Lynn, David H. “Creating a Creator.” Readings on The Great Gatsby. Ed. Katie de Koster, 154-62. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998. Print Author David H. Lynn argues that the distinction between character and personality suggested from the earliest pages of “The Great Gatsby” reveals just how fully responsible Nick is for his creation of Gatsby, the romantic hero. He claims that Nick fleshes Gatsby onto a skeleton of public gestures as this is someone whose essential romantic hopefulness is expressed in his behavior. Fitzgerald’s audiences’ relation to Gatsby is mediated by Nick, so the perspective on Daisy is divided, with Gatsby performing as a narrator of her own magnificence, while Nick provides a less glorified account. Lynn says that although Gatsby's personality shows that he is honest in regards to his private intentions, readers must remember that the Gatsby being discussed is largely Nick’s creation. If there is curiosity about Gatsby's hidden nature, it is because Nick believes in the sympathetic understanding he has for Gatsby. Nick responds to Gatsby's extravagant parties with strangers, his flashy materiale, and immense egoism with imaginative sympathy because he believes these traits are born of a romantic hopefulness that he shares. From their first meeting, Nick translates Gatsby's gestures with authority, as if his response was directly resulting from Gatsby's intended effect. Lynn argues that Gatsby’s behavior is always at the fine line between the grand and yet absurd of dramatics, as well as the defiant public gesture often embodying that of the ideal self-image pursued by romantic heroes as they define themselves against the communal protocol. Gatsby's extravagance is given form and meaning only in Nick's imagination; he comes alive when Nick first glimpses the intensity of his dream through Gatsby’s wild, routinely gatherings. Lynn informs that both Nick's ambivalence towards Gatsby and the inevitable discord…
Turning away from Daisy’s side and fully backing Gatsby, was the turning point of Nick’s embodiment of Gatsby. Towards the end of the story, Nick realizes that “a new point of view occurred to me” (Fitzgerald 144). It was Gatsby’s, and though it did not present itself to him until the end of the story, he has subconsciously been on Gatsby's side for far longer. “In many ways, Nick is an unreliable narrator” (Edwards). Nick likely embellished the story to seem as though he was more on Gatsby's side when, in reality, he was not. Yet, it is easy to understand, as Nick remained obsessed with impressing Gatsby, even two years after his death. In the switch from Daisy’s to Gatsby's side, a single encounter with Gatsby summed up Nick’s new feelings. Nick told Gatsby “‘They're a rotten crowd… You're worth the whole bunch put together’” (Fitzgerald 154). In this one sentence, Nick sold out all his other friends to claim Gatsby as his only friend. He received the reassurance he was hoping for when Gatsby's “face broke into that radiant and understanding smile, as if we'd been in ecstatic cahoots on that fact all the time” (Fitzgerald 154). This was the pinnacle of Nick's summer; though all of his friends’ lives were jumbled, Nick’s goal to be accepted by Gatsby had been reached, and that was all that mattered to Nick. Even when Nick found himself “on Gatsby's side, and alone” (Fitzgerald 164), he was proud to say that he was the…
In the classic novel, The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a young man discovers concealed secrets from his neighbor, relatives, and close friends. At one point in the book, located on page fifty-five, Nick, the main character who is on a journey of mysteries, shows a fond interest in the peculiar acts of his neighbor Gatsby. Questions arise in Nick's mind. Why was such a popular man such a loner all at the same time? On this particular page, Nick questions these ideas. The passage reveals to the reader a sad sympathetic story behind the so-called "Great Gatsby" using tone, imagery, and diction giving the reader a more obsolete and clearer vision of Gatsby.…
In The Great Gatsby, an integral scene to the novel’s development occurs when Gatsby is killed while swimming in his pool. This scene is perhaps one of the most significant and symbolic scenes of the entire work. Throughout the entire novel, Gatsby is trying to achieve his American dream which is to regain Daisy’s affection. This was portrayed by Gatsby grasping for the green light at the end of her dock at the beginning of the novel. However, since Gatsby is unable to repeat the past, he cannot win Daisy back. The hollowness of the elusive American Dream is the overarching theme of the text, and is consequently why Gatsby had to parish. Without Gatsby’s death, this theme would not be as apparent therefore decreasing the work’s overall significance.…
NICK CARRAWAY has a special place in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. He is not just one character among several; it is through his eyes and ears that the story takes place. In this novel, Nick goes to some length to establish his credibility, indeed his moral integrity, in telling this story about this "great" man called Gatsby. He begins with a reflection on his own upbringing, quoting his father's words about Nick's "advantages," which we could assume were material but, he soon makes clear, were spiritual or moral advantages.…
First, he was both narrator and participant. Part of Fitzgerald's skill in The Great Gatsby shined through the way he cleverly made Nick a focal point of the action, while simultaneously allowing him to remain sufficiently in the background. In addition, Nick had the distinct honor of being the only character who changed substantially from the story's beginning to its end. From the Midwest, the beauty, the wealth, and the sophistication of Gatsby's lifestyle attracted Nick. Nick was drawn to the fast-paced, fun-driven lifestyle of New York, yet he found that lifestyle grotesque and damaging. After witnessing the unraveling of Gatsby's dream and presiding over the appalling spectacle of Gatsby's funeral, Nick realized that the fast life of revelry on the East Coast was a cover for the terrifying moral emptiness that the valley of ashes symbolizes. Having gained the maturity that this insight demonstrates, he returned to Minnesota in search of a quieter life structured by more traditional moral values. He came to understand the essential emptiness, the gaudy display of "nothingness" which characterized the life on the East Coast. Through the course of The Great Gatsby Nick grew, from a man dreaming of a fortune, to a man who knew only too well what misery a fortune could…
