The Great Gatsby

(1925)

July 9th, 2002: - We have just been informed that this book is still in copyright and therefore we have had to remove the text from the site. In place of the text we have added a chapter by chapter summary. Please note the search feature searches through this summary, not the text.

This novel shows the basic instinct of human beings to be admired as someone special even if this instinct leads, like moths attracted by the fire, towards burned wings.--Submitted by Mahawa Cheikh Gueye

The hollow pursuit of wealth and social status results in tragedy in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Each character has their own way of showing off their wealth and status. Whether it's by the type of car you drive or the location of your house or even through marriage, it's all shown in this novel.--Submitted by Anonymous

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The Great Gatsby is set in the jazz age, the 1920's. It tells the fictional story of an enigmatic and lonely millionaire named Jay Gatsby, who has been in love with the same woman for years and tries to win her back. The narrator is Nick, who lives across the lawn from Gatsby and becomes friends with him. This book written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the greatest authors of all time shows that no matter how rich we are, it cannot buy us love. --Submitted by Anna

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This novel is beautiful in every way. It is filled with a haunting sadness, that I have never been able to forget. The prose is beautiful -- glowing like Daisy's green light across the water. The story itself is beautifully tragic -- a poor man falls in love with a beautiful, rich woman (or what she represents) and it brings disaster. But this book is so much more than that. What F. Scott Fitzgerald shows the reader about this society we, ourselves, have created is larger than any story a person could think up. Fitzgerald creates a portrait of the hollowness, carelessness, and ugliness in American society that moved my old English teacher to tears in front of the whole class a few years ago, and brings a lump to my throat even now, as I think about it. If someone asked me what exactly The Great Gatsby "means," I couldn't tell them. I don't think anyone will ever be able to understand it enough to put it in words that will have meaning to everyone, but I think anyone who reads this book WILL have an understanding of it that they can feel in the gut. Such is the way with all great literature.--Submitted by Anonymous

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Recent Forum Posts on The Great Gatsby

Is Gatbsy Great?

Is The Gatsby, as portrayed by Nick, actually Great? Clearly there are some shady buisness deals and stuff, but does Gatsby act in a moral way when dealing with Tom, Nick and Daisy?

Posted By Dany Blue at Mon 24 Sep 2012, 4:40 AM in The Great Gatsby || 1 Reply

Quotes from The Great Gatsby Help

:confused5:I have read the book and done a lot of research on it. I am taking a Lit Class. I have already written a few essays concerning the book. I did the essay but my instructor is asking for quotes from the book. The essay is about how Fitzgerald's life is reflected in the book. I have gone over the book several times I am having a hard time finding the quotes in the book that would mirror Fitzgerald's life. Someone with a bit more knowledge on the subject might be able to see what I can not seem to see. Your help would be appreciated.

Posted By Athenal at Tue 18 Sep 2012, 11:52 AM in The Great Gatsby || 4 Replies

The Great Gatsby Open Discussion

Are YOU reading the great gatsby in your english class? well, i am. and i need some ideas on this book. this will be a very general thread and people can post whatever about this book. in my opinion, sometimes i have a hard time putting together the complex wording of fitzgerald's language. e.g.: "When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction — Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away." can someone translate this into simple text?

Posted By souremongrel at Tue 18 Sep 2012, 11:49 AM in The Great Gatsby || 2 Replies

Gatsby, an undiscovered Iago?

