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Essays on The Great Gatsby

The great gatsby essay topic examples.

Whether you want to analyze the American Dream, compare and contrast characters, vividly describe settings and characters, persuade readers with your viewpoints, or share personal experiences related to the story, these essay ideas provide a diverse perspective on the themes and complexities within the book.

Argumentative Essays

Argumentative essays require you to analyze and present arguments related to the novel. Here are some topic examples:

• 1. Argue whether the American Dream is achievable or illusory, as depicted in The Great Gatsby .
• 2. Analyze the moral ambiguity of Jay Gatsby and the consequences of his relentless pursuit of the American Dream.

Example Introduction Paragraph for an Argumentative Essay: F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is a tale of ambition, decadence, and the elusive American Dream. This essay delves into the complex theme of the American Dream, exploring whether it remains attainable or has transformed into a tantalizing illusion, luring individuals like Jay Gatsby into its enigmatic embrace.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for an Argumentative Essay: In conclusion, the analysis of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby invites us to reevaluate our perceptions of success and fulfillment. As we contemplate the fate of Jay Gatsby and the characters entangled in his world, we are challenged to define our own version of the American Dream and the sacrifices it may entail.

Compare and Contrast Essays

Compare and contrast essays enable you to examine similarities and differences within the novel or between it and other literary works. Consider these topics:

• 1. Compare and contrast the characters of Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan, exploring their contrasting worldviews and motivations.
• 2. Analyze the similarities and differences between the portrayal of the Jazz Age in The Great Gatsby and Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises .

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Compare and Contrast Essay: The characters and settings in The Great Gatsby and other literary works offer a rich tapestry for comparison and contrast. This essay embarks on a journey to compare and contrast the enigmatic Jay Gatsby and the brash Tom Buchanan, delving into their contrasting values, aspirations, and roles within the novel.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Compare and Contrast Essay: In conclusion, the comparison and contrast of Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan illuminate the divergent paths individuals can take in pursuit of their desires. As we consider the consequences of their choices, we are prompted to reflect on the complexities of ambition and morality.

Descriptive Essays

Descriptive essays allow you to vividly depict settings, characters, or events within the novel. Here are some topic ideas:

• 1. Describe the opulent parties at Gatsby's mansion, emphasizing the decadence and extravagance of the Jazz Age.
• 2. Paint a detailed portrait of Daisy Buchanan, focusing on her beauty, charm, and the allure she holds for Gatsby.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Descriptive Essay: The Great Gatsby immerses readers in the lavish world of the Roaring Twenties. This essay embarks on a descriptive exploration of the extravagant parties at Gatsby's mansion, capturing the opulence and hedonism of the era, as well as the illusions they create.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Descriptive Essay: In conclusion, the descriptive portrayal of Gatsby's parties serves as a vivid snapshot of the Jazz Age's excesses and the fleeting nature of indulgence. Through this exploration, we are reminded of the allure and transience of the materialistic pursuits that captivated the characters of the novel.

Persuasive Essays

Persuasive essays involve arguing a point of view related to the novel. Consider these persuasive topics:

• 1. Persuade your readers that Nick Carraway is the moral compass of the story, serving as the voice of reason and morality.
• 2. Argue for or against the idea that Gatsby's love for Daisy is genuine and selfless, despite his questionable methods.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Persuasive Essay: The Great Gatsby presents a tapestry of characters with complex moral dilemmas. This persuasive essay asserts that Nick Carraway emerges as the moral compass of the story, guiding readers through the labyrinth of decadence and disillusionment in the Jazz Age.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Persuasive Essay: In conclusion, the persuasive argument regarding Nick Carraway's role as the moral compass underscores the importance of ethical navigation in a world characterized by excess and moral ambiguity. As we reflect on his influence, we are compelled to consider the enduring value of integrity and virtue.

