The Great Gatsby Summary 🍾 " Book Analysis , https://bookanalysis.com/f-scott-fitzgerald/the-great-gatsby/summary/ . Accessed 3 April 2024.

It'll change your perspective on books forever.

Discover 5 Secrets to the Greatest Literature

There was a problem reporting this post.

Block Member?

Please confirm you want to block this member.

You will no longer be able to:

See blocked member's posts
Mention this member in posts
Invite this member to groups

Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.

Craft and Criticism
Fiction and Poetry
News and Culture
Lit Hub Radio
Reading Lists

Literary Criticism
Craft and Advice
In Conversation
On Translation
Short Story
From the Novel
Bookstores and Libraries
Film and TV
Art and Photography
Freeman’s
The Virtual Book Channel
Behind the Mic
Beyond the Page
The Cosmic Library
The Critic and Her Publics
Emergence Magazine
Fiction/Non/Fiction
First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing
Future Fables
The History of Literature
I’m a Writer But
Just the Right Book

Lit Century

The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan
New Books Network
Tor Presents: Voyage Into Genre
Windham-Campbell Prizes Podcast
Write-minded
The Best of the Decade
Best Reviewed Books
BookMarks Daily Giveaway
The Daily Thrill
CrimeReads Daily Giveaway

Is The Great Gatsby Actually Profound?

This week from the lit century podcast.

Welcome to Lit Century: 100 Years, 100 Books . Combining literary analysis with an in-depth look at historical context, hosts Sandra Newman and Catherine Nichols choose one book for each year of the 20th century, and—along with special guests—will take a deep dive into a hundred years of literature.

In this episode, Catherine and Sandra talk about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby . Why is modernity (and the swimming pool) always deadly in 20th-century fiction? Where and how did Fitzgerald lose control of his material? Would it be a different book if Fitzgerald had chosen a different narrator? And most of all: why is this book so commonly seen as the great American novel?

Subscribe and download the episode , wherever you get your podcasts!

From the episode:

Sandra: Mostly I teach it because it is the perfect novel vis a vis structure. One of the ways that it’s interesting is how he turns the whole novel into a pattern with these repeating motifs, and everything is a symbol that meshes perfectly with everything else so that it’s like this little clockwork machine. And yet it’s also incredibly messy. There’s this emotional and thematic messiness to it where he’s not in control of his material as soon as you probe beyond that pattern.

Catherine: I’m so glad you said that. In my notes I have a section that says, is this actually profound? With a list of things where I couldn’t actually tell.

Sandra: Sometimes he’s trying to be profound and it’s just silly.

Catherine: Exactly! This is just the nature of reading when you’re older versus younger is that I could see it in the context of other works because I had just read more. I had been told about it as this quintessentially American novel, and then reading it this time I was thinking, it’s like a Jeeves and Wooster story. It’s like a Wodehouse story but not funny. The idea that there’s these two characters, one of them is watching the other one, and there’s a mystery and there’s love hijinks and there’s people trying to set up the perfect opportunity to give a flower to the girl and it’s ruined and doesn’t work out right, and misunderstandings and car crashes and fascists.

This is all stuff that would happen in a Jeeves and Wooster story, and it has that kind of flimsiness and silliness to it in a way, and lightness of consequence. And then he’s also saying, but none of those things are funny, all of these things are actually profound. And some of them are, I think. And then some of them just seemed not actually as serious as he’s setting them up to be, and there isn’t a tonal difference that suggests he knows that.

To listen to the rest of the episode, subscribe and listen on iTunes , Stitcher , or wherever else you find your favorite podcasts.

Sandra Newman is the author of the novels The Only Good Thing Anyone Has Ever Done , shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, Cake , and The Country of Ice Cream Star , longlisted for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction and named one of the best books of the year by the Washington Post and NPR. She is the author of the memoir Changeling as well as several other nonfiction books. Her work has appeared in Harper’s and Granta , among other publications. She lives in New York City.

