The Truly Great Gatsby

Is his novel the Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald creates Gatsby as a character who becomes great. He begins life as just an ordinary, lower-class, citizen. But Gatsby has a dream of becoming wealthy. After meeting Daisy, he has a reason to strive to become prominent. Throughout his life, Gatsby gains the title of truly being great. Even before Gatsby is introduced, he is hinted at being out of the ordinary. The first evidence of this is when Nick says, "Gatsby turned out all right at the end." (2) Nothing was known about Gatsby at the time and Nick is already saying Gatsby was okay. There's a air of mysteriousness surrounding Gatsby. Everyone knows of him, but no one knows who he really is or where he comes from. Even at our first glance of Gatsby, he's reaching out for something only he can see. There were many stories flying about Gatsby but no one knew what to really believe. In on instance Jordan made the comment, "I think he killed a man." (49) Even when Gatsby confessed about his past he didn't always tell the truth. He told Nick he inherited great wealth, but in reality, Gatsby gained his wealth on his own. Even though Gatsby lied, the fact that he made himself what he was makes him even that much greater. When Gatsby was still James Gatz, he had a dream of leaving his life on the farm behind and become part of the upper-class. Even Gatsby's father knew when he said, "If he'd lived, he'd of been a great man." (169) Little did his father know that Gatsby was already great. Gatsby didn't always do the right thing to gain his wealth but he was always good at heart. His first real break in the outside world was when he met his best friend Dan Cody. Gatsby was seventeen at the time and had just left his life on the farm. Cody was a wealthy man of fifty and he showed Gatsby the ways of the world. It was said that Cody found Gatsby to be " ... quick and extravagantly ambitious." (101) He took Gatsby in and treated him almost as a son. Gatsby was to inherit some of Cody's wealth after his death but was stripped of his inheritance by Ella Kaye. After Gatsby was introduced to Daisy, she was the only thing that mattered to him. It takes a great man to have that kind of love for one person. Even though Daisy didn't deserve Gatsby's love, he was loyal to her to the end. Daisy was both the main cause of Gatsby's greatness, and also the only cause of foolishness in his life. His absolute love and devotion for her is what destroyed him, even before his death. Gatsby and Nick both served as officers in the war and he told Nick "Then the war came ... it was a great relief, and I tried very hard to die ... " (66) Gatsby knew he wasn't good enough for Daisy and death would've been an easy way out. However, Gatsby survived the war, and with honors as well. Even during war times Gatsby demonstrated his greatness in being a superb soldier. Upon his return to

America, he concentrated on winning Daisy back. Gatsby's life between the war and when he's introduced in the book is quite vague. It is known later that he at some point went into business with a man named Meyer Wolfsheim. Wolfsheim was a man with a shady past and possible connections with the Mafia. Gatsby, however, hides his connections quite well even if the stories do fly. Wolfsheim claims to have made Gatsby the man that he was. Throughout the book Gatsby is a gracious host and yet a mysterious one. He is rarely seen at his extravagant parties but doesn't really seem to mind that he misses them. It is found out later that he only held the parties to see if Daisy would show. He always handles himself like a true gentleman. Even in awkward moments, such as his meetings with Daisy's husband Tom. There was one time when Gatsby lost his cool and that was when he was to see Daisy for the first time in five years. He suddenly became as giddy as a schoolboy. He had worked for so long to please Daisy and seeing her would be the moment of truth. Gatsby liked to show off his wealth to his friends. He gives tours of his home to Daisy and Nick and he always has an extraordinary explanation for his possessions. And yet he handles his greatness with dignity. He's also proud of his flashy car but never knew it would be the cause of his downfall. he had few house guests but treated them quite fairly. When Daisy came back into Gatsby's life it was like floating on air for him, at least in the beginning. She'd loved Gatsby but didn't have the patience to wait for him. She was content to have an affair with Gatsby but still be married to Tom. She didn't want to make a decision. She was forced to make one and her choice devastated Gatsby. He never actually admitted that he'd lost but deep down he knew. He expected Daisy to choose him and couldn't accept any other response. He'd worked too hard and too long to win. Towards the end Gatsby wouldn't give up on Daisy. After the accident in which Daisy killed Mrs. Wilson, it was the end for her and Gatsby. And yet "He couldn't possibly leave Daisy until he knew what she was going to do. He was clutching at some last hope ... " (148) Daisy couldn't possibly face the fact that she might go to jail and she knew Gatsby would take her blame. Taking her blame would be the last great thing Gatsby would do for Daisy. "He felt married to her, that was all." (149) Gatsby might have been able to avoid being killed by Mr. Wilson but he really didn't have any more reason to live. Daisy was back with Tom, he'd lost most of his so called friends who used to party at his house, and he really didn't have any real friends, except for maybe Nick. Nick saw the greatness in Gatsby. He even said to Gatsby, "They're a rotten crowd. You're worth the whole damn bunch put together." (154) That would be the last time he spoke to Gatsby. It was sad after Gatsby's death that so few people came to mourn him. His father showed up after reading about his son's death in a newspaper. Nick was always there until the end, and a former guest of one of Gatsby's parties came. Gatsby was a great man who had touched few people, but in irreversible