Narrative Essays

Narrative essays offer you the opportunity to tell a story or share personal experiences related to the themes of the novel. Explore these narrative essay topics:

• 1. Narrate a personal experience where you encountered the allure of materialism and extravagance, similar to the characters in The Great Gatsby .
• 2. Imagine yourself as a character in the Jazz Age and recount your interactions with Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Narrative Essay: The themes of The Great Gatsby resonate with the allure of a bygone era. This narrative essay delves into a personal encounter with the seductive pull of materialism and extravagance, drawing parallels to the characters' experiences in the novel.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Narrative Essay: In conclusion, the narrative of my personal encounter with the allure of materialism reminds us of the timeless nature of the themes in The Great Gatsby . As we navigate our own desires and ambitions, we are encouraged to contemplate the balance between aspiration and morality.

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April 10, 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Novel; Fiction, Tragedy

Jay Gatsby , Nick Carraway, Daisy Buchanan, Tom Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, Jordan Baker, Meyer Wolfsheim, George B. Wilson, Trimalchio, Mr. Gatz

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote "The Great Gatsby" with multiple motivations in mind. Firstly, he sought to critique the materialistic excesses and moral decay of the Roaring Twenties, a period of post-World War I prosperity. Fitzgerald aimed to expose the disillusionment and hollowness behind the glittering facade of the American Dream. Additionally, he drew inspiration from his own experiences and observations of the wealthy elite and their decadent lifestyles. Through the character of Jay Gatsby, Fitzgerald explored themes of unrequited love, longing, and the pursuit of an unattainable ideal. Ultimately, Fitzgerald's intent was to capture the essence of an era and offer a profound commentary on the human condition.

The story revolves around Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire, and his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, a married woman with whom he had a romantic past. Narrated by Nick Carraway, a young man from the Midwest, the novel delves into the opulent and extravagant lives of the wealthy elite in Long Island. As Gatsby throws lavish parties in the hope of rekindling his relationship with Daisy, the narrative explores themes of love, wealth, illusion, and the disillusionment that comes with the pursuit of the American Dream.

The American Dream , decadence, idealism, resistance to changes, social excess, caution.

The influence of "The Great Gatsby" extends far beyond its initial publication in 1925. F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel has become a literary classic, revered for its exploration of themes such as wealth, love, and the elusive American Dream. It remains relevant due to its timeless portrayal of human desires, societal decadence, and the consequences of relentless pursuit. The book's vivid characters and atmospheric prose have inspired countless writers and artists, shaping the landscape of American literature. With its commentary on the dark underbelly of the Jazz Age, "The Great Gatsby" continues to captivate readers, serving as a cautionary tale and a poignant reflection of the human condition.

1. During F. Scott Fitzgerald's lifetime, approximately 25,000 copies of the book were sold. However, since then, it has gained immense popularity, selling over 25 million copies and establishing itself as one of the most renowned American novels. 2. The Great Gatsby did not have its original title as the author considered various options, ranging from "Under the Red, White and Blue" to "The High-Bouncing Lover." These alternative titles were potentially revealing too much about the content prematurely. 3. In 1926, just a year after its publication, the book was adapted into a film, demonstrating its quick transition from page to screen. 4. Fitzgerald's cause of death is believed to have been tuberculosis rather than a heart attack. Sadly, he passed away at the age of 44. 5. The price of this famous novel at the time of its publication in 1925 was $2, representing its value in that era. 6. The Great Gatsby did not immediately receive critical acclaim upon release. However, it has since garnered recognition and praise, becoming a significant literary work.

"The Great Gatsby" has made a significant impact on various forms of media, captivating audiences across generations. The novel has been adapted into several films, with notable versions including the 1974 adaptation starring Robert Redford and the 2013 adaptation featuring Leonardo DiCaprio. These cinematic interpretations have brought the story to life visually, further immersing audiences in the opulent world of Jay Gatsby. Additionally, the novel has been referenced and alluded to in countless songs, television shows, and even video games, solidifying its cultural significance. Its themes of love, wealth, and the pursuit of the American Dream continue to resonate and inspire creative works in popular culture.

“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. ‘Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.’” “I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.” “Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead.” “So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight.” “I hope she'll be a fool -- that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”

Studying "The Great Gatsby" holds great importance due to its enduring relevance and literary significance. The novel offers profound insights into themes such as wealth, love, social class, and the corruption of the American Dream. Its exploration of the Jazz Age exposes the allure and emptiness of a materialistic society, making it a compelling study of human desires and societal decay. F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterful prose and symbolic imagery provide rich material for analyzing character development, narrative techniques, and social commentary. Moreover, delving into the novel's historical context allows for a deeper understanding of the cultural and societal shifts of the 1920s.

