The+Great+Gatsby

=Title:= __The Great Gatsby__ = = = = = = =Author:= F. Scott Fitzgerald

=Nationality/Ethnic Background:= American/Irish

=Genre and Sub-genres:= Fiction, Modernism

=Pertinent Biographical Information:= -Born September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota -Graduated from Princeton in 1917 -Joined the army in 1917 and became a second lieutenant in the infantry -Went to France in the Spring of 1924, wrote __The Great Gatsby__ during the Summer and Fall -His wife, Zelda, cheated on him with a French naval aviator -Published __The Great Gatsby__ in April

=Literary Historical Period/Movement and Pertinent Background:= -Technological Changes during the 20th Century -Ideas of Charles Darwin and Karl Marx

=Major Characters, Their Relationships, Their Conflicts​:= -**Jay Gatsby:** Neighbor of Nick Carraway: Wants the love of an old lover, Daisy, who is currently married -**Nick Carraway:** Wants to know what Mr. Gatsby is all about -**Daisy Buchanan:** Cousin of Nick Carraway: Confused between her old lover and her current husband

= = =Brief Plot Summary: = The Great Gatsby is the story of a millionaire, Jay Gatsby, told by Nick Carraway. Gatsby’s enormous mansion is beside to Carraway’s simple home. Nick then becomes curious about Gatsby after being invited to one of his parties. Nick soon learns that Gatsby is in love Daisy Buchanan, Nick’s cousin and the wife of Tom Buchanan. Tom takes Nick for a day in the city, where Nick learns that Buchanan has another lover, Myrtle, the wife of a long island mechanic. Gatsby sends a message through Jordan Baker, a mutual friend between him and Nick, insisting that Nick plan a “chance” meeting for Gatsby and Daisy. Nick learns that Gatsby, Jay Gatz at the time, and Daisy had once been in love, but Daisy married Tom while Gatsby was in Europe during the Great War. In the aftermath of this, Jay Gatz, became Jay Gatsby and gained his fortune with the help of a notorious criminal, Meyer Wolfsheim. Gatsby chose the site of his house in Long Island because it was across the bay from Daisy’s house, from which a green light could be seen at night. Nick manages to get Gatsby and Daisy together. Gatsby and Daisy begin to see each other secretly. Nick and Gatsby also become close. Buchanan eventually confronts Gatsby in Manhattan about the affair, and the two argue about who it is that Daisy truly loves. Daisy claims to love both of them, but she decides to return to Long Island with Gatsby, not her husband. Daisy then drives Gatsby’s car and accidentally kills a woman on the side of the road, and then speeds off. It turns out that this woman is Myrtle who had only run out to see the car because she thought it was Tom. Myrtle’s husband blames Tom for the death, but Tom informs him that it was Gatsby’s car that killed the woman. The mechanic goes to Gatsby’s house, where he shoots Gatsby and then himself. Daisy refuses to confess to her crime, and only a few people, including Gatsby’s father Henry, show up for Gatsby’s funeral.

= = =Motifs (Recurring Images, Ideas, Figures of Speech, Symbols, Colors) & Their **Thematic Significance:**= ie. When Daisy and Gatsby are reunited it's raining
 * The Color Green:** Symbolizes Gatsby's hopes and dreams. Could also symbolize the American Dream.
 * Weather:** Expresses the emotional state of the characters
 * Money:** fancy cars and homes were recurring images in this novel. It shows that in this society, the goal was to achieve the American Dream. Wealth determined the roles of people in the society.
 * Dr. Eckleburg's Eyes:** Located on a billboard looking at society, these eyes represent the eyes of God. Those eyes are judging the society. For example, at one point in the novel looks at the eyes and says ""

= = =Other Significant Thematic Elements (Significant Character's Names, Significant Quotations, Significant Actions/Events):= -This passage is a description of Jay Gatsby from Nick Carraway. In this description, it presents Gatsby as an unusual yet captivating man. Gatsby made people feel the way they want to feel, he makes them optimisitic. He is a rare man full of hope and imagination. "Can't repeat the past?" he cried incredulously. "Why of course you can" (p.116). -This is a quote from Gatsby in response to Nick's statement that you can't repeat this past. This shows once again that Gatsby is a optimist. He seems to be living in a fantasy world and he thinks that the end will turn out just like a fairytale. "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (p.189). -The future is too hopeless to imagine. Hope may be lost but they still keep trying, wishing that one day they will achieve their dream.
 * Daisy:** Her name is like a flower, something that has bloomed, as well as something pretty to look at and admire.
 * Nick Carraway:** Caraway is a type of seed/plant. Nick is similar to this because he was planted in a new spot and grew from the experiences he encountered in his new surroundings.
 * Meyer Wolfsheim:** He is a leader of organized crime, therefore he could be described as a wolf.
 * "He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself" (p. ??)

=Major Themes:= -Society's idea of the American Dream has changed from freedom and individuality to wealth, power, and materialism. -Love is often only a dream. -Nobody can reach the future. Even when we try, we are brought back to our past. -One may fool other men, but no man can fool God.