Selfish People

All the problems in the Great Gatsby is caused by selfishness. For example, Daisy shows selfishness because she doesn't care about anyone except herself. She is very beautiful and rich but she still wants more. Both Tom and Gatsby love Daisy, but she seems to get a thrill out of it, but she never thought about how Gatsby or Tom felt about this situation. Also Jordan Baker is considered a selfish person because all she does is gossip about others, which makes her self centered.

Parties at Gatsby's lawn, most of the people there are examples of selfish people. The people at his party are rich and don't care about anyone except themselves. They go to parties to enjoy themselves and not care about Gatsby's property. The people who are uninvited show up and gossip about him which exemplifies selfishness.

The Men of Gatsby

Jay Gatsby

Nick

Tom

In the great Gatsby, each man represents different goals, characteristics, and social level. They are all different men coming together so it makes “a small community”, which shows the society at the time, they are mainly Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, Jay Gatsby, and George Wilson.

Nick, first of all, is the narrative of the novel. He represents pure “new money”. He earned all by himself. But that way he doesn’t have much social activities until he met Gatsby.

Gatsby is“new money” too, but with all the complex background. He represents the illegal activities which made him a lot of money. He is also a dreamer. We can say he is a successful American who achieved his American dreams: being wealthy, powerful, and educated. He is a person full of memories, which represents the society at that time is always remembering the old times and doesn’t realize it is past.

Tom represents “old money” he has a powerful background, wealthy family. So that’s why Daisy wants to be with him. At the time women were not looking for true love, but men who can give them what they want.

Source: Dennis Lee

The Women of Gatsby

Myrtle

Jordan Baker

Daisy

In the Great Gatsby, there are three main women who play a major role in the novel. There is Myrtle Wilson, Jordan Baker, and Daisy Buchanan. All these women play a different part in this book but have allot in common. They all lie, cheat, drink, gossip, and they all are careless women who only care about themselves. Jordan is a independent women, but as her relationship grows with men, she starts to lie and gossip. Also Daisy and Myrtle are both married, and both of them cheat on there husband because of there discomfort.

Jordan Baker is an independent woman who plays golf. She is always gossiping about Tom and Daisy's relationship. Myrtle is married to George Wilson who is a mechanic , and also lives a low standard life. The only reason Myrtle married him was because he was a gentlemen. As the novel goes one, she finds herself living in a low life situation. Later she ran onto the street and was ran over by Daisy. Lastly there is Daisy who is married to Tom. As the novel goes on, Daisy starts having an affair with Jay Gatsby. When Tom finds out, he is outraged. Jay Gatsby mans up and tells him that Daisy never loved him and she only wanted to stay with him.

Source:http://www.directessays.com/viewpaper/90034.html

The Green Light

The Green Light is a symbol and also a metaphor in the noval. 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 for the future. Gatsby associates it with Daisy, and in Chapter 1 he reaches toward it in the darkness as a guiding light to lead him to his goal. Because Gatsby’s quest for Daisy is broadly associated with the American dream, the green light also symbolizes that more generalized ideal. In Chapter 9, Nick compares the green light to how America, rising out of the ocean, must have looked to early settlers of the new nation.

It also represents represents Gatsby's ultimate aspiration: to win Daisy's love. Nick's first vision of Gatsby is of his neighbor's trembling arms stretched out toward the green light (26). Later, after Daisy and Gatsby's successful reunion, a mist conceals the green light, visibly affecting Gatsby. Nick observes, "Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever....Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one" (98). This image suggests Gatsby realizes he must face the reality of Daisy, rather than the ideal he created for her.

Source: http://www.novelguide.com/thegreatgatsby/metaphoranalysis.html

Dan Cody

As time goes by, a reporter was curious of Gatsby's past and reveals"Dan Cody." Gatsby was originally born in North Dakota, on a farm. His original name was James Gatz. He also attended college there but dropped out after being humiliated for his janitorial work that paid for his tuition. After he dropped out, he worked at Lake Superior where he fished for Salmon and clams.

One day while at work he spotted a yacht which was owned by Dan Cody. Dan was a wealthy and rich man. Dan warned Gatsby of a storm that was approaching and took him into his services as a personal assistant on his journey's in the yacht. After he took him in, he names him Jay Gatsby. He was in charge of taking care of Dan when he was drunk. When Cody died, he left money to Gatsby but his mistress did not allow the money to go to him. After this incident he was committed to work hard and become a wealthy man.

Source:http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/section6.rhtml

The Great Gatsby film versions

The Great Gatsby is a 1974 American romantic drama film distributed by Newdon Productions and Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Jack Clayton and produced by David Merrick, from a screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola based on the novel of the same title by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The film is the 3rd filmed version of the novel.

