The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (A Summary)

Résumé du document

The story of Gatsby can be regarded as the story of universal ideas, which came to be defined in the 1920s. On the surface, it tells the story of thwarted love between some of the characters. On the background, however, it encompasses a larger set of problems. For example, it is partly focused on the decline of the belief in the American Dream during the late 1920s. It is also a criticism of the carefree, 'empty' life of the upper classes during the pre-World War 2 period.

Extraits

[...] Among them are the yellow ( gold ) car Gatsby possesses, Gatsby's real books, the symbol of East versus West Egg and the white, green, silver and gold colours. I will focus mainly on the three basic symbols. The description of the Valley of Ashes is concentrated in two or three paragraphs only but is one of the most powerful and enchanting descriptions in The Great Gatsby. This is an area between East and West Egg, which is used as dumping ground for modern toxic factory waste. [...]

[...] But on the way back, Daisy accidentally strikes and kills Myrtle, Tom's lover. She never stops the car but the next day, Tom informs Myrtle's husband that Gatsby has been the driver. Gatsby is blamed and Myrtle's husband, automatically jumping on the decision that he must have been her lover, finds Gatsby in his mansion and shoots him. He then fatally shoots himself. Nick organizes a small funeral for Gatsby, ends his relationship with Jordan and moves back to the Midwest, hoping to escape the disgust he feels for those who surrounded Gatsby. [...]

[...] This green light might be taken as gatsby's faith too for Fitzgerald writes that “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before Some people connect the color of the light to the “color of money” too. The conflict between East and West is also very largely discussed and is once again a conflict ot young and old, of money” and money”, it is a conflict between the old aristocracy and the newly rich. Bibliography Fitzgerald, Scott. The Great Gatsby, Penguin Books Maurer, Kate. [...]

[...] The period ot the 1920s had left such a mark on the author of the novel that this “Jazz had not only to be glorified but judged as well. That is why, when we prepare to discuss the symbols in the novel, we should have in mind that we have on our hands a novel that has become a symbol itself, a symbol of the brilliant but tarnished “Roaring Twenties”. In The Great Gatsby, we can discover three basic symbols. Those are the Valley of Ashes, The Green Light and Dr. [...]

[...] Nick drives out to East Egg one evening for dinner with his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and her husband, Tom. It is at this moment that he is introduced to Jordan Baker, a beautiful young woman with whom he has a romantic relationship afterwards. Later, we are introduced to the other characters of the story Myrtle, who is Tom's lover, her husband, and several of her friends. As the summer progresses, Nick eventually meets Gatsby himself. Gatsby turns out to be deeply in love with Daisy and does everything to please her. [...]