ways. He made Nick realize what wealth could do to a person. He had held Daisy's love throughout her marriage, even if she did abandon him in the end. And he was always a topic of discussion wherever he went. Gatsby truly was a great man. He came from an ordinary background and built himself up to where he ended. He loved Daisy unconditionally and made a life for himself. It takes a great person to take what they have, and get to where they dream to be. He was loyal to the end, never straying from his dream once.

The Great Gatsby: Lost Love

The novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a tragic love story of lost love. Gatsby, the main character, based his love for Daisy on a young girl he met before going off to war. In their time apart, Gatsby strived to build the American dream while Daisy enjoyed the riches by those who adored her. The character Daisy is described by Fitzgerald throughout the novel as flighty and shallow. It is their difference in character and devotion that sets them apart. Gatsby eventually realized Daisy could not measure up to what he had envisioned as his perfect love.

As a young officer, Gatsby was impressed by what Daisy represented, old money and a life full of luxuries. He fell deeply in love with the young Daisy, and vowed to come back to her a wealthy man. While Gatsby went off to the war Daisy continued in her artificial life. In Gatsby's case, distance made his heart grow fonder. It was evident that Gatsby followed Daisy's activities when he showed her the clippings on their first meeting. "Look at this," said Gatsby quickly. "Here is a lot of clippings -about you."(90) He knew what he needed to do to get Daisy back, even if it meant making his money by illegal means. Daisy grew tired of pining for her officer and soon her love was bought by a new suitor, Tom Buchanan, with a $30,000 pearl necklace. Money was what Daisy desired.

James Gatz, was a poor farm boy who saw his life as living in poverty. He knew he wanted more and worked hard to improve his life. Daisy grew tired of

waiting for him in their early relationship because other rich officers pursued her. When they met again she was impressed with his wealth. His dream for a better life gave him a sense of purpose. Daisy's purpose in life were material comforts and luxuries. Daisy's empty existence and the people she surrounded herself with was in contrast with Gatsby's dreams, which gave meaning to his own identity. Nick shows this when he says to Gatsby, "They're a rotten crowd," I shouted across the lawn. "Your worth the whole damn bunch put together." (146)

Gatsby's obsession for Daisy blinded him of what her true character was. Gatsby loved the Daisy of the past. Daisy was a very shallow and materialistic person who was only attracted to the wealth of an individual which made her life uncomplicated. When Daisy discovered how rich Gatsby was, she was attracted to him. This is clear when Gatsby first shows her his huge mansion and the contents within. In the scene which Gatsby shows her his expensive shirts, she responds by saying, "Their such beautiful shirts it makes me sad because I have never seen such beautiful shirts."(pg. 89).

When things start to get complicated after Myrtle's death, Daisy does not stay with the man she says she loves but goes back to Tom who could keep her safe and protect her from trouble. Daisy's flaws in her character are realized by Gatsby as his life ends alone.

Gatsby's fantasy was played out in a scene near the end. The short lived affair with Daisy was ended by the tragic car accident. Again, Gatsby is devoted to Daisy by waiting outside her window trying to protect her. Nick observes, "He was clutching at some last hope and I couldn't bare to shake him free.". (141) He was left again by his true love, Daisy's real intentions showing through in her choice in staying with the protectiveness of Tom. In the end Gatsby accepted that Daisy would never leave Tom for a bootlegger and a farmer's son. She had a reputation and a lifestyle to maintain.

