...Gatsby’s Archetypal Quest for Daisy, the Monetary Prize In The Great Gatsby, the characterizations of Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, particularly in the flashback of when they first met in Chapter VIII, expose the absence of love that lies beneath the glitz and glamour of wealthy living. When seen through an archetypal lens, Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy can be seen as an Archetypal quest where the “golden girl” is a treasure, rather than a love interest (Fitzgerald, 120) (Delahoyde, 1). To Jay Gatsby, Daisy is materialistically the ultimate peak of wealth to be obtained, a metaphor best illustrated in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s choice of descriptive words that portray her in the same way that money might be defined. Daisy is a princess “high in a white palace the king’s daughter”, beautiful and comfortably assured a life of ease due to her wealthy place in society (Fitzgerald, 120). In this novel she is more a material, a monetary symbol, than a person, and this best proved in Chapter VIII (Delahoyde, 1). In a flashback of Gatsby’s to when he first knew and loved Daisy, his descriptions paint a picture of her “gleaming like silver, safe and proud above the hot struggles of the poor” (Fitzgerald, 150). In this glowing portrayal that showcases Daisy’s beauty and power, (both things that she was born with, that she did not earn) her appearance and social class is all that is focused on, she is merely an outward image. From the point of view of a man that supposedly loves her, there...
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...The themes of love and money, and the quest to find them, are universal, ineffable ideals as old as time. In his novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald effectively combines these, centering the plot around the titular character's pursuit of Daisy, a wealthy young woman. As can be seen in the passage provided, Fitzgerald explains Gatsby's desire for Daisy in a manner that simultaneously explains his quest for wealth, essentially equating Daisy to her money. He does this by juxtaposing Gatsby's then-poverty with Daisy's wealth, providing detailed imagery of both Daisy and the luxuries surrounding her, and deliberately choosing the words used to describe Daisy. Gatsby represents every poverty-stricken dreamer as surely as Daisy embodies...
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...In his novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald centers the plot around the titular character's pursuit of Daisy, a wealthy young woman. In the passage provided, Fitzgerald explains Gatsby's desire for Daisy in a manner that simultaneously explains his quest for wealth, essentially equating Daisy to her money. He does this by juxtaposing Gatsby's then-poverty with Daisy's wealth, providing detailed imagery of both Daisy and the luxuries surrounding her, and deliberately choosing the words used to describe Daisy. Gatsby represents every poverty-stricken dreamer as surely as Daisy embodies fashion and wealth, and this contrast only serves to accentuate how Gatsby lusts after Daisy's lifestyle just as much as he lusts after Daisy. Daisy's house is described before Daisy is, and Gatsby marvels at how "it was as casual a thing to her as his tent out at camp was to him." Gatsby is floored by the beauty and extravagance of the house Daisy calls home, while Daisy is merely indifferent. Daisy is accustomed to her standard of life; Gatsby would do anything just to reach it. Just as Gatsby is a stranger to wealth and luxury, Daisy is ignorant of those...
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...Themes Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. The Decline of the American Dream in the 1920s On the surface, The Great Gatsby is a story of the thwarted love between a man and a woman. The main theme of the novel, however, encompasses a much larger, less romantic scope. Though all of its action takes place over a mere few months during the summer of 1922 and is set in a circumscribed geographical area in the vicinity of Long Island, New York, The Great Gatsby is a highly symbolic meditation on 1920s America as a whole, in particular the disintegration of the American dream in an era of unprecedented prosperity and material excess. Fitzgerald portrays the 1920s as an era of decayed social and moral values, evidenced in its overarching cynicism, greed, and empty pursuit of pleasure. The reckless jubilance that led to decadent parties and wild jazz music—epitomized in The Great Gatsby by the opulent parties that Gatsby throws every Saturday night—resulted ultimately in the corruption of the American dream, as the unrestrained desire for money and pleasure surpassed more noble goals. When World War I ended in 1918, the generation of young Americans who had fought the war became intensely disillusioned, as the brutal carnage that they had just faced made the Victorian social morality of early-twentieth-century America seem like stuffy, empty hypocrisy. The dizzying rise of the stock market in the aftermath of the war led to a sudden, sustained...
