the great gasby.docx

the great gasby.docx

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thegreatgasby

Historicalcontext

SetontheprosperousLongIslandof1922,TheGreatGatsbyprovidesacriticalsocialhistoryofAmericaduringtheRoaringTwentieswithinitsnarrative.Thatera,knownforunprecedentedeconomicprosperity,theevolutionofjazzmusic,flapperculture,andbootleggingandothercriminalactivity,isplausiblydepictedinFitzgerald'snovel.Fitzgeraldusesthesesocietaldevelopmentsofthe1920stobuildGatsby'sstoriesfromsimpledetailslikeautomobilestobroaderthemeslikeFitzgerald'sdiscreetallusionstotheorganizedcrimeculturewhichwasthesourceofGatsby'sfortune.[5]FitzgeraldeducateshisreadersaboutthegarishsocietyoftheRoaringTwentiesbyplacingatimeless,relatableplotlinewithinthehistoricalcontextoftheera.[6]

Fitzgerald'svisitstoLongIsland'snorthshoreandhisexperienceattendingpartiesatmansionsinspiredTheGreatGatsby'ssetting.Todaythereareanumberoftheoriesastowhichmansionwastheinspirationforthebook.OnepossibilityisLand'sEnd,anotableGoldCoastMansionwhereFitzgeraldmayhaveattendedaparty.[7]ManyoftheeventsinFitzgerald'searlylifearereflectedthroughoutTheGreatGatsby.FitzgeraldwasayoungmanfromMinnesota,andlikeNick,hewaseducatedatanIvyLeagueschool,Princeton（inNick'scase,Yale.）FitzgeraldisalsosimilartoJayGatsby,ashefellinlovewhilestationedinthemilitaryandfellintoalifeofdecadencetryingtoprovehimselftothegirlheloves.Fitzgeraldbecameasecondlieutenant,andwasstationedatCampSheridan,inMontgomery,Alabama.Therehemetandfellinlovewithawildseventeen-year-oldbeautynamedZeldaSayre.Zeldafinallyagreedtomarryhim,butherpreferenceforwealth,fun,andleisureledhertodelaytheirweddinguntilhecouldproveasuccess.[8]LikeNickinTheGreatGatsby,Fitzgeraldfoundthisnewlifestyleseductiveandexciting,and,likeGatsby,hehadalwaysidolizedtheveryrich.[8]Inmanyways,TheGreatGatsbyrepresentsFitzgerald'sattempttoconfronthisconflictingfeelingsabouttheJazzAge.LikeGatsby,Fitzgeraldwasdrivenbyhisloveforawomanwhosymbolizedeverythinghewanted,evenassheledhimtowardeverythinghedespised.[8]

InherbookCarelessPeople:

Murder,MayhemandtheInventionof'TheGreatGatsby'（2013）,SarahChurchwellspeculatesthatpartsoftheendingofTheGreatGatsby（1925）byF.ScottFitzgeraldwerebasedontheHall-MillsCase.[9]Basedonherforensicsearchforclues,sheassertsthatthetwovictimsintheHalls-MillsmurdercaseinspiredthecharacterswhoweremurderedinTheGreatGatsby.[10]

Plotsummary[edit]

Themaineventsofthenoveltakeplaceinthesummerof1922.NickCarraway,aYalegraduateandWorldWarIveteranfromtheMidwest–whoservesasthenovel'snarrator–takesajobinNewYorkasabondsalesman.HerentsasmallhouseonLongIsland,inthe（fictional）villageofWestEgg,nextdoortothelavishmansionofJayGatsby,amysteriousmillionairewhoholdsextravagantpartiesbutdoesnotparticipateinthem.NickdrivesaroundthebaytoEastEggfordinneratthehomeofhiscousin,DaisyFayBuchanan,andherhusband,Tom,acollegeacquaintanceofNick's.TheyintroduceNicktoJordanBaker,anattractive,cynicalyounggolferwithwhomNickbeginsaromanticrelationship.SherevealstoNickthatTomhasamistress,MyrtleWilson,wholivesinthe"valleyofashes":

[11]anindustrialdumpinggroundbetweenWestEggandNewYorkCity.Notlongafterthisrevelation,NicktravelstoNewYorkCitywithTomandMyrtletoanapartmenttheykeepfortheiraffair.Attheapartment,avulgarandbizarrepartytakesplace.ItendswithTombreakingMyrtle'snoseaftersheannoyshimbysayingDaisy'snameseveraltimes.

ThePlazaHotelintheearly1920s

Asthesummerprogresses,NickeventuallyreceivesaninvitationtooneofGatsby'sparties.NickencountersJordanBakerattheparty,andtheymeetGatsbyhimself,analoofandsurprisinglyyoungmanwhorecognizesNickfromtheirsamedivisioninthewar.ThroughJordan,NicklaterlearnsthatGatsbyknewDaisyfromaromanticencounterin1917andisdeeplyinlovewithher.Hespendsmanynightsstaringatthegreenlightattheendofherdock,acrossthebayfromhismansion,hopingtoonedayrekindletheirlostromance.Gatsby'sextravagantlifestyleandwildpartiesareanattempttoimpressDaisyinthehopethatshewillonedayappearagainatGatsby'sdoorstep.GatsbynowwantsNicktoarrangeareunionbetweenhimselfandDaisy.NickinvitesDaisytohaveteaathishouse,withouttellingherthatGatsbywillalsobethere.Afteraninitiallyawkwardreunion,GatsbyandDaisyreestablishtheirconnection.Theybeginanaffairand,afterashorttime,Tomgrowsincreasinglysuspiciousofhiswife'srelationshipwithGatsby.AtaluncheonattheBuchanans'house,DaisyspeakstoGatsbywithsuchundisguisedintimacythatTomrealizessheisinlovewithGatsby.ThoughTomishimselfinvolvedinanextramaritalaffair,heisoutragedbyhiswife'sinfidelity.HeforcesthegrouptodriveintoNewYorkCityandconfrontsGatsbyinasuiteatthePlazaHotel,assertingthatheandDaisyhaveahistorythatGatsbycouldneverunderstand.Inadditiontothat,heannouncestohiswifethatGatsbyisacriminalwhosefortunecomesfrombootleggingalcoholandotherillegalactivities.DaisyrealizesthatherallegianceistoTom,andTomcontemptuouslysendsherbacktoEastEggwithGatsby,attemptingtoprovethatGatsbycannothurthim.