"As I went over to say good-bye I saw that the expression of bewilderment had come back to Gatsby's face, as though a faint doubt had occurred to him

of his present happiness. Almost five years! There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams - not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion." (92) Gatsby's expectations of the young eighteen year old girl fell short of what he had dreamed. Their different social backgrounds and focus on reality kept them from grasping their dream of true love. Gatsby's devotion was admirable but in the end Daisy's abandonment was what killed him inside, not the bullet from Wilson's gun.

The Mirage in The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a book of love and tragedy that all leads back to dreams and ideas, but never reality. Gatsby is a man of great wealth and is truly rich. Or is he? The Great Gatsby has many disguises that play a major role in several characters' lives, but mostly Gatsby's'. Gatsby believes that he will be very successful and get what he wants, including Daisy, if he is rich. He succeeded in getting money and living a life of luxury, but is never truly rich. He is always so set on the future and what things could be if this, or if that happens, that he never lives in the present. Because Gatsby never lives in the present, he ends up doing that permanently, and by the end of the book, he lives no more. When Gatsby was alive, he seemed never to be happy, because he was never satisfied with himself; Gatsby tried to change himself. He always tried to reach for his vision, which is represented by the green light, but never seemed to achieve it because he didn't ever live in the life he had; Gatsby lived in the life he wanted. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses green light to represent the unreachable dream in the future that is always being sought after and wanted by Gatsby, but never obtained.

In The Great Gatsby, the green light is visible to many and always distant. To some, like Tom, it is just a light, but to others, like Gatsby, it is their hopeful future. As Tom said in chapter one, "I glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of the dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness"(Gatsby 26). He saw a green light. That is all, just a light that may have been at the end of the dock. When Gatsby vanished, this represented him approaching and trying to attain the green light, which was his future he sought after and believed in. As Marius Bewley agrees, the green light represents his faith, "An image of that green light, symbol of Gatsby's faith, burns across the bay,"(Bewley 24). Since the green light represents Gatsby's faith, it is hard for him not believe in it and reach for it. In a way, the green light represent assurance, and he relies on it; it is his faith.

To Gatsby, his idealistic future, his green light, is associated with Daisy and so she is his dream that will never be reached. It is later in the book, in chapter five, when the green light starts to relate to Daisy, because Daisy becomes part of Gatsby's desired future, "If it wasn't for the mist I could see your home across the bay. You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock,"(Gatsby 98). Eventually, Gatsby wants to arrive at that green light, grasp it, and develop his life into it, with Daisy. As Marius Bewley says, "For Gatsby, Daisy does not exist in herself. She is the green light that signals him into the heart of his ultimate vision,"(Bewley 19). In view of the fact that the green light is Gatsby's wanted future, if he associates Daisy with the green light, then obviously he want her to be in his ideal life later on.

Gatsby never fulfilled his life by arriving at the green light, his unreachable dream, because he was too involved in his future to worry about his current situation. The further and further Gatsby reached, the further the green light seemed. His romantic and impractical future that he sought after became less and less likely to occur one day, "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 further...and one fine morning-So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past"(Gatsby 189).

Gatsby just couldn't grasp the idea that Daisy would not end up with him no matter how he envisioned it or how much money he had, by now you know he is not truly rich.

From the day Gatsby started planning his schedule as a boy, because he had a "big future" in front of him, until the day that he died, he always had confidence of getting what he wanted. He never did get what he wanted, his green light, but he believed in it and never stopped reaching for it, "The green light is successful because, apart from its visual effectiveness as it gleams across the bay, it embodies the profound naivet of Gatsby's sense of the future, while simultaneously suggesting the historicity of his hope,"(Bewley 21). Gatsby was guilty of dreaming and believing there could be a life better then he had at that time, so he didn't really live through that life, in the present, he had hope, that is it. He always consistently reached for the green light, and each time he would reach, he would be pulled further and further from reality, until he was finally out of reality, and had his life taken away from him.

Morals and American Idealism in The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a story of morals and American idealism, this being a major theme of the book, which is corrupted by using materials as its means.

