good thesis statement for the great gatsby

How to Write a Thesis Statement for "The Great Gatsby"

Shelia odak.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel “The Great Gatsby” is a classic of American fiction and a staple in the literature classroom. The tragic story of Jay Gatsby plays out against the opulence of the 1920s. The text offers a range of subjects from which to create a thesis statement, including the book’s symbolism, the pursuit of the American dream, the clash of social classes and even the novel’s title. By learning why these ideas are important components of the book and understanding the purpose of a thesis statement, you can create the foundation for a successful essay.

Know that a thesis statement announces the topic and viewpoint of your paper in a succinct, direct manner. Place it at the end of the introduction in a single sentence.

Understand the meaning and purpose behind the book's symbolism. Concentrate on the purpose of the symbolism, not just one or two examples. If, for instance, several of the novel’s symbols deal with problems of materialism, determine why Fitzgerald would want to highlight materialism in his novel.

Know how the book deals with the American dream, through the character of Gatsby or the other characters in the novel. As above, determine how Fitzgerald feels the American dream through the imagery he employs.

Understand Fitzgerald's point of view about the various social classes that the characters in the novel represent. To narrow the topic, choose to write about how Fitzgerald deals with one class.

Decide what is meant by the novel’s title, "The Great Gatsby," and tailor your thesis statement around the adjective “great.” Be sure to consider if the title is ironic.

The thesis can alert you when you go off track during the writing process: If anything in the body of your paper does not support the thesis, it should be deleted.

About the Author

Shelia Odak has over 10 years writing and editing experience for consumer and trade publications including "Radio/TV Interview Report." She has worked for over nine years in education and holds a Ph.D. from Georgia State University. Odak writes on a range of topics including education, literature and frugal living.

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The Great Gatsby

Introduction to the great gatsby, summary of the great gatsby, major themes in the great gatsby, major characters in the great gatsby, writing style of the great gatsby ‎, analysis of literary devices in the great gatsby, related posts:, post navigation.

20 The Great Gatsby Essay Topics

Hailed as one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, The Great Gatsby is a story that explores love, betrayal, and the pursuit of the American dream in the 1920s.

If you have been asked to write an essay on this classic novel, you might be a little nervous trying to figure out what you should include. However, don’t worry! This guide will walk you through the process of writing an excellent Gatsby essay and provide 20 The Great Gatsby essay topic ideas.

Essay Writing Essentials

Before you can write an essay on The Great Gatsby, you need to understand the basics of essay writing. This includes developing a clear thesis, supporting your claims with evidence from the book, and crafting a solid conclusion.

Writing a Thesis

A thesis statement details the overall point or argument you intend to make in the essay. Therefore, a thesis statement must be clear, specific, and arguable. A thesis statement will be best placed at the end of your first paragraph or as a way to wrap up your introduction if it is multiple paragraphs.

Some examples of well-written thesis statements for a The Great Gatsby include:

“While The Great Gatsby appears to be a novel about love, in reality, it is a scathing critique of the American dream.”

“Though Jay Gatsby is wealthy and well-liked, he is ultimately a tragic figure because he cannot escape his past.”

“The relationships in The Great Gatsby are all ultimately doomed because the characters are not honest with each other or themselves.”

Developing Supporting Claims for the Body

To support your thesis statement, you will need to include evidence from the novel in the form of quotes and analysis. It is vital that you choose passages that directly relate to your thesis and that you explain how these quotes support your argument.

One way to find quotes that support your thesis is to look for passages that seem particularly significant or interesting to you. Then, once you have a few potential quotes in mind, try to come up with a sentence or two explaining how the quote supports your argument. This will help you determine if the quote is actually relevant to your essay or if you need to keep looking.

It can also be helpful to go back to your list of potential thesis statements and look for quotes that could support each one. This way, you can get a sense of which quotes will be most beneficial for your essay before writing.

Crafting a Strong Conclusion

Your conclusion should briefly summarize the main points of your essay and reiterate your thesis statement. You might also want to leave the reader with something to think about or a call to action if you feel strongly about the issue you have been discussing.

A strong conclusion might look something like this:

“Though Gatsby’s pursuit of the American dream is ultimately fruitless, his efforts are nonetheless admirable. His willingness to fight for what he wants, even in the face of overwhelming odds, is something that we can all learn from.”

Citing and Formatting Essays About Books

In addition to using evidence from the novel to support your claims, you will also need to cite any sources you use in your essay. This includes any quotes or paraphrases from The Great Gatsby and any outside sources you might have used.

Citing Sources

When citing a quote from The Great Gatsby, you will need to include the page number in parentheses after the quote. For example:

“Daisy’s voice was sad ‘I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.'” (10).

If you are paraphrasing or summarizing a passage from The Great Gatsby, you will just need to include the page number in parentheses after the paraphrase. For example:

Gatsby’s wealth is often seen as a symbol of his success, but it is also clear that money cannot buy happiness. (21)

If you cite an outside source, you will need to include both the author’s name and the page number (or, for sources that don’t use page numbers, the section or chapter number) in parentheses after the quote. For example:

“The Great Gatsby is widely regarded as a masterpiece of American fiction” (Baldwin 3).

Formatting an Essay About a Book

When formatting your essay, there are a few key things you need to keep in mind. First, all mentions of the book’s title need to be italicized or underlined. Second, your essay should have one-inch margins on all sides.

Your essay should also have a title page that includes the title of your essay, your name, and the name of your class. If you are writing a longer essay (5 or more pages), you may need to also include a header on each page. It’s best to speak with your instructor to clarify any specific formatting requirements for the assignment.

Now that you know how to write an essay on The Great Gatsby, you can start brainstorming potential topics for your paper. If you are having trouble, consider using or adapting one of the following topics.

How does Gatsby’s wealth (or lack thereof) impact his relationships?
How does Gatsby’s pursuit of the American dream ultimately fail?
What role do women play in The Great Gatsby?
How are the parties that Gatsby throws symbolic of his own emptiness?
How does Fitzgerald use symbolism to comment on the state of the American dream?
What role does fate play in The Great Gatsby?
Is Gatsby a tragic hero? If so, why?
How is The Great Gatsby an example of the “Lost Generation”?
What role does the past play in The Great Gatsby?
How do the relationships between men and women change throughout the novel?
How is The Great Gatsby a commentary on the class divisions in American society?
What role does morality play in The Great Gatsby?
How do the characters in The Great Gatsby represent different aspects of the American dream?
What role does money play in The Great Gatsby?
Is Gatsby a sympathetic character? Why or why not?
How is Nick Carraway’s role as narrator important to the novel?
How does Fitzgerald use setting to comment on the characters and events in The Great Gatsby?
What role do secrets play in The Great Gatsby?
How is The Great Gatsby a commentary on the corruption of the American dream?
What theme(s) are explored in The Great Gatsby?

These topics should provide any student assigned an essay on The Great Gatsby with plenty to write about. If you need further help, consider using or adapting one of these topics for your own paper.

130 Informative Essay Topics
170 Comparative Essay Topics
150 Comparison Essay Topics
125 Descriptive Essay Topics
120 College Essay Topics

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Testimonials

'The Great Gatsby' Themes

Wealth, class, and society, love and romance, the loss of idealism, the failure of the american dream.

good thesis statement for the great gatsby

M.F.A, Dramatic Writing, Arizona State University
B.A., English Literature, Arizona State University
B.A., Political Science, Arizona State University

The Great Gatsby , by F. Scott Fitzgerald, presents a critical portrait of the American dream through its portrayal of the 1920s New York elite. By exploring themes of wealth, class, love and idealism, The Great Gatsby raises powerful questions about American ideas and society.

The Great Gatsby 's characters represent the wealthiest members of 1920s New York society . Despite their money, however, they are not portrayed as particularly aspirational. Instead, the rich characters' negative qualities are put on display: wastefulness, hedonism, and carelessness.

The novel also suggests that wealth is not equivalent to social class. Tom Buchanan comes from the old money elite, while Jay Gatsby is a self-made millionaire. Gatsby, self-conscious about his "new money" social status, throws unbelievably lavish parties in hopes of catching Daisy Buchanan's attention. However, at the novel's conclusion, Daisy chooses to stay with Tom despite the fact that she genuinely loves Gatsby; her reasoning is that she could not bear to lose the social status that her marriage to Tom affords her. With this conclusion, Fitzgerald suggests that wealth alone does not guarantee entrance into the upper echelons of elite society.

In The Great Gatsby , love is intrinsically tied to class. As a young military officer, Gatsby fell quickly for debutante Daisy, who promised to wait for him after the war. However, any chance at a real relationship was precluded by Gatsby's lower social status. Instead of waiting for Gatsby, Daisy married Tom Buchanan, an old-money East Coast elite. It is an unhappy marriage of convenience: Tom has affairs and seems just as romantically uninterested in Daisy as she is in him.

The idea of unhappy marriages of convenience isn’t limited to the upper class. Tom’s mistress, Myrtle Wilson, is a spirited woman in a seriously mismatched marriage to a suspicious, dull man. The novel suggests that she married him in hopes of being upwardly mobile, but instead the marriage is simply miserable, and Myrtle herself ends up dead. Indeed, the only unhappy couple to survive "unscathed" is Daisy and Tom, who eventually decide to retreat into the cocoon of wealth despite their marital problems.

In general, the novel takes a fairly cynical view of love. Even the central romance between Daisy and Gatsby is less a true love story and more a depiction of Gatsby's obsessive desire to relive—or even redo —his own past. He loves the image of Daisy more than the woman in front of him . Romantic love is not a powerful force in the world of The Great Gatsby .

Jay Gatsby is perhaps one of the most idealistic characters in literature. Nothing can deter him from his belief in the possibility of dreams and romance. In fact, his entire pursuit of wealth and influence is carried out in hopes of making his dreams come true. However, Gatsby's single-minded pursuit of those dreams—particularly his pursuit of the idealized Daisy—is the quality that ultimately destroys him. After Gatsby's death, his funeral is attended by just three guests; the cynical "real world" moves on as though he'd never lived at all.

Nick Carraway also represents the failures of idealism through his journey from naïve Everyman observer to burgeoning cynic. At first, Nick buys into the plan reunite Daisy and Gatsby, as he believes in the power of love to conquer class differences. The more involved he becomes in the social world of Gatsby and the Buchanans, however, the more his idealism falters. He begins to see the elite social circle as careless and hurtful. By the end of the novel, when he finds out the role Tom cheerfully played in Gatsby’s death, he loses any remaining trace of idealization of elite society.

The American dream posits that anyone, no matter their origins, can work hard and achieve upward mobility in the United States. The Great Gatsby questions this idea through the rise and fall of Jay Gatsby. From the outside, Gatsby appears to be proof of the American dream: he is a man of humble origins who accumulated vast wealth. However, Gatsby is miserable. His life is devoid of meaningful connection. And because of his humble background, he remains an outsider in the eyes of elite society. Monetary gain is possible, Fitzgerald suggests, but class mobility is not so simple, and wealth accumulation does not guarantee a good life.

