Preview

Plot Flaws in the Great Gatsby Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
874 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Plot Flaws in the Great Gatsby Essay Example
By: Anonymous

Plot Flaws in The Great Gatsby: The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was a novel that epitomizes the time in our history known as the roaring twenties. It was a time of great extravagances and frolicsome attitudes. The novel also revealed the darker side of this time with its underlying themes of greed and betrayal on the part of many of the characters. The novel as a whole seems to be a very well thought out piece of literature with little or no flaws. However, if studied a bit harder several defects can be spotted. These include such things as shifts in setting, sequence manipulation, and shifting of narrators. The setting of a novel is very important to the overall plot. It can help define the mood and can give some aspects of where the story is headed. The majority of the story takes place in "East and West Egg" of Long Island, New York. These locations were where the majority of the main characters lived and interacted with one another. That was until chapter seven of the novel. Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby have been invited to tea at Tom and Daisy Buchanan's home. This was a very critical portion of the plot due to the increasing pressures Gatsby and Daisy are feeling about their relationship, and when they will tell Tom of their affair. It was very hot and all present were obviously uncomfortable. Suddenly Daisy asked, "Who wants to go to town?"(125). They eventually agree and all go to town. They end up getting a hotel room in downtown New York City which was just as hot if not hotter than where they had already been. Daisy and Gatsby tell Tom of their encounters and then they all decide to go home. Why did this needless act that could have occurred back at the Buchanan's occur? Its only purpose was to set the stage for the hit and run incident that takes place on the trip home. It was merely an easy, but awkward way to get the characters where Fitsgerald wanted them. Another flaw in the plot line was that of obvious sequence

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Chapter 5, Daisy and Gatsby are reunited in Nick’s house and then Gatsby shows Daisy around his house. Gatsby attempts to reward Nick with money for helping bring him and Daisy together again, “Well, this would interest you. It wouldn’t take up much of your time but you might pick up a nice bit of money.” This shows how Gatsby is not used to people being hospitable towards him without wanting anything in return. It also demonstrates how Gatsby thinks he has to buy Nick’s loyalty in the hope that by bribing Nick with money, he won’t tell Tom about his meeting with Daisy. Nick refuses claiming, “I’ve got my hands full,” This reveals that Nick is very class conscious as he thinks he is above receiving money for something he has done. It also shows that he is aware of the corrupt criminal world that Gatsby is involved in because he doesn’t want to take the chance of getting involved in the same world as Gatsby.…

    • 297 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The movie “The Great Gatsby” shows life in the 1920s, but there are some inaccuracies between characteristics of the time period and the movie. Despite these inaccuracies, most of the movie stays true to the time period. It accurately shows the imbalance of power during that time. Although the United States was industrializing, only a select group of people became wealthy. The workers, on the other hand, were dirt poor and had a much lower of standard of living. This contrast can be seen by Gatsby’s life and the life of the workers in the Valley of Ashes. The movie also accurately shows the cultural aspects of the 1920s, for the most part. The attire of the people is accurate. It is full of flapper dresses and gaudy accessories, which is what a normal party outfit consisted of then. It also does a good job of focusing on the music then. Music was a major part of that time period as it was being to emerge more. One inaccuracy was the style of music used. For the movie, they imitated the style of music but they modernized it and changed it to fit in this time period. The city was also incorrect. For the movie, they added many colors and there was always something new to be seen. They added onto the city for the movie to make it seem better and larger than life, when a city during that time period was still exciting but not as over the top. Despite these differences, the movie has many aspects that are accurate to the time period.…

    • 266 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The 1920s in the U.S. is a golden age. More and more rich and powerful people appeared in America, everyone wanted to live in that high class society. In this materialistic world, people missing in their voluptuous life, throw away their less poor morality, and measure everything they see with interests. That makes the interpersonal relationships in upper society is built on the foundation of interests like money and status, also the relationships will disappear with the loss of interests.…

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby by Scott F Fitzgerald is a book about a millionaire named Jay Gatsby who seeks to be with his lover, Daisy, even though she is already married. The book is narrated by Gatsby’s neighbor Nick Caraway, who observes Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy and the conflicts Gatsby faces along the way. Gatsby lives the American dream of being popular and wealthy, while Nick is a shadow who watches Gatsby’s and the other characters’ actions. As an outsider, Nick is able to observe the main characters of the book and use descriptions of the setting, contradictions, and ellipses to prove the main idea that Gatsby is great.…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the 1920s, the American Dream gave people the idea they could achieve everything they hoped for with a little hard work. It also embodied the idea of honest, self-sufficient, intelligent people with happy successful families living in America. The Great Gatsby tells a story of a man named Nick Carraway who moves to New York in the summer of 1922. He meets his cousin Daisy Buchanan, her husband Tom Buchanan, and James Gatsby. The four of them spend most of the summer together. Gatsby attempts to win Daisy back from Tom, as they had a relationship together in the past. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates the corruption of the American Dream through the characters of Daisy, Gatsby, and the marriage of Tom and Daisy.…