Nick, the narrator as well as one of the main characters of The Great Gatsby, has moved to the East coast from the West to learn the bond business. He rents a mid-sized bungalow on West Egg, where most of the other residents have adopted their wealth, which just happens to be next to the palace-like house of Gatsby, the main character of the story. Nick's cousin Daisy and her husband Tom are a well-to-do couple who live on East Egg which is right across the bay from West Egg.

This story is about a wealthy man Gatsby, who becomes corrupt, so to say, he doesn't respect the money which was virtually given to him when he was younger so now the great wealth is out to destroy him in a way.

Gatsby takes things for granted because he didn't have to word to get the Upper Class status which he now has. An example of this is also one of the main parts of the story. Daisy, Nick's cousin and the wife of Tom Buchanon, once knew Gatsby when they were in high school together and they had a thing going. After a while they separated and Gatsby went into the Armed Forces. Now, at the time when this story takes place in the spring of the 1920's Daisy and Gatsby still have a thing for each other and their growing romance develops throughout. Taking what he has got going with Daisy for granted, like almost everything else he's got going for him, he begins to loose what he wants the most, Daisy.

While Daisy and Gatsby are having their little affair Tom is having one of his own with Myrtle, the wife of an auto garage owner. Theirs too develops throughout the story.

These two secrete relationships go and on through the book. Meanwhile the backgrounds of the main characters as well as ideas/morals

are revealed. Then towards the end of the story everything begins to fall apart.

Daisy kills Myrtle while driving Gatsby's car when Gatsby was in the passenger seat. Gatsby took the blame so as not to get Daisy into any trouble then was killed be Myrtle's husband by Gatsby's pool. Once that is over the story ends with Gatsby's funeral and the living main characters live on happily ever after.

The Great Gatsby is a well written book, it shows how someone can be doomed by their self-delusion when they try to maintain an idealism based on material values. Every main character is greatly developed as daily events continue on so the reader is virtually drawn into the story. Everything is understandable and there are no gaps of slow, boring reading in the middle when the present isn't being talked about then someone's past is developed through either a flashback or the telling of a story by one of the characters. The content of this book is thick and juicy but well organized like a cross-section of an orange where the slices are clearly separated but full of juice (content).

Fitzgerald wrote this story using Nick as the narrator as well as

one of the main characters as well as other techniques to make this story work. By using Nick as the narrator all of the action is filtered through his head so he can make moral judgments of others and himself. This story jumps from scene to scene, focusing only on those few incidents which best support the total structure. For example, Nick moves to the East to learn the bond business but his business activities are vaguely covered because they have no place in the structure of the book. Other things that make this book what it is includes juxtaposition, between Tom's and Gatsby's parties, using flashbacks to reveal Gatsby's background, and a descriptive style especially when Fitzgerald is trying to create a mood.

Overall, this book made me think of my own moral values as well as well as the fact that I shouldn't take things that I have got for granted. If I do then I could loose what I have got. I liked how the book was written because it kept my attention and I followed the events fairly well. I give it two thumbs up for content and overall readability.

Gatsbys Money

In The Great Gatsby, money affects different people in different ways. For Gatsby, it means that he will finally have a chance at getting Daisy. But his money turns out to be somewhat of an obstacle in getting Daisy. Gatsby gained wealth to impress Daisy, he had what was considered "new money", and he tried to hide his wealth from people so that Daisy will not find out. When Gatsby and Daisy first met, Gatsby was in the war and was very poor. He came from a middleclass family from the Midwestern United States. Daisy came from a wealthy family and because of the views of society, these two were not able to pursue their feelings for one another. Gatsby then dedicated his life to becoming wealthy so that one day he could possibly have Daisy to himself. He bought a gigantic house that appeared to be an imitation of the Hotel de Ville in Normandy. When Nick invited Daisy over for tea so that Gatsby would be able to meet her, Gatsby had Nicks yard mowed, he sent over a fine silver tea set, and tulips to make Nicks house look more ritzy. Every weekend, he threw huge parties hoping, that by some odd chance, Daisy might show up at a one of the parties. At these parties, he had the best of everything. He had bands that played music of the time, he brought in crates upon crates of fresh vegetables and other foods, and he had a large number of crates of wine and other alcoholic beverages. He also had the finest in automobiles for the time. He had a yellow Rolls-Royce limo that was extremely expensive and rare. All of this was to impress Daisy and evidence existed of this in that he never went out of his house during the parties. He let the people who wondered in party and have a good time while he watched from a room in the house. Gatsbys money is what is known as "new money." This is shown by the location of his house which is in West Egg. The "new money" was money that was earned through an occupation or some operation, whether legal or illegal. Gatsby earned his money through illegal actions with the mob. People who had "old money" received their money through their family as it was passed from generation to