Fitzgerald specifically critiques the American dream within the context of the Roaring Twenties , a time when growing affluence and changing morals led to a culture of materialism. Consequently, the characters of The Great Gatsby equate the American dream with material goods, despite the fact that the original idea did not have such an explicitly materialistic intent. The novel suggests that rampant consumerism and the desire to consume has corroded the American social landscape and corrupted one of the country's foundational ideas.

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185 The Great Gatsby : Best Topics and Examples

Looking for some creative titles for The Great Gatsby essay? There are many themes to explore about this novel. We offer you The Great Gatsby essay examples about symbolism, character analysis, the style of the novel, and many other topics.

📙 The Great Gatsby – Essay Writing Tips

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The Great Gatsby, the masterpiece written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, will help you dive into the Roaring Twenties’ wealth atmosphere. This is a story of a millionaire Jay Gatsby and his passion for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan

Your professor may ask you to analyze topics such as decadence, money, American Dream, or symbolism in your The Great Gatsby Essay. But what if you have no idea what to write? Well, below, you can find some tips and essay samples that you may use to compose your papers

Tip #1. Analyze symbolism in The Great Gatsby

First, let’s define what symbolism is. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, symbolism is “practice of using symbols, especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible using visible or sensuous representations.” The Great Gatsby story is full of symbols. And here are just two examples of them:

The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg painted on a billboard in the Valley of Ashes. You can find a lot of The Great Gatsby essay samples that draw the conclusion that Eckleburg represents God. However, let’s ask a few more questions. Why do these eyes have no mouth or arms, or legs? Does this mean that Eckleburg can only watch people transgressions without any ability to punish them as a God-like entity? Does this billboard mean anything?
Use of color in Fitzgerald’s story. If you carefully read the novel, you might notice the use of a few colors throughout the book. They are green, gray, gold, and yellow. Think, what do these colors can symbolize and represent these ideas in your paper.

Tip #2. Think about point of view in The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is written in the first-person point of view. Nick Carraway, one of the main characters, tells us about the life and thoughts of Gatsby. In your writing, you can imagine how different the novel would be if it were told in the third-person point of view.

You also can provide some examples if the story was told from Gatsby’s perspective.

Tip #3. Assess how the book relates to the American Dream

If you look through the vast majority The Great Gatsby essay titles, you can find out plenty of samples that address the validity of high society or the social class divide. Gatsby had achieved the American Dream by building his wealth. However, he’s still not satisfied with the shallowness of the upper class and wants something more.

In your paper, you can argue why does one can never attain the American Dream, and why dreamers always want more.

Tip #4. Analyze the characters and their relations

Fitzgerald put each character into the novel for a particular reason. And your job is to analyze what they represent and why they are in the story. For example, Tom represents evil, while Daisy represents innocence. Another aspect you should examine is relationships between Daisy and Gatsby, Tom and Daisy, Nick and Gatsby.

Tip #5. Examine the tone of the novel

When we talk about the tone of the story, we mean how the author describes the events and characters. In your paper, decide what the tone of the novel is and analyze how it affects the readers’ attitude to characters and events.

Now, check The Great Gatsby essay examples below and use the acquired ideas to write your own paper!