The inclusion of "The Great Gatsby" as an essay topic for college students stems from its exploration of themes like the American Dream, the juxtaposition of poverty and wealth, and the destructive allure of corruption. The character of Gatsby embodies the American spirit and can be paralleled to contemporary individuals fixated on materialism and fame as measures of romantic success. Furthermore, this literary masterpiece holds a significant place in American literature, as F. Scott Fitzgerald skillfully weaves socio-cultural elements into each sentence, providing a timeless portrayal of American life that resonates across generations. The choice to analyze and write about "The Great Gatsby" allows students to delve into these thought-provoking themes and examine their relevance to society.

1. Stallman, R. W. (1955). Conrad and The Great Gatsby. Twentieth Century Literature, 1(1), 5–12. (https://doi.org/10.2307/441023) 2. John Jerrim, Lindsey Macmillan, (2015). Income Inequality, Intergenerational Mobility, and the Great Gatsby Curve: Is Education the Key?, Social Forces, Volume 94, Issue 2. (https://academic.oup.com/sf/article/94/2/505/2583794) 3. Robert C. Hauhart (2013) Religious Language and Symbolism in The Great Gatsby’s Valley of Ashes, ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews, 26:3 (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0895769X.2013.798233) 4. Burnam, T. (1952). The Eyes of Dr. Eckleburg: A Re-Examination of “The Great Gatsby.” College English, 14(1), 7–12. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/371821) 5. Tom Phillips (2018) Passing for White in THE GREAT GATSBY: A Spectroscopic Analysis of Jordan Baker, The Explicator, 76:3. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00144940.2018.1489769?scroll=top&needAccess=true&role=tab) 6. Matterson, S. (1990). The Great Gatsby and Social Class. In: The Great Gatsby. The Critics Debate. Palgrave, London. (https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-349-20768-8_9) 7. Licence, A. (2008). Jay Gatsby: martyr of a materialistic society: Amy Licence considers religious elements in The Great Gatsby. The English Review, 18(3), 24+. (https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA173676222&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=09558950&p=LitRC&sw=w&userGroupName=anon%7E5a84816e) 8. Khodamoradpour, Marjan and Anushiravani, Alireza, (2017) Playing the Old Tunes: A Fiskean Analysis of Baz Luhrmann's 2013 Cinematic Adaptation of the Great Gatsby. International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences, Volume 71. (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3020752) 9. Anderson, H. (1968). THE RICH BUNCH IN" THE GREAT GATSBY". Southern Quarterly, 6(2), 163. (https://www.proquest.com/openview/6a9e704a476d873aada2d2529821b95a/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2029886)

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 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 !

Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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Theme analysis – isolation.

     The isolation of different characters throughout the novel is a good example of Marxist theory in  The Great Gatsby . Most notably, the narrator, Nick Carraway, is constantly isolated by his rich friends. Nick is always there but never quite part of the action or drama. Nick comments on this, comparing himself to a “casual watcher in the darkening streets … looking up and wondering.” (pg. 36) Even though he is physically at the party, he feels as if he is on the outside looking in. The reason for this is clear given the context of the party. Several times, Nick is singled out or excluded by the upper class people he parties with. At one point, Myrtle refers to him as “that man there” prompting the other party-goers to “[look] at [Nick] accusingly.” (pg. 35) At another party, this time at Gatsby’s, Nick remarks that the cocktail table is “the only place in the garden where a single man could linger without looking purposeless and alone” (pg. 42), which tells the reader of Nick’s feelings of loneliness and isolation.

    The reason Nick is isolated is that he is not of the same social class as those with whom he spends his time. However, money does not necessarily define class. Although he is rich and part of the upper class, Jay Gatsby is incredibly isolated in many different ways. At his own parties, Gatsby stands alone and apart. He hardly socializes with his guests – “no one swooned backward on Gatsby, and no French bob touched Gatsby’s shoulder, and no singing quartets were formed with Gatsby’s head for one link” (pg. 50) – choosing instead to isolate himself from his own parties and act solely as a host. This isolation carries on even after Gatsby’s death. Despite all the guests at Gatsby’s parties and all his fame, nobody (save a few) attends his funeral. Gatsby chose to isolate himself in his life, and this lead to his being isolated in death as well.