Catherine Nichols is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in many places, including Jezebel, Aeon, and Electric Literature. She lives in Brookyln.

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Next article, support lit hub..

Join our community of readers.

to the Lithub Daily

Follow us on Twitter

A Revolution in Creativity: On Slow Writing

RSS - Posts

Literary Hub

Created by Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature

How to Pitch Lit Hub

Advertisers: Contact Us

Support Lit Hub - Become A Member

Become a Lit Hub Supporting Member : Because Books Matter

For the past decade, Literary Hub has brought you the best of the book world for free—no paywall. But our future relies on you. In return for a donation, you’ll get an ad-free reading experience , exclusive editors’ picks, book giveaways, and our coveted Joan Didion Lit Hub tote bag . Most importantly, you’ll keep independent book coverage alive and thriving on the internet.

Become a member for as low as $5/month

The Great Gatsby

F. scott fitzgerald, everything you need for every book you read., nick carraway, daisy buchanan, jordan baker.

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, the great gatsby.

Now streaming on:

Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of "The Great Gatsby" isn't a disaster. Every frame is sincere. Its miscalculations come from a wish to avoid embalming a classic novel in "respectfulness" — a worthy goal, in theory. It boasts the third most imaginative use of 3D I've seen recently, after "U2 3D" and " Hugo ." It's a technological and aesthetic lab that has four or five experiments cooking in each scene. Even when the movie's not working, its style fascinates.

That "not working" part is a deal breaker, though — and it has little to do with Luhrmann's stylistic gambits, and everything to do with his inability to reconcile them with an urge to play things straight.

If you've seen Lurhmann's " Strictly Ballroom ," " Romeo + Juliet " or " Moulin Rouge ," or watched "Gatsby" trailers, you know what you're in for: an epic melodrama that fuses old-movie theatrics and subjective filmmaking, period music and modern pop, real sets and unreal landscapes, psychological drama and speeded-up slapstick.

We see the book's Prohibition-era settings (East Egg and West Egg, New York City, and the sooty wasteland in between) through the eyes of the narrator, Nick Carraway ( Tobey Maguire ), who's writing a memoir-confession from an asylum. This framing device is inferred from statements Fitzgerald made in "The Crack-Up," and "Gatsby" often refers to itself as a book, so even though it isn't officially part of the source, it's hardly a blasphemous indulgence; still, it's one more buffer between viewer and story in a movie that already has more than its share.

All this busywork might astonish if Lurhmann's heart were in it—but is it? The guests at Gatsby's party are too obviously directed, and there's no sense of escalation in the gatherings. From frame one, they're Dionysian whirls of booze, lust and hero worship, minus the sense that that things are ebbing and flowing as they would at a real party. The CGI-assisted camera acrobatics feel obligatory. So do the anachronistic soundtrack mash-ups (modern hip-hop layered over ragtime piano and the like).

But in the film's dark second half, "The Great Gatsby" half-forgets its mandate to wow us and zeroes in on actors in rooms. Once that happens, the Luhrmannerisms distract from the film's true heart: the actions and feelings of its characters. Luhrmann didn't set out to make a PBS-style, bare-bones adaptation, but there are times when it feels as though he secretly wants to.

Once you get past the movie's opening eruptions of visual excess — hundreds of party guests boozing and hollering and doing the Charleston; CGI cityscapes that visualize 1920s New York by way of Warren Beatty's candy-colored " Dick Tracy "; a long expository talk between Gatsby and Nick in a careening computer-buffed roadster that moves as believably as the talking cab in " Who Framed Roger Rabbit " — "The Great Gatsby" settles into a traditional groove: scene, scene, montage, scene, burst of violence, moment of reflection. The movie wants to be a "kaleidoscopic carnival," to quote a phrase from the book's description of a Jay Gatsby party, but Luhrmann's instincts seem more traditional, even square, and the two impulses cancel each out. Once you've spent time with his cast, you understand why he was torn.

