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?
Printable View
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?
I suppose the title of the book is ironic. Gatsby isn't great, although he is certainly rich and appears to be very capable. He doesn't really do Nick any harm. Who cares if he is immoral to Tom? Tom is a nasty piece of work. Gatsby takes the blame for Daisy's fatal driving accident, so he can't be said to have behaved immorally towards her. I suppose you could say Gatsby was trying to take Daisy away from her husband, but Daisy's husband was having an affair with another woman.
One of the readings of the title is to see it as being like a magician, a showman. It's a brilliant trick, the alter-ego of James Gatz.
Gatsby could be considered "great". He throws huge parties. Gatsby has fast sports cars. He has a huge mansion. Gatsby may be involved in some illegal activities, but that doesn't mean that he is not "great". I feel like Gatsby does "great" things as in size, but not as in goodness. Yes, he may have done some good things like serve in the war and try to get to the status of wealthy just because of his love for Daisy. In the end, Gatsby is still "great" but he is not good.
Gatsby's greatness comes from the great depth, strength, and tenacity with witch he builds and holds to his illusion. He is entirely consumed by his great, shining, glorious dream, in a way that most could never achieve. It is this that Nick finds so great. The purity and strength of Gatsby's fantasy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dany Blue
I don't think Gatsby is great, or that Nick or Fitzgerald want us to think he is. The difference between "The Great" Gatsby and the humble man we finally meet, is marked. It seems an ironic title by the author, who is making a comment on the empty social set Gatsby never quite belongs to. They acclaim him Great (or legendary or notorious ) for a few weeks until the next big thing comes along.
I read the novel a long time ago. What I can remenber today is only a rich man with a lot of social to do around him, the "empty social set " you refer to.
This is the first novel I read in English and remember how I suffered with it .
I don't think either he is a great man , he was following blindly his dreams . I think of him more as a tragic figure .
In a way, Gatsby can be seen as great as he, even after Daisy has said she loves both him and Tom and almost betraying him by doing this, will cover for her after killing Myrtle. Similarly he is seen to camp outside her house all night just to make sure shes okay and she doesn't even bother talking to him or going outside to tell him to go home, instead she stays inside with her husband who she was having an affair with. After all this Gatsby is still trying to hold on to Daisy and is still trying to do the right thing by her, he still holds on to her and still thinks the world of her.
However great doesn't always have to be referring to someone as being amazing or outstanding, instead, Fitzgerald could have been ironically saying Gatsby is 'great' as to be slightly insulting towards Gatsby as he could have many connotations surrounding his name, therefore Fitzgerald could have been referring to Gatsby as something like 'The great disappointing Gatsby' or 'The Great Waste Gatsby' as his life was short lived and he spend most of it chasing after a girl or dream he subconsciously knew he would never get in the first place.
Although Gatsby did do many noble things towards many people such as the girl at his party which Nick first attended to, as Gatsby got her a whole new dress just to replace one she tore slightly. So in a noble and gentleman aspect Gatsby was great at doing and being like this, but in a legal sense and looking in from the 21st century we can see hes not great at all.