Analysis of the Shirt Scene in “The Great Gatsby” Film Although the shirts mean nothing to Gatsby without Daisy, the audience watches Gatsby’s facial expression display a great deal of empathy and love whenever Daisy seems distressed, especially in this scene when she begins to […]
The Great Gatsby Reflection Paper Throughout the novel the major character Nick who was the narrator managed to bring out the main themes of the novel as well as developing other characters.
Daisy Buchanan: “I Did Love Him Once, but I Loved You, Too” Another scene shows Daisy’s immoral behavior when she is in the room with Gatsby, Jordan, and Nick. This view shows Daisy’s lustful side in that she pushes Jordan to do the same and is out […]
The Clock as a Symbol in “The Great Gatsby” By incorporating metaphorical elements that allude to the fleeting nature of time, “the Great Gatsby” emphasizes the idea of the futility of life and the inescapability of the past and its mistakes.
Tom and Gatsby: Compare and Contrast Essay In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald pays attention to the relationships between both Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan and Daisy Buchanan. Scott Fitzgerald’s book is mainly focused on the relationship of Daisy with Gatsby and Tom, […]
Nick as the Narrator in The Great Gatsby Therefore, his connection with the Gatsby’s story is that he is depended upon to serve as the mouthpiece of the older generation as he metaphorically transcends through time to retell the Great Gatsby tale accurately […]
American Culture in the Novel “The Great Gatsby” In The Great Gatsby, Scott Fitzgerald documents these changes through an in-depth exploration of cultural changes such as the rise in consumerism, materialism, greed for wealth, and the culture of loosening morals in the 1920s […]
The Great Gatsby: Analysis and Feminist Critique The feminist critique is an aspect that seeks to explore the topic of men domination in the social, economic, and political sectors.
Silver & Gold: Color Symbolism in The Great Gatsby Although the color palette presented in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is rich, the problem of differing social status is most vividly described in the novel through the use of golden and silver colors that stand […]
Daisy’s Character Study in “The Great Gatsby” The argument is that the author attempts to describe her as a pure and innocent female to ensure that the reader understands the perspective of Jay, but particular aspects of her true identity are revealed […]
Autobiographical Elements in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The story is set during the roaring twenties, a period of significant social and cultural change, and it incorporates many of the author’s personal experiences, feelings, and perceptions of the time.
Female Characters in A Streetcar Named Desire & The Great Gatsby: Comparative It can be seen in the case of Stella and Daisy wherein in their pursuit of what they think is their “ideal” love, they are, in fact, pursuing nothing more than a false ideal that […]
Why is Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby a Satire? Another aspect of satire in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is the wealth associated with Gatsby, as the reader observes in chapter two.
The Great Gatsby All these characteristics of America during 1920 are evident and inherent in the main character, Jay Gatsby, in the novel The Great Gatsby. This is one of the themes in the novel The Great Gatsby.
Fairy Tale Traits in The Great Gatsby Basing on the several evident parameters, for instance, the character traits, the behavior of prince and princess, and gender distinctions amongst others, Fitzgerald’s masterwork stands out as a variation and sophisticated version of the fairy […]
“The Great Gatsby” Film by Baz Luhrmann The Great Gatsby is a film that stars Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, and the Southern Belle Daisy. The influence of the past comes out throughout the course of the film.
Gatsby & Nick in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is a novel of vibrant characters, and paradox is one of the main themes of the book. Even though Daisy and Tom are married, Nick agrees to help Gatsby be with the […]
Novel Analysis: The Great Gatsby and Siddhartha Hesse’s Siddhartha seems complementary to The Great Gatsby as Brahman, the main role in Siddhartha, finds contentment in self-realization and not in money, sensuality, and love.
‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ Literature Comparison Stella is a devoted wife struggling to make her marriage work, even though her husband Stanley, subjects her to a lot of pain and suffering.
‘The Great Gatsby’: Tom and Blanche Like Tom, Blanche in the book of Street Car Named Desire, is loyal to her sister who is the only member of her family that we come across.
Babylon Revisited & The Great Gatsby: Motifs & Themes When he pleads his case to the guardians of Honoria, his sister-in-law Marion, and her husband, he continually evades his escapades of the past and recounts his hard work and sincerity of the present.
Time as a Theme in The Great Gatsby The embodiment of these negative aspects comes in the form of Gatsby and his life, which in the end is seen as hollow and empty, just as the morals and values of the characters seen […]
Architecture in “The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald From this perspective, the case of Gatsby’s mansion is a symbolic call for leaving behind the anachronistic ideas of aristocracy and embracing American ideals.
“The Great Gatsby” by Baz Luhrmann The filmmakers never stop depicting Gatsby’s wealth and his otherness. He throws money around and he is a topic of heated debates in the society.
The Great Gatsby and Winter Dreams by Scott Fitzgerald In this analysis, the researcher will try to confirm the argument that the Great Gatsby was a continuation of the Winter Dreams.
The American Dream in The Great Gatsby After spending some time in this neighborhood, Nick finally attends Gatsby’s exuberant parties only to realize that Gatsby organizes these parties to impress Daisy, Nick’s cousin, and wife to Tom.
Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’, Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ and the American Dream “The America Dream’ is a longstanding common belief of the American population that in the United States, people are free to realize the full potential of their labor and their talents and every person in […]
The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald Review Gatsby’s dream to become wealthy to gain Daisy’s attention “is simply believable and is still a common dream of the current time”. However, Gatsby is the story’s main character and is a “personification” of the […]
Fertile Questions: “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald The two fertile questions arising from the novel are: what are political and economic impacts of the World War I? and what are the challenges faced by American students born from poor families post-World War […]
Tom and George in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby At the same time, the motives of Tom and George’s behavior differ due to their backgrounds, origins, and belonging to different social classes.
“The Great Gatsby”: The American Dream in the Jazz Age The Jazz Age is a period in the history of the United States of America from the end of World War I to the beginning of the Great Depression due to the remarkable popularity of […]
Women’s Role in “The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald Though the women in the novel are depicted as careless, treacherous, and selfish, the author uses them to underscore the power of the will to rebel against societal norms in pursuit of happiness.
“The Great Gatsby Directed” by Baz Luhrmann This is due to the fact that the film is an indirect adaptation of Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald’s book “The Great Gatsby”.
The Corrupted American Dream and Its Significance in “The Great Gatsby” The development of the American dream and its impact on the society of the United States is a pertinent topic of discussion for various authors.
Jay Gatsby: The Great Fool or the Unfortunate Genius The main idea of the work is to show the unfairness of the fate of a poor young man who cannot marry the girl he loves.
“The Great Gatsby” by Scott Fitzgerald Who will take care of the dead creatures seems not to be in Tom’s order of what to bother him and together with the wife is comfortable enjoying their wealth while the creatures are rotting […]
Characters in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” and Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” The author presents challenges faced in the society as a result of the mixture racial and gender discrimination that a young black girl goes through in search of her dream and personal identity.
Greene’s “Our Man in Havana” and “The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald It is imperative to realize that the purpose of the paper is not to carry out a critical analysis of the plays but to carry out a comparison of the attributes in which they relate […]
What Money Cannot Buy: ‘The Great Gatsby’ Book by F. S. Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby is a book that unveils the instrumental role of the social aspect of life among people; which not only concentrates on the economic part of it.
First-Person Narrative in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” Joyce’s “The Boarding House,” Bowen’s “The Demon Lover” In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Joyce’s short story “The Boarding House,” and the Scottish poem The Demon Lover, the first-person narrative is used differently to achieve the authors’ objectives and create a comprehensive picture of […]
First-Person Narrative in Bowen’s ”The Demon Lover,” Updike’s ”A&P,” Fitzgerald’s ”The Great Gatsby” In this work, the unworked, repressed experience of the First World War is personified and embodied in the image of the ghost of a person who died in this war.
“The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald: Betrayal, Romance, Social Politics and Feminism This work seeks to outline the role of women in the development of the plot of the book and in relation to the social issues affecting women in contemporary society.
Jay Gatsby, Jean Valjean and Henry Fleming: The Compare and Contrast Analyses of the Characters The way the characters of the main protagonists are revealed in the novel is one of the most important things in every piece of literature.
“The Great Gatsby” Novel by Francis Scott Fitzgerald However, what the reader should acknowledge is that the author manages to present a wholesome and clear image of the issues and occurrences that defined the United States throughout the 1920s.
The Great Gatsby’ by Scott Fitzgerald Literature Analysis This is one of the details that can be identified. This is one of the issues that can be singled out.
Political Satire in American Literature Scott Fitzgerald was one of the more famous satirists of the time, particularly in his production of the work The Great Gatsby.
The Dilemmas of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is a story of a young man in the early twentieth century who seems to know what he wants in the way of that dream and what to do to achieve it.
The Great Gatsby – Love, Wealth, and Illusion In the novel, the fictional village of West Egg is perhaps one of the key items that symbolize the life of the new millionaires in the city.
Gatsby & Jean Valjean He is a mysterious person, and no one exactly knows his origins and the ways he used to acquire his fortune.
The Ethicality of an Action Jay Gatsby As well, an action is “wrong” if it results in the opposite of happiness to the people. Mill’s utilitarian theory can be used to assess the ethically of Jay Gatsby’s action, as presented in the […]
Francis Scott Fitzgerald & His American Dream In the novel “Tender is the Night,” Fitzgerald describes the society in Riviera where he and his family had moved to live after his misfortune of late inheritance.
Jay Gatsby & Eponine From Les Miserables: Compare & Contrast Gatsby is the main character in the book “The Great Gatsby,” while Eponine is one of the characters in the book “Les Miserables”.
Jay Gatsby & Gean Valjean: Characters Comparison This essay compares and contrasts the characters of Gatsby and Jean Valjean in the Les Miserable novels and films. Gatsby strikes the readers as a na ve and lovesick individual though his character is negative.
Jay Gatsby and Valjean in ‘Les Miserables’: Comparative Valjean’s life contains a series of misfortunes in the sense that he has to hide his true identity. Most of the people in his life were there just for convenience and for the fact that […]
The Idea of Love in The Great Gatsby and the Parallels or Contrasts That Can Be Drawn With the Presentation of Love in The Catcher in the Rye Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Jerome Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, it is possible to state that the notion of love is presented there similarly even though the texts are absolutely different and […]
Fitzgerald’s American Dream in The Great Gatsby & Winter Dreams To my mind, Winter Dream is a perfect example of the American Dream, since the main hero, Dexter, implemented each point of it, he was persistent and very hard-working, he was a very sensible and […]
What Are the Literary Devices Used to Create the Image of Jay Gatsby?
Analyze How Fitzgerald Uses Imagery in the Great Gatsby
What Do Colors Symbolize in the Great Gatsby?
How Does Fitzgerald Use Geographical Setting to Show the Contrast Between Social Classes in the Novel?
How Does Fitzgerald Convey a Notion of the American Dream Through Metaphors and Symbols?
What Does the Green Light in Daisy’s Window Represent in the Great Gatsby?
What Does the Valley of Ashes Symbolize in the Great Gatsby?
What Role Does Nick Carraway’s Narration Play in the Story? If We Got It Through an Omniscient Third-Person Narrator, What Would We Gain or Lose?
Could the Story Have Been Set in Other Places, Like Chicago or Los Angeles, or Were New York City and Long Island Absolutely Necessary?
Look at the Novel’s Opening Lines. If We Accept Nick’s Advice When We Read the Story, Will Our Views of It Change? Or, in Other Words, Does Refraining From Criticism Promote Compassion?
Is There a Hidden Meaning of the Title of the Great Gatsby? What Is It?
How Is the Color White Used Within the Novel? When Does It Make a False Representation of Innocence? When Does It Truly Represent Innocence?
What Is the Role of a New York Setting in the Novel’s Storyline?
What Is the Real Meaning of ‘Great’ in the Title of the Great Gatsby?
What Significance Do Colors Have in the Party’s Descriptions in Chapter 3?
Elaborate on the Green Light as the Symbol of the American Dream
What Is the Meaning of the Phrase “Can’t Repeat the Past?.. Why of Course You Can!” What Does Gatsby Really Want From Daisy?
What Role Do the Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg Play in the Great Gatsby?
How Is the Great Gatsby a Satirical Representation of the Society?
Are the Rich in the Novel Really So Careless as Everyone Believes Them to Be?
Create an Alternative Ending for the Great Gatsby. Justify Your Choice
What Is the Relationship Between Those Born Rich and Those Who Became Rich in the Novel?
Discuss Female Characters and Their Significance in the Great Gatsby
Compare Gatsby and Wilson. In What Ways Are They Similar?
Who Is the Most Responsible for Gatsby’s Death? Why Is It So?
Why Do Tom and Daisy Stay Together at the End of the Novel?
Does Gatsby’s Money Bring Him Real Happiness?
Can Jay’s Feelings for Daisy in the Great Gatsby Be Considered Love?
How Do Secondary Characters Affect the Story?
Who Is the Real Hero in the Great Gatsby?
Can We Call Jay Gatsby a Romantic Hero or a Villain?
What Does Jay Gatsby Really Live For in the Novel: the Present or the Past?
Compare Myrtle and Daisy
What Does Tom’s Quarrel With Myrtle in Chapter 2 Tell Us About His Personality?
Elaborate on How Both Tom and Gatsby Want to Change Not Only the Future, but the Past in Chapter 7.
What Was Gatsby’s Power of Dreaming Like? Was Daisy a Worth Object?
Is Anyone to Blame for Gatsby’s Death?
Are There Any Moral Characters in the Novel?
Can Jordan and Daisy Be Considered Perfect Role Models for the Upper Class in America? Why or Why Not?
Is Gatsby Really Great? In What Way? How Does His Greatness Evolve as the Plot Unfolds?
How Does Nick’s Character Change over the Course of the Great Gatsby?
Does Gatsby Deserve the Definition of a Self-Made Man? Why or Why Not?
What Role Does Daisy Play in the Conflict Between Gatsby & Tom?
Describe How F.S. Fitzgerald’s Life Experiences Influenced the Great Gatsby
What Are the Central Themes in the Great Gatsby?
What Roles Do Fidelity and Infidelity Play in Fitzgerald’s the Great Gatsby?
What Importance Does Sex Have in the Story?
What Role Does Alcohol Play in the Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald?
Did Fitzgerald Really Criticize the Idea of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby?
Does Love Play Have Any Importance in the Great Gatsby?
What Role Does the Relationship Between Geography and Social Values Play in the Novel?
What Is the Meaning of Time in the Great Gatsby?
How Do the Aristocratic East Eggers, Tom and the Sloanes, Regard Gatsby in Chapter 6? How Is Their Contempt Connected to the Theme of Social Class in the Novel?
Analyze the Great Gatsby Through the Prism of Feminist Theory
How Are the Themes of Kindness and Compassion Presented in the Great Gatsby?
Describe How the Theme of Ambition Is Presented in the Novel
Elaborate on How Fitzgerald Contrasts Education and Experience in the Great Gatsby
Make a Critical Comparison of the Novel With the 2013 Movie
Make a Comparison of the Novel With the 1949 Movie
Compare the Great Gatsby Movies of 1949 and 2013
Compare and Contrast Two Classic American Novels: The Great Gatsbyand the Grapes of Wrath
How Are Donald Trump and the Great Gatsby’s Tom Buchanan Alike?
Compare Miller’s Death of a Salesman and the Great Gatsby
What Other Fictional or Non-fictional Character From a Book or Movie Can Nick Carraway Be Compared To?
Make a Critical Comparison of the Sun Also Rises and the Great Gatsby
Compare the Great Gatsby With a Farewell to Arms
Make a Comparison of Daisy From the Great Gatsby With Henrietta Bingham From Irresistible
What Pop Stars of Nowadays Daisy Can Be Compared To?
Macbeth vs. Jay Gatsby: Make a Character Comparison
Why does Daisy cry about the shirts in chapter 5 of The Great Gatsby?
What is Daisy’s opinion of Gatsby’s party in chapter 6?
How does The Great Gatsby explore the ideas of illusion versus reality?
How did Gatsby measure the success of his party in chapter 6?
What is the true relationship between Daisy and Tom in The Great Gatsby?
What does Gatsby tell Nick about himself and his past?
What role do the first lines of The Great Gatsby play?
What destroyed Gatsby’s dreams in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald?
What is the cause of the problem between Jordan and Nick?
Describe Daisy and Gatsby’s new relationship. What is it like?
Why does Jordan want to leave the group from East Egg?
What does Old Money vs. New Money mean in The Great Gatsby?
Which excerpt from The Great Gatsby is the best example of foreshadowing?
How does Fitzgerald represent the society of his time in thenovel? Would you like to live in the Jazz Era? Why or why not?
How does Nick describe himself at the beginning of The Great Gatsby?
How do we know that Myrtle Wilson is not an intellectual?
Who does the narrator think Daisy is at the end of the story?
What role does the book “The Rise of the Colored Empires” play in The Great Gatsby?
How is America shown in The Great Gatsby? What values do the East and the West represent?
Why did Gatsby fail to achieve the American Dream?
How did F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby reflect the culture of the 1920s?
Which excerpt from The Great Gatsby best indicates that Nick is not fully content with his life?
What role does social class in The Great Gatsby play?
What does Nick mean by the last line of The Great Gatsby?
What are the main differences between The Great Gatsby book and movie?
How does Fitzgerald provide a critical social history of Prohibition-Era America in his novel?
How does Nick know Daisy and Tom in The Great Gatsby?
What did Dan Cody do for Gatsby? What did Gatsby learn from him?
How does Myrtle behave as the party progresses in chapter 2?
Describe the meeting between Gatsby and Daisy in chapter 5. What was it like?
How does The Great Gatsby reflect the Jazz Age?
What were the rumors about Gatsby?
What does The Great Gatsby’s ending mean?
What part does social class play in The Great Gatsby?
Why was young Gatsby drawn to Daisy?
How does Nick describe Tom Buchanan in chapter 1?
In The Great Gatsby, is Nick a reliable narrator?
What is the main conflict in The Great Gatsby?
How does Nick meet Gatsby for the first time?
Why is Gatsby great?
How women are portrayed in The Great Gatsby?
Who killed Myrtle in The Great Gatsby?
What was Jay Gatsby’s real name & background?
How is Gatsby different from his guests?
Who killed Gatsby and how did that happen?
In chapter 7, why does Gatsby stop giving parties?
Does money buy love in The Great Gatsby?
What does “owl eyes” reveal about Gatsby’s books?
What does Gatsby want from Daisy in chapter 6?
How does the Narrator describe Gatsby?
What is Gatsby doing when Nick first sees him?
How did Gatsby get rich?
Is The Great Gatsby about love or money?
Why did Daisy marry Tom in The Great Gatsby?
What role does Dan Cody’s yacht play in Great Gatsby?
Who attended Gatsby’s funeral?
What is the climax of The Great Gatsby?
What is Gatsby’s real history?
How is society shown in The Great Gatsby?
What does “her voice is full of money” mean?
Short Summary
Summary (Chapter 1)
Summary (Chapter 2)
Summary (Chapter 3)
Summary (Chapter 4)
Summary (Chapter 5)
Summary (Chapter 6)
Summary (Chapter 7)
Summary (Chapter 8)
Summary (Chapter 9)
Symbolism & Style
Quotes Explained
Questions & Answers
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Biography
A Good Man Is Hard to Find Essay Ideas
The Road Not Taken Topics
The Yellow Wallpaper Ideas
Their Eyes Were Watching God Ideas
The Picture of Dorian Gray Questions
Heart of Darkness Essay Ideas
Jane Eyre Ideas
The Old Man and the Sea Research Topics
Chicago (A-D)
Chicago (N-B)

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Bibliography

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Historical Context

The great gatsby, by f. scott fitzgerald.