DiCaprio's Gatsby is the movie's greatest and simplest special effect: an illusion conjured mainly through body language and voice. On the page, the character is so mysterious, so much a projection of the book's narrator, that you'd think he'd be as unplayable onscreen as Kurtz or John Galt; he eluded Alan Ladd and Robert Redford , the role's previous inhabitants. And yet DiCaprio makes him comprehensible and achingly real. The actor's choices drive home the idea that Gatsby is playing the man he wishes he were, and that others need him to be. We see the calculations behind his eyes, but we also believe that he could hide them from the other characters — most of them, anyway.

DiCaprio's acting evokes Nick's description of the human personality as "an unbroken series of successful gestures." Luhrmann cuts some scenes to make it seem as if the character really is omniscient — as if he can see and hear for miles and read people's thoughts and feelings — and DiCaprio plays these moments with a mix of inscrutability and delight, as if Gatsby knows something we don't, but is too clever to say precisely what. (He could play Superman.) When Gatsby's deceptions are revealed and his illusions shattered, DiCaprio becomes at once terrifying and pathetic, a false idol toppling himself from his pedestal. In his final moment of realization, DiCaprio's blue eyes match the blue of Gatsby's pool, and his anguished face, framed in tight close-up, has a ghastly beauty. This is an iconic performance — maybe his career best.

The rest of the cast is nearly as impressive. Nick Carraway is almost as much of an abstraction as Gatsby — an audience surrogate, with touches of The Nice Guy Betrayed — but Maguire humanizes him, just as DiCaprio does Gatsby. It helps that he's played so many wry blank-slate types, but there's something else going on in his performance besides familiar notes — something deeper and sadder.

Carey Mulligan is physically and vocally right for Daisy Buchanan — when she flirts, the famous description of the character having "a voice like money" nearly makes sense — but the film doesn't idealize her, as Gatsby and Nick often seem to. There's a contradictory, complicated person there. She's matched — appropriately overmatched, really — by Joel Edgerton's Tom. The actor suits the book's description of the character as "hulking" and projects the jovial arrogance of a thug impersonating a cultured man with money; he's scary but life-sized, and always comprehensible. The small roles are well cast, too, with Elizabeth Debicki's Jordan Baker as a standout. The director is genuinely interested in his actors' performances, and in the characters' psyches. When the tale's simmering resentments detonate (notably in a scene near the end that takes pretty big liberties with the book) the result is a more powerful experience than crowd scenes and CGI panoramas can deliver.

There were times when I wished Luhrmann had made a smaller, squarer adaptation, because he seems to have the talent for it; I never would have imagined saying such a thing after seeing his other films, which have their merits but are hardly standard-bearers for subtlety. Alas, this "Gatsby" is so immense and overwrought — lumbering across the screen like the biggest, trashiest, loudest parade float of all time — that its intimacies feel like shared secrets between the director and the viewer. The movie's like a guest at a wild gathering who finds the frenzy tiresome and would rather be at home reading, but can't let on because he's supposed to be the life of the party.

Matt Zoller Seitz

Matt Zoller Seitz is the Editor at Large of RogerEbert.com, TV critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism.

Now playing

Problemista

Monica castillo.

Red Right Hand

Marya e. gates.

Cristina Escobar

Sleeping Dogs

Brian tallerico.

Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in Two Pieces

Film credits.

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying and brief language.

143 minutes

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby

Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan

Isla Fisher as Myrtle Wilson

Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway

Joel Edgerton as Tom Buchanan

Baz Luhrmann

Latest blog posts

The People’s Joker and Six Other Films That Were Stuck in Legal Limbo

Metrograph Highlights Remarkable Career of Lee Chang-dong

Female Filmmakers in Focus: Alice Rohrwacher on La Chimera

On Luca, Tenet, The Invisible Man and Other Films from the Early Pandemic Era that Deserve More Big-Screen Time

International edition
Australia edition
Europe edition

Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film of The Great Gatsby

Rediscovered: the long-lost script that helped The Great Gatsby become a classic

F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel was a flop until a 1926 staging became a Broadway smash

It is the quintessential novel of the hedonistic jazz age, a roaring 20s story about the mysteriously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. The Great Gatsby became an enduring classic , inspiring films and musicals, but received such mixed reviews in 1925 that its disappointed author, F Scott Fitzgerald, was all the more excited when it inspired a Broadway adaptation.

The 1926 dramatisation by Owen Davis, a Pulitzer prizewinner, opened to rave reviews and became a hit that contributed to the novel’s success, bringing Fitzgerald substantial royalties and fame.

But the original script had long since been lost. Now a copy has been rediscovered and will be published for the first time by Cambridge University Press – and it reveals that Davis took many liberties with Fitzgerald’s storyline.

An early stage adaptation of The Great Gatsby

Nick Carraway is no longer the narrator, new characters are invented, and Jay Gatsby’s past, which is revealed gradually throughout the novel, is presented all at once near the start. “Davis made some interesting changes,” said Anne Margaret Daniel, co-editor of the new publication. “He introduces some of the gangster characters who are in Gatsby’s underworld. He makes it very clear that Gatsby is in the business of organised crime, which is an apt reading of the book and, of course, it makes it more dramatic on stage.

“It’s a fascinating version of Gatsby. It absolutely captures the Jazz Age heat.”

The script had lain unnoticed for almost 100 years in a US archive. Daniel began searching for it after finding a fragment among Fitzgerald’s papers at Princeton University, along with unpublished production photographs. She eventually unearthed the complete script at Colorado State University, among papers from a study of Davis’s work that was never completed.

Portrait of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald at Dellwood in September 1921.

The script, which belonged to an actor in the Broadway staging, will be published for the first time on 25 April in the forthcoming book The Great Gatsby – The 1926 Broadway Script , edited by Daniel and James L W West III.

“It’s significant because this is the first time that The Great Gatsby was put on the Broadway stage, and thousands of people encountered the story for the first time,” said West.

“I would like to see it restaged – though The Great Gatsby is right now in the works as a Broadway musical and there’s also been an opera, a ballet and three movies at least.”

He added that, while Fitzgerald had been “protective” of the novel, he was excited by the staging, having seen an early draft and telling his agent in 1926 that it “put in my pocket seventeen or eighteen thousand without a stroke of work on my part”.

Fitzgerald had kept extensive material relating to Gatsby, and his archive at Princeton includes reviews of the novel and the Broadway production, sent to him by Max Perkins, his great editor at Scribner, and his agent, Harold Ober, as the writer was in Europe at the time.

Daniel said: “In his correspondence with Perkins, you can see that he was thrilled that it was being done. He was disappointed with the critical reception to Gatsby . He knew how good it was, but it got some stinky reviews. Some reviewers complained about the morality.”

In their introduction, she and West write that, if Fitzgerald had been allowed to attend rehearsals, “he would undoubtedly have been a pain in the neck”.

“In fact, anyone who reads the script today will probably react as Fitzgerald would have. The Great Gatsby has become a secular scripture, a verbal icon,” she said. “Many of us have read … the novel so often that we have it almost by heart. We should remember that, in 1926, The Great Gatsby was not yet a classic.”