    So how does isolation relate to the Marxist lens? The fact that Nick is isolated by the rich exposes the values of the upper class. They value only themselves and others like them. Nick is different, and therefore excluded. Gatsby does not socialize with others, so his guests are not interested in him as a man – only as a host of large, expensive parties. The theme of isolation develops the moral values of the upper class, and in turn advances Marxist ideas.

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The Great Gatsby and Philip Larkin essay plans

Description.

• language and literature
• philip larkin
• the great gatsby
• scott fitzgerald
• comparative
• use descriptive tags to organise your content

Resource summary

The exam The exam is 2 hours and 30 minutes, with two sections: unseen prose non-fiction, and the Gatsby and Larkin question if you've studied the 'Society and the Individual' topic. You should spend 1 hour and 30-45 minutes on the Gatsby and Larkin question, which is 30 marks (the biggest question). It is Section B of Edexcel's English Language and Literature A Level Paper 2.  The question will be structured along the lines of 'Evaluate the effectiveness of methods used by F Scott Fitzgerald and Philip Larkin to present __________'. The essay plans provided in this resource cover 8 possible steers: masculinity, femininity, power, materialism/consumerism, death/violence, society's negative influence on an individual, illusion vs. reality, and love. I have also included introductions for some of the topics.    When writing the answer, remember to consider the following points as a tick list: SAGE MICE ECCC Structure Arguments Genre Evaluative comments Motifs/symbols Introduction Conclusion Evidence from Larkin Evidence from Gatsby Comparative language  Context of reception Context of production   There are 4 assessment objectives for this question: AO1- terminology and written expression. Make sure you analyse both literary and linguistic techniques AO2- analysis and evaluation. AO3- context of production and reception AO4- comparison           

Evaluate the effectiveness of methods used by F Scott Fitzgerald and Philip Larkin to present masculinity

Introduction Example   Despite writing in vastly different eras, both Larkin’s poetry collection ‘The Whitsun Weddings’ (1964) and Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ (1925) hold a strikingly similar portrayal of masculinity as a form of control; men are considered successful based on their possessions, including their wife and family. While Fitzgerald indicates that cramming men into this stereotype is detrimental- Gatsby dies as a result of the struggle between class- Larkin seems to have a more ambivalent relationship with masculinity. He never fought in the war due to his bad eyesight, and he never produced children, so he may be viewed as a subversion of the masculine stereotype, especially given his rejection of the philistine and sometimes vulgar nature associated with men in the 1950s and 60s. However, he also considers the concept of legacy; despite being very famous for his poetry, he considered himself not having a legacy as he had no children (the ultimate show of masculinity).

Evaluate the effectiveness of methods used by F Scott Fitzgerald and Philip Larkin to present women

Introduction Example   In their works, Fitzgerald and Larkin both scrutinise women and the feminine identity, but in significantly different manners. Fitzgerald’s novel, ‘The Great Gatsby’ (1925), is arguably utilised to highlight how women are subject to male control and violence, and are forced to conform to the rigid stereotype of femininity constructed by men. Fitzgerald may have used the novel as a way to criticise the fallacy of women’s suffrage in 1920- the women’s efforts have gained them very little, and Fitzgerald argues whether they actually have real autonomy. In contrast to Fitzgerald’s exposure of sexism, Larkin uses his poetry collection, ‘The Whitsun Weddings’ (1964), to convey sexist beliefs, although it is unclear as to whether these beliefs are a result of intentional misogyny, or due to his lack of understanding of women. His relationship with women is ambivalent; he pities their inferiority in society, but also conforms to many of the sexist beliefs that were typical of 1950s/60s Britain. His relationships with multiple women simultaneously only goes to show his misunderstanding of their nature. It is also fundamental to note that both authors are male, so we may expect their portrayal of women to be subject to the male gaze, consciously or not.