‘The Great Gatsby’ is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s best-known novel. It encapsulates the Jazz Age of the United States in the 1920s.

Article written by Emma Baldwin

B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.

‘ The Great Gatsby ‘ was published in 1925 and it was this third novel. He began writing it in June of 1922 and submitted the revised proofs in February 1925. F. Scott Fitzgerald declined an offer of $10,000 for serial rights to the novel in order to publish it as a whole sooner. He eventually made very little from the book. It was not nearly as successful as his first two novels.

Historical Context

Fitzgerald popularized the term “Jazz Age.” It’s used today to define the period during which Fitzgerald lived and wrote about it. It is also sometimes referred to as the “roaring twenties.” This was a period of shifting morals post-WWI, flappers, prohibition, and wild parties. There were new freedoms for women, and they demonstrated their freedom by cutting their hair short and changing what they wore. The novel, which is set four years after WWI, is considered to be a portrait of this period with characters like Daisy Buchanan representing, to a degree, the flappers of the day and Gatsby’s parties reflecting the celebrations seen regularly throughout the city.

World War I features in other ways in the novel as well. Nick and Gatsby are veterans of the war although the latter’s history is less clear. The Jazz Age ended in 1929 when the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began.

The American Dream and the Valley of Ashes

Of course, it’s important to note, this novel focuses primarily on the upper classes. This means that while the book might depict this group in a historically important way, there is a great deal of society that doesn’t feature prominently in the novel. The 20s were not “roaring” for everyone, despite the economic boom from 1920 to 1929. Income levels were, generally, on the rise, businesses were growing, and trading on the stock market was profitable. (The latter connects to Nick Carraway’s new business prospects.)

Fitzgerald alludes to the stark class differences in his novel through the depiction of the Valley of Ashes and his contrasting portrayal of the American dream for someone like Gatsby and for someone like George Wilson. The latter lives in the “ashes,” or what the wealthy leave behind as they pursue wealth single-mindedly. George works an honest job in a run-down auto repair shop, doing his best to support his wife. However, he’s naive when it comes to what his wife, Myrtle, has been up to his Daisy’s husband, Tom, and when he finds out, he’s furious.

Interestingly, despite how hard George and Gatsby both worked and the different lives they ended up with, they both lose the thing they love the most. George’s wife, Myrtle, dies in an accident, and Gatsby’s love, Daisy, abandons him. Neither achieved what the American dream promised.

Fitzgerald spends the bulk of the novel focusing on the lives of the rich and famous. People like Jordan, the Buchanans, and Jay Gatsby himself. Fitzgerald’s narrator, as mostly an outsider to this world, provides readers with interesting insights into the true nature of their lives. At the heart of their wealth is a lack of empathy, charity, or general kindness or one another or anyone else. In this way, Fitzgerald explores the loss of America’s moral compass as men and women sought to embrace the new post-WWI wealth. While on the surface, it seemed fantastical and amazing, beneath there is corruption and cruelty.

Prohibition

Prohibition is another important feature in the novel, one that some scholars put at its heart. During this period, which lasted from 1920 to 1933, alcohol sales were made illegal in the United States. Those who supported the ban cited a decline in morals, religion, and family values as a result of drinking alcohol. Prohibition allowed Jay Gatsby to accumulate his wealth. He and his partners bootlegged alcohol on the black market, selling it illegally and making a great deal of money. Gatsby was able to rise into the ranks of the uber-wealthy in a way that did not sit well with the “old money” families like the Buchanans. It is this difference that puts West and East Egg slightly at odds. The “old money” side is seen as more sophisticated and desirable than the “new money” side.

While it’s never clearly stated exactly what Gatsby is up to, there are allusions that bootlegging is not the only business he’s in. For example, he’s close with an underworld boss, Meyer Wolfsheim who he introduces Nick. He describes him as “the man who fixed the World Series back in 1919.” Nick is shocked by this piece of information, and it changes his entire perceptive. There is more darkness to Gatsby’s life than even Nick finds out. This is all alluded to with rumors like he “was nephew to von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil.”

Flappers

Also seen throughout The Great Gatsby is the flapper culture. This period of women’s liberation saw young women with short hair and increased freedoms. Jordan Baker is the best example of this kind of woman. Despite society’s changing nature, the world still hasn’t accepted Jordan as an independent person. She dates multiple men, says and does what she wants, and is well-known as an athlete. These features set her at a stark distance from women in previous generations. For many during this period, she represented what was going wrong with the United States. Fitzgerald’s central characters in The Great Gatsby are never this direct in their judgments of her, but Nick and others do make passing comments about her character.

Personal Context

Often, readers try to draw comparisons between Fitzgerald’s life and the lives of the characters in The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald’s wife, Zelda, is sometimes compared to Daisy Buchanan. This comparison is strengthened by the fact that the two didn’t marry until Fitzgerald had published his first book, and it proved to be a financial success. This is similar to how Daisy and Gatsby didn’t marry because the latter lacked the means to give Daisy the life she wanted. This is why she married Tom Buchanan and the loss that inspired Gatsby to strive for the life he achieved. It also led to his downfall and death.

What was the message of The Great Gatsby ?

The message is that the American Dream is a myth and that wealth corrupts.

What influenced The Great Gatsby ?

The Great Gatsby was influenced by Fitzgerald’s contemporary life and the culture of the 1920s.

Why was The Great Gatsby written?

Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby with the intention of penning his masterpiece. Its also been suggested that he wanted to share something about his person life. He said that he wanted to “write something extraordinary and beautiful.”

How does The Great Gatsby represent the 1920s?

It represents the shift in morals, economic boom, increased freedoms for women, and even the automobile boom.

How did Jay Gatsby get rich?

Gatsby gained his wealth through illegal means like bootlegging. He has ties to the underworld, suggesting that he might also be involved in other illegal pursuits.

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How to Write a Compare/Contrast Essay for The Great Gatsby

Book Guides

These compare/contrast essays are an opportunity for you to tie the character similarities and differences to larger observations about society and class, the American Dream , or identity in the novel. They also allow you to practice standard English class skills: close reading, using lines from the text as evidence, and taking a stance and presenting a supporting argument in an essay.

We’ll go over some basic dos and don’ts for writing compare/contrast essays before diving into some analysis of the most asked-about character pairings. Keep reading if you have a Compare/Contrast assignment on the horizon!

Article Roadmap

The do's of a compare and contrast essay
The don'ts of a compare contrast essay
Why some characters are paired for comparison more often than others
Nick and Gatsby
Tom and George
Tom and Gatsby
Daisy and Jordan
Daisy and Myrtle

What to Do in a Compare/Contrast Essay

Like anything you write for English class, your essay should be clearly organized, with a thesis statement (a one-sentence summary of your argument), and topic sentences for each body paragraph.

And you should definitely have an overall argument! The point of the compare/contrast essay isn’t for you to just list the differences and similarities between two characters, you need to take those observations and make a larger argument about the novel as a whole . That larger argument allows you to practice writing an essay that contains an argument, which is a skill that nearly all English teachers are focused on building.

To take a quick example, don’t just list the differences between Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Instead, make an argument like, “Fitzgerald’s portrayal of wealthy New York society through Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan allows him to critique both old money and the newly rich, while reserving his most pointed critiques for the old money crowd.” (Obviously, that’s just one example, and there are dozens of potential arguments you could make while comparing and contrasting characters in Gatsby!)

Make sure to address your larger argument in each body paragraph as you draw out the similarities and differences between the two characters. Don’t get caught in the weeds as you tease out the many differences and similarities in each character pair. Always link back to the bigger picture.

Finally, analyze each quote you use – in other words, don’t stick a quote in your essay and do nothing with it. Make sure to explain how and why the quote demonstrates a key similarity or difference, and what that means for your bigger argument.

What to Avoid in a Compare/Contrast Essay

Don’t just list differences and similarities without an overarching argument . Although you can definitely start brainstorming by making a list of similarities and differences, just presenting that list in essay form won’t get you a good grade, since you need to go deeper and explain what the similarities/differences suggest about the novel as a whole.

And, on the other side, don’t make big claims without some evidence from the text to back them up . For example, don’t say “Tom is selfish while Gatsby cares about others.” Prove those two separate claims (Tom is selfish” and “Gatsby cares about others”) with relevant lines from the book. (And if you’re having a hard time locating good quotes, find a digital version of Gatsby you can search using the CTRL-F function. It’s a lifesaver when gathering relevant quotes for an essay!)

Why Are These Characters Paired Most Often?

We will tackle these major pairings in the next sections of this article:

Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby

Tom buchanan and jay gatsby, tom buchanan and george wilson, daisy buchanan and jordan baker, daisy buchanan and myrtle wilson.

Before we dig into the analysis, you might be wondering: “why are we only comparing characters of the same gender?” or maybe “why not other pairings? Why not Jordan and Myrtle, or Nick and Tom?” We are focusing on these specific pairings because they are by far the most commonly asked about pairs in essay prompts and discussion topics for The Great Gatsby . And we want this guide, first and foremost, to be helpful to students as you work on assignments involving Gatsby!

Furthermore, these pairings help teachers get you to explore some of the novel’s larger themes . For example, comparing Daisy/ Myrtle or Tom/George can help you explore the differences between the wealthy and the working class . Comparing Daisy/Myrtle or Daisy/Jordan can help you explore the changing status of women during the 1920s. Comparing Tom and Gatsby can get at the old money/new money divide. Finally, differences between Nick and Gatsby raise some of the novel’s larger questions about the American Dream , repeating the past, and identity. In short, these pairings have become common because they each allow fairly easy access to one of the novel’s larger issues.

That’s not to say you couldn’t also explore some of those themes by comparing, say, Jordan and George, or Daisy and Gatsby, but cross-gender compare/contrast essays can be challenging because the status of women and men is so different in the novel. If you are interested in seeing how a particular male and female character are paired, you may be better off studying them through the lens of love, desire, and relationships in the novel, or through the way they relate to one of the novel's symbols or motifs.

With those thoughts in mind, let's jump into the top 5 pairings! For each pairing, we will suggest a few possible larger arguments you can either build from or disagree with, but these are far from comprehensive! You should add to our analysis of the characters and come up with an argument you’re excited about.

