Microcosm In The Great Gatsby

While The Great Gatsby in modern day literature is revered for its intriguing story about class, love, and society, it was once left to squander in the 20s. F Scott Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby, never had much success within his actual lifetime, despite writing over 150 pieces of literature. Born into an unsuccessful family, Fitzgerald found himself at the heels of other people, claiming inferiority based upon his wealth, status, and even his intelligence. Oftentimes, Fitzgerald would put aspects of his own life within his stories, including The Great Gatsby. His characters function as a microcosm of Fitzgerald himself, living through his own dreams and aspirations while possessing parts of his personality. Gatsby, one of the
That escape from his previous life, as exemplified later in the novel, supplied him with the significant status and power he lacked. Therefore, Gatsby’s own motivations to leave behind an unsuccessful life insinuate that Fitzgerald, also, desired to gain status. Another motivation for Gatsby was to simply gain wealth. Of course, success goes hand in hand with wealth, but his status in society and the way people viewed him based on his wealth were also motivators. On page 99, the text states, ““But his heart was in a constant, turbulent riot. The most grotesque and fantastic conceits haunted him in his bed at night. A universe of ineffable gaudiness spun itself out in his brain while the clock ticked on the washstand and the moon soaked with wet light his tangled clothes upon the floor. Each night he added to the pattern of his fancies until drowsiness closed down upon some vivid scene with an oblivious embrace. For a while these reveries provided an outlet for his imagination, a promise that the rock of the world was found securely on a fairy’s wing.” (Fitzgerald
As possibly the most important main character in the story, Gatsby lives the lavish life filled with wealth and comfort that, though in some parts are directly contradictory, describes Fitzgerald’s own life. They both came from rather impoverished or unsuccessful backgrounds that drove them to reach above and beyond the confines of their status; additionally, they both have similar experiences in other aspects of life, such as love. Their intertwined lives indicate a greater story based in actuality other than a fictitious novel, the story of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Gatsby’s actions, such as buying a house across from his lost love to prove his newfound status, as well as his heroic actions in the war, set the precedent that Fitzgerald himself took those actions to prove his status, or at least wished too. Moreover, Gatsby’s conversations reveal Fitzgerald’s beliefs that wealth harbors status and being a “somebody” allows people to more easily influence