Andrew Retica
English 11 Enr.
3/20/07
F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby, is considered one of the great writers in American history. His honest adaptation of early twentieth century American life has won him vast accolade and tribute. The Great Gatsby, generally considered to be his greatest achievement, is also considered by many to be the definitive American novel. The acclaim is just; Fitzgerald is a master of not only the English language but also of the ironies and falsehoods of the American dream. His perception of the “dream” comes from his own experiences and the parallels between Fitzgerald and his characters, namely Jay Gatsby, are present to create . When studying the life of Fitzgerald, it becomes apparent that many of the ideas or events in the novel were not originated solely within Fitzgerald’s mind, but from his experiences and observations.
One of the more apparent of these parallels is the one between Daisy Buchanan and Zelda Fitzgerald. Daisy is the wife of Tom Buchanan and the love interest of Jay Gatsby. Daisy and Gatsby had a history together before any of the events on Long Island; they met while Gatsby was in the army, but she left him for Tom. Her true love for Tom comes into question many times throughout of the novel. She is with Tom, it seems, because of his “old money,” riches that have been passed down through the generations and come with a certain assumed dignity and prestige. Daisy, like many characters, aside from Nick, is materialistic and needs to be associated with not just money, but money that comes with tradition and grandeur. These qualities are not completely synonymous with Zelda Fitzgerald’s, but there are noticeable similarities. Zelda and Fitzgerald met while Fitzgerald was in the army, and she left him during that time. Fitzgerald still wanted to be with her, but she refused until he made it big as an author with his first successful novel, This Side of Paradise. These situations are somewhat analogous to the ones described above between Gatsby and Daisy. They met while Gatsby/Fitzgerald was in the army and both men knew that in order to get Zelda/Daisy back they would need to fulfill the women’s materialistic needs.
The similarities between Fitzgerald and his novel seem to be infinite, but there is more to be understood and analyzed then the simple parallels. There is the question of why Fitzgerald chose to do what he did. Why did he deliberately put similarities between himself and his life into the characters and events of the novel? He did this, it seems, because it was something he felt strongly about. Fitzgerald was able to see through many people including himself and his wife, Zelda. Fitzgerald recognized his problems and his inability to change. For instance, Fitzgerald was, quite simply, an alcoholic but Gatsby did not touch the stuff, leading many people to believe Gatsby was not created as an equal to Fitzgerald but as an embellished image of him. This holds true for the whole novel until near the ending when Gatsby is murdered. It is doubtful that Fitzgerald’s ideal of himself involves homicide. That is not the only reason Fitzgerald put himself and his life into the novel. He did it to express his feelings on the so called “American Dream.” Judging by the disastrous way the novel ends, Fitzgerald was not a believer in the “Dream.” The murder of Gatsby further highlights Fitzgerald’s opinion that the “American Dream” is fruitless and unfulfilling. According to the American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition, the “American Dream” is defined as “A phrase connoting hope for prosperity and happiness, symbolized particularly by having a house of one's own. Possibly applied at first to the hopes of immigrants, the phrase now applies to all except the very rich and suggests a confident hope that one's children's economic and social condition will be better than one's own.” Obviously, this definition does not apply directly to the novel, but the general idea is present: the idea that one can begin life in relative obscurity and obtain vast riches and success during their lifetime. Gatsby was able to do just that.
Gatsby’s life was all about a woman. Daisy was excessively materialistic but he still