Quick Note on Our Citations

Our citation format in this guide is (chapter.paragraph). We're using this system since there are many editions of Gatsby, so using page numbers would only work for students with our copy of the book. To find a quotation we cite via chapter and paragraph in your book, you can either eyeball it (Paragraph 1-50: beginning of chapter; 50-100: middle of chapter; 100-on: end of chapter), or use the search function if you're using an online or eReader version of the text.

Although Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway vary both in outlook and temperament, they are also alike in interesting ways. Despite somewhat similar desires, attitudes, and social positions, Nick and Gatsby make very different choices during the novel.

Love and Romance . Nick and Gatsby both want women that are out of their reach, although in different degrees. Daisy is miles above Gatsby in terms of social class. Jordan and Nick are of the same social status, but Jordan doesn't seem free to make her own decisions since an aunt controls her financial life. There is a significant passion gap between Gatsby and Nick as well. Gatsby obsesses over Daisy - he has thought of nothing else for five years, going as far as to buy a house across the bay from her just in case she notices. Nick, meanwhile, is attracted to Jordan's cool and self-sufficient demeanor, but he is clearly not in love with her, as he himself notes ("I wasn't actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity" (3.159)).

Approach to Women. Both men are not particularly interested in the inner lives of the women they want to be with. Gatsby is devastated when Daisy doesn't want to renounce her relationship with Tom completely. Similarly, Nick cavalierly discounts Jordan's penchant to lie, cheat, and generally be cynically uninterested in other people, and then is deeply disappointed when she acts this way after Myrtle's death.

Class and Social Standing. Although both Gatsby and Nick are outsiders to the wealthy communities of East and West Egg, Nick is a much more in-between character socially than Gatsby. Nick is familiar with the ways of the old money crowd because of his own family's privilege and the fact that he is related to Daisy. Gatsby is not only self-made, but is a criminal who is desperate to pass as part of the old money elite without knowing its customs or rules of behavior. What isolates Nick from East Egg life is his Midwestern values and the importance he places on morality and decency. Gatsby is isolated from everyone by the fact that he can never actually be himself - he is always playing a role and putting on his "Oxford man" persona. It may be this sense of feeling out of place that connects them.

Outlook and Temperament. Gatsby is an optimist (almost to a delusional degree) while Nick is a realist who finds Gatsby's idealism inspiring and admirable. Gatsby believes in his ability to shape his own life and future, which makes sense since he has managed to transform himself from a farmer to a successful gangster, to impersonate an "Oxford man," and to accumulate a fantastic amount of wealth in a very short time. This belief in his power translates to Gatsby being sure that he and Daisy can go back to their month of idyllic love ("'Can't repeat the past?', he cried incredulously. 'Why of course you can!'" (6.129). Nick tries his best to be an objective realist and to reign in his tendency to judge others. He is deeply in awe of self-directed men like Gatsby, and even Wolfshiem (Nick is amazed to think that one man could be behind a huge event like the rigged World Series).

Ambition. Gatsby dreams of greatness. As a young man his mind “romped like the mind of God,” and so as an adult, he seems to have made good on this promise by buying the most ridiculous mansion and throwing the most extravagant parties (6.134). Nick is much less ambitious in comparison. While he comes to New York seeking excitement, he doesn't want to be the wealthiest bond salesman on Wall Street or to have the biggest house. He is happy to be an observer at the edge of the drama rather than being in its midst.

Nick and Gatsby Essay Ideas

Here are potential arguments to build on or disagree with based our observations. These are certainly not the only possible arguments, so be creative! Make sure your essay considers what the similarities and differences between Nick and Gatsby reveal about the novel as a whole.

Nick is a passive person and Gatsby is active, which is why Gatsby is the hero and Nick simply the observer.
Nick has much more in common with Gatsby than he thinks he does, which explains why he becomes so enamored of him.
Nick serves as a foil (someone who serves as a contrast) to Gatsby, which makes Nick the best possible observer of Gatsby.
At the end of the novel, Tom says that Gatsby “threw dirt in [Nick’s] eyes, just like Daisy’s,” meaning that both Nick and Daisy were taken in and could never see the true Gatsby: a narcissist and a criminal. Tom is right - the whole novel is Nick trying to spin a negative character into a positive one.

As they battle over Daisy’s love, Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby sometimes seem surprisingly similar - particular in their self-centeredness, wealth, and concern with appearances. At the same time, these surface parallels point to major conflicts in their social class, and say a lot about the world of the novel.

Appearance. Gatsby is driven by his materialism to be very invested having fashionable clothes, a beautiful mansion, and visually overwhelming parties - for him, the outfit is the thing that makes the Oxford man . Meanwhile because Tom doesn't have to dress the part of the moneyed elite to be one, he is instead very attuned to the behavior of others. This is why he immediately sees how fake Gatsby's persona is, both because of Gatsby's overly ostentatious clothes, and because of how much Gatsby misreads the fake invitation from the Sloanes. Tom is never fooled into thinking that Gatsby is anything other than an upstart, and mostly likely a criminal one.

Self-Centeredness. Tom and Gatsby are both completely selfish, and fully convinced that their desires have to be acquiesced to by those around them. Tom, for example, starts his affair with Myrtle by pressing himself against her on a train platform - basically, his version of flirting is bodily assault. Gatsby, meanwhile, also thinks nothing of starting an affair with a married woman, assuming that his obsessive feelings are enough to justify any behavior.

Wealth. Despite the fact that both are unimaginably rich, these men come from totally different sides of the big money divide. Tom comes from old money and is forever worried about the encroachment of the nouveau riche, minorities, and others onto what he thinks is his. At the same time, Gatsby is the most successful of the novel's many ambitious social climbers, using his lack of ethical scruples to parlay his criminal activity into a higher social status.

Power. Tom loves being powerful and wields his power directly. He is physically aggressive and uses his body to threaten and intimidate (Nick, for one, is clearly very cowed by Tom's bulk). He is also quick to violence, whether it's socially sanctioned - like his football accomplishments - or not - like when he breaks Myrtle's nose without a second thought. Gatsby also holds significant power, but his methods are much more indirect. Still, whether he is offering Nick some illegal bond trading action, or showing off his get-out-of-a-ticket-free card to a cop on the highway, Gatsby is clearly happy to be in control of a situation.

Love. Tom and Gatsby both seem to be in love with Daisy. But what does that really mean to each of them? For Tom, Daisy is clearly partly appealing because she completes his horse-riding, East Egg, 350-thousand-dollar pearl necklace lifestyle. He cheats on her because he clearly has never denied himself anything, but he also understands Daisy as a person. He knows that she is too weak to leave him, but he also loves her enough to tolerate her affair with Gatsby and to stay with her after Myrtle's murder. Gatsby's love, on the other hand, is in some ways purer because he so idealizes Daisy and connects her to all of his other hopes and dreams. But this love is overly pure - he doesn't really seem to know Daisy as anything other than an idealized object, and is incapable of accepting that she has led a life apart from him for five years.

Tom and Gatsby Essay Ideas

In a compare/contrast essay, you can’t just present a list of similarities and differences. You also need to have an underlying argument you’re supporting. Feel free to take these at face value or as jumping-off points for your own thoughts.

Tom loves Daisy as a person, Gatsby loves her as an idea.
Both Tom and Gatsby’s tendency to control women and see them as prizes reveals the misogyny of the 1920s.
Although Tom sees Gatsby as someone from an entirely different class than him, what they have in common (selfishness, affairs, obsession with appearances) makes a larger argument for an overall moral hollowness of the rich of any class.
We see both Gatsby and Tom through the eyes of Nick, who worships one of them and hates the other. In reality, they are both much more similar than different, and their different treatment reveals Nick's insecurities and biases.

At first, most readers see Tom Buchanan and George Wilson as opposites. But, these markedly different characters face very similar circumstances and offer two takes on masculinity and power in the novel.

Appearance and Presence. Where Tom is strong and cowering, George is meek and shrinking. Tom exudes power and confidence while George tends to just fade into the background. These differences are borne out in the way these two men interact with the world. Tom is violent towards others, while George’s instinct is to be passive or to try and escape situations, the notable exceptions being his locking up of Myrtle and murder of Gatsby. Tom is confident, privileged, and assured while George is timid; George is “ruled by his wife” where Tom is selfish and acts on his own desires.

Reaction to Adversity. There is a dramatic difference in the way the two men react to the fact that their wives are cheating on them. Tom notices Daisy’s love for Gatsby and immediately starts making power plays. On the other hand, George discovers Myrtle’s affair and is undone by it. Nick compares the two men in a memorable description:

“the shock had made him physically sick. I stared at him and then at Tom, who had made a parallel discovery less than an hour before--and it occurred to me that there was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound as the difference between the sick and the well. Wilson was so sick that he looked guilty, unforgivably guilty--as if he had just got some poor girl with child" (7.160).

In this description, Tom is “well” and George is “sick.” These are certainly arresting ways to describe Tom's more traditional masculinity and George's less overtly masculine character. Tom is self-assured in the face of adversity and immediately takes action to win Daisy back, insisting on driving Gatsby's car, bullying those around him into driving to Manhattan, and using his romance skills to remind Daisy of the pluses of their relationship. Meanwhile, George's weakness makes him look sick and guilty as he contemplates Myrtle's betrayal and is driven to violence to reassert his power over her.

Approach to Women. Both Tom and George assume they know what’s best for their wives: Tom dismisses Daisy’s professed love for Gatsby despite their obvious closeness, while George is determined to take Myrtle out west once he learns about the affair. But, while it seems that Tom does fundamentally understand Daisy and is right about her unwillingness to leave their marriage, George is unable to hold on to Myrtle either emotionally or physically. She is killed trying to run away from him.

Tom and George Essay Ideas

Differences in attitude and outcome, despite a relatively similar situation, reveal some unexpected truths about the world of the novel. Argue the reverse of any of these topics for a really provocative essay!

The fact that Tom manipulates George into killing Gatsby and then himself (which allows Tom and Daisy to walk away from the entire affair without consequence) shows the huge privileges of having money in the novel.
Nick's approach to Tom and George shows his admiration of a physical, brutish, domineering kind of masculinity.
The fact that the relatively good guy turns into a murderer while the bad guy lives to cheat another day is a very cynical take on what happens in a world without a moral compass.

Despite Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker 's similar “white girlhoods” (1.140) in Louisville, their attitude and motivations are quite distinct, making them really interesting to compare and contrast.

Attitude and Outlook. Both Daisy and Jordan display an entitled, bored attitude that’s typical of Fitzgerald’s depiction of the old money segment of wealthy New York society. The fact that they are introduced in tandem, both lying on the couches in their white dresses, speaks to their initially similar attitudes. But soon we see how different their takes on this kind of life are. Daisy is increasingly despondent, even nihilistic, asking in Chapter 7 , “what shall we do today, and tomorrow, and for the next thirty years?” (7.74). Jordan meanwhile is a pragmatic opportunist, who sees possibilities everywhere, arguing that “life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall” (7.75). In other words, Daisy’s pessimistic attitude from Chapter 1 comes through again, while Jordan, despite coming across as cynical and sharp, actually still seems excited about the possibilities life has to offer.