    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald set in West Egg and East Egg of New York during the time of the Roaring Twenties. Daisy Buchanan is a beautiful woman who is married to Tom Buchanan. Tom Buchannan comes from a old wealthy family much like Daisy. Although Tom has a beautiful wife Tom cheats on her with Myrtle, a woman from the lower class. Myrtle is a sensuous woman who lives in ash valley, an industrial area between the West and East Egg. Jay Gatsby is a man who has come across new wealth and has an enormous mansion where he often hosts luxurious and extravagant parties. Jay Gatsby harbors a secret love for Daisy, which he confesses to her and they start an affair. In The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald…

    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In addition, the unique structure is evident in both “Chronicles of A death Foretold” and “The Great Gatsby”, but the use of structure was used to play the same purpose in both novel; and that is to demonstrate the chronology and its effect in justifying the death evident in both novels. In Chronicle of a death foretold the most prominent form of structure that was evident is narrative structure. The way in which the author divided the narrative structure of the plot and events is through 5 sections. The first section is the morning of Santiago Nasar’s Death, the second section is the historical aspect were the reader learns about the past of Bayardo San Roman and Angela Vicario, the third section is the morning of Santiago’s death which is…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Flaws In The Great Gatsby

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Just like someone said: Your character is your destiny. It decided one’s sense of worth and the ways of thinking and attitude. So, what are the great flaws in the character of main characters and how this lead Gatsby walk into the depths of despair? Let’s start from Gatsby.…

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Great Gatsby Criticism

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Many people wish to be rich and famous, and F. Scott Fitzgerald had these wishes too, but he felt as if he deserved these luxuries. This hard life inspired Fitzgerald to work hard, which got him into Princeton University in 1917, which also inspired some of his works, pointing out the hierarchy of Ivy-League schools. Fitzgerald then went on to make more great literary works, and became a very wealthy man. With every great novel comes criticism, and Fitzgerald’s novels were no exception, receiving criticism for his depictions of the Jazz Age, wealth, and the Illusive American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s rough young life in poverty with high expectations did grow into fortune, but became a heavy drinker and partier that influenced great novels,…

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    No one thinks to highly of him, but his circumstances, when tangled with the themes of the novel is what will lead to the climax of the novel. George Wilson’s purpose in The Great Gatsby is to show a contrast between corruption and innocence. He is the only passive character in this story and similar to Nick, has moral dilemmas. He is the opposite of the American dream shown through his low wealth and social status. However, as he does show to not gain anything significantly, he is not corrupted by the pursuit of the dream. George is an honest and hardworking man, but is naive and quickly intimidated and manipulated by Tom Buchanan. George defers to Tom out of necessity as he needs Tom's business. Although he believes that Tom will sell the…

    • 963 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Chapter five of Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby focusses on the afternoon tea in which Jay Gatsby is to reconnect with Daisy Buchanan as planned in chapter four. The chapter begins with Nick coming home to West Egg seeing his neighborhood in “ablaze” and leading him to fear his home had caught on fire (Fitzgerald 86). It turns out the “fire” was simply Gatsby’s monstrous mansion illuminating light which highlights the actual multitude that is the Gatsby estate. As the chapter progresses, the day comes where Daisy arrives at Nick’s humble abode and ultimately meets Gatsby sparking an immediate reconnection between the two lovers (90-91). Later, Gatsby invites Daisy and Nick to venture to his home next door where he woos Mrs. Buchanan by showing her all the immaculate aspects of his now life such as his…

    • 890 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1. How does Nick describe himself at the beginning of the novel? As tolerant, and smart…

    • 1003 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Great Gatsby Analysis

    • 1125 Words
    • 5 Pages

    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…

    • 1125 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Great Gatsby Mistakes

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Time is a continuous aspect of life where many take certain events from their lifetime and organize them into the past, present, and future. Although people live present time, it is astonishing to believe that one may be trapped in one of these blocks because of their personal ambitions. For example, in The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby continues to live in the past particularly because of his many “mistakes” of not getting what he wanted. Because of the many things Gatsby wanted to change, Gatsby transforms into an obsessive perfectionist that will stop at nothing to get his way in order to make up for everything he wished for, including his loved one. What he never realized is that one cannot change the past no matter how hard they try because the present seems to overflow what the past has ever…

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dreams and goals, they are what people's daily lives are derived from. Dreams are what people strive to achieve and a failure to achieve a dream consequently leads to a void in someone's heart. If someone cannot achieve their dream , they are guilt-ridden until they achieve their dream. Gatsby is the perfect representation of someone who fails to achieve their dreams and yearns to try again. Fitzgerald makes Gatsby stand out of all the characters, this helps communicate his message about people's failure to accomplish their dreams. Fitzgerald Communicates that people are so blinded by their ambitions of achieving their dreams , they lose sight of what is going on around them. Gatsby sacrifices his status along with his wealth to win…

    • 787 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays