The Women of Gatsby

The women of Gatsby create the basis of the entire story. Many of them have different attitudes toward subjects, and all have their own problems in the story. The main character Daisy is in love with Tom and is married to him but is torn between two men. She loves the spirit of Gatsby and the new, younger girl that she feels with him. Because of their affair, she looses trust with her husband Tom and leads to her lover Gatsby being killed. Thus, the main character daisy is a main point in the story.

Another important character in The Great Gatsby is Jordan. She is the entire reason Gatsby is dead. She provided the connection between Gatsby and Daisy. She set up the plot of Gatsby and Myrtles death by convincing Nick to set them up. Myrtle also is another important aspect throughout the story. She provides the premises for Gatsby’s death. The only reason Daisy had an affair with Gatsby, was because of all the attention going towards Myrtle. Her suspicion about Tom’s affair led to Gatsby death. Therefore the women of Gatsby are important aspects in the story.

The Green Light

In the Great Gatsby many symbols are shown and the green light is probably one of the most important. The green light represents Gatsby’s journey to wealth. He wants to impress Daisy with his new found wealth and wants to earn her love. In the book, Gatsby witnesses a green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. It inspires him and makes the love between him and Daisy grow stronger. It represents the future he dreams of and that he will do anything to achieve it. The color green itself symbolizes hope, promise and a new beginning. It shows that Gatsby wants to be a different person and he wants to do it for the love of Daisy.

The Green light is the guiding light that leads Gatsby to reach his dream. It at times is portrayed as an unclear future but then it shows how it’s about the pursuit and what you do to achieve that goal. This quest is linked to the American dream; it represents Gatsby’s Dream and what he wants to include in it. When Gatsby first witnesses the green light across the dock he thinks about Daisy and how he can somehow win her back. He takes this as a given opportunity and does what he can to gain Daisy’s love back. Gatsby takes this chance and works to his advantage to make his green light dream come true.






http://www.ovtg.de/3_arbeit/englisch/gatsby/Symbols.html
https://www.msu.edu/~millettf/gatsby.html
http://www.studyworld.com/newsite/reportessay/Literature/Novel\The_Great_Gatsby-382159.htm

The Men of Gatsby

The men of Gatsby define the theme and plot for The Great Gatsby. The eclectic characters Tom and Jay Gatsby, twist the plot, and cause problems throughout the story. Tom is the selfish person in the story, by cheating on his wife Daisy with Myrtle. Tom’s relationships with his lovers are dysfunctional. He is an arrogant and a demanding person with everyone. He creates the tension between him and Daisy, and is the reason Daisy is so unhappy. In chapter II of the Great Gatsby, Tom hits Myrtle’s nose, just because she mentions Daisy’s name. He creates the plot for Daisy having an affair with Jay, and creating a basis for the plot.

Jay Gatsby is the most important character throughout the Great Gatsby. He turns the entire plot upside down once he meets Nick. Jay is an arrogant person with his money and flaunts everything he has. He has extravagant parties to impress Daisy and everyone. He creates problems in the story when he wants Daisy to himself, even though she is married. He obviously would do anything just to be with Daisy, even becoming a bootlegger to earn his money.

Nick is the person who sets up all the conflicts in the story. None of these events would have happened if Nick didn’t reunite Gatsby and Daisy. Nick, however, is non-judgmental and cares for Gatsby despite his flaws. Even though Tom was married he never judged him having an affair with Myrtle. Nick is so selfless, that he denies Gatsby’s money and job offering. He is a whole-hearted good person that provides comic relief throughout the story.

Sources: The Great Gatsby

Old vs. New Money

In the “Great Gatsby” the term old vs. new money is brought forth when different sides of towns are marked because of the amount of wealth they produce. Gatsby uses the money that he has on his luxurious mansion and throws parties every weekend. The new money that Gatsby has supposedly gained is from organized crimes and other possible illegal acts. Old money means that you were born into a fortune or inherited it. The old money expressed in the book is the conservative and fashionable crowd in East egg. The larger cities stayed in the East and were given that label. As for the west, they would be the stay on the more conservative side.

During the 1920s when men got back from the war, women were desperate for attention and wanted nothing but love and riches. Many on the East side started wearing short skirts and had shorter hair. This image expressed a less conservative look and drove women to what many labeled as being reckless behavior. The crowd in the East was very materialistic and the old money crowd continued to stay conservative. The way the wealth was gained and the changes in society during the 1920s are what separate new and old money.