Evaluate the effectiveness of methods used by F Scott Fitzgerald and Philip Larkin to present power

Introduction Example   Although writing in significantly different eras, there is a striking similarity between Fitzgerald and Larkin’s portrayal of power. On the one hand, we see power as a form of control employed by those in positions of authority or status to manipulate those inferior to them. Fitzgerald’s novel, ‘The Great Gatsby’ (1925), clearly demonstrates the power within relationships is controlled by the man. As a result, we could argue that Fitzgerald presents this imbalance of power in order to criticise the sexism that was typical of 1920s America. Similarly, Larkin uses his poetry collection ‘The Whitsun Weddings’ (1964) to illustrate male authority, perhaps influenced by his father’s controlling relationships with his mother. However, an alternate reading of power within these two works is the durability and impact of love and dreams. Although power destroys Gatsby, the power of his love and dreams is still admirable to Nick. Larkin often questions the validity of love and faith, but seems to appreciate its power over our lives.  

Evaluate the effectiveness of methods used by F Scott Fitzgerald and Philip Larkin to present materialism/consumerism

Introduction Example   Although writing in vastly different eras, both Larkin and Fitzgerald provide a striking portrayal of materialism and consumerism, and the detrimental effects they have on lives. In Fitzgerald’s novel, ‘The Great Gatsby’ (1925), we see materialism and consumerism as the true downfall of Gatsby, Myrtle and George- they pursued their dreams of wealth, only to have them stripped from them, ironically enough, by the wealthy. There is a sense of absence to the aforementioned wealthy people in the novel, which is most apparent in Tom and Daisy. Fitzgerald may be criticising the inert and thoughtless nature of old money, especially when we see the vitality of Gatsby being so callously cut short. Larkin illustrates a similar state of affairs in 1950s and 60s Britain; materialism and consumerism has made people blind to reality. Instead, people dress up in costumes and perform their daily routines in a monotonous cycle of buying and consuming, buying and consuming.

Evaluate the effectiveness of methods used by F Scott Fitzgerald and Philip Larkin to present death and violence

Introduction Example   In their works, Fitzgerald and Larkin portray subtly different views of death, although their illustration of violence is startling similar. In Fitzgerald’s novel, ‘The Great Gatsby’ (1925), we see death as a symbol of failure to achieve dreams, and even, to an extent, how dreams are the true downfall of the characters. Gatsby dies as a result of Daisy’s actions, George dies as a result of his dream to leave the VoA with Myrtle, and Myrtle dies as a result of her relationship with Tom. Interestingly, all deaths are unnatural in The Great Gatsby- murder and suicide- so we could comment on how desire ultimately kills. Larkin, in contrast, has a more ambivalent view of death; he fears it, but it also intrigues him. In many of his poems, the cause of death is consumerism, much like Fitzgerald, but he also shows the power of death in poems like ‘An Arundel Tomb’, which considers legacy.

Evaluate the effectiveness of methods used by F Scott Fitzgerald and Philip Larkin to present society's negative impact on individuals

Introduction Example   Despite the time differences between Larkin writing his poetry collection ‘The Whitsun Weddings’ in 1964, and Fitzgerald writing his novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ in 1925, both writers reflect on the ways in which their distinct societies affect individuals’ lives, particularly in a negative manner. Larkin often utilises his poetry to critique society’s view of relationships, especially in terms of female inferiority, while Fitzgerald’s novel, although fictional, provides a scathing perspective of the ways in which wealth and social class creates loveless marriages and infidelity, perhaps portrayed as a result of Fitzgerald’s tumultuous relationship with Zelda. Larkin also explores faith and patriotism; he takes a cynical view of how society constructs religion for personal gain. In contrast, Fitzgerald rarely mentions religion specifically, instead being more implicit; Daisy is the object of Gatsby’s worship, and Gatsby represents a sort of Antichrist. Tom’s skewed patriotism is also illustrated to offer a critique of society’s detrimental perspective of diversity.