Appearance and Personality. Both Daisy and Jordan very alluring in their own way, though Daisy’s allure comes through her enchanting voice and feminine charms, while Jordan is masculine, “jaunty,” witty, sharp, and physical. Daisy maintains a squeaky-clean reputation despite moving with a fast crowd, while there are plenty of rumors about Jordan’s cheating in golf, and Nick comments on her dishonest attitude. More significantly, Daisy is incredibly self-absorbed while Jordan is very observant.

Role in Society. Daisy seems caught between what society expects of her and some deeper, more powerful desires she can’t name, resulting in restlessness, depression, and her affair. Daisy is sticking to her prescribed societal role by marrying and having a child, while Jordan plays golf, “runs around town” and doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to marry, at least in the beginning of the novel. Perhaps Jordan is still somewhat optimistic about the possibilities of life since she hasn’t settled down yet, while Daisy realizes that nothing major in her life will change at this point. Jordan, meanwhile, is content to chase after fun and intrigue via other people’s bad behavior. And she doesn’t get dragged down by the tragedy in the book – on the contrary, she is callous in how little Myrtle’s death seems to shake her, coolly calling Nick the next day and asking him to meet like nothing has happened (8.50-61). Perhaps her motivations are a bit less accessible to the reader since her role was significantly downsized between some of Fitzgerald’s earlier drafts. But in any case, as we watch Daisy struggle in her marriage, what we see of Jordan is cool, calm, collected, and rather uncaring.

Daisy and Jordan Essay Ideas

So what are some possible conclusions we can draw from Daisy and Jordan’s characters? One of the most common strategies is to tie the differences between these women onto one of the book’s larger themes, like the role of society and class or the American Dream . Another is to think about an important feature of the novel, like Nick’s narration, and see what these two characters can reveal about it. With those strategies in mind, here are some potential arguments you could argue for or against!

Jordan and Daisy, because they are generally disempowered, both use their sexuality in different ways to gain power, with different results.
Despite Jordan’s overt cheating and lying, Daisy is, in fact, the more morally compromised person.
The way Nick treats Jordan versus the way he describes Daisy reveals the novel’s preoccupation with Gatsby above all, to the detriment of the female characters.

While Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson obviously come from very different backgrounds and have conflicting motivations, they also have some surprising similarities.

Physical Appearance. Daisy and Myrtle both derive power from their looks. Myrtle's comfort with her voluptuous body is clearly appealing to Tom, while Daisy's magnetic voice and ethereal presence obsess Gatsby. Throughout the novel, Myrtle is frequently reduced to being just a body - one to be used or violated by those around her. Tom sees little in Myrtle besides someone to either rub up against, have sex with, or punch at will; George resorts to imprisoning Myrtle while she eggs him on to "beat" her (7.314) the way Tom does; and finally, Daisy gruesomely rips Myrtle's body apart with a car. Meanwhile, Daisy's voice also serves to make her less of a person in her own right and more of an idealized, mythic figure from fairy tales. For Gatsby, Daisy's voice is appealing because it is "full of money" (7.105) - he is attracted to her not because of who she is, but because he sees her as a prize.

Social Standing. Myrtle puts on the airs that Daisy has been born and raised with. This allows Myrtle to wield considerable social power within her group, as seen by how her guests fawn on her at the Manhattan party she throws. Daisy, in contrast, never exerts such overt power over a group – rather, she seems to move with crowds, doing what it expected of her (for instance marrying Tom despite still loving Gatsby).

Love and Relationships. Daisy and Myrtle’s marriages are strikingly quite different. Daisy and Tom are able to stay together even through serial affairs and murder. They end up loyal co-conspirators, protected by their wealth. Meanwhile, Myrtle has nothing but disdain for George despite his evident love for her. Still, both women use affairs with other men as a way to escape. Daisy wants to get away from an increasingly unhappy marriage and try to recapture the spontaneity and possibility of her youth, while Myrtle loves the status that her affair with Tom grants her. However, both learn that they can’t escape forever through their affairs. Obviously, their biggest difference is that Daisy gets to walk away from the novel unscathed, while Myrtle gets killed.

Daisy and Myrtle Essay Ideas

Here are ways to write about these different women who face similar choices with dramatically opposite conclusions.

Despite their similarities in action and motivation, Daisy is protected from any lasting harm by her wealth and old money status, while Myrtle is punished for the same behavior, revealing how the class system in America protects the wealthy.
The novel refuses to give any inner life to women, and instead reduces them to their physical qualities no matter what social class they come from. Daisy and Myrtle's similar treatment by the narrator and by the men around them shows that gender trumps class when determining status.
Daisy and Myrtle’s similarities reveal how hollow the progress of the women’s movement really was at that point in time. Despite the big gains the movement made in the early twentieth century, including winning the right to vote and pushing for more freedom in how they could dress and act, both of these women’s lives aren’t vastly improved. They’re both trapped in unhappy marriages, they both rely on their looks/charms/sexuality to get what they want, and neither of them has even a chance of pursuing a fulfilling life through a career.

What’s Next?

Now that you’ve gone over the novel’s most popular compare/contrast pairings, check out our analysis of the novel’s romantic pairings in our guide to love, desire, and relationships in The Great Gatsby .

Have an essay about a symbol or motif? Get started with our symbols overview and motifs overview.

Still a little hazy on some of the plot elements in Gatsby? Not to worry, we have you covered with our complete book summary !

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Themes, Motifs, and Symbols in The Great Gatsby

The Albert Team
Last Updated On: March 1, 2022

One of the most commonly taught novels, The Great Gatsby is rich with opportunities for thematic analysis and broader real-world discussion. Gatsby is a fantastic opportunity to challenge students to see past the money, fancy clothes, and fancy cars and into what brings them lasting joy and purpose. In this post, we’ll break down the biggest themes , motifs, and symbols in The Great Gatsby .

What We Review

Major Themes in The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby lends itself to many themes , but the primary purpose of the novel is to provide a sharp criticism of the American Dream as defined during the 1920s. Other themes — such as obsession with the past or dysfunctional relationships — all tie in with this singular idea of the vanity of pursuing wealth as the only means to true happiness and success.

Pursuit of the American Dream

One very evident theme in Fitzgerald’s novel is the Pursuit of the American Dream during the 1920s. Then, as now, many Americans believed that “anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, [could] attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone” (Barone). Born penniless, James Gatz, or Jay Gatsby, was determined to achieve his own American Dream the only way he knew how: by attaining massive wealth by whatever means necessary. However, even after seemingly fulfilling his dream by becoming filthy rich, those who inherited their wealth still treat Gatsby as an outsider —namely, the Buchanans. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s devastating realization to criticize people’s perception of the American Dream as simply the “culmination of wealth” (Pumphrey).

To paint a picture for the reader, Nick personifies Gatsby’s pursuit of the American Dream in the green light at the end of the Buchanans’ dock, calling it the “orgastic future that year by year recedes before us” (Fitzgerald 180). Much like Gatsby, Americans still today work their entire lives to achieve their idea of the American dream, only for some to meet an untimely end before reaching this dream. One of the most poignant quotes of the entire novel is at the end where Nick states in reference to this unattainable dream that “We beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past,” showing the vanity and utter pointlessness, in his eyes, of this “American Dream” (Fitzgerald 180).

Failure to Live in the Present; Obsession with the Past and Future

Gatsby is the clearest example of a character stuck in the past due to his obsession with Daisy. Nick observes him “stretch[ing] out his arms toward the dark water” (Fitzgerald 21). The reader soon learns that Gatsby is continuously reaching for a green light at the end of the Buchanans’ dock, signifying his continual pursuit of Daisy, who is always just out of his reach. Gatsby is so overcome with visions of his past that he is shackled by his own imagination and kept from forming a genuine connection with the real Daisy.

The past also consumes Tom Buchanan, his one claim to fame being his football career in New Haven. Nick recognizes this immediately, feeling that Tom would “drift on forever seeking, a little wistfully, for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game” (Fitzgerald 6). Tom’s mistress, Myrtle, is always rhapsodizing what she and Tom will do once they are married to one another, something Tom clearly does not see in his future. Even in casual conversation, the Buchanans, particularly Daisy, reminisce about the past or plan for the future, always planning trips to the city or recollecting old acquaintances. Whenever Daisy is forced into the present, she is visibly uncomfortable and anxious.

The Destructive Nature of Dysfunctional Relationships

Fitzgerald’s novel is littered with questionable characters and suspicious situations. Characters constantly act and speak behind each other’s back, making it difficult to trust or predict anyone’s motives in the novel. Tom and Daisy’s relationship is the most obvious example of secrecy leading to conflict regarding Tom’s “woman in New York” and Daisy’s long-lasting infatuation with Gatsby. Tom isn’t even truthful with Myrtle, his mistress, and tells her he cannot marry her because Daisy is Catholic and will not file for divorce.

Miss Baker’s friendship with Daisy is just as secretive and manipulative. When she speaks to Nick behind Daisy’s back, she makes Daisy out to be a fool. She manipulates situations between Daisy and Gatsby behind Nick’s back, even when she knows nothing good can come from their secret romance. Daisy does not even have a functioning relationship with her own daughter; when Nick asks about her, all Daisy has to say is, “I suppose she talks, and eats, and everything” (Fitzgerald 16). We do not witness her daughter’s growth into adulthood, but we can only imagine the damage this separation from her parents has caused her.

The parties that Gatsby hosts in his mansions are not filled with his closest friends; rather, complete strangers flood his halls to spill rumors about their host and leave without a word the next day.

Gatsby, the only person who seems remotely interested in forming functional relationships, still lies to Nick about his upbringing immediately after asking Nick his opinion of him, as if to save himself preemptively. Throughout the novel, Gatsby attempts to form a real relationship with Daisy, which proves impossible because she can never live up to the Daisy of his imagination.

Motifs and Symbols in The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald’s novel is rich with symbolism, whether it be through color, setting, or objects. Each detail, no matter how small, enforces the tone of the scene. Many colors and settings are used in stark contrast with one another; for example, the white and gold Buchanan mansion and Daisy are vastly different from the bleak and gray Valley of Ashes. Gatsby’s car is both gold and green, signifying both his achievement of wealth and his continual pursuit of rich things, including Daisy Buchanan.

Color

There are four distinct colors repeated throughout the novel that each carry meaning beyond the surface. These colors are white, gray, green, and gold.

Daisy and Jordan are both dressed in white at the start of the novel, and the open windows cause the white curtains to float in the air. Both the curtains and the women in white represent both innocence and superficiality of these characters who float through life lacking depth of personality. Nick Carraway describes Daisy as being “high in a white palace”, calling her both “king’s daughter” and “the golden girl” (Fitzgerald 120). In this instance, Nick characterizes her as this lofty, worshiped being, which mirrors Gatsby’s perspective and reinforces the fact that Gatsby will never be good enough for her.

By name, The Valley of Ashes is represented by the color gray, which symbolizes the harsh conditions of the working class and overall lack of joy or hope in this place. George Wilson’s garage naturally resides in this desolate place, described as “unprosperous and bare” (Fitzgerald 25). Words such as “foul”, “solemn”, and “wasteland” are used to describe the place constantly under the watch of T.J. Eckleburg’s gold-rimmed eyes (Fitzgerald 24).