F Scott Fitzgerald
The Observer
The Great Gatsby

More on this story

‘Three big flukes’: how Penguin ended up republishing a 1934 Rochdale plasterer’s tale

‘Extraordinary’: 101 women narrate A History of Women in 101 Objects audiobook

Authors ‘excluded from Hugo awards over China concerns’

‘Reading is so sexy’: gen Z turns to physical books and libraries

The best recent science fiction and fantasy – reviews roundup

Pity by Andrew McMillan review – men and memories in a Yorkshire pit town

The Great Undoing by Sharlene Allsopp review – experimental debut takes on the tech apocalypse

Bernardine Evaristo defends Royal Society of Literature over ‘false accusations’

Five of the best recent books from Ukraine

This month’s best paperbacks: Salman Rushdie, Greta Thunberg and more

10 Life Lessons From The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is one of the greatest stories from the Roaring Twenties. Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby’s story of societal acceptance and romance is a classic for a reason: the great writing combined with a group of characters that stay with the reader or viewer a long time after the story ends. This explains the effect it has on people even almost 100 years after the novel was released.

There have been four adaptations of this story , and two of them became incredibly well-known. The 1974 version of the story starring Robert Redford as Gatsby and Mia Farrow as Daisy. And a more modern version, directed by Baz Luhrmann, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan.

Regardless of which adaptation is playing, the story has some core life lessons that surpass the passage of time. Here are ten life lessons from The Great Gatsby .

Don’t Fall For Your Vices

Drinking and using drugs are a central part of the parties that the characters attend multiple times in the story. There’s an underlying message about falling for your vices, which can include feeling seen and belonging. Nick falls into a slumber when he begins to party non-stop until the character comes back to himself and stops. Most of the other characters are so engrossed in feeling like they belong that their appearance and status become a vice.

Search For True Connections

Even though Gatsby’s parties were the most popular, and everyone wanted to be invited, he died alone, apart from his only friend, Nick. There’s no point in living a life fueled with people who, when it really matters don’t care about you.

A majority of his guests didn’t even know who the mysterious Gatsby was — and they didn’t care, as long as the champagne kept flowing and the dance floor kept open. There's a clear message about seeking the company of those who truly care about you, and even if it didn't last long, Gatsby was able to find one true friend.

Your Past Doesn’t Define You

Gatsby decided that he wouldn’t allow his past to get in the way of his future. While he did get lost on the journey, he is an example of a character that took his life into his own hands. He taught Nick Carraway a lot about this by sharing his story of how he became the man that he is. One of the big lessons on the story is that you have agency over where you want to go and who you want to become.

Passion Can Be a Dangerous Thing

While Daisy and Gatsby's love story has moved generations , it was also the reason for the character's demise. Gatbsy revolved his whole life around a moment in time and the feeling of being in love until it consumed him completely.

It's a cautionary tale about passion and how easily it can turn into an unhealthy obsession. Jay is obsessed with the past, and even utters one of his most famous lines, "Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!"

Live Life For Yourself

One of Gatsby’s biggest flaws is that he lived his whole life thinking about how others perceive him. He did have goals, but they were intrinsically correlated with how he was going to be accepted by others or loved by Daisy. If he had lived a life for himself, he would have been a much happier man and most likely wouldn’t have the lonely ending he did.

Related: The Best Period Movies on Netflix You Should See

This also applies to Daisy: if she had taken her life into her own hands and done what made her happy, regardless of others, she probably wouldn’t be in an unhappy marriage.

Don’t Take Assumptions As Facts

There’s a huge portion of this story is about what people assume about others around them. This leads to many complications, stranded relationships, and even death. The characters keep making assumptions about each other, creating conflict and illusions about reality. There’s a deeper lesson in this: to not allow what you think could happen to cloud your judgment to be able to see what truly happened and who people really are.

Be Enough on Your Own

A great message for all the characters in this story is to be enough without anyone or anything around them. The constant need for others or material things is not healthy and continues to be a current message even after almost 100 years since the story was written. If Gatsby had felt like he was enough, he wouldn’t have searched his whole life for the approval of others.

Related: Period Movies from the 2010s That Had the Best Costumes, Ranked

Don’t Judge The People Around You

There’s a lot of judgment in this story: about family wealth and social status , relationships, etc. From the very opening line, Nick says what his father always told him, “'Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,' he told me, 'just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.'”