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...actions often leading to infatuation and obsession in order to achieve society’s expectations. This is predominantly exposed within the texts “The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald and “Sonnets from the Portuguese” by Barret Browning. Within the Victorian era individuals were bound by strict moral code. This impacted the way literature was written evident in Barret Browning’s poems. Deontological ethics bound Barrett to write in a sense of selflessness which included concepts of moral absolutism. Barrett also adapted concepts of preference utilitarianism in her relationship with Robert. Sonnet 22 “What bitter wrong, Can the earth do to us, that we should not long, Be here contented?” The rhetorical question emphasizes Barrett’s contentment with Robert whose relationship fits in her view of a utilitarian world. In this way Browning meets society’s expectations and succeeds in her role as a woman. Comparatively within the Jazz age moral code was loosened to the point where previous norms were set aside as mores and values evolved into a self-focused frame of mind. This mindset persists through ‘The Great Gatsby” as characters are governed by concepts of hedonism, majorly seen in the character Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is blinded with obsession and infatuation of Daisy who will complete his American dream of idealism and perfection. But the quest proves to be myth in the scene of Daisy first...
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... Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a story that portrays the foundation and continuing evolution of American society’s social normalities and structure. Set in the mid 1920’s, the story reveals undeniable evidence and implication into the reality of social separation between the “sophisticated” and unsophisticated worlds. The story follows one man, Jay Gatsby’s, futile attempt to work his way from the poorly perceived, insignificant, and menial lower class to the so-called “sophisticated” and recognizable group of society, simply to win the favor of a love never lost. As a result of Jay Gatsby’s chase of an unattainable goal and the events that follow, it is evident that although love is a free affair, it can come at a high cost. Ultimately the novel exemplifies the misguided American dream, that all of life’s happiness, desires, and satisfaction can be fulfilled through wealth. Fitzgerald divides the ensemble of characters into two distinct groups, the “sophisticated” and the unsophisticated. Take for instance the valley of the ashes, which symbolizes the most menial facet of society, the hard working blue collar men of industry with no identity and no money, “obscured from sight by an impenetrable cloud.”(Fitz 27) However, the distinction comes not from wealth alone, but rather a temperament of money, or perhaps old money versus new money or no money. This is apparent when Gatsby and Nick, the narrator, converge on the idea that Daisy’s voice “is full of money...
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...Motivation of Dreams The ultimate objective of life is to turn dreams into reality. Dreams are valuable because they are the ideal life conditions that people want to live in. They provide a source of motivation to achieve great success in the future. This motivation can be seen in the characters of many novels including David Adams Richards's The Lost Highway and Francis Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. In both novels, the protagonists strive for dreams of winning over the loves of their lives through their pursuit of wealth, rejection of reality, and persistence of ambition. Firstly, Gatsby -- the protagonist of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby-- follows his dream of achieving Daisy’s love through his growth in wealth. When Gatsby first meets Daisy, he falls in love with her. However, she soon leaves him for her life that is filled with riches. Because Gatsby was a “penniless young man” (Fitzgerald, 149), he was determined to obtain wealth in order to impress Daisy: “He wants her to see his house...” (Fitzgerald, 80). He had great desire to attract Daisy through wealth and became a rich man who owned a beautiful mansion: “It took me just three years to earn the money that bought [the house]” (Fitzgerald, 91). Gatsby’s quest for money demonstrates great initiative to stun Daisy. Similarly, Alex-- the protagonist of Richards's The Lost Highway-- seeks to gain the treasure of his life, Minnie, by gaining wealth. Early on, Alex loses Minnie to Sam Patch, who she eventually marries...
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...Perhaps F. Scott Fitzgerald's greatest work, The Great Gatsby is not only a great story, but an insight into the flaws of real life during the "Roaring Twenties." His book has been considered by many a symbol for the "Jazz Age," a time of extraordinary wealth and promise, but Fitzgerald's novel is much more than that, presenting the truth behind the twenties and creating an atmosphere which has earned a permanent place in American literature. Fitzgerald's novel works on many different levels, giving us unforgettable characters and events on one, as well as referring to the problems of American wealth and spirituality on another. However, what is the main point of the book? And most importantly, what on earth is that mysterious green light? Those questions, as well as many others will be answered in this analysis, which will discuss the underlying meaning and symbolism behind The Great Gatsby. "I didn't call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone - he stretched out his arms towards the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward - and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness." (16) So ends the first chapter of The Great Gatsby and brings to our attention the first symbol in this book - that mysterious...
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...The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel that takes a different spin on the stereotypical American dream. To say “through the novel, Fitzgerald puts across the idea that the American dream has been corrupted by the desire for materialism” would be accurate. Because “we see that Gatsby had a pure dream, but became corrupt in his quest towards that dream,” this is how the American dream was viewed as corrupt. Throughout the novel Gatsby displays many examples of how his quest towards the dream that was once pure, slowly becomes more and more corrupt. The first showing of corruptness in Gatsby’s dream, which is to marry Daisy, is his unethical means of obtaining a fortune. The stereotypical American dream is working hard for honest money. However, this is not the case for Gatsby. Gatsby attains his fortune through the illegal means of bootlegging. In the novel, the narrator Nick describes Gatsby, “The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a Son of God—a phrase that, if it means anything, means just that—and he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end” (The Great Gatsby Chapter 6 pg). This quotation shows how Nick saw Gatsby as trying to transform himself into the ideal person. He even goes as far as to...
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...Camille Warden Mrs. Cole 4/9/13 PDP English II Gatsby Final Essay “’Her voice is full of money,’ He said suddenly.” (120) The Design of Jay Gatsby If you were to ask someone about the character Jay Gatsby in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, they will probably describe him similarly to the fashion that the book’s narrator Nick does. He is perceived as a kind, generous, and down to earth man amongst the cutthroat wealthy elite. They may criticize Daisy portraying her as being the cruel temptress who brought him to his doom, or they might see Gatsby and Daisy’s love as immortal comparing the two to Romeo and Juliet. Gatsby on the other hand you will rarely ever hear being demonized. He is seen as mysterious, sad, romantic, and strange, but never overbearing or sexist. He is far from the worst character in the novel and may still be the most generous one in spite of his ambition tainted love, but he shouldn’t be impervious to critique since his mindset is widely prevalent in society and quite harmful if not checked. Through the chosen quote, Fitzgerald reveals the inherent materialism of Gatsby’s love for Daisy, illustrating the dehumanizing effect of female objectification by men. When all five main characters swarm frenetically around Tom’s house then decide to go to town in a desperate attempt to break the unspoken stalemate between Daisy’s husband and lover, Nick postulates that her husband Tom already knows about the affair because Daisy has “got an...
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...Authors utilize visual imagery to enforce the symbols in a novel. The Great Gatsby tells the story of Jay Gatsby, a man who lives his life around the one desire: to be with the love of his life Daisy. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald employs a wide array of different colors to symbolize Gatby's desires, the innocence and moral decay of wealthy people, and the limitations of social class. The color green appears prominent throughout the whole novel and underlines Gatsby's quest for a future with Daisy. Nick Carraway, the protagonist, observes Gatsby standing at his dock and says, “Involuntarily I glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been at the end of a dock.”(16). The reader later finds out this green light belongs to the Buchanan's dock and Gatsby's reaching out for the light indicates his lust to be with Daisy. The green light also represents Daisy and advises him to “go” towards her. Fitzgerald describes the light as “the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us” (171). The light directly connects to the hope Gatsby has. Gatsby finally meets Daisy again and Nick describes the change he sees in Gatsby's mindset, “Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of the light had now vanished forever.” (60) Gatsby and Daisy are having an affair and because of this the light does not have a deep meaning to him anymore. It now symbolizes the end of his desires. The green light...
