- ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F Scott Fitzgerald is an example of a novel in which …
- Brief plot summary
- Setting – affluent New York, in contrast to the Midwest where Nick is from
The character of Gatsby is vital to the author’s theme of class / the American dream
- First impressions of Gatsby
- The symbolism of the ‘green light’
- Self-made man – changed his name and made a fortune
- Gave lavish parties to people he didn’t really know, his rich neighbours
- Has links to organised crime through Meyer Wolfsheim
- ‘Old sport’ – his favourite expression, which makes people believe he is Oxford-educated
- Even though he has invented a ‘persona’ for himself, he is still a romantic, idealistic figure
Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy is one of the most important in the book.
- Met when he was a young man working as a diver
- Created his wealthy life in order to win Daisy over
- He is clearly better than Daisy’s cynical, cheating husband Tom
A turning point in the book is at the party when the lovers sneak over into Nick’s yard
- It suggests that the story will end happily
- Gatsby believes the past can be recaptured, as he tells Nick
However, the book ends in tragedy, for Gatsby is wrong in his judgements about people.
- Daisy will not give up her husband Tom
- The climax - Gatsby’s murder: Gatsby was too naïve for the world of cheating and betrayal that he tried to live in
- Gatsby was finally crushed by the class system – he underestimated Daisy’s devotion to Tom, who came from a wealthy background
- After his murder his neighbours do not attend his funeral – he has failed to become one of them
- The symbolism of Gatsby’s body
Conclusion – Therefore I would argue that ‘The Great Gatsby’ is a novel …
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