Green symbolizes two primary things: money and lust. The leather seats in Gatsby’s car are a lush green color, implying that perhaps the bright yellow paint did not declare his wealth loudly enough. Tom forces himself into the driver’s seat of Gatsby’s car, emphasizing that he believes Gatsby to be undeserving of such luxury. The most prominent green object (other than money) is the green lantern at the end of the Buchanans’ dock. While this green light represents Gatsby’s dream to be with Daisy, it also more characteristically represents envy as Gatsby desires to have another man’s wife.

Gatsby’s Rolls Royce, later known as “The Death Car,” symbolizes money and the pompous lifestyle of the rich. Nick describes Daisy as a “golden girl”, Gatsby dons a gold tie for one of his many parties, and even the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleberg are rimmed in gold frames. In every instance, gold is both synonymous with wealth and “otherness”. Whether it is Daisy, Gatsby’s car, or even Dr. T.J. Eckleberg, each golden person or object is completely detached from the rest of society and feeling any sort of social responsibility. For example, Dr. T.J. Eckelberg’s looming presence over the Valley of Ashes

Valley of Ashes

George Wilson’s garage naturally resides in the Valley of Ashes, described as “unprosperous and bare” (Fitzgerald 25). Words such as “foul”, “solemn”, and “wasteland” are used to describe the place constantly under the watch of T.J. Eckleburg’s gold-rimmed eyes (Fitzgerald 24). Myrtle Wilson’s brightly-dressed, sensual persona stands out in stark contrast to her colorless background. Even though her character doesn’t “fit” the setting she lives in, she is permanently bound to live and eventually die in this hopeless place. George even attempts to leave, but the thoughtless actions of the rich quickly tear apart his dream of a better life.

West Egg and Gatsby’s Mansion

While similar in appearance, East Egg and West Egg are drastically different from one another in status. West Egg, where Gatsby’s mansion resides, is “less fashionable” than East Egg and represents “new money” (Fitzgerald 5). Nick describes Gatsby’s mansion ironically as an “imitation”, further supporting the idea that Gatsby is an imposter in the realm of the rich and famous. West Egg residents are more inclined to hold extravagant and wild parties than their East Egg neighbors, even though East Eggers have no problem attending these parties held by their “less fashionable” neighbors.

East Egg and the Buchanan’s Mansion

The mansions across the bay in East Egg are described as “white palaces”, further supporting that the color white implies something untouchable (Fitzgerald 4). The French windows reflected gold; vast gardens framed the property; “frosted wedding cake ceilings” hovered above every room, and “wine-colored” rugs sprawled across the floors (Fitzgerald 8). The author spares no detail to ensure the reader understands the exquisite luxury of the Buchanans’ home. East Egg residents also live at a slower and calmer pace than their neighbors, likely because they don’t feel the need to indulge in the luxuries offered at parties that are already at their fingertips.

Objects

Doctor T. J. Eckleberg’s eyes

Dr. T.J. Eckelberg’s eyes are painted onto a fading billboard that overlooks the Valley of Ashes. The eyes float independently of a face or even a nose and are framed in a pair of gold eyeglasses. Not much is known about Dr. Eckelberg; the narrator assumes that he either “sank down himself into eternal blindness” or simply forgot about his billboard and moved to a different city (Fitzgerald 24). Either way, the enormous eyes have a looming presence over the Valley of Ashes; constantly “brood[ing]” over this desolate place. You can define Fitzgerald’s choice of the word “brood” in two very different ways. These eyes could be “brooding” and watching over the city like a worried mother hen wishing to care for her chicks. Or, these eyes could be “brooding” because they are thinking deeply about everything they see that makes them continually unhappy.

Green Light

The green light at the end of the Buchanans’ dock represents Daisy in Gatsby’s eyes. Every time he sees it, he thinks of her and desires to have her. He finds hope in this light; as long as he can see it, Daisy is still just within his grasp. However, Nick sees this green light through much more critical eyes by the end of the novel. He refers to it instead as the “orgastic future that year by year recedes before us” (Fitzgerald 180).

Two important words are used to critique Gatsby’s dream, or more broadly, the American Dream. The first word, orgastic, has sexual connotations and pairs with this lustful desire Gatsby has for Daisy; she is his dream: she fascinates, entices, and overwhelms every part of his being. Likewise, the American Dream can become so consuming of an obsession that it takes on this euphoric or intoxicating appeal. The other crucial word is “recede”: as we pursue our version of the American Dream year after year, it doesn’t get any closer; it only “recedes” or moves farther and farther out of reach. Gatsby’s dream, personified in the green light, is the primary symbol of the novel and ties into Fitzgerald’s overwhelming critique of the American Dream throughout the novel.

Gatsby’s Car

Gatsby’s car has many roles throughout the novel, so much so, it could even be considered a secondary character. First, his car is used as a shuttle to bring people to his lavish parties; then, the car is used to impress Nick and convince him to do Gatsby a favor. Later in the novel, however, things take a dark turn. Tom forces himself into Gatsby’s car for their trip to the city. It is unclear why he does this other than to simply assert his own power over Gatsby. Finally, the car, driven by Daisy, murders Myrtle Wilson and is renamed the “Death Car”. A vivid picture of luxurious living with green leather interior and a bright yellowish gold paint job, Gatsby’s car is yet another failed attempt at reaching his American Dream through the accumulation of flashy and expensive things.

Wrapping Up

Although a relatively brief read, Fitzgerald’s novel is jam-packed with rich opportunities for thematic analysis and tracking motifs and symbols. Drawing on the text For quick assignment ideas, check out our 200+ Great Gatsby review questions , and check out our pre-made chapter quizzes , designed to track your students’ reading progress and comprehension before moving on to a new section of the text.

Works Cited

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby . Scribner, 2018.

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Thesis Statement For The Great Gatsby

Thesis Statement: Throughout the narrative, Scott Fitzgerald uses symbols such as the Valley of Ashes, the green light and the eyes of TJ Eckleburg to indicate how greed, materialism and the loss of moral values in society contributed to the unattainability and corruption of the American Dream. Paragraph 1: The Valley of Ashes. Topic Sentence: The Valley of Ashes symbolises the consequences and corruption of materialism in America. Supporting sentences: Its occupants represents those confined in their pursuit of the American Dream meanwhile the rich enjoy their wealth and success in East and West Egg. In reality, the valley of ashes is described as a grey, desolate and filthy motor road, lodged between West Egg and the rest of New York. It …show more content…

Supporting Sentences: The green light at the Buchanan’s dock symbolises Gatsby's American Dream, which is winning back Daisy’s love and in doing so that will complete his American Dream. Quote: “He stretched out his arms” (last page of chp 1). This is the scene where Gatsby looks across Daisy’s life in East Egg, an island that represents old money in America. The green light on Daisy’s dock symbolises how riches and social ranks have socially and morally corrupted the American Dream. Moreover, Fitzgerald description of Gatsby looking across the “dark water” a “minute and far away” makes the green light seem unachieveable and distant. This quote makes it evident to the reader that the green light symbolises the impossibility of the American Dream, and it being situated on Daisy’s dock symbolises the people who have morally corrupted it. Quote: Another quote that supports this interpretation of the green light is “Gatsby believed in the green light” (p …show more content…

The green colour represents Gatsby’s obsession over Daisy, who embodies his TAD as well as his devotion to love. He makes it his life goal to become prosperous and wealthy so he can impress Daisy’s expensive needs and in turn win or buy back her affection. All throughout the story, he gets involved with bootlegging, crime and extravagant parties hoping Daisy will take notice. Gatsby dream eventually comes to a halt when Daisy runs over and kills Myrtle with his car and Gatsby is left to take responsibility. The green colour of the light is replaced with corruption, as Fitzgerald compares it to “a fresh, green breast of the new world” ( pg

Symbols and Imagery in F. Scott Ftizgerald's The Great Gatsby

1 Works Cited

F. Scott Fitzgerald is known for his use of symbols and imagery throughout The Great Gatsby to illustrate his many ideas and themes. The green light is a symbol that seems to pervade the novel, taking on many meanings. The image of the green light is presented in Chapter 1, as Gatsby extended his arms to the “single green light” at Daisy’s dock as if it were some sort of religious icon. Jordan also confirms this sense of idolization when she says that “Gatsby bought [his] house so that Daisy would be just across the bay,” suggesting his obsessive devotion to Daisy (77). As shown in Chapter 9, the green light can also be interpreted as a symbol of growth. Near the end of the novel, Fitzgerald illustrates Daisy’s dock transforming into the

How Does The Valley Of Ashes Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

This light was a very important symbol in this novel. Across the bay from Gatsby’s house there is a bright green light. Gatsby lives on West Egg, and the light is seen on East Egg. This light happens to belong to Daisy, as it is at the end of her dock. Fitzgerald uses this green light to represent Gatsby’s dream. Gatsby’s dream is to be with Daisy. Towards the end of the novel, Gatsby realizes his chance of being with Daisy is gone. “Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now is was again a green light on a dock...” (Gatsby 98).

How Does Fitzgerald Present Corruption In The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald depicts the American Dream as an endless struggle that, in reality, is not worth the trouble Jay Gatsby goes to. Fitzgerald contrasts both East and West Egg to gain the readers understanding that the decline of the American Dream was not only due to corruption, but also because of the gap between the success and failures of the people living in America. A quote by Gatsby states, “A single green light, minute and faraway, that might have been the end of the dock.” (Page 22). The green light at the end of Tom and Daisy’s dock is evidence of the American Dream and is a representation of Gatsby’s dream that it is so close but too far to capture. This is a link Fitzgerald has used to the American Dream giving the reader an understanding that Gatsby’s efforts of capturing Daisy and the American Dream is quite a struggle. Fitzgerald cleverly depicts the American dream to the reader as a never ending fight to gain materialistic things and this is made clear that it is all a myth by the symbol of the green light on Tom and Daisy’s

Color Symbolism In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

First, the novel utilizes vast amounts of color symbolism to create a beautiful pictures in the readers’ minds and to convey various meanings. For example, Fitzgerald writes or Nick writes, “...I glanced seaward-and distinguished except a single green light…” (Fitzgerald 21). The green light symbolizes as a signal for Gatsby to go to Daisy and to at last be reunited with her. The green light can also symbolize jealousy as it is commonly symbolized in various novels and in media. The reason why the green light can also symbolize jealousy is due to the East Egg coming from old money which Gatsby did not have the privilege to be brought up on, and as the light is located at Daisy’s home which is moreso Tom’s, the green light also symbolizes his

The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald

In the rising action of the novel Nick finds Gatsby alone on his lawn with “his arm toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward--and distinguished nothing except a single green light” (Fitzgerald 21). The source of the green light is later revealed to be at the end of Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s dock. The green light symbolizes the American Dream and Daisy, both of which Gatsby is very close to achieving, though not quite close enough. “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us” (Fitzgerald 180). Throughout the novel Gatsby held on to the hope that he can have a

What Does West Egg Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

The color green represents wealth, which was a reoccurring obsession with Gatsby. The body of water between them both represents the rift between Gatsby and Daisy’s different lives and backgrounds. Additionally, this is the first instance when Gatsby is reaching out to his hopes and dreams. Gatsby’s dream involves wealth and future marriage with Daisy. It is duly noted that at the end of the first chapter, Nick saw Gatsby and, “could have sworn he was trembling…Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light”(Gatsby 20-21). This personal action represents the longing for economic and material success, almost becoming and obsession. However the readers are able to understand that individuals constantly believe that there is always something better in the world. This green light is also symbolic as nicks observation at the end of the novel “tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther”(Gatsby 171), showing that this dream is all encompassing. Gatsby looking across the water to see the green light has drove himself to high status and astonishing success. The green light not only represents wealth but also the model of the American

What Does The Green Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

Green is another significant color in this novel; however unlike white, it represents a variety of ideas. One of the most significant one is “hope”. Throughout the novel, the color green is used to represent Gatsby’s undying hope. The green light that is at the end of Daisy and Tom’s dock is what Gatsby reaches out for. For example in the beginning of the novel, it is already shown that Gatsby stares at that light. Nick observes and describes Gatsby by stating, “…I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness.” This shows what that green light means to Gatsby. It is the symbol of Gatsby's hopes and dreams. It represents everything that haunts and beckons him: the physical and emotional distance between him and Daisy, the gap between the past and the present, the promises of the future, and could also mean money since it is also green. One of the instances

What Does The Green Light Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

The green light in this passage represents the American Dream. Gatsby watches a green light across the bay at the green light at Tom and Daisy’s. Gatsby and Daisy used to date before he left for the war. Gatsby was in love with her and wanted to marry her but, there is a class divide.

