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Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.(F. Scott Fitzgerald)

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From: The Explicator
Date: 20050322
Author:Cervo, Nathan A.

Whatever the historical genesis of the final title of this novel may have been in Fitzgerald's mind, it seems clear that the word gat (slang for pistol; a shortening of Gatling gun) is intended to play a thematic role. Pledged to upward mobility, Jay Gatz, the Dakota boy, is taken under the wing of Dan Cody, a yachtsman with criminal connections. Cody embodies a simple message: America is the land of opportunity, but all the opportunities that really matter are basically criminal in character, like bootlegging. To spin off from this a bit, it may be truly said that in America, no ...

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