Daisy appears to be shallow and unaware of her surroundings, only for her to utter the line about her child, “I hope she'll be a fool. That's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” It’s a reminder that judging others by their appearance or social status only leads to deception and does not, in any way, reflect who they really are.

Money Can’t Buy Everything

Jay Gatsby spent years having expensive and luxurious parties to entertain his guests and, most importantly, get Daisy’s attention. However, even if he was the richest of all because he was what they considered "new money," it wasn’t enough to gain their respect or friendship.

There’s a moral in Jay’s story specifically: money can’t buy true connections or happiness, which was almost a direct contradiction to the idea of the American dream.

The American Dream Is Not Real

The biggest take from the novel is that the idea of the American dream is nothing but a façade and doesn’t apply to everyone. The story was written at a time when this was a great source of motivation for many, but while a few did succeed, many didn’t.

The American dream was incredibly popular at the time and continued for a few decades. Fitzgerald shows how frail this ideal is and how unfair the world really is, and that, unfortunately, sometimes, good people don't get their happily ever after.

IMAGES

The Great Gatsby (Deluxe Illustrated Edition) Hardcover
The Great Gatsby: A Novel: Illustrated Edition by F. Scott Fitzgerald
THE GREAT GATSBY
Critical Literature
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby, Book by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Paperback)

VIDEO

The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Book Review)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
the great Gatsby| the great Gatsby chapter one summary and analysis
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby

COMMENTS

The Great Gatsby Review
The Great Gatsby tells a very human story of wealth, dreams, and failure. F. Scott Fitzgerald takes the reader into the heart of the Jazz Age, in New York City, and into the world of Jay Gatsby. Through Nick's narration, readers are exposed to the dangers of caring too much about the wrong thing and devoting themselves to the wrong ideal.
Literature review of 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The paper explores the corrupted idea of the American Dream in one of the greatest novels written on the topic, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Even though the pursuance of the American Dream stems from the idea of hard work and success that is pure, truthful, and just, Jay Gatsby's approach in achieving it leads to his demise.
The Great Gatsby Study Guide
In the final years of their marriage as their debts piled up, Zelda stayed in a series of mental institutions on the East coast while Fitzgerald tried, and largely failed, to make money writing movie scripts in Hollywood. The best study guide to The Great Gatsby on the planet, from the creators of SparkNotes.
A Summary and Analysis of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is the quintessential Jazz Age novel, capturing a mood and a moment in American history in the 1920s, after the end of the First World War. Rather surprisingly, The Great Gatsby sold no more than 25,000 copies in F. Scott Fitzgerald's lifetime. It has now sold over 25 million copies. If Fitzgerald had stuck with one of the ...
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is F. Scott Fitzgerald's third novel. It was published in 1925. Set in Jazz Age New York, it tells the story of Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, and his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, a wealthy young woman whom he loved in his youth. Commercially unsuccessful upon publication, the book is now considered a classic of American fiction.
The Great Gatsby
The story of the novel, The Great Gatsby, revolves around a young man, Nick Carraway, who comes from Minnesota to New York in 1922. He is also the narrator of the story. His main objective is to establish his career in the bonds. Nick rents a house in West Egg on Long Island, which is a fictional village of New York.
"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Updated on March 05, 2019. The Great Gatsby is F. Scott Fitzgerald's greatest novel—a book that offers damning and insightful views of the American nouveau riche in the 1920s. The Great Gatsby is an American classic and a wonderfully evocative work. Like much of Fitzgerald's prose, it is neat and well-crafted.
The Great Gatsby: Study Guide
Gatsby is a wealthy and enigmatic man known for his extravagant parties and his unrequited love for Daisy. The novel explores themes of wealth and class, with Gatsby's pursuit of success and love serving as a symbol of the elusive and often unattainable nature of the American Dream. The story is layered with symbolism and explores the moral ...
The Great Gatsby: Full Book Analysis
The Great Gatsby is a story about the impossibility of recapturing the past and also the difficulty of altering one's future. The protagonist of the novel is Jay Gatsby, who is the mysterious and wealthy neighbor of the narrator, Nick Carraway. Although we know little about Gatsby at first, we know from Nick's introduction—and from the book's title—that Gatsby's story will be the ...
The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was published in 1925 in New York City. It is considered to be Fitzgerald's best and most famous novel.It depicts the lives of characters entangled in the New York City social scene, in dangerous love affairs, and endless wealth.Narrated by Nick Carraway, a man whose life mirrored Fitzgerald's own, he takes the reader into the mysterious world of Jay ...
Exploring "The Great Gatsby" book: Review, Themes, Characters
The great gatsby book review: Literary Analysis "The Great Gatsby" is a rich and layered work of literature that employs various literary devices and techniques to convey its themes and messages. In this section, we will explore some of the most prominent aspects of the book's style and structure.
Read TIME's Original Review of The Great Gatsby
THE GREAT GATSBY—F. Scott Fitzgerald—Scribner— ($2.00). Still the brightest boy in the class, Scott Fitzgerald holds up his hand. It is noticed that his literary trousers are longer, less ...
The Paris Review
It's creepier and profoundly, inexorably true to the spirit of the nation. This is not a book about people, per se. Secretly, it's a novel of ideas. Gatsby meets Daisy when he's a broke soldier and senses that she requires more prosperity, so five years later he returns as almost a parody of it.
Review: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a generation-defining novel that has come to represent the finery and despair of Jazz Age America and its wealthy elite. The narrator, Nick Carraway, having returned from the war, becomes restless in his native Midwest and decides to follow the money, dropping ideas of becoming a writer and heading East to sell bonds.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career.This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted "gin was the national drink and sex the ...
The Great Gatsby Summary
The Great Gatsby follows Nick Carraway, a young man from the midwest who moves to New York. He meets Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire, and spends time with his cousin, Daisy, and her husband, Tom. As Nick learns more about the dynamic in East and West Egg, he also learns that Gatsby is in love with Daisy and wants Nick to help him rekindle ...
Is The Great Gatsby Actually Profound? ‹ Literary Hub
Combining literary analysis with an in-depth look at historical context, hosts Sandra Newman and Catherine Nichols choose one book for each year of the 20th century, and—along with special guests—will take a deep dive into a hundred years of literature. In this episode, Catherine and Sandra talk about F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The ...
The Great Gatsby: Full Book Summary
When Nick, Jordan, and Tom drive through the valley of ashes, however, they discover that Gatsby's car has struck and killed Myrtle, Tom's lover. They rush back to Long Island, where Nick learns from Gatsby that Daisy was driving the car when it struck Myrtle, but that Gatsby intends to take the blame. The next day, Tom tells Myrtle's ...
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby is in many ways similar to Romeo and Juliet, yet I believe that it is so much more than just a love story. It is also a reflection on the hollowness of a life of leisure. Both ...
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Plot Summary
The Great Gatsby Summary. In the summer of 1922, Nick Carraway moves from Minnesota to work as a bond salesman in New York. Nick rents a house in West Egg, a suburb of New York on Long Island full of the "new rich" who have made their fortunes too recently to have built strong social connections. Nick graduated from Yale and has connections in ...
The Great Gatsby Character Analysis
Tom Buchanan. A former football player and Yale graduate who marries Daisy Buchanan. The oldest son of an extremely wealthy and successful "old money" family, Tom has a veneer of gentlemanly manners that barely veils a self-centered, sexist, racist, violent ogre of a man beneath.
The Great Gatsby movie review (2013)
Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of "The Great Gatsby" isn't a disaster. Every frame is sincere. Its miscalculations come from a wish to avoid embalming a classic novel in "respectfulness" — a worthy goal, in theory. It boasts the third most imaginative use of 3D I've seen recently, after "U2 3D" and "Hugo." It's a technological and aesthetic lab that has four or five experiments cooking in each scene.
Rediscovered: the long-lost script that helped The Great Gatsby become
The Great Gatsby became an enduring classic, inspiring films and musicals, but received such mixed reviews in 1925 that its disappointed author, F Scott Fitzgerald, was all the more excited when ...
The Great Gatsby Research Paper
1311 Words6 Pages. The Great Gatsby, one of the most iconic novels in American literature, has captivated readers for decades with its exploration of the American dream and the society of the 1920s. This classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald is not only a timeless piece of literature, but also a reflection of the modernist, realist, and ...
10 Life Lessons From The Great Gatsby
He taught Nick Carraway a lot about this by sharing his story of how he became the man that he is. One of the big lessons on the story is that you have agency over where you want to go and who you ...