What Does The Valley Of Ashes Represent In The Great Gatsby

During the early 1920s, the American dream was every white man’s goal. Money, wealth, and power often define this dream that lacked morals and character. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald defines the American dream thorough a variety of symbols. Symbols including the character Jay Gatsby, the Valley of Ashes, and the green light at the end of the dock all define the major theme of the so-called American dream.

The Great Gatsby Green Light Essay

The green light is very significant, as it is by Daisy's house and plays a part in Gatsby, achieving his dream. When Nick arrives back from dinner, he notices Gatsby in the dark and sees that he has “stretched out his arms, toward the dark water in a curious way.” This tells readers that the green light serves as Gatsby’s motivation as it influences the way he acts. This is because it is by Daisy’s house, which is Gatsby’s dream. This pushes Gatsby to achieve his goal, as he wants to be by the green light. Nick later then says that he “distinguished nothing except a single green light.” Fitzgerald then puts this quote in afterwards to show how the green light is unreachable by Gatsby’s hand. This is like his dream, unattainable. This is because Gatsby’s dream relies on repeating the past, which cannot happen as things have changed. This means that Gatsby cannot achieve his goal. Fitzgerald uses the symbol of the green light to help develop the idea of the American Dream, to show us that some dreams are unattainable. He shows and tells us that some dreams cannot be accomplished, no matter how hard you

Literary Analysis Essay On The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald shows his overall perception of society, he refers to the minds of the average person trying to make it. Fitzgerald uses the “Eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleberg,” he uses the eyes to represent the lose of spiritual values throughout society. Many people in this time period (1920’s) believed money was to their key to everything in life. “But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days, under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground.” Nick (Narrator) uses this to describe the absent values of that he has seen in his time in New York. God seems to have abandoned America, leaving only Dr. T.J. Eckleburg behind to stare down with his empty eyes on people who have abandoned their spiritual values in the quest to achieve material wealth. We see this as well when our main characters pass underneath it. The eyes more so symbolizes the corruption of the people throughout America, and as our characters pass underneath it, you see the blank stare it provides. It sheds light on the affairs of Tom, Daisy etc, and it seems to frown upon the characters. One comparison could be that it is the eyes of god. Moving forward the reader should take away that regardless of what you believe may be the only way, there will always be other ways. Money is not always the way, happiness can be found many

Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

The green light is the most significant use of symbolism in The Great Gatsby. The green light represents various aspects of life which include: Hope, unattainable dreams, freedom and the American Dream. In chapter one Nick states “Involuntarily I glanced seaward — and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock" (Fitzgerald 152). The explanation of this quote is Nick seeing Gatsby reaching his arms out towards the green light at the end of the deck which represents that Gatsby is trying to grasp and gets a hold of his hopes and dreams, which is Daisy, but at that moment Gatsby is unsuccessful in doing so. The green light’s meaning is also that a person cannot live their lives in the past, but instead should look ahead towards the future. In chapter 9 Nick also states "I thought of Gatsby‘s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy‘s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could barely fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night" (Fitzgerald 149). For Gatsby, the green light represents his American dream and Daisy. He wanted to continue his life with Daisy by his side, but sadly his dreams were short-lived.

Green Light Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

Symbolism brings depth and meaning to ordinary objects and people. One of the themes of the novel “The Great Gatsby” written by Scott Fitzgerald is the American dream. The American dream connects to all of the symbolism that Fitzgerald uses in one way or another. The symbolism helps to express meaning and emotion, bringing more depth to the characters. The most prominent symbols are the green light, Gatsby’s books, and T.J Eckleburg. The Green light is a symbol for hope in what is to come.

Color Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

The color green represents one of the colors in color symbolism of The Great Gatsby because its represents envy and also the light at the end of Daisy’s dock. One quote from The Great Gatsby about the light at the end of the dock “... fifty feet away a figure had emerged from the shadow of my neighbor’s mansion...it was Mr.Gatsby himself… for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone- he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curios way...a single green light,that might have been at the end of a dock”(20-21). The quote shows that Gatsby wants whatever that green light at the end of Daisy’s dock is or what it represents. Another way green is shown is Gatsby’s envy of Daisy the idea “The “Gatsby mansion” and all that comes with it are mere symbolic devices meant to lure Daisy away from East Egg and back to a relationship that is psychologically situated in the Louisville landscape of 1917”(Beuka 13). It is clear that Gatsby wants Daisy and will try whatever to get her to come back to him. All in all green shows that Gatsby is envy and how important the green light in what it represents.

Essay Symbols and Symbolism in The Great Gatsby

The green light is what Gatsby aspires to meet his entire life, it is his primal destination in life. The only reason Gatsby buys the house is to see the light in Daisy's window across the bay. In chapter 5 when Gatsby tells Daisy how he stares bluntly at the green light, he is aware that he will no longer need to stare it for he has Daisy back now. He wins the reward, which was behind his primal target. His reward is the real thing and he no longer needs its representative and thus the green light begins to fade. Gatsby begins to slowly recognize the reality: no object can replace his ideal that he has created for himself since the yearly age. This shows how no mater how much materialism is acquired by a person, it will never be enough and it will never quite match up to one's illusion, to one's dream.

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The Great Gatsby

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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What is a good thesis statement about symbolism and motifs relating to the American Dream in The Great Gatsby?

Quick answer:

A good thesis statement about symbolism and motifs relating to the American Dream in The Great Gatsby could be: "F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the colors green and yellow as symbols of two aspects of the American Dream: green as the dream of recreating Eden and yellow as the dream of wealth, then critiques both parts of the dream." Alternatively, "Fitzgerald uses symbols and motifs such as The Valley of Ashes and weather to show that America had materialized its original Dream of high ideals such as individualism and happiness."

themes: American Dream

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Reynolds has taught for more than ten years at the university level.

Two symbols that Fitzgerald uses to represent the American Dream are the colors green and yellow/gold. Both symbolize different aspects of the American Dream that Fitzgerald ties to Gatsby . Green symbolizes the desire of the earliest European settlers to start anew and rebuild Eden, leaving the mess of the past behind. In the green light at the end of the dock that Gatsby stares at and longs for, green also represents his dream of starting anew with Daisy , and leaving the past five years behind.

The color yellow symbolizes the materialism and love of money that is part the American Dream. This color, and money itself, are associated with both Gatsby and Daisy.

The novel critiques both these dreams as unsound in different ways. You could argue that it says the dream of reclaiming a perfect past is impossible and that money is destructive. To do this, go through the novel and find instances of how Fitzgerald uses these colors to illustrate his ideas about the American Dream. Is it significant, for example, that the car that kills Myrtle, Gatsby's car, is yellow? What does it mean that Nick ties together the color green in the "green breast" of the new continent and the green light at the end of the dock in the following passage:

. . . gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors' eyes a fresh, green breast of the new world. Its vanished trees, the trees that had made way for Gatsby's house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder. And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock.

A thesis—and you would want to finesse and narrow this to suit your purposes and ideas—might say, " F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the colors green and yellow as symbols of two aspects the American Dream: green as the dream of recreating Eden and yellow as the dream of wealth, then critiques both parts of the dream."

Cite this page as follows:

Reynolds, D.. "What is a good thesis statement about symbolism and motifs relating to the American Dream in The Great Gatsby?" edited by eNotes Editorial, 31 Dec. 2017, https://www.enotes.com/topics/great-gatsby/questions/what-is-a-good-thesis-statement-for-the-use-of-136321.

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An early career in finance as a licensed stockbroker and insurance agent was later followed by a return to college, studying literature and the poetry of Edmund Spenser and Geoffrey Chaucer, along with economics and environmental science.

Fitzgerald connects symbolism and motif to the idea of the American Dream by using them to demonstrate what he saw as the perversion and loss of the true American Dream. Originally the American Dream was centered on the ideological: discovery of self and opportunity; individualism instead of recognition by rigid class definition; the "pursuit of happiness" as proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence. Fitzgerald uses symbols and motifs to tie decadence, decay, immorality and greed to the aspirations of Americans like Daisy, Tom , Baker and Gatsby, whom Daisy's greed has corrupted to the point of pursuing criminal activity that he might attain the things that will attract her and lure her to him. A thesis for this might be something like: "Fitzgerald uses symbols and motifs such as The Valley of Ashes and weather to show that America had materialized its original Dream of high ideals such as individualism and happiness."

Hardison, Karen P.L.. "What is a good thesis statement about symbolism and motifs relating to the American Dream in The Great Gatsby?" edited by eNotes Editorial, 8 Feb. 2010, https://www.enotes.com/topics/great-gatsby/questions/what-is-a-good-thesis-statement-for-the-use-of-136321.

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M.A. from University of Idaho

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I have taught high school English for 25 years.

Well... it does help to know what symbols and motifs you intend to write about in order to craft a thesis that will work, so I will suggest a couple of ideas and recommend you check out the study guide for some ideas.

Here is a sample

F. Scott Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby intentionally uses the symbols or motifs of ___________,______________ and _____________ to demonstrate man's struggle in the quest to fulfill dreams.

The Great Gatsby effectively portrays the literary technique of the symbol in many ways.

Good luck... if I knew more I could create a more accurate thesis for you.

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Nichols, Missy. "What is a good thesis statement about symbolism and motifs relating to the American Dream in The Great Gatsby?" edited by eNotes Editorial, 7 Feb. 2010, https://www.enotes.com/topics/great-gatsby/questions/what-is-a-good-thesis-statement-for-the-use-of-136321.

The Great Gatsby Literary Devices Analysis

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