The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

In the beginning of the Great Gatsby, we are introduced to a number of characters through the main narrator, Nick Carraway. We are given hints and suggestions about how Nick can be portrayed as a narrator and as a main character. Throughout the first two chapters, we get an impression that Nick is an effective narrator and a key character in the novel. However, our opinions of him may differ as we get deeper into the story.

Colors can invoke feelings for people. Certain colors are attached to moods. Red can represent anger, green sometimes represents envy and blue can represent calm or even melancholy. Much art, music, and literature is dependent on color to convey the intended mood of the artist. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby, a man with wealth, power, and possessions is on a quest for the dream that he will never attain. He cannot have all that he already has plus the true love of Daisy. Fitzgerald creates his own unique motifs surrounding certain colors and uses these colors to emphasize the futility in Gatsby’s quest for this dream. Through the use

Some would argue the most vital character of the story is the protagonist, however many more would say it is the narrator. The narrator describes what his happening in the story, and we see every moment through their eyes. But alas, not all narrators can be trusted. Especially in a time like when The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was written. The narrator for this book is Nick Carraway, who grew up with his well off family in Chicago and then went to Yale. Throughout the book, he reveals attributes about him that make him seem like a reliable narrator, however he may very not be.

He is the narrator of the book and one of the main characters as well. As a protagonist,

In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald proves that Nick Carraway is an honest and reliable narrator. The author uses writers effect to portray how Nick is within and without, how he reserves all judgments and how he is honest.

Throughout the course of recorded history, humans have nearly always had a heroic story to tell. For the most part these myths were meant to entertain with amazing feats, but there is an underlying common human theme no matter the hero; with the advent of interpreting myth, many have tried to dissect these stories to find the common themes in many culture’s myths using many different methods. One of these methods of analyzing the commonalities of hero myths, is with the 12 steps of The Hero’s Journey by Christopher Vogler (an adaptation of The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell). Through the course of this essay we will discover how the 12 stages within The Hero’s Journey outline the story of the main character, J. Gatsby, from the 2013 film adaptation of the classic 1925 novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, directed by Baz Luhrmann.

In the book, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby is exemplified through many symbols and idols. Fitzgerald uses cars to represent wealth, success, status, and glamour. As Friedrich Nietzsche states, “There are more idols in the world than there are realities.” Nietzsche’s quote shows how idols and symbols are used to create impressions. Images are powerful and set a stage for others to judge one’s character, enabling human beings to avoid seeing what realities are. Idols are potent enough to mask the truth. In the novel, despite Gatsby 's own insecurities, he is viewed as an idol in society. Idols impact and influence Gatsby’s life and those living around him. Gatsby’s car represents an idol, illustrating his wealth, capturing attention, creating impressions, and covering misconceptions throughout life in the West Egg.

Nick Carraway is the most important person in the novel and plays a major role as well. Nick is the character that knows everything about everyone. He knows Gatsby more than anyone else does. He is said to be the reader’s access to Gatsby’s life. However, he is clueless as to the lies and rumors going around about Gatsby and some of the other things that are going on (Doreski). Nick tries to stay out of other people’s business but is always finding himself caught in the middle of it anyway (Hermanson).

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, provides a dark and pessimistic outlook into the American life style in 1922. Jay Gatsby, an American wealthy social identity, appears to have it all. But wealth, stature and an extravagant lifestyle seems not to be enough for Gatsby; he still yearns for his old idealistic love Daisy. In an ideal world this has the making of a great love story with a happy ending, but Fitzgerald chose to carry the story as a reflection of the American era the book is set in. An era consumed by appearances and excess and overall pursuit of the American dream.

Nick can stand in for the audience. The physical description for the character is vague enough so that a reader or viewer can relate to Nick without feeling too different from him. There is very little description so he can be seen as relatable, but also not too significant in The Great Gatsby, as he stands in as the narrator and not so much the main character. He is like what could be replaced with a film camera, taking in and observing everything around him, but not affecting anything drastically. To be blunt he could be a forgettable character compared to the others and is often used as a pawn between Daisy and Gatsby rather than a cousin or friend.