Evaluate the effectiveness of methods used by F Scott Fitzgerald and Philip Larkin to present illusion vs. reality/ deception

Evaluate the effectiveness of methods used by F Scott Fitzgerald and Philip Larkin to present love

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‘Gatsby’ arrives at the ART, driven by a powerhouse creative team

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” may be a famously slender novel, but its 200 pages contain multitudes. With the rights to this landmark of American literature now in the public domain, adaptations abound, and its themes and ideas are rich and elastic enough to accommodate a slew of interpretations. The current Broadway version, “The Great Gatsby,” leans into Jazz Age glamour and romantic yearning; last year’s immersive adaptation at a New York City hotel offered a dazzling feast for the senses; and the Elevator Repair Service’s “Gatz,” a word-for-word rendition of the novel that returns to New York’s Public Theater in the fall, finds a reader inside a drab office being seduced by Fitzgerald’s evocative prose.

Now comes American Repertory Theater’s “Gatsby,” whose pre-Broadway world premiere bows at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge Sunday through Aug. 3. This musical adaptation digs into the class issues and melancholic heart of the novel, the “hopeless but determined” quest to achieve the American Dream. The production, with its starry creative team, features a score by English gothic-pop star Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine) and Grammy-winning producer and singer Thomas Bartlett (a.k.a. Doveman), a book by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok ( “Cost of Living” ), direction by Tony winner Rachel Chavkin ( “Hadestown” ), and choreography by another Tony winner, Sonya Tayeh (“Moulin Rouge!”).

Majok first read the novel in high school, and it didn’t make much of an impact. Her opinion changed dramatically when she was asked to adapt it into a musical and she read it again.

She recalls listening to the audiobook while walking through the Cloisters museum in Manhattan’s Fort Tryon Park early in the pandemic and arriving at the vivid, heart-rending final passage of the novel — ”So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” — as tears welled up.

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“It was especially moving to be reading this book in the pandemic in my 30s and questioning a lot of the choices I’d made,” Majok recalls. “It’s the most hopeful but clear-eyed portrait of the American mentality and the American spirit I’ve ever encountered.”

Her script aims to capture Fitzgerald’s ambivalence about the American Dream — “the gorgeous, complicated duality of this country, where the dream itself is so beautiful and gorgeous and the pursuit of it is valiant and worthwhile and gives our lives a sense of meaning, but the ways in which we’ve tried to attain it have often led to destruction and devastation. We ruin ourselves in the pursuit of it.”

Chavkin says this “Gatsby” is engaging with the book’s pointed critique of a class-based society. “Everyone has this idea that the novel is about the decadence and debauchery of the 1920s. But, no, the novel is critiquing that. Fitzgerald himself always felt out of place, like he was the poor kid at Princeton and an outsider to the American Dream. The novel is about both the beauty — and the pain — of that aspiration.”

A nouveau-riche fabulist, the enigmatic Jay Gatsby ( Isaac Powell ) is the quintessential self-made man (never mind that his wealth may have been amassed in nefarious ways). He hosts wild parties at his mansion, but his heart (and his mind) remain with his lost love, Daisy (Charlotte MacInnes). Their courtship was severed when he was sent to war in Europe. Her family saw Gatsby as below their lofty old-money station, and the debutante wound up marrying brutish blowhard Tom Buchanan (Cory Jeacoma). Every night, a still-smitten Gatsby stares across the bay to the green light on the end of Daisy’s dock, hoping that she’ll show up at one of his lavish soirees and he’ll win her back.

When Daisy’s cousin Nick Carraway (Ben Levi Ross), a Midwestern transplant who works as a bond salesman in the city, moves into the cottage next door, Gatsby convinces Nick to help him in his quest to reunite with Daisy. Meanwhile, Nick, the book’s narrator, spends time with Daisy’s best friend, cheeky golf pro Jordan Baker ( Eleri Ward ), while Tom cavorts with his mistress, Myrtle Wilson (Solea Pfeiffer), whose mechanic husband, George (Matthew Amira), owns an auto repair shop.

“It was actually a little jarring how much I saw of myself in those characters that I hadn’t seen before,” Majok says. “It feels immensely personal to me and my experiences of America. It’s a very exposing adaptation for me. Maybe nobody else will see it, but I feel like I’m all over it.”

As a Polish-American immigrant who came to this country with her mother as a child, Majok felt a strong connection to self-made striver Jay Gatsby and the fierce Myrtle Wilson, a working-class woman yearning to escape her status. She saw aspects of her mother, who worked in factories and cleaned houses, in the resolute George Wilson.

