Great Gatsby 4 Essay Research Paper When

Great Gatsby 4 Essay, Research Paper

When F. Scott Fitzgerald first published The Great Gatsby, it was named

Under the Red, White, and Blue. However, after having revised the novel

many times with his many editors, publishers, and personal advisors,

Fitzgerald eventually released the book under its contemporary title.

Why did Fitzgerald make the change. Under the red white and blue

referred to the life of people in America, or under the American flag.

His novel is focused on the corruption of the American dream, and the

corruption of those residing within. The great Gatsby referred to one

of the principle characters in the novel, Jay Gatsby. Why was Gatsby so

great that the book was named after him. Jay Gatsby was portrayed by

Fitzgerald as the son of God, or of a God. Fitzgerald reminds us of

this throughout the novel, and from beginning to end he fills the text

with hints as he alludes to Gatsby^s divine spirit. The ^Great Gatsby^

was a great man- Fitzgerald tells the reader that Gatsby was so great

he could not have been a man- that he was a heavenly figure. Fitzgerald

wanted the reader to believe that the American dream had died, and to

further ingrain his belief in our minds, he destroys religion and

morality^ but the final and most dismal reality Fitzgerald faces us

with is that no man is a great man- the only great man encountered in

The Great Gatsby is the son of God- who is superior to man, and cannot

be judged by the same rules. An author uses imagery to convey specific

thoughts and emotions from his readers. Fitzgerald constantly reminds

us that Gatsby is a heavenly figure by associating Gatsby with the

moon. The moon is a heavenly body; therefore, Gatsby^s presence brings

out the heavens. The first time the narrator, Nick, meets Gatsby, it is

at one of Gatsby^s gaudy parties, and ^the moon had risen

higher.^(Fitzgerald p.51) just before Nick met Gatsby. When Nick leaves

the party, ^a wafer of a moon was shining over Gatsby^s house.^(p.60)

After Myrtle had been run over by Daisy, Nick speaks to Gatsby outside

Daisy^s house, and Nick ^could think of nothing except the luminosity

of his pink suit under the moon.^ The imagery in this location suggests

that Gatsby is innocent of the crime he is implicated in, which is the

murder of Myrtle. The moon shining down on Gatsby, making his suit

radiate, suggests that heaven looks with favor upon Gatsby. Gatsby is

linked with the heavens occurs when he describe! d having kissed Daisy

for the first time. ^^sidewalk was white with moonlight^ The quiet

lights in the houses were humming out into the darkness and there was a

stir and bustle among the stars^ Gatsby saw that the blocks of the

sidewalk really formed a ladder and mounted to a secret place above the

trees- he could climb to it, if he climbed alone, and once there he

could suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of

wonder.^(pg.117) This particular passage suggests to the reader that

Gatsby is indeed a heavenly figure, the son of God, as moonlight shines

down upon him, and he has the superhuman ability to hear the sounds of

the stars. When Nick saw Gatsby for the first time, Gatsby had been

gazing out over the water of the Sound. ^Mr. Gatsby himself, come out

to determine what share was his of our local heavens.^(pg. 25). This is

an unusual phrase, since we would expect Gatsby to determine where he

fit in the local heavens, not which share of the local heavens was his.

This shows that Gatsby is not a part of our world; rather, a

shareholder. Fitzgerald then moves to establish Gatsby as the son of

God by creating moments of Gatsby^s life which parallel that of Jesus.

The first example of this is when Nick first meets Gatsby, and Gatsby

smiles at Nick. ^He smiled understandingly- much more than

understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of

eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times

in life.^(pg. 52). The usage of the word eternal suggests that Gatsby

is immortal, as is the son of God, who died so that we may all be

immortal. Such a deep and compassionate smile can only come from a man

of extraordinary power. Fitzgerald continues by elevating Gatsby above

his high-class and powerful friends, who attended his parties. ^I

wondered if the fact that he was not drinking helped to set him off

from his guests, for it seemed to me that he grew more correct as the

fraternal hilarity increased.^(pg. 54). This once again illustrates

that Gatsby is a higher figure than the rest of society, as his

affluent guests fit a level below him. The Great Gatsby was set above

everyone, even the best of the best. As the novel and Gatsby^s life

progress, it follows Jesus^ life in parallel. Jesus was brought before

the government, and was questioned repeatedly as to his motives

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