Hi everyone, Have been reading Othello with my english class and we have to come up with our own coursework titles that involve 2 other Novels/Plays/Poetry. Whilst thinking about it, i came across the idea that Gastby is just an undiscovered Iago. I think its interesting but im not sure if its just me and if there are any basis in the question. Feedback with other ideas would be really appreciated Thanks

Posted By Dany Blue at Mon 17 Sep 2012, 5:20 AM in The Great Gatsby || 3 Replies

The Lying Nick

"He dreamt that the whole world was condemned to a terrible new plague that had come to Europe...Men attacked by them become instantly furious and mad. But never had men considered themselves so intellectual and so completely in possession of the truth as these sufferers" - Fyodor Dostoevsky Just as the men of the future described by Raskolnikov, the readers of The Great Gatsby falsely believed that they held the truth, the truth presented by Nick. Nick is a liar. Nick lies about his intellect, his relation with the rich and ultimately his own wealth. He lies to hide his crimes. Nick lies throughout the book about his intellect. He stated in his story that "Jordan Baker instinctively avoided clever, shrewd men." He implies that he is neither clever nor shrewd since he is having a relationship with her. If he is not clever, then how did he notice Jordan's choice of men? It is a paradox that can only happen if Nick lied about his intelligence and also Jordan's personality. Nick purposely lies not only about Jordan, but also in his communication with Daisy. "It was untrue. I am not even faintly like a rose." commented Nick when Daisy complimented that he was like a rose. This reaction is not how normal people would have reacted. A regular human will pay barley any attention to this fact since they would have known it is superficial. If they will comment, a regular human will have given back a compliment or thank them, not deny it immediately twice as if it is a poisonous thought. the only reason that Nick did not act as expected is because he wants to make note of the point that he is different in intelligence. Since Nick took the point seriously, he must have been less intellectually advanced, but since he made a point to state twice, it implies that he is actually intelligent and wanting others to view him as a idiot. Nick also purposely lie about his "unwillingness" in joining the activities of the rich. He reacts throughout the book too meekly, too passive to be a true victim. Nick wants to be a part of the rich. Nick lies that he "had no desire to meet her" since he did not even protest when Tom decided that Nick should meet his mistress. A person who has a real desire to not participate in a activity, they would continuously find excuses to try and evade the act. The fact that Nick did not protest tells us that he actually wanted to participate in activities with Tom. Nick also willingly falsely imply that he was poor and not a person of Old Stock. During a time when the poor only interacted with the poor and the rich interacted with only the rich, Nick still interacts with the super rich Tom and Gatsby. This suggest that Nick is actually a man with money. Another reason that leads people to the conclusion that Nick is not as poor as he implies is since he lives in the same area as the rich. This was at a time where cities often had a rich section, poor section and middle-class section. By being neighbor to the rich Gatsby, Nick is proven to be rich. Nick is also not the ordinary man he implies he is. Nick is a man of old money. Nick comes from a family that was said to be " well-to-do people in this Middle Western city for three generations" with an apparent descendant "from the Dukes of Buccleuch." Nicks family has been rich for three generations and thus he was old money, a fact that was further implied from him attending Yale, a school where only the upper-class can afford. People have pointed out that Nick had stated in his narrative that he lived in a "weather-beaten cardboard bungalow". But this is a lie since later in the narrative, Nick states that while in his house "Daisy went up stairs to wash her face." The fact that there is an upstairs bathroom goes entirely against the definition of a bungalow. A bungalow is a small cardboard one level house with at most a second level as an attic. Another fact to be considered that disproves Nick's statement about his "cardboard bungalow" Nick could not have lived in an unattractive house sine Gatsby chose Nick's house as the meeting place between him and Daisy. If Nick's house was truly repulsive, then he would have chosen somewhere else. Since he did not, Nicks house was apparently rich enough for Gatsby's standard and not an eye sore Nick is not "one of the few honest people" in the world since he lies throughout his narrative. Nick did not flee the east because he was disillusioned about the American Dream, Nick left because he had "smashed up things and creatures" Nick left to retreat back into his wealth in the west.