In previous adaptations, Majok says, Myrtle has been portrayed as “this crass cartoon of a working-class character … I was like, ‘Absolutely not. Over my dead body.’ I just saw so much complicated life and realness in that character.”

Meanwhile, Gatsby is the ultimate fake-it-till-you-make it upstart, someone “who never feels that he has enough, who has to keep on trying to ascend the ranks of society in order to feel like he can matter. And I’m like, ‘Hmm, who does that sound like?’” she says with a knowing laugh.

Around the time she was hired, Majok shared with Welch a recording of her 2021 play “Sanctuary City,” about two teenage immigrant Dreamers. “The yearning in it deeply resonated with her, as well as the feral hunger of the characters. And those two phrases, ‘yearning’ and ‘feral hunger,’ have been our tonal north stars with ‘Gatsby’ and were the qualities that I was responding to in the book.”

The score, Chavkin says, runs the gamut, flavored with the electronic rock and pulsating pop that characterizes Florence + the Machine anthems like “Dog Days Are Over.” There are songs with “as romantic a series of chords and lyrics as I’ve ever heard”; bangers and bops for the big party scenes; ballads that evoke the plaintive folk-rock of Joni Mitchell; and a song with a pulsating Nine Inch Nails vibe that comes after a fight between two characters in the second act.

“The audience will be getting a score that sounds much more like a Florence Welch and Thomas Bartlett fusion than a traditional Broadway musical,” she explains.

The show’s promotional tagline, “An American Myth,” has a multivalent meaning. Sure, Gatsby himself is a self-mythologizing hero — a rags-to-riches Horatio Alger type. But the real myth, Chavkin asserts, is the contradiction at the heart of the nation’s promise, the beckoning green light that’s called people to its shores for generations, and the broken dreams that lie in its wake.

“To believe in Gatsby is to believe in America, to believe in this promise of ascension and the idea that we’re all created equal, but that’s not really the case,” Chavkin says. “The idea of equality is a myth that people fight to make real every day. I think the show is trying to hold both the beauty of the myth and the painfulness that it is a myth in equal measure.”

Presented by the American Repertory Theater. At Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge. May 26-Aug. 3. Tickets from $35. 617-547-8300, AmericanRepertoryTheater.org/Gatsby

Christopher Wallenberg can be reached at [email protected] .

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Student Activism Over Gaza: Admirable or Ill Informed?

More from our inbox:, faith, family and the republican party, deep dish pizza meh.

Re “ Dear Boomers, the Student Protesters Are Not Idiots ,” by Elizabeth Spiers (Opinion guest essay, nytimes.com, May 17):

Ms. Spiers’s characterization of the student protests misses the mark. As a recent college graduate myself, I don’t disagree that college students “are capable of having well thought-out principles,” but the principles underlying these protests are troubling.

Ms. Spiers alludes to my generation possessing elevated moral sensibilities due to our experience with mass shootings. But the calls for “From the river to the sea” and “Globalize the intifada” — ubiquitous in campus protests across the country — would require the killing of innocent Israelis in practice, as Bret Stephens pointed out in “ What a Free Palestine Actually Means ” (column, May 15).

If these chants are part of well thought-out principles and not naïveté, then it behooves us to scrutinize the moral framework that informs these principles.

Why is it that these protests project outrage toward Israel’s conduct in the war but conveniently elide the horrific details of Oct. 7 ? If my generation’s handle on complex world events is as comprehensive as Ms. Spiers suggests, then why do the protests flatten Israel’s entire history into an illegitimate colonial project? It’s not the protesters’ tactics that are uniquely troubling; it’s the worldview that inspires their actions.

Brian Silverstein Chicago

To the Editor:

As a baby boomer I am heartened by the fact that there are student protests that reflect that the younger generation actually cares and has insight about world events. I think that the student protests reflect the bravery and informed intellect of young protesters throughout the institutions of higher education.

Baby boomers would do well to reflect on their own stodginess rather than criticize young students for whom our generation modeled active protest as a vehicle for change.

