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