WhenNick,Jordan,andTomdrivethroughthevalleyofashes[11]ontheirwayhome,theydiscoverthatGatsby'scarhasstruckandkilledTom'smistress,Myrtle.NicklaterlearnsfromGatsbythatDaisy,notGatsbyhimself,wasdrivingthecaratthetimeoftheaccidentbutGatsbyintendstotaketheblameanyway.Myrtle'shusband,George,falselyconcludesthatthedriveroftheyellowcaristhesecretloverherecentlybegansuspectingshehas,andsetsoutonfoottolocateitsowner.AfterfindingouttheyellowcarisGatsby's,hearrivesatGatsby'smansionwherehefatallyshootsbothGatsbyandthenhimself.NickstagesanunsettlinglysmallfuneralforGatsby,endshisrelationshipwithJordan,andmovesbacktotheMidwest,disillusionedwiththeEasternlifestyle.

Majorcharacters[edit]

∙NickCarraway –aYalegraduateoriginatingfromtheMidwest,aWorldWarIveteran,and,atthestartoftheplot,anewlyarrivedresidentofWestEgg,whoisaged29（later30）.Healsoservesasthefirst-personnarratorofthenovel.HeisGatsby'snext-doorneighborandabondsalesman.Heiseasy-going,occasionallysarcastic,andsomewhatoptimistic,althoughthislatterqualityfadesasthenovelprogresses.

∙JayGatsby（originallyJames"Jimmy"Gatz） –ayoung,mysteriousmillionairewithshadybusinessconnections（laterrevealedtobeabootlegger）,originallyfromNorthDakota.HeisobsessedwithDaisyBuchanan,abeautifuldebutante,fromLouisville,KentuckywhomhehadmetwhenhewasayoungmilitaryofficerstationedattheArmy'sCampTaylorinLouisvilleduringWorldWarI.FitzgeraldhimselfwasactuallybasedatCampTaylorinLouisvillewhenhewasintheArmyandmakesvariousreferencestoLouisvilleinthenovel,includingtheSeelbachHotelwheretheBuchananpartystayedwhileintownforTomandDaisy'swedding.ThecharacterisbasedonthebootleggerandformerWorldWarIofficerMaxGerlach,accordingtoSomeSortofEpicGrandeur,MatthewJ.Bruccoli'sbiographyofF.ScottFitzgerald.GatsbyissaidtohavebrieflystudiedatTrinityCollege,OxfordinEnglandaftertheendofWorldWarI.[12]

∙DaisyFayBuchanan –anattractiveandeffervescent,ifshallowandself-absorbed,youngLouisville,Kentuckydebutanteandsocialite,identifiedasaflapper.[13]SheisNick'ssecondcousin,onceremoved;andthewifeofTomBuchanan.DaisyisbelievedtohavebeeninspiredbyFitzgerald'sownyouthfulromanceswithGinevraKing.DaisyoncehadaromanticrelationshipwithGatsby,beforeshemarriedTom.HerchoicebetweenGatsbyandTomisoneofthecentralconflictsinthenovel.

∙Thomas"Tom"Buchanan –amillionairewholivesonEastEgg,andDaisy'shusband.Tomisanimposingmanofmuscularbuildwitha"huskytenor"voiceandarrogantdemeanor.HeisaformerfootballstaratYale.BuchananhasparallelswithWilliamMitchell,theChicagoanwhomarriedGinevraKing.BuchananandMitchellwerebothChicagoanswithaninterestinpolo.LikeGinevra'sfather,whomFitzgeraldresented,BuchananattendedYaleandisawhitesupremacist.[14]

∙JordanBaker –DaisyBuchanan'slong-timefriendwith"autumn-leafyellow"hair,afirmathleticbody,andanaloofattitude.SheisNickCarraway'sgirlfriendformostofthenovelandanamateurgolferwithaslightlyshadyreputationandapenchantforuntruthfulness.FitzgeraldtoldMaxwellPerkinsthatJordanwasbasedonthegolferEdithCummings,afriendofGinevraKing.[14]Hernameisaplayonthetwothen-popularautomobilebrands,theJordanMotorCarCompanyandtheBakerMotorVehicle,alludingtoJordan's"fast"reputationandthefreedomnowpresentedtoAmericans,especiallywomen,inthe1920s.[15][16][17]

∙GeorgeB.Wilson –amechanicandownerofagarage.Heisdislikedbybothhiswife,MyrtleWilson,andTomBuchanan,whodescribeshimas"sodumbhedoesn'tknowhe'salive."Whenhelearnsofthedeathofhiswife,heshootsandkillsGatsby,wronglybelievinghehadbeendrivingthecarthatkilledMyrtle,andthenkillshimself.

∙MyrtleWilson –George'swife,andTomBuchanan'smistress.Myrtle,whopossessesafiercevitality,isdesperatetofindrefugefromhercomplacentmarriage,butunfortunatelythisleadstohertragicendi