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...“The Great Gatsby”, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays a world filled with rich societal happenings, love affairs, and corruption. Nick Carraway is the engaged narrator of the book, a curious choice considering that he is in a different class and almost in a different world than Gatsby and the other characters. Nick relates the plot of the story to the reader as a member of Gatsby’s circle. He has ambivalent feelings towards Gatsby, despising his personality and corrupted dream but feeling drawn to Gatsby’s magnificent capacity to hope. Using Nick as a moral guide, Fitzgerald attempts to guide readers on a journey through the novel to illustrate the corruption and failure of the American Dream. To achieve this, Nick’s credentials as a reliable narrator are carefully established and reinforced throughout the story. The American Dream is a sensitive and beloved topic in American culture. Discussing its failure and corruption needs to be done gently and morally. Fitzgerald understood this, and therefore acknowledged the need of a kind and cordial narrator within a materialistic society. Enter Nick Carraway, who on the first page lets readers know “In consequence, I’m inclined to reserve all judgments” pg 7. This statement already serves to set Nick up as a decent and honest man that can be trusted. To back up this statement Fitzgerald included a short section regarding Nick’s family and background. The Carraway’s claim themselves to be loyal Americans. However, when...
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...This is also how it works for environments as well. Fitzgerald uses setting in the “Great Gatsby” to create the character’s attitudes. Myrtle, Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby all serve as prime examples of people who have allowed their surroundings to affect the people they become. Fitzgerald uses “The valley of ashes” as a setting to define Myrtle and her attitudes throughout the story. The valley of ashes is an...
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...The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (published on April 10, 1925) is one novel that anyone would regret not reading. It has gone down in history as one of the most important works in American literature — and, to many, the great American novel. Fitzgerald has succeeded in offering up commentary on a variety of themes — justice, power, greed, betrayal, the American dream and so on through Nick as a narrator. There are two most impressive symbols in the novel. The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock and the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg remains obsessing in readers’ minds. The first is a perfect example of the manner in which characters The Great Gatsby. Situated at the end of Daisy’s East Egg dock and barely visible from Gatsby’s West Egg lawn, the green light represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams. Gatsby associates it with Daisy, to whom “ he bought house to be near her, he threw all those parties hoping she would wander in one night”. In Chapter 1 he reaches toward the green light on the other side of the river, in the darkness as a guiding light to lead him to his goal. Gatsby’s quest for Daisy is broadly associated with the American dream: “all man are created equal and that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and pursuit of happiness”, the green light also symbolizes that more generalized ideal. Though, The Great Gatsby illustrates the downgrade value of American Dream, instead of...
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...Dr. Parker English 102: Sect. D09 Fall 2014 Paper 1: On Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Great Gatsby Format: Follow Easy Writer guidelines and those specified in “Using Quotations Effectively,” “The Thesis Statement,” “Mechanics” and “Integrating Sources” (under “Writing Tips” on Blackboard) Page Length: 4-6 pages (1000-1500 words) Due Dates: Preliminary draft uploaded to Blackboard––Friday, 9/19 (under Course Content/Formal Papers and Oral Presentations) Your draft should include at least the thesis paragraph and five passages that you plan to draw upon in the paper. Rough draft conferences––9/29-10/1 Prepare to read your draft to me during our meeting. Rough draft for peer review––Monday, 9/29 Bring hard copy to class for your peer editor to read. Final draft uploaded to Blackboard––Friday, 10/3 Leave your rough draft with peer editor’s comments at my office. You may choose either the creative or analytical essay option. If you do a creative paper now, for next paper, you will do an analytical paper. Creative Options For all creative treatments, please affix to your paper a one-page analysis of what your aims were in choosing this approach, what strategies your employed to carry out your aims, and how successful you feel you were in achieving your aims. You should draw on the texts themselves. If appropriate, you can incorporate passages from the texts into you own prose. Your...
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