generation. These people came from East Egg and included in this group was Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby tried to hide the source of his wealth so that people will not know the real source. He wanted to keep it secret so that Daisy would not find out and stay away from him. He wanted her to get to know him again first, before she found out the real source of his wealth. He told people that his parents were wealthy and that when they died, they left a large some of money to him. He actually gained his wealth through bootlegging alcohol and other mob activities. Gatsby wanted to use his money so that he could impress Daisy and have things back to the way when they first met. In the end, he didnt end up getting Daisy because too many things had changed.

The Very Insecure Great Gatsby

In F. Scott Fitzgeralds novel The Great Gatsby many characters are not as they seem. The one character that intrigues me the most is James Gatsby. In the story Gatsby is always thought of as rich, confident, and very popular. However, when I paint a picture of him in my mind I see someone very different. In fact, I see the opposite of what everyone portrays him to be. I see someone who has very little confidence and who tries to fit in the best he can. There are several scenes in which this observation is very obvious to me. It is clear that Gatsby is not the man that everyone claims he is. One scene that clearly shows the true Gatsby is when he meets Daisy at Nicks house. He is very nervous and wants everything to be perfect for Daisy. To me that shows he is really hung up on what other people think. He wants to impress them the best he can. Obviously Gatsby has little confidence and feels he needs to overwhelm people with appearance opposed to his personality. When Gatsby and Nick go out on the town Gatsby took his yellow Rolls Royce, which is a magnificent car. Gatsby wanted to impress Nick and everyone else in town with his awesome car. Once again this shows how Gatsby uses objects to get attention and not his personality. The scene that displays Gatsbys low confidence the most is when he has his elaborate parties with all of the fancy decorations and incredible food. So many people come to his parties and the whole time he is never present. He never comes down to greet anyone or welcome them. He never comes down to check on his guests to see how things are going and if they are having a good time. Gatsby always spends time in a room by himself watching everyone. He waits, hoping Daisy will appear. Gatsby is built up to be a big man. He is thought of as extremely wealthy and good looking with lots of

confidence. However, if this label was really true, then why did Gatsby use Nick to get Daisy instead of doing it himself? If this was really true, then why did Gatsby constantly work to impress others with his objects and not his mind? Gatsby was a wealthy man, but he had little confidence and poor selfesteem. Gatsby wanted to be well liked and he would do anything to get that way, except use his personality.

Buying Happiness and Love in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby The American Dream is starting with nothing and through hard work and determination one can achieve millions of dollars and all the happiness one can handle. This may not be true, if that person tries to buy the past to regain the happiness he will never succeed and mostly likely end up very unhappy. A good example of this in fiction is F. Scott Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald criticizes the American dream in his novel, The Great Gatsby, by showing Jay Gatsby's tragic flaw, his belief that money can buy happiness and his love for Daisy. The first example of Gatsby's belief that money can buy his happiness is when Nick Carraway describes the subdivision in which he lives, West Egg. The subdivision across the water is East Egg. The houses are very luxurious to say the least. On the other hand, there is a distinction between the two. The West Egg house are more recently built and are elaborately decorated, where as the houses in East Egg are still as big but very conservative in architecture. The two neighborhoods represent the division in the upper class at this time in America. During the 1920's, the conservative "old rich" despised the "new rich". A good example of an "old rich" family would be the Rockefellers, where as a "new rich" family would be the Kennedys. The East Egg represented the conservative money of the "old rich". For generations their money passed down giving them the belief that the "new rich" with their newly acquired wealth were still lower and not equal to them. The "new rich" liked to display their wealth in lavish ways that the conservative wealthy did not approve. In addition, the "new rich" often did not earn their money in legitimate ways; most earned their money from boot legging. Carraway in an ironic way is neither "new rich" nor "old rich". He lives in a rather modest house compared to Gatsby's huge mansion. Gatsby owns a huge house but is the only person living there besides some servants. Gatsby tries to use the house to win the happiness and respect from others. Another reason for the house is to hide the way in which he really makes his money. The next example in which Gatsby tries to buy his happiness is the extravagant parties he has at his house every weekend. At the parties guest marvel over his bright yellow Rolls Royce and his swimming pool. A personal pool in the 1920's took and extraordinary amount of money to operate. At the parties,