The film won two Academy Awards, for Best Costume Design (Theoni V. Aldredge) and Best Music (Nelson Riddle). It also won three BAFTA Awards for Best Art Direction (John Box), Best Cinematography (Douglas Slocombe) and Best Costume Design (Theoni V. Aldredge). It won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress (Karen Black) and received three further nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Bruce Dern and Sam Waterston) and Most Promising Newcomer (Sam Waterston).

Cast:

• Robert Redford as Jay Gatsby A.K.A. James Gatz
• Mia Farrow as Daisy Buchanan
• Bruce Dern as Tom Buchanan
• Karen Black as Myrtle Wilson
• Scott Wilson as George B. Wilson
• Sam Waterston as Nick Carraway
• Lois Chiles as Jordan Baker
• Edward Herrmann as Ewing Klipspringer
• Sammy Smith as Comic
• Kathryn Leigh Scott as Catherine
• Vincent Schiavelli as Thin Man
• Roberts Blossom as Mr. Gatz
• Beth Porter as Mrs. McKee
• Howard Da Silva as Meyer Wolfsheim
• Patsy Kensit as Pammy Buchanan

Source: http://www.contactmusic.com/new/film.nsf/reviews/thegreatgatsby

East Egg vs. West Egg

East Egg

Map of Both Eggs

Gatsby Mansion

East Egg and West Egg are both prefect size ovals and are separated by a bay. There are many things that were different between these two eggs. East Egg is known for being more fashionable group, and is known to be the "old money" because the people that lived there already had money. West Egg was where all the newly rich people lived, also known as "new money" because the people there worked hard and made earned their money.

In the Great Gatsby, Daisy and Tom are perfect examples of people that live in East Egg because both of them were born and raised in a wealthy family and lived in the upper class. The people in East Egg are known to be spoiled, and to have no mortality. As for West Egg, where Jay Gatsby and Nick lived, there life styles were way different then East Egger's. Jay Gatsby represented "new money" because he had recently made his money threw corrupt business dealing. People in West Egg were honest people with morals. But as the story goes on, it seems like West Egg was trying to fit in with the East Egg by spending money on not needed items.

Source: http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2006/5/23/94857/9061

Jealousy

Jealousy is an emotion and typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, such as a relationship, friendship, or love. Jealousy often consists of a combination of emotions such as anger, sadness, and disgust. It is not to be confused with envy.

Jealousy makes Daisy keep bringing Tom along to Gatsby’s parties even if she is truly devoted to Gatsby. She flaunts her love affair in front of Tom. Tom is having an affair. Everyone knows about it. She wants her revenge. However, she never plans on leaving him. Daisy after all is human. This explains why when Gatsby forces the confrontation, she backs down.

At the hotel room in New York, Tom strikes Myrtle across the mouth, and he is demeaning toward George Wilson at his garage. Later, he manipulates George by playing upon his hatred and jealousy of Gatsby by leading Wilson to believe that Gatsby, as the lover of Myrtle, is responsible for her death -- a strategic play in order for him to "win" and save Daisy's reputation.

Source: http://www.echeat.com/essay.php?t=27130

Gangsters & Mafias of the 1920's

Al Capone

Jay Gatsby

Bonnie&Clyde

Speakeasies

Gangsters were people that took part in illegal actions, and a group of them was known as a mafia. The mafia was known to be engaged in many illegal activities such as smuggling, racketeering, and murders. In 1920's after prohibition which banned alcohol, more gang related activities were occurring. Gang members in the 1920's were involved in bootlegging and bank robberies.

Al Capone, Bonnie & Clyde, and John Dillinger were one of the most notorious criminals of their time period. Al Capone smuggled and bootlegged liquor since it was illegal in the 1920's. He had opened up many illegal bars in Chicago. He was sent to Federal prison, and stayed some time Alcatraz prison, for tax fraud.

In the Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby who is one of the man characters in the novel is involved in gang related activities. Jay and Mr. Wolfsheim are involved in smuggling and bootlegging liquor. The whole time in the book, Jay lies about how he is so rich, and at the end he reveals his true identity.

Source: http://www.online-literature.com/fitzgerald/greatgatsby/9/

Unrequited Love

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)

Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 24, 1896. As a young man he went to St. Paul academy where he wrote his first story, which was a detective story in the school newspaper. In 1913 he attended Princeton University where he wrote for the Princeton Triangle Club. Since Fitzgerald could not attend college because of financial purposes he dropped out and joined the army in 1917.

While he was assigned in at base in the army, Fitzgerald fell in love with eighteen year old Zelda Sayre who was the daughter of Alabama's Supreme Court judge. As time passed by, he tried to write novels, but they were rejected by the editors. Soon, he had quite the army and his relationship between him and Zelda was falling apart. After he quite, he wrote the Novel The Side of Paradise.