Literature review of 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Related Papers

RELATED PAPERS

RELATED TOPICS

The Great Gatsby

Summary of The Great Gatsby

Major Themes in The Great Gatsby

Major Characters in The Great Gatsby

Writing Style of The Great Gatsby ‎

Analysis of Literary Devices in The Great Gatsby

Related posts:

Post navigation

Critical Overview of "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby Overview

Gatsby's Character and Societal Values

Social Commentary About Decadence

Exploring “The Great Gatsby” book: Review, Themes, Characters

The Great Gatsby book Summary

Read TIME’s Original Review of The Great Gatsby

More Must-Reads From TIME

You May Also Like

Advertisement

Review: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Analysis: The Outsider by Albert Camus

Analysis: Money by Martin Amis

The Great Gatsby

‘Spoiler Free’ The Great Gatsby Summary

The Great Gatsby Summary

What is the basic plot of The Great Gatsby ?

What is the main message in The Great Gatsby ?

How did Gatsby kill himself?

What lesson can you learn from The Great Gatsby ?

What did Gatsby do to get rich?

About Emma Baldwin

Cite This Page

Block Member?

Lit Century

Is The Great Gatsby Actually Profound?

Previous Article

to the Lithub Daily

Follow us on Twitter

A Revolution in Creativity: On Slow Writing

Literary Hub

Become a Lit Hub Supporting Member : Because Books Matter

The Great Gatsby

Movie Reviews

Matt Zoller Seitz

Now playing

Problemista

Red Right Hand

Cristina Escobar

Sleeping Dogs

Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in Two Pieces

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Latest blog posts

The People’s Joker and Six Other Films That Were Stuck in Legal Limbo

Metrograph Highlights Remarkable Career of Lee Chang-dong

Female Filmmakers in Focus: Alice Rohrwacher on La Chimera

On Luca, Tenet, The Invisible Man and Other Films from the Early Pandemic Era that Deserve More Big-Screen Time

Rediscovered: the long-lost script that helped The Great Gatsby become a classic

More on this story

‘Three big flukes’: how Penguin ended up republishing a 1934 Rochdale plasterer’s tale

‘Extraordinary’: 101 women narrate A History of Women in 101 Objects audiobook

Authors ‘excluded from Hugo awards over China concerns’

‘Reading is so sexy’: gen Z turns to physical books and libraries

The best recent science fiction and fantasy – reviews roundup

Pity by Andrew McMillan review – men and memories in a Yorkshire pit town

The Great Undoing by Sharlene Allsopp review – experimental debut takes on the tech apocalypse

Bernardine Evaristo defends Royal Society of Literature over ‘false accusations’

Five of the best recent books from Ukraine

This month’s best paperbacks: Salman Rushdie, Greta Thunberg and more

10 Life Lessons From The Great Gatsby

Don’t Fall For Your Vices

Search For True Connections

Your Past Doesn’t Define You

Passion Can Be a Dangerous Thing

Live Life For Yourself

Don’t Take Assumptions As Facts

Be Enough on Your Own

Don’t Judge The People Around You