Why is Gatsby So Great?
Part 1
The roaring twenties was a time for nobodies to become somebodies. People wanted to express themselves, and live their life to the fullest. They were extravagant and colorful. Fitzgerald forces us to envision the lost generation as they subsist. They want to be noticed and seen with money, carefree. Fitzgerald gives Nick and Gatsby the voice of the so called “lost generation”, which took place right after World War I. That generation was all about financial gain and making money for themselves. They lived with the idea of the good life in the future, always trying to reach for it like Gatsby and the dock’s green light. Fitzgerald used the imagery of the excursion from East Egg to West Egg, through the valley of ashes, then finally arriving in the big apple. This journey expresses the differences between all the places, showing the poorest of the poor to the old money.
In the book, Nick takes us through the transformation of James Gatz to the “Great” Jay Gatsby. He aspired to be East Egg/old money There are a few things that really made Gatsby stand out from any other rich guy. Gatsby always stayed true to his emotions and thoughts, which made Nick to really admire him. Nick is more of a romantic, he sees the spark in Gatsby’s eyes. Fitzgerald showed how “new money” wanted to be like “old money”, and how even though you had money you are still stuck within your class. The nouveau riche were searching for acceptance from the upper crust. Many consider Gatsby to be quite the opposite of great, they consider him to be undignified. They say he was controlled by greed, gluttony, and lust. Jay Gatsby can be compared to the early Kennedys for how he obtained all his big bucks. Gatsby was a bootlegger during time of prohibition. He kept his crime activities hidden from others. I believe the title “Great” is more of an irony describing Gatsby. I feel this way because his life is really a pretense, he fabricates stories of his past, and where his money came
The roaring twenties was a time for nobodies to become somebodies. People wanted to express themselves, and live their life to the fullest. They were extravagant and colorful. Fitzgerald forces us to envision the lost generation as they subsist. They want to be noticed and seen with money, carefree. Fitzgerald gives Nick and Gatsby the voice of the so called “lost generation”, which took place right after World War I. That generation was all about financial gain and making money for themselves. They lived with the idea of the good life in the future, always trying to reach for it like Gatsby and the dock’s green light. Fitzgerald used the imagery of the excursion from East Egg to West Egg, through the valley of ashes, then finally arriving in the big apple. This journey expresses the differences between all the places, showing the poorest of the poor to the old money.
In the book, Nick takes us through the transformation of James Gatz to the “Great” Jay Gatsby. He aspired to be East Egg/old money There are a few things that really made Gatsby stand out from any other rich guy. Gatsby always stayed true to his emotions and thoughts, which made Nick to really admire him. Nick is more of a romantic, he sees the spark in Gatsby’s eyes. Fitzgerald showed how “new money” wanted to be like “old money”, and how even though you had money you are still stuck within your class. The nouveau riche were searching for acceptance from the upper crust. Many consider Gatsby to be quite the opposite of great, they consider him to be undignified. They say he was controlled by greed, gluttony, and lust. Jay Gatsby can be compared to the early Kennedys for how he obtained all his big bucks. Gatsby was a bootlegger during time of prohibition. He kept his crime activities hidden from others. I believe the title “Great” is more of an irony describing Gatsby. I feel this way because his life is really a pretense, he fabricates stories of his past, and where his money came