He started to write more novels, and magazine articles and became a very wealthy man. After he published The Side of Paradise, he married Zelda a week latter. They both lived an extravagant life as young celebrities. As time went by both of them became hard-core alcoholics. The moved a couple time to U.S. and back to Europe until they finally settled in the west. There, Fitzgerald worked in Hollywood.

On December 21, 1940, Fitzgerald died from a heart attack. Zelda had perished at a fire at a hospital in 1948. Fitzgerald is mostly known for his book, The Great Gatsby and is known as one of the best writers in the Jazz Age.

Source:http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/fsfitzg.htm

Old vs. New Money

Old money refers to families who have been wealthy for several generations. In traditional European societies have inherited a large house filled with well-built furniture acquired over the centuries. Their cars are not necessarily the most expensive and capable, but have a bit of restraint, or else they disguise their social position in cars of the middle rank. In reality, however, old money in America wasn’t very old. It was simply that the behavior of some individuals who acquired wealth very quickly offended others. New Money is also known as Nouveau Riche, a term, usually derogatory, to describe persons who acquire wealth within their generation, and spend it conspicuously. The benchmark of the nouveau riche is their acquiring possessions which are touted to them as being the sort of things that rich people would possess. Some of them are equally resentful of the old rich, for them being undeserving of their wealth. For example, many self-made millionaires rose from the middle class, and detest being looked down upon by someone who has not proven themselves to be worthy of their wealth, by simply having inherited it.

In the 1920s most Americans were in pursuit of the infamous American Dream.? The American dream was to be rich, successful, happy, and to be one of the social elites. However, the few that got there were labeled the new money. The new money is different from the old because the old never had to work for it. The old money treated the new money differently than ordinary people, but still deemed them inferior. People got to the top by which ever means they could. Americans put their values and morals away to reach the unreachable dream.

The Roaring 1920's

Henry Ford's Model T Car

Speakeasies

Charleston Dance

The 1920's was a time period where everything had changed in America from economically, politically, and socially. The 1920's was also known as the Jazz Age. Jazz is what people listened , danced, and sang too. Most popular dance was called he Charleston. The time period was also known as the Roaring 1920's because of the changes in technology, new discoveries, and new inventions.

Prohibition in the 1920's also provided well-known gangsters to open up illegal bars called speakeasies. One of the most known speak easies was the Al Capone. During the time period Ku Klux Klan was growing and the nation nation was at its highest crime rates at the time.

Cars was a new invention in the 20's. Mass production of cars started by Henry Ford had manufactured over 15 million cars and sold as much as that by 1927. Fashion in the 1920's had turned to a new generation. Women no more wore stuffy clothes. They wore cloths at there comfort (flapper style) and wanted to look youthful. Many inventions were made during the Roaring 1920's. The birth of the commercial radio was the t.v. in the 1920's. The radio would give people news, provide entertainment, and new ideas.

Americas worst nightmare had occurred when on October 24th, 1929 the stock market had crashed, leading the nation into the Great Depression.

Prohibition in the 1920's

In the history of the United States, Prohibition, also known as The Noble Experiment, was the period from 1920 to 1933, during which the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol for consumption were banned nationally as mandated in the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Under substantial pressure from the temperance movement, the United States Senate proposed the Eighteenth Amendment on December 18, 1917. Having been approved by 36 states, the 18th Amendment was ratified on January 16, 1919 and effected on January 16, 1920. Some state legislatures had already enacted statewide prohibition prior to the ratification of the 18th Amendment.

During Prohibition, the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages were restricted or illegal. Prohibition was supposed to lower crime and corruption, reduce social problems, lower taxes needed to support prisons and poorhouses, and improve health and hygiene in America. Instead, Alcohol became more dangerous to consume; organized crime blossomed; courts and prisons systems became overloaded; and endemic corruption of police and public officials occurred.

On December 5, 1933, the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment repealed the Eighteenth Amendment.

Flappers in the 1920's

In the 1920's, a new generation of women was born. They were known as Flappers. These women would participate in non-women like activities, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and dancing. They wore make-up and cut their hair in a unusual style making it inappropriate during their time period.
Flappers wore short skirts and bobbed their hair. These women also listen to Jazz music, which was famous during their time period. Dome of the dances they danced to was the Black Bottom, Charleston, and the Shimmy. These dances were considered extremely wild by the older generation.
They were known to dress like men because they wore tight tops and brought their skirts down to the hips. During the time period, the Flappers were known to be sexual people. During the 1920's, they had came up with the concept of dating.