Posted By randomasian at Sat 16 Jun 2012, 3:09 AM in The Great Gatsby || 1 Reply

some questions concerning chapter 7 to 9

Our Lit teacher gave us those questions, anyone want to answer a few? There are so many...argh Much appreciated!!! chapter 7 1. What is symbolic about the heat? Trimalchio is a character in the Roman "novel" The Satyricon by Petronius. Trimalchio is a freed man who through hard work and perseverance has attained power and wealth. He is gaudy and fat. He is known for throwing lavish dinner parties, where his numerous servants bring course after course of exotic delicacies, such as live birds sewn up inside a pig and a dish to represent every sign of the zodiac. The Satyricon has a lengthy description of Trimalchio's proposed tomb, which is incredibly ostentatious and lavish. (Encycolpedia.com) 2. Explain how this describes Gatsby. 3. Why is Gatsby surprised about Daisy’s child? 4. What does Tom’s inaccuracy about the sun reveal about him? 5. What is the difference between the way Daisy and Gatsby view the future? Why is this? 6. Contrast the reactions of Nick and Gatsby to Daisy’s voice. What does each mean? 7. What is ironic about Tom saying he has second sight? 8. Contrast Tom Buchanan and George Wilson’s reactions to the infidelities of their wives. 9. Blocks Biloxi reveals that the nouveau riche and the old money worlds are not so different; indeed, Tom and Daisy are being hypocritical in their attitude toward Gatsby’s guests. Explain. 10. Why is Nick so pleased with Gatsby’s honesty about Oxford? 11. Why does Tom refer to the liaison between Daisy and Gatsby in terms of intermarriage? 12. Why does Tom’s defense of family values amuse Nick? 13. What is the alien but recognizable look that comes over Gatsby’s face several times in this chapter? 14. What is the significance of Nick’s 30th birthday? 15. Why does Tom insist that Gatsby and Daisy drive home together? 16. How does Nick compare the dreams of Daisy and Jordan? 17. Why Nick change his feelings about Jordan? How does he feel about the Buchanans as well? 18. What is Nick’s attitude toward Gatsby? 19. How are Tom and Daisy reconciled? 20. Speculate on why Fitzgerald includes the detail about Myrtle’s left breast in her death. Is it gratuitous or is there a literary reason for it? 21. Describe the fight between Gatsby and Tom. What do these men think of each other? How are they similar and how are they different? 22. What is the symbolic significance of Gatsby being left standing outside his mansion “watching over” nothing? 23. Explain Nick’s reaction when he realizes Gatsby’s innocence? Chapter eight 1. Gatsby’s house has changed, becoming musty and uncared for. What theme does this develop? (ie., is the change symbolic?) 2. What is the effect on the reader of now learning about the initial love affair between Gatsby and Daisy? What theme or themes are Fitzgerald developing with that? 3. Why does Fitzgerald use religious terms to describe Gatsby’s love for Daisy? 4. Fitzgerald foregrounds Daisy’s wealth in Gatsby’s memories and feelings for her, but as Gatsby has no need for her money, this must represent something else. What does Daisy’s money symbolize for Gatsby? 5. Speculate on two or more reasons why Daisy married Tom. 6. What does Gatsby mean that Daisy’s love for Tom was “just personal”? 7. While Nick is bound to the Buchanans through ties of family, education and social status, it is with Gatsby that he identifies himself. Explain what this connection is about. Keep in mind that Nick has been growing and maturing as a person. He now sees himself and his society in a very different way than he did when he first moved to the East. 8. Explain Gatsby’s response to the Nick’s compliment that Gatsby is better than the rest of them. 9. In what way is the house truly Gatsby’s “ancestral home”? 10. What is important about Nick thanking Gatsby for his hospitality? Chapter nine 1. What is the significance of Nick arranging Gatsby’s funeral? 2. Discuss why Tom and Daisy leave. 3. Despite the phone call confirming Gatsby’s illegal activities, Nick does not change his opinion of his friend. Explain. 4. Contrast the arrival of Mr. Gatz with the absence of Gatsby’s friends. 5. What is ironic about Mr.Gatz admiring the house? 6. What is the pathos (the quality or power in an actual life experience or in literature, music, speech, or other forms of expression, evoking a feeling of pity or compassion) of Gatsby’s youthful resolutions? James Jerome Hill (September 16, 1838 – May 29, 1916), was a noted Canadian-American railroad executive, was the Empire Builder who started with nothing but a vision of the future. It was the vision that made him special and different from others involved in business. He saw what he was working toward and used his business strategies to always plan for the future. Unlike other railroad builders such as Cornelius Vanderbilt who built their railroads around a population, Hill built a population around his railroad. This technique was unsuccessful for others but Hill's business skill, experience, and planning made his railroad progress rapidly. The land he built on was considered a wasteland, unsuitable for population. Hill was not a selfish man but instead one who used his business skills to develop the best railroad network possible. His railroads went from the Great Lakes to the Puget Sound and from Canada to the South. As his railroads grew, he extended his empire across the Pacific to the Orient. Hill's railroads were impressive in length, growth rate, and revenue. 7. Compare and contrast Gatsby with James. J. Hill. 8. What is the significance of the owl-eyed man attending Gatsby’s funeral? 9. What is the significance of Jordan’s comment about the “bad driver”? 10. How does Tom cling to his vision of himself, just as Gatsby clings to his vision of Daisy? 11. Why does Nick shake Tom’s hand? 12. Why does Nick think that Gatsby’s tragedy is a contrast between East and West? Do you agree? Explain. 13. Who is the real gentleman in the novel and what does he represent in terms of values and beliefs? 14. Explain how Nick has learned the true meaning of his father’s advice about judgment. 15. Fitzgerald is concerned with moral decisions and their effect on character. Yet how can we make moral decisions in a society which possesses no meaningful values by which to judge those decisions?

