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The Great Gatsby


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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.

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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

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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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Recent Forum Posts on The Great Gatsby

Surely this is impossible....

In Chapter 8 Nick gives an incredibly detailed resume of Gatsby's trip to Louisville when Daisy and Tom were on honeymoon. This is not in speech marks, so are we expected to believe that Nick has remembered every tiny detail? We're talking about subtle nuances of emotion which only had meaning for someone being there at the time. This stands out as being extremely unlikely- in fact impossible. Has Nick invented this- is this a fiction within a fiction? Does this not throw into doubt the veracity of the rest of his narration? What do we trust?

Posted By Slabber at Tue 9 Jun 2009, 11:02 AM in The Great Gatsby || 0 Replies

universal theme?

I am currently reading hte great gatsby and i was wondering what the universal theme is. i think its you can only look back in the past you cannot change it or something like that. anyone have any ideas? thankyou

Posted By scottsweiner at Fri 5 Jun 2009, 8:27 PM in The Great Gatsby || 0 Replies

Not So Great on Gatsby

I may be a blasphemer, but I'm not enthralled with The Great Gatsby. I just read it for the third or fourth time in my life and I still don't like it. I think this is one of those works, although written by a famous writer and considered well-written by many, I just disagree with the consensus. I find this to be a simple, flawed love story of deeply flawed, uninteresting characters. Every person in this book seems to be a completely horrid person. Tom Buchanan is a wealthy jerk. Okay, I get world is full of those and marries his trophy wife, spawns, and gets a girlfriend on the side. Two deeply troubling scenes with this man. The horrible scene where he breaks Myrtle's nose and the second of him in the kitchen with Daisy show him to be both a brute and a coward. For those who favor the feminist view, have at it with any of the female characters in this work. Daisy? Jordan Baker? Myrtle Wilson? Wow!! One of the biggest issues I've had with this novel is Fitzgerald's choice to tell it from Nick Carraway's perspective. To a great degree, Nick is not a particpant or a witness to much of what he has included in his story. As a result, I don't trust the accuracy or the quality of what's been told. He strikes me as easily manipulated and if that is true, how am i supposed to believe or trust his story. I contrast him with the narrator's Hemingway used in The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms and the difference is striking. Those narrators are central characters, integrated into the story. Even though it's one person's perspective, you see the whole story and all of the action through that person's eyes. I'm not sure what Nick actually saw and what he didn't nor do I understand the source of some the scenes he describes at which he was not present. Which brings me to Gatsby himself. Isn't he basically a stalker? He spent five years building and living a myth to impress a woman who was not pining away for him. He was delusional and in the end pathetic, sad, and dead. He is one the most tragic heroes in American literature. I love Fitzgerald. I really enjoyed This Side of Paradise. But I struggle to accept this novel as even his best writing. I don't even accept this as a portrayal of the American dream. It's more of an indictment of the American dream and caveat emptor for over pursuing one's dreams. Nor is it a paramount of the clash between the wealthy and the nouveau riche. I know I'm a minority opinion, but I just don't like this story. Now tell me why I'm wrong.

Posted By PabloQ at Tue 7 Apr 2009, 6:08 PM in The Great Gatsby || 0 Replies

Cardinal virtues - where does honesty stand

I stumbled upon this quote:Every one suspects himself of at leas tone of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known I wonder whether this is really the case, and decided to check those virtues out. The cardinal virtues according to WIKI are: * Prudence - able to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time * Justice - proper moderation between the self-interest and the rights and needs of others * Restraint or Temperance - practicing self-control, abstention, and moderation * Courage or Fortitude - forbearance, endurance, and ability to confront fear and uncertainty, or intimidation But I can not place honesty within those :brickwall I know wiki is not the answer to everything, but other pages do mention these 4 words over and over. Also, I have this idea in my head that there are 7 virtues, just as there are 7 sins ... Any help would be appreciated :)

Posted By Sapphire at Mon 6 Apr 2009, 11:36 AM in The Great Gatsby || 1 Reply

[HELP] Great Gastby

I was writing an essay about the great gastby, but I'm having some issues. my thesis is about how gatsby, although he failed in getting daisy, can still be considered great. one of my ideas is that although he did fail, he tried and was persistent, and never looked away from his goal. i need other ideas though >.< please help!

Posted By Sublimesunrise at Sun 5 Apr 2009, 5:54 PM in The Great Gatsby || 2 Replies

gatsby

i have to write this report/essay on gatsby about hy it wouldn't make a good one-act play? i need 3 but i can't think of three???

Posted By monouver18 at Tue 31 Mar 2009, 11:53 PM in The Great Gatsby || 1 Reply

is nick the main character, or is gatsby? maybe someone will actually help...

i have an essay do on thursday, on who the main character is. what do you think?

Posted By j.k.taylor at Sat 7 Mar 2009, 1:27 PM in The Great Gatsby || 1 Reply

Appearance Vs. reality

Any ideas for essays on appearance vs reality theme ????

Posted By ryan1barnett at Sat 28 Feb 2009, 11:53 PM in The Great Gatsby || 2 Replies

clothing in the Great Gatsby

in a week, i have an essay due on the the colors of clothing in the great gastby. so far, i found that white = rich and color= poor and middle class. can anyone out there help me?? please??

Posted By j.k.taylor at Sat 28 Feb 2009, 6:13 PM in The Great Gatsby || 0 Replies

Dislike for James

pHi! First-time Poster here, so please be gentle. I re-read Gatsby recently, and am left slightly confused. The nature of my ponderance is as follows: Why does Nick initially dislike James? For that matter, why do many of James' guests harbor an unspoken disdain for him? Is it purely because Gatsby is nouveau riche? If the dislike surrounds his business dealings, would James' cavalier, mysterious operations be something to admire, and not scorn, a la Bonnie & Clyde? Nick failed to muster funeral attendees. Was this purely because people never liked James, and his nefarious business dealings? Or, did they believe he cruelly slaughtered Myrtle? The court case was after the funeral. What insult did the neighborhood children inscribe on the bricks, that Nick defensively removed with his shoe? Why would kids dislike Gatsby? Old Sport: did James learn how to talk rich from Tom? Brushing aside readings interpreting homosexuality into their relationship, did Gatsby assume Tom's personality in order to fulfill his quest for Daisy? What is the significance of James' pink suit? Thanks in advance for any insight you can share.

Posted By Flustermcrabb at Sat 21 Feb 2009, 4:00 AM in The Great Gatsby || 0 Replies

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