Sahli Cavallaro Sacramento

Hillary Clinton’s voice remains a lonely voice in the media. Her argument is not one that is commonly heard on the issue of student protests. Yet it is an important message that she expressed: The protesting students are ignorant of the history of relations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Yet these students shout their misinformed arguments that gain the attention of many in the media and the public. Above all, the universities, institutions of teaching and learning, have failed their own students.

Instead of calling in the police, instead of capitulating to ill-informed demands, why did the universities not respond by offering to end the suspensions and expulsions of protesting students in return for their required attendance at “teach-ins” to acquire knowledge of the history of Israel and the Palestinians?

Let this be a lesson for universities and professors for the next round of student demonstrations.

Vivian R. Gruder New York The writer is emerita professor of history at Queens College, CUNY.

As a former protester from the Vietnam War era, I certainly agree with Elizabeth Spiers’s premise that college students have the right to peacefully protest and exercise their freedom of speech. What I find so disturbing is that these students are erroneously blaming the situation in Gaza on President Biden and vowing not to vote for him.

Really? They don’t understand that by not voting for Mr. Biden, they are voting for Donald Trump, who, by the way, has promised an expanded Muslim ban . This to me is idiotic.

Peggy Jo Abraham Santa Monica, Calif.

Elizabeth Spiers’s article appears to target an entire generation in a disparaging and demeaning tone. Surely Ms. Spiers is aware that millions of boomers protested the Vietnam War in various ways — writing letters to their representatives in Washington and gathering in parks and memorials across the country. On Oct. 21, 1967, about 100,000 people, many of them boomers, gathered near the Lincoln Memorial as protesters against that war.

Ms. Spiers, please don’t disparage a single generation at a time when all generations should come together.

Timothy Pasquarelli Anthem, Ariz.

I’m 74 years old and am in complete support of students protesting, although I don’t agree with all their positions. I have just one question: Where have they been during the last eight years when our past president barred people from several Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States and massive cutbacks were made to environmental laws, to mention just a couple of issues?

I only hope that what we are seeing is the start of greater student political awareness, which will spread and grow stronger.

Neither Donald Trump nor the current MAGA-dominated Republican Party is going to go away unless citizens take to the streets and make it clear that they won’t stand for undemocratic, bigoted and misogynistic laws or tax cuts created just to benefit extremely wealthy conservatives.

Jon R. Tower Pacific Palisades, Calif.

To quote the political activist Carl Oglesby: “It isn’t the rebels who cause the troubles of the world. It’s the troubles that cause the rebels.”

Boomers, listen with curiosity to the rebels on college campuses and you will hear that their cause is for us to care about what is happening in the world and for universities to stop investing in companies that provide weapons for war. Universities should not be making money off of killing people!

Niobe Way New York The writer is a professor of applied psychology at New York University and the author of “Rebels With a Cause: Reimagining Boys, Ourselves and Our Culture.”

Re “ The Authoritarians Have the Momentum ,” by David Brooks (column, May 17):

Mr. Brooks’s column, advising that liberals have conceded the “faith and family” vote, might have enlightened his readers as to how the presumptive authoritarian Republican nominee’s life experiences honor either one.

Obviously, the terms “faith” and “family” have been hijacked simply to enrage working Americans into supporting wealth for the few, intolerance, rejection of education, facts and science, and, most significant of all, fear.

Mr. Brooks might rather have pointed out that the party that rejects the basic Christian values of love of neighbor, forgiveness and tolerance as well as an increase to the federal minimum wage, affordable health insurance, middle-class tax reform, workplace safety, protection from guns, and Social Security and Medicare stability serves neither faith nor family, and hasn’t for decades.

Eric R. Carey Arlington, Va.

Re “ That Deep Dish Pizza? It’s Not That Deep ” (Food, May 15):

I am an Italian American who grew up in what was then Chicago’s Little Italy in the 1950s, and thin-crust Neapolitan pizza was king.

Our local family-run pizzerias were staffed by Italian immigrants, usually from Naples. Deep dish? Meh!

As I no longer live in Chicago, whenever I meet fellow Chicagoans outside the city and state, almost always there are two “tribal” questions asked:

1. Are you Sox or Cubs?

2. Thin-crust Neapolitan or deep dish?

My preferences are thin crust and Chicago Cubs!

Steven Giovangelo Indianapolis