In both The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck the theme of time plays a large role which is easily analyzed by the Reader-Response criticism. Every sense of the word time is an important aspect in both novels. These instances of time come in many different forms. In The Great Gatsby the time-period plays a large role in how the reader perceives the characters and their roles in society. The same goes for Of Mice and Men, however the characters in each novels play different roles in society considering they are from opposite classes. Time is also a factor in the evolution of relationships. In Of Mice and Men the relationships between many different characters change drastically over time. This is most evident in the relationship between Slim and George, but is also evident in the longest lasting relationship of the whole novel between Lennie and George. The same factor appears in The Great Gatsby, as well. The main evidence of this is the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy, however there are others. Time is relevant in both novels in many different ways and can easily be analyzed using the Reader-Response criticism.

The American Dream is the conviction that each and every American has equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity. It is, essentially, the basis that America was founded on: the promise of equality for all. That means equal opportunity for each individual, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and origin. Many people believe in the American Dream today: they believe that through hard work they will flourish and all will be well. Many people do not believe in this ideal and, if they do, think that it is unachievable. Among these skeptics included F. Scott Fitzgerald, an American writer who published the stories I will be focusing on in this paper: Tender Is the Night (1934), Winter Dreams (1922), and, most notably, The Great Gatsby (1925). Through these works Fitzgerald’s vehement uncertainty of the American Dream is palpable. In the three works previously stated, Fitzgerald writes about characters that desire to better their lives in one way or another. In The Great Gatsby there is Jay Gatsby whose motivation for obtaining his fortune was Daisy Buchanan, a debutante. In Winter Dreams there is Dexter Green who, very similarly to Gatsby, becomes infatuated with a wealthy girl by the name of Judy Jones. In Tender Is the Night there is Dick Diver, a character who inherently embodies the concept of the American Dream and Fitzgerald’s personal sentiment of it. Ultimately, the characters in each of these stories fail to obtain what they desire, whether

Over 53,000 lives were lost during World War I. These soldiers all had dreams, goals, families waiting back home that they would never return to. The Great War not only left tangible damage in peoples lives, it also left a lost sense of identity. Many artists were also disillusioned by this war and their literature reflected their disenchantment with the changing American society. F. Scott Fitzgerald is an American author whose work displays the absence of moral values of society as a whole after WWI in his novel, The Great Gatsby. This novel was written after the term “lost generation” was coined by Gertrude Stein; she described these artists as having a “lost belief in the idea of human progress, and a mood of futility and despair leading to hedonism.” (Matterson PBS)The characters in The Great Gatsby are all a part of the lost generation, and the novel unfolds in exemplifying what each character is searching for in their own hunt for what they perceive to be the American Dream; by shedding insight into the lifestyles of citizens during this time of destruction and decaying ethics.

Fitzgerald’s novel, ‘The Great Gatsby’, centres on the society of “moths” and the post war generation of the 1920s. Fitzgerald explores how the immorality of his characters during this period leads to the sorrow that is present in their lives, influenced by this new and exciting Jazz Age. In addition, Waugh uses his novel ‘Vile Bodies’, to explore the same immoral generation of the “Bright Young Things” and links their lifestyle, like Fitzgerald, to the cause of sorrow and human frailty that is at the heart of both narratives.

The greatest American writers have their places in history and their stories forever passed down to new generations. Their stories are easily relatable and understandable. One of the most memorable authors is F. Scott. Fitzgerald. His writings during the 1920’s give perspective to the 1920’s atmosphere: most notably in this novel, The Great Gatsby. The environment has influenced his creative mind set and has caused his writing skills to show. Fitzgerald is so fascinated by the 20s with its new music and stories that he calls it the Jazz Age. This era gives birth to what is known as the American Dream. The American Dream stands for the endless possibilities in America. Some of these dreams involve going to school and getting the best education possible or making a lot of money to spend freely and this dream is the life of Fitzgerald. Sometimes dreams do not work out like they appear. Fitzgerald’s enormous debt and becoming a college dropout is the outcome of his success of his writings and getting into Princeton University.Fitzgerald’s life has twists and turns from his time in school to his time in the army and becoming one of the greatest American writers of all time.