The Great Gatsby 13 Essay Research Paper

The Great Gatsby 13 Essay, Research Paper

THE GREAT GATSBY

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is an intriguing account about love, money and life during the 1920s in New York. The story begins when Nick Carraway, a young man, moves to New York from the Midwest to join the bond business. There, he soon becomes acquainted with his wealthy neighbor Jay Gatsby, and they become good friends. Gatsby confides in Nick and tells him that he is in love with Nick s cousin, the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. However, she is already married to the young and successful Tom Buchanan, who is unfaithful and has an affair with poor George Wilson s wife. Later, Nick arranges a meeting between Gatsby and Daisy and soon thereafter, they become involved in a love affair. It is revealed that many years ago, Gatsby and Daisy were in love, but Daisy would not marry him because he was rather poor. Gatsby, however, made his fortune and became determined to win Daisy s heart. Towards the end of the story, however, Tom finds out about Gatsby and Daisy s affair. One day, while they were all in New York City, he confronts Gatsby and Daisy and a heated argument ensues. That fateful night, returning to their homes on Long Island, Daisy, while driving Gatsby s car, accidentally runs over Tom s mistress, Myrtle Wilson. Her deranged husband George Wilson discovers that it was Gatsby s car that hit his wife; as a result, he seeks out Gatsby and kills him. Consequently, The Great Gatsby represents mankind s feebleness by illustrating its blind struggle to find acceptance within society, its materialism, and its naturally sinful disposition through the characterization of Nick Carraway, Daisy Buchanan, and Tom Buchanan.

First of all, the depiction of Nick Carraway represents humankind s desperate struggle to be accepted by society. Nick Carraway, although relatively new to New York, quickly attaches himself to Jay Gatsby. Nick reflects, At nine o clock, one morning late in July, Gatsby s gorgeous car lurched up the rocky drive to my door and gave out a burst of melody from its three-noted horn. It was the first time he had called on me, though I had gone to two of his parties, mounted in his hydroplane, and made frequent use of his beach (Ch. 4, pg. 63-4). Nick was quite lonesome after his move to New York. He had a decent job in the bond business and lived in a small bungalow. Basically the only acquaintances he had were the Buchanans and Jordan Baker, to an extent. It is not human nature to live a desolate and lonely life; humans are social animals. Therefore, Nick desperately needed company if he were to stay in New York. Once given the opportunity to make new acquaintances, normal human beings would grab such an opportunity and try to make the best possible impression of themselves upon others, and the best way to make a grand impression is to attach oneself to a prominent member of society, like Jay Gatsby. Nick, in order to maintain Gatsby s friendship, agrees to arrange a meeting between Daisy and Gatsby. Nick says to Gatsby, I talked with Miss Baker . I m going to call up Daisy tomorrow and invite her over here to tea (Ch. 5, pg. 82). Apparently blinded by his friendly relationship with Gatsby and by his effort to remain attached to him, Nick agrees to Gatsby s request and arranges a meeting between Gatsby and Daisy, which later becomes a fatal mistake. Nick failed to take into account the consequences of such a meeting and the tribulations that it may later cause. Fitzgerald points out that men are so consumed with trying to maintain their social stature and be accepted that they become blinded and tend to act irresponsibly.

Furthermore, Daisy Buchanan symbolizes mankind s affection towards materialistic things. Later in the story, Jordan Baker reveals that Tom Buchanan had bought Daisy a pearl necklace worth three hundred and fifty thousand dollars before their wedding. Jordan explains, June [Daisy] married Tom Buchanan of Chicago, with more pomp and circumstance than Louisville ever knew before. He came down with a hundred people in four private cars, and hired a whole floor of the Seelbach Hotel, and the day before the wedding he gave her a string of pearls valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars (Ch. 4, pg. 77). It appears that Tom had bought Daisy s love with an expensive piece of jewelry. Upon observing Gatsby s wealth, Daisy rushed blindly into his love. Men, consciously or not, try to put a value on everything; and therefore, people like to judge love and other intangible objects with their materialistic minds. For instance, love tends to be judged by wedding gifts and jewelry, whereas happiness usually is based upon wealth. The author uses Daisy to demonstrate how utterly common materialism is and how pathetic it can be. Several years prior to the time frame of the novel, Daisy had refused to love Gatsby on the basis that he was a poor young man, but after discovering how wealthy he had become; she immediately falls in love with Gatsby and his material possessions. Nick describes how Daisy reacts to Gatsby s wealth, With enchanting murmurs Daisy admired this aspect or that of the feudal silhouette against the sky, admired the gardens (Ch. 5, pg. 92). Daisy, forgetting about their past indifferences, falls in love with Gatsby, not knowing and not caring about what kind of person Jay Gatsby is, but about the incredible wealth of Jay Gatsby. Later in the novel, howe