The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is often referred to as the great American novel. The book’s immense symbolism and its many messages make The Great Gatsby a novel that has the ability to appeal to all who read it. Religion plays a key role in the book. For instance, religious beliefs in the 1920s influenced the main characters of the story in a significant way. The Valley of Ashes that is described in chapter two may also help to represent the moral dilapidation that the rich undergo in the 1920s. Lastly, Gatsby seems to represent Jesus in the novel, while T.J. Eckleburg represents God Himself and Wilson represents Judas. Overall, while there are many symbols in the Great Gatsby, religion is one that seems to come up…
In the novel The Great Gatsby written by Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby seems to be misusing the past in order to enliven the present. The book is set in the early twenties after World War 1 when many writers were losing faith in America. I think that Nick is more of a candidate of the “Lost Generation,” rather than Gatsby because Nick finds it “impossible to remember,” (110) while Gatsby keeps hope of having Daisy as his own. What Nick is trying to remember is a story of true love. But Gatsby has love memories of the past before the war that were important and fond to him. That is why he kept them so close to his heart. The past is haunting Gatsby and preventing him from moving on. In the end, it actually causes Gatsby’s death.…
“Everyone suspects himself at least one of the cardinal virtues and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.”-Nick Carraway. Nick is an impartial, honest, and loyal character. He gives readers a detailed, accurate account of the events pertaining to Gatsby’s life.…
In life, many have seen or experienced the fact that love leads individuals to very strange effects and decisions. The urge to want to be in love with someone or the idea of generally having someone around is very strong to the extent of going to great lengths to achieve the desired person. The perfect example of this is portrayed in the novel the great Gatsby by Fitzgerald. Persuasion also proves to be a very powerful tool in this novel. The process of trying to convince or persuade anyone to anything possible is a tough course that at times can lead a character to extreme good or bad measures. In the novel, a love triangle is formed between 3 characters, the ideas of love and persuasion play major roles in the process. Daisy the leading lady in chapter seven of the novel is married to Tom, but Gatsby has been in love with Daisy from the beginning of time which later becomes a major conflict. The main character Jay Gatsby proves to be the antagonist as the novel progresses. In his endeavors to win over the love of his life, he clearly demonstrates Aristotle’s two aspects of ethical appeal and some emotional appeal concerning pathos. With a closer look into climax of chapter seven of the novel, readers are able to come to an understanding of why Mr. Gatsby displayed unique aspects of credibility, wealth, and logic regarding the past to try and persuade the woman of his dreams.…
In chapter four of The Great Gatsby F. by Scott Fitzgerald, Jourdan explains to Nick that…
'The Great Gatsby' is a novel that takes place during the roaring twenties, or an era otherwise known as the Jazz Age. A time of prohibition and experimentation, the novel portrays both the chaos and loss of morals that many during that time experienced. In 'The Great Gatsby' Fitzgerald opted for a complex structure and a controlled narrative point of view, thus giving the novel a greater air of realism, written in a limited first person perspective, with Nick Carraway serving as the narrator and the only true voice. This deliberate inclusion forces the reader to experience the events in the novel, first hand, in addition to this, Nick is careful not to tell the reader things he himself does not know, this is one of the reasons that the novel is so convincing, Nick seems to be the only rational person, and he is the one relaying the events to us. Although Nick makes a connection with all the major characters throughout the novel,…
In the beginning F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby Nick states "NoGatsby turned out all right in the end " Nick sees many faces of Gatsby that no one has ever really seen before. He sees all of the emotions a human being can have. He sees Gatsby as a man in love, a good friend, and a man that wants everyone to be happy.…
The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald was a very complex novel which covers many social issues through its overall structure. Throughout the novel, the author uses imagery, symbolism, characterization and many other devices to portray his ideas. The novel also shows the great power wealth, decision, and love has in the world and in our own lives. I personally enjoyed the style of the novel which causes a vivid image in my head as I read along. I too believe that some of the most important literary techniques to analysis to further understand the novel are color, characterization, and symbolism.…
When writing a novel, the ending is most important. It is what ties everything together and helps the reader to understand what has happened throughout the story completely. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Cousin Kate by Christina Rossetti have endings which are made significant through their resolutions. Coleridge and Fitzgerald have created stories which conclude with partial resolution, whereas Rossetti has created a story of total resolution, although other readers may disagree.…