Posted By Kately at Tue 27 Mar 2012, 5:21 PM in The Great Gatsby || 1 Reply

Why Is Gatsby Such A Loved Character?

The Great Gatsby is known as a classic novel; I wonder how this is the title and character (Jay Gatsby) do not appear to match up. Gatsby is not great, despite everyone’s apparent admiration for him. The narrator, Nick, states at the end of the book, “When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction-- Gatsby who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn.” This quote implies that everyone Nick met over the year was essentially a terrible human being. First of all, these people (Daisy, Tom, Myrtle, and George) were just people, and people make mistakes. Tom made the mistake of cheating on Daisy with Myrtle, who made the mistake of cheating on George; Daisy made the mistake of cheating on Tom with Gatsby , and George made the mistake of murder and suicide. Though I do not agree with any of their actions, they don’t strike me as purely evil or terrible people, as Nick thought of them. Poor George was obviously mentally ill, driven mad by the death of his wife; he shot Gatsby and himself, which is horrible, but this does not make him a terrible person. And while cheating is wrong and there is no reason for it to happen, people do make mistakes and Nick should see that. Secondly, Nick then says that Gatsby is an “exception to his reaction”. This truly strikes me as baffling because Gatsby is just as “bad” as the others whom Nick felt such scorn for, if not worse. Gatsby was a con artist who scammed people out of their money and found a way to get alcohol to alcoholics during prohibition. Not only that, but he didn’t even work to get all the money and luxuries he had, he collected it from all the businesses he owned. He was simply a reckless teenager who ran away from home. Is this why Nick had “an unaffected scorn” for Gatsby? Because of his past? Even if that were the case, I don’t understand. His past was not horrible. He just made poor decisions, just as Tom, Daisy, George, and Myrtle did. Supposedly, Nick loves Gatsby for “following his dream”. I find several flaws with this opinion. Firstly, Gatsby was about 18 or 19 years old when he came up with his “dream”, and the fact that he actually carried it out just shows how immature he truly is. Add in the fact that his “dream” was one he had when he was so young: having a big mansion with lots of money and throwing fancy parties. Second, achieving this “dream” of his required him to do many despicable things (such as creating a chain of pharmaceutical companies that would prescribe alcohol to desperate alcoholics). How is that really achieving your dream? I don’t think it’s an amazing thing that he reached his goals by cheating and lying. Don’t get me wrong, I know a lot of people agree with Nick, thus why the book is considered a classic work of literature. I just don’t understand how people don’t see past Gatsby’s “amazing smile”. Truly, their hero of a character is not as he seems.