Sources:
http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2004/5/15/141559/670
http://www.enotes.com/great-gatsby/q-and-a/look-for-general-information-new-rich-old-rich-65327

Selfish People

Throughout The Great Gatsby, characters are extremely selfish. The main characters do what they want, which leads to other problems throughout the story. The main character, Gatsby, shows his selfishness by having an affair with Daisy. This shows he is a selfish person, because he took a woman that was married just for his own benefit. He knew that she was married but was selfish enough just to take her when she didn’t belong to him. His selfishness led him into more trouble later on, because due to his actions he ended up by killing Myrtle. Therefore, throughout The Great Gatsby, selfish people cause a series of events to unfold.

In The Great Gatsby, the main character Tom shows his selfishness by cheating on his wife Daisy. He does this because he wants something more and uses this as an excuse to have an affair. He shows his selfishness by lying to his wife and having the audacity to have his lover call at their house. Because of his selfishness, Tom causes Daisy to resent him and her going to Gatsby. Therefore, the entire situation with Myrtle and Gatsby dying could have been avoided is Tom wasn’t a selfish person. Therefore, people in the Great Gatsby show their selfishness, which lead to conflicts throughout the story.

Source: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Mafia/Gangsters

In the Great Gatsby, Gatsby is portrayed as a rich man that has it all. Many wonder as to how he has attained the money. There were rumors that stated that Gatsby was a “bootlegger” and had connections with the mob. The word “mob” can also be translated as the mafia or a gang. During the 1920s because of prohibition and inconvenient commodities many produced gangs. Every major city had a leader. One of the most famous was Al Capone. He was one of the most famous because he was very intimidating and would convince speakeasy operators to get alcohol which was illegal at the time.

Al Capone was very good at this business and earned $60 million on alcohol sales. This was an enormous deal because alcohol at that time was very difficult to get and his connections with gang members lead him to that. He had many gang enemies in the city but faintly showed fear. Another link to this is the Mafia. The mafia has existed since the nineteenth century and has made an impact on many cities. It has been known to control and take over. The mafia is all about money and in some cases has created an ugly society.

In the Great Gatsby, Gatsby states that he inherited his money from his family but no one really knows and that is why he is suspected as being linked to mob activities. In a mafia family plays a huge role because the majority of the time family members are in charge of the money. The gang life and the mafia is a very dangerous business and were popular but secretive in the 1920s and many had success while others failed.



http://people.howstuffworks.com/mafia.htm
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/prohibition_and_the_gangsters.htm
http://www.bestofsicily.com/mafia.htm

Jealousy

Jealousy is one of the biggest issues in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Many conflicts start because of this issue throughout the entire story. In the story, Daisy is aware of her husband Tom’s affair with Myrtle. She gets jealous, and tries to spy on Tom every time he answers the phone. There relationship causes many problems for Tom and Daisy because she doesn’t know where he spends all of his time. Tom and Myrtles relationship has jealousy issues as well. Tom hates Mr. Wilson because he and Myrtle are married, and is in love with Myrtle. Myrtle’s relationship with Tom backfires when she gets jealous of Daisy and starts mentioning her name at a party. Therefore, jealousy because of Tom and Myrtle’s affair is one of the big factors in the story.

Jealousy continues throughout The Great Gatsby, when Daisy and Gatsby rekindle their love. Tom is suspicious at first, but when Daisy invites Gatsby to dinner, he finally realizes that his wife is having an affair. He is so jealous, that he calls Gatsby out during their dinner in a public place. After Daisy tells Tom she loves Gatsby, Tom is infuriated with jealousy. Because of Daisy and Gatsby’s affair, Tom, questions their entire marriage. Gatsby and Daisy’s love affair is the bases throughout the entire story. Tom’s jealousy is the result of Gatsby and Myrtle’s death. Thus, jealousy plays a major factor throughout The Great Gatsby.

Sources: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fizgerald

1920's

The 1920s was a time of festivities and happiness. Many fads were born and radio stations were filled with all kinds of music to fulfill the people’s strong urges to dance. They danced till they dropped. Television had not been invented yet which was why radio and music was so popular. It was a time of flappers, prohibition, and music and was known as the age of intolerance. This era had created the modern America and it was about to get big. It was a time of change for everyone. Some agreed with the new ways while others thought of it as complete nonsense.
One of the most popular voices on the radio was Louis Armstrong. He was a part of the Jazz age and made a huge impact on music. Many danced what was called the “shimmy” or the “jitterbug”. Most of these dances were on couples; women would wear certain dresses that would embrace each dance move. The 1920s was the era of the “Flappers”; they weren’t favored by everyone and expressed provocative ways in public. Many women especially were angered by these so called Flappers and did not agree with their new habits.
Prohibition was also an enormous topic that brought rage and frustration. Women of the 20s wanted their husband’s home by their sides accompanied by the children but alcohol got in the way. Men would go out and drink in what were called “Speakeasies”. It was very frustrating to have liquor be illegal for men mostly and then became frustrating for women again when it was legalized in the end. The 1920s was a time of new inventions and new ideas. Everything was changing and it was happening quickly. From the “Flappers” to the “Jazz Age” the 1920s will always be remembered as an era of new aspirations and as a result has impacted the society in many ways.
http://www.1920-30.com/
http://www.angelfire.com/co/pscst/