guests had a buffet and there were fresh cut flowers everywhere. While touring the house, Carraway wonders into the library. There he runs into Owl Eyes, who remarks that none of the books was cut. When book were published back then all the pages were stuck together at the top and when someone read the books, they had to cut each page. All these expenditures show that Gatsby is trying to use his money to buy his happiness. The lavish items that he buys are not just for his happiness though; he is also trying to attract Daisy. His house happens to be directly across the water from Daisy's house. Her house is visible at night only buy a green light at the end of the dock. The green light is a reoccurring symbol in the book. The green light symbolizes the Gatsby's attempt to retrieve the past love for Daisy. As A. E. Dyson says, "In his own private world past and future can de held captive in the present"(117). Daisy's and Gatsby's relationship start years before in Louisville. As Gatsby and her had an affair, Gatsby fell in love. Before he left for the war she told him that she would wait for him, she did not. This was highly unlikely because Daisy was someone of wealth stature where as Gatsby had very little money at the time. Instead of waiting, Daisy married Tom Buchanan. Tom, like Daisy, was a member of the "old rich" and made him the perfect choice for Daisy. The reason for this is Daisy love money. Knowing this fact, Gatsby tries to lure her to his mansion and party. Gatsby's love was foreshadowed when we first meet him. Carraway returns from dinners at the Buchanan's house and see Gatsby staring across the water with his arms in the air at the green light. Another example of Gatsby's aspirations for Daisy is his behavior at his parties. Firstly, he throws a part every weekend and makes it clear that all affluent people are welcome. He also makes his past very secretive. While attending one of his parties, Carraway over hears gossip about his past. The rumor was that he was the nephew of Kaiser Wilhelm, the ruler of Germany during World War II. Gatsby was again trying to hide the fact that he was newly rich. Another example of his strange behavior at the parties was his appearance. Gatsby never drank and seemed to shy away from people as if was waiting for someone. Unfortunately, that guest, Daisy, never did attend one of his parties. Also, Nick notices that Gatsby give a rather formal good bye to everyone while leaving. A formal wave is not the correct way to say good-bye to people at an informal party. As Marius Bewly say, "he is a creature of myth in whom is incarnated the aspiration and the ordeal of his race"(17). Gatsby is caught up with regaining his love for Daisy he limits his social life at the chance of meeting her again. After the unsuccessful attempts of luring Daisy with the parties, Gatsby tries to get Carraway to arrange a meeting between the two. He does not do it in person though he tries to get Jordan Baker, Carraway's girlfriend, to convince him. This is when the truth comes out about his passion for Daisy. After agreeing and returning home, Gatsby confronts Carraway on his lawn and trys to be extraordinarily nice to him. Gatsby invites him to Coney Island, a swim in his pool, offers to get his lawn cut, and even tries to give him money. This shows that money means nothing to Gatsby and will use it to gain his happiness or love for Daisy. The day of the meeting and Gatsby is terribly nervous. As Daisy arrives Gatsby, being the sly person he is, quickly sneaks out not to let her know that he was really behind this meeting. He runs around the house in the rain and acts as if he was coming over just for a visit with Carraway. Their reunion was awkward as well, Gatsby knocks over a clock, symbolizing Gatsby's want for the time to stop and live in the past. For once, a clock breaks it will always be stuck on that time in the past until repaired. After the initial awkwardness, Gatsby and Daisy hit off and he invites her back over to his place. There he can

impress her with his wealth and expenses. At the house Daisy's fascination with wealth, becomes very clear. He woos her with all the material things he has collected, such as he extensive silk collection. After achieving what he always wanted, Gatsby's dream comes crashing down around him. Upon hearing about his wife's affair, Tom confronts them both. Now Daisy learns how Gatsby really makes his money, buy bootlegging. Tom paints Gatsby as no more that a thief that makes his money illegitimately. Gatsby still believes that Daisy is the perfect image in his head and it crushes him when Daisy does not choose him. According to Bewly what this did to Gatsby was, "its immediate functions is that it signals Gatsby in to his future, away from the cheapness of his affair with Daisy"(21). On a vain and ironic move, Tom lets Daisy and Gatsby return to West Egg together. On the way back, they hit a woman. The woman turns out to be Tom's mistress. After being so upset that his wife might be sleeping around, he was doing the same thing. The last example of money leading to the downfall of Gatsby is the car he drives. When returning home Daisy was driving Gatsby's yellow Rolls Royce. The husband of the woman hit saw the car and comes to Tom to find out whom it belongs too. Tom shows his discontent for Gatsby, immediately points the finger at him. Not once did he mention the fact that his wife was in the car. The man so distraught at the loss of his wife, who he too was suspicious for cheating, thought Gatsby was the adulterer and the murderer. Therefore, he shot Gatsby and himself. "Gatsby stands for a deeper malice in the culture- a sickness that dives young men to think that riches can obliterate the past and capture the hearts of the girls of the dreams"(Hermanson 56). Buy the time that Gatsby realizes his love was for the ideal woman in his mind and not the real one he dies. Even if Gatsby were not shot, he probably would not recover emotionally. He tried most of his adult life to retrieve the past and then rejected at the culmination of that dream would have destroyed him. Trying to use money to buy happiness and love will only leave one emotionally dead.

Symbolism of Houses and Cars in The Great Gatsby

Francis Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, is full of symbolism, which is portrayed by the houses and cars in an array of ways. One of the more important qualities of symbolism within The Great Gatsby is the way in which it is so completely incorporated into the plot and structure. Symbols, such as

Gatsby's house and car, symbolize material wealth.

Gatsby's house "[is] a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy" which contains "a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy" is a symbol of Gatsby's large illegal income (Fitzgerald 9)(9). Gatsby's large income isn't enough to keep him happy. He needs "The house he feels he needs in order to win happiness" and it is also the perfect symbol of carelessness with money which is a major part of his personality (Bewley 24). Gatsby's house like his car symbolizes his vulgar and excessive trait of getting attention. Gatz's house is a mixture of different styles and periods which symbolizes an owner who does not know their true identity. The Buchanan's house is symbolic of their ideals.

East Egg is home to the more prominent established wealth families. Tom's and Daisy's home is on the East Egg. Their house, a "red and white Georgian Colonial mansion overlooking the bay" with its "winecolored rug[s]" is just as impressive as Gatsby's house but much more low-key (Fitzgerald 11)(13). East egg and Tom's home represents the established wealth and traditions. Their stable wealth, although lacking the vulgarity of new wealth, is symbolic of their empty future and now purposelessness lives together. The House also has a cold sense to it according to Nick. This sense symbolizes Tom's brutality, and as Perkins's says in his manuscript to Fitzgerald "I would know...Buchanan if I met him and would avoid him," because Tom is so cold and brute (Perkins 199).

Nick lives in West Egg in a rented house that "[is] a small eye-sore" and "had been overlooked"(Fitzgerald 10). Nick lives in a new-rich West Egg because he is not wealthy enough to afford a house in the more prominent East Egg. His house symbolizes himself shy and overlooked. Nick is the Narrator and also the "trust worthy reporter and, ...judge" that has ties to both the East and West Egg crowd(Bruccoli xii). Nick comes from a "prominent, well-to-do [family]" acts like the established rich down-played, but he is trying to make it on his own and his house located in West Egg symbolizes this(Fitzgerald 7). Another person who lives on the nouveau-rich West Egg is Gatsby.

Wilson "a blonde, spiritless man" lives in his "unprosperous and bare" garage(Fitzgerald 29)(29). His home symbolizes what he is, a mechanic, and is located in the valley of ashes overlooked by the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg. The eyes of Dr. Eckleburg "brood on over the solemn dumping ground" of Wilson's house (28). The valley of ashes in which Wilson's house is located in symbolizes the moral decay that hides behind the facade of wealth and happiness. The valley is home of Tom's mistress, "Myrtle Wilson, the wife of the owner of a garage in the ash heaps that lie along the road about halfway between West Egg

and Manhattan," and is incidentally fitting(Bruccoli 10). The eyes that look over Wilson's home also have a symbolic meaning. They symbolically sit in judgment on all the sleaze displayed by the inhabitants of East and West egg who pass through the valley of ashes.