Posted By sheheldthemoon at Tue 13 Mar 2012, 7:20 PM in The Great Gatsby || 12 Replies

Getting away by using money and carelessness

At the end of the novel Nick says "they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.." I have to pick 3 characters in which this quote is relevant to, so I chose Daisy, Tom and Wolfsheim- and suggestions on how to tie them to the quote?

Posted By thenxtvan-gogh at Thu 1 Mar 2012, 6:30 PM in The Great Gatsby || 1 Reply

The great gatsby analysis

In Great Gatsby novel of F. Scott Fitzgerald the character is created from the lower-income class citizen and with a dream to become rich and powerful after he has met Daisy and he has a reason to fulfil his dream and earn money, fame, wealth and power. The background of Gatsby remains bleak as no one knows what exactly happened in the past. Some rumours from Jordan state that he killed a man back in those days and he did inherit some kind of property but the real truth is that he made and gained everything by his own. Even in the novel lies come back and forth what makes Gatsby great is that he has gained and made what he has ever dreamed of. He was a normal poor citizen in the past living in a farm and belonging to a lower class by the name of James Gatz. He left everything behind to fit the upper-class and become another person. His father didn’t even know how far Gatsby would go and how fast he could reach the levels of being such a great person. The only thing that comes out from the novel is that Gatsby never did the right thing to gain what he got, but he had a good heart with everyone on what he was doing. During the novel we see Cody, who was the one that accepted Gatsby for his ambitions and dreams and had him as his son. When he first left the farm at the age of seventeen Cody was the one person and only that gave him what his dream of the world was by. Finally, he inherited Cody and that is one of the prominent reasons that he became rich. Having met Daisy, his human side appears in the novel and he comes to reach the lowest layer of his destruction and greatness as he leaves everything behind to show his love to Daisy. Although, the paradox remains the same he always stays loyal and faith to her until the end of his death, but this foolishness are the two reasons that made him lose his greatness. Gatsby’s life is still waving in the dark since another character appears in the story by the name of Meyer Wolfsheim, a shady, queer figure that doesn’t leave us a lot to thing about him but we do know that he had on the past connections with Germans, the war and know the Mafia. He is the one who claims that he has made Gatsby what he really is. As a character he is strange in his manners but always gentle and mannered. Even at times that he has the parties and social gatherings in his house, we cannot say that he really enjoys them, as the reason of organising is to see and be with Daisy. There are moments that when Daisy is with her husband Tom, he still uses the best course of his behaviour and is seen as a true gentleman. In front of her he becomes like a boy in his first relationship ever experienced. There are two faces seen in the movie. A great, powerful man and a weak, feeble boy in front of a girl. At the end the writer leaves us with a sense of distress and a moment of truth when a great personality such as Gatsby is left with nothing but his thoughts, memories and feelings even after such a great effort that he had made in his life, goes amiss. Much to do about nothing, as Shakespeare could characterize in his comedy plays. :crash:

Posted By thanosmiloulis1 at Sat 8 Oct 2011, 3:01 AM in The Great Gatsby || 7 Replies

And then one fine morning—

I love this ending to the book but something has always intrigued me - it's the inclusion of the words 'And then one fine morning—' what do those words add to the other lines and why does it cut off? Here's the full final paragraph below. It makes the same sense without that part-sentence but what is it adding to the sentiment? To me it reads slightly strangely but is that the point - the thoughts about tomorrow are cut off and interupted... Thanks for any thoughts... Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine morning— So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

Posted By jmorgan at Mon 9 May 2011, 3:43 AM in The Great Gatsby || 1 Reply

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The Great Gatsby

(1925)

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