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota. His father was from the Old South and his mother was a daughter of a wealthy Irish Immigrant. Fitzgerald went to St. Paul Academy. His first story was a story in the school newspaper about a detective. He then attended the Newman School, in New Jersey. He was a member of the Princeton Class of 1917. He got a literary apprenticeship and neglected his schoolwork. He wrote in the Princeton Tiger and Nassau Literary Magazine. Because he was unlikely to graduate, Francis joined the army and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry. He thought he was going to die in the war, and quickly wrote the novel, “The Romantic Egotist”. Charles Scribner’s Sons praised the novel and wanted him to resubmit it.

After breaking his engagement with Zelda Sayre, Fitzgerald returned to St Paul to write his novel “This Side of Paradise”, which was accepted by editor Maxwell Perkins. This publication made him famous over night. A week later he married Zelda. Wanting to seek tranquility, Fitzgerald went to France where he wrote “The Great Gatsby”. The sales of Gatsby were disappointing, but the stage and movie brought more income. While his wife Zelda was having medical issues, he wrote the novel “Save me the Waltz”. When Zelda went to the hospital again, Fitzgerald only contacted his daughter Scottie through mail. He got a job with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to do screen writes. He paid off a lot of debts this way. Fitzgerald then started on “the Love of the Last Tycoon”, when he died of a heart attack on December 21, 1940. Zelda perished in a fire in 1948.

http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/biography.html

Prohibition

During the 19th century prohibition was untaught and many had been influenced by alcohol. This term brought many arguments and was killing society because they wanted alcohol consumption to be a daily routine. Many women agreed with the idea and enjoyed the fact that their husbands would be home more often and wouldn’t be out spending their money on alcohol. The prohibited substance had been consumed even more because of the disagreements with it; the Temperance movement was one of the results. This movement encouraged the complete abstinence of alcohol and many were not persuaded. Many children and women were a part of this movement and wanted moderation.
This restriction was intended to stop crimes, lower taxes and improve health. The 18th amendment was put into action which would illegalize alcohol. Many were again angered by it and even though it worked for a while it had not been a good idea after all. Private underground groups such as “Speakeasies” were formed to obtain this illegal substance. Owners enjoyed the benefit received which is why they spread quickly. It was getting out of control and had to be ceased. Americans repealed the 18th amendment and wanted to do the same to what was called the Noble Experiment. This Noble Experiment did not work either and the end came quick. In the end Americans realized that money was going fast with the consumption of alcohol and decided to minimize the intake. The 21st amendment repealed the 18th amendment making it the very first amendment ever to be repealed and legalized alcohol once again.

http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/p/prohibition.htm
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1054.html
http://www.albany.edu/~wm731882/18th_amendment_final.html

Flappers

After World War I, a girl who barley entered womanhood, portrayed a new image known as the Flapper. The Flapper wore heavy make-up, little clothing, a bobbed hair cut, drank, and was a risk taker. Many women idealized them but others thought they were disrespectful to society. Other women found it shocking to see this drastic change. Even though, these “flappers”, were re-imaging society, many believed that it was not the way to accomplish equal rights. Many women were convinced that this was the new way of life. Many girls wanted to be flappers, because it was “in thing” to do. Many Hollywood actresses were flappers, which helped this phenomenon emerge.

As this new provocative image began to spread, many women began to show a new style. They cut their hair into a “bob-cut”, this manly look then progressed into a popular term called “garconne” which means “little boy”, created by Coco Chanel. They made this “little boy” image work even more by cutting strips of cloth that were tied tightly to flatten their chest. They wore extremely heavy make-up, and they even applied it in public, which gave them a bad image. They wore short dresses and skirts that were above their knees. Many flappers wore stockings made of artificial silk and rolled that over a garter belt. They reflected a bad image in America because of their provocative appearance.

Flappers had very inappropriate behavior; they smoked, drank, danced, and voted. They rejected the typical conservative women, and were criticized by society. They went to illegal bars with men. They attended what was known as a “petting party”, which consisted of kissing and physical intimacy. It became pretty normal for them, and this behavior became regular every night. The iconic flapper made the Roaring 20’s, with their disregard to the average women.


http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-flapper.htm
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/a/flappers.htm