The car plays a major role that makes a regular appearance in the story. In the American Society the car is always seen as a symbol of status. Gatsby's car is an embodiment of his wealth. His car is symbolic of many things, among them the "disillusioned, reckless, frenetic spirit of [the youthful]" owner(Rudin 160). His car symbolizes his vulgar materialism and conveys his newborn affluence. Gatsby's car is "a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hatboxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes, and terraced with a labyrinth of windshields that mirrored a dozen suns" obviously shows his materialism(Fitzgerald 68). Another interesting detail is Gatsby's car is yellow instead of the standardized black of the era stresses the thought that he is engrossed with the obsession of displaying his material wealth to get the love of Daisy. The Death car is yellow, and in the novel yellow symbolizes money and corruption in the novel. The creamy color of Gatsby's car also symbolizes decay of corruption; therefore Gatsby's car is like a bulging piece of fruit that is overripe and has started to rot. Gatsby's "meticulous attention to detail ... [compliments] the personage" of himself and the things he possess that symbolize him (Lehan 59). Tom Buchanan's car is also not like all the standardized black cars because he drives "a blue car, a coupe" which is a lot less showy than Gatsby's Rolls Royce(Fitzgerald 148). Tom is so desperately an empty man that he believes he can define himself with exterior belongings. He is trying to find his identity by looking for happiness in nice cars. Tom's blue coupe symbolizes Tom and his emptiness because his car is a cheap car that is like everyone else's car at that time period but it has a blue paint job setting it apart from the others and appearing to be better than all the other cars in that era. While the cars in The Great Gatsby symbolize what the person is like the houses symbolize who the person is.

Fitzgerald truly uses symbolism to convey his themes in The Great Gatsby. The symbolism of houses show the corruptive effect money can have on everyone. The symbolism of the car and house is stressed all throughout the novel and is used to confirm that a dream rooted in materialism alone will in the end always be disparaging.

Twisted Love in The Great Gatsby

In the story The Great Gatsby, many of the characters seemed to express what seemed like love. I tend to disagree with this. Daisy, Tom, Gatsby, and Mertle all express fake love to their significant others, but didnt actually feel true love. Starting with Daisy, she married Tom because all that he had was money. She was so aristocratic that she wouldnt marry Gatsby while they were in love after the war. All that Daisy seemed to care about was having so comfortable of a life that I believe she forgot what love was until Gatsby showed up again. But this isnt all true, Daisy was so impressed by Gatsbys wealth that her greed once again took over her and she was almost prepared to leave Tom for Gatsby. Also, I dont think that she loved her daughter. Daisys daughter was just a little plaything for Daisys enjoyment. She never cared for her and she never really had a social interaction with her daughter. I dont think that Tom ever really loved Daisy or Mertle. Tom only loved Daisy because she was a pretty face and he thought that he deserved her. He didnt love Mertle at all. She was just a woman he was having an affair with. Mertle didnt love Tom what so ever. She was just impressed by his money. Her husband was very poor and she wanted the good life. A life where all she had to do all day was to sit around and drink. She didnt care for her husband either. He was a hard working man that was barley getting by running his little gas station. All that she wanted was more, more, and more. Gatsby might have been the only character to understand love, besides George Wilson. Although Gatsbys interpretation of love was a little twisted. He didnt love Daisy for who she was when they met at Nicks, he loved her for who she used to be. He just wanted things to be like they used to be between them. Whats ironic about the situation though is that this can never take place because Daisy now has a child and a husband to tend for and would have no time for Gatsby. George Wilson, I believe, was the only character in the book that really loved and understood their significant other. He worked hard to keep her happy and it just wasnt

enough for her. All that Mertle cared about was money and how she could get her greedy hands on it. Nick never really was mentioned in the story with the theme of love in mind. I believe however that if he and Jordan would have gotten together that the relationship would have been really good. However, Jordan wouldnt have gotten into a relationship because Nick was poor and rich girls dont date poor boys. In conclusion, many of the characters in The Great Gatsby showed love, a twisted fake love. Most of them only cared for the money that others possessed, such as Mertle and Daisy. One of them only cared about how many women he could get, this was Tom. And others just got overlooked in the way that they loved another person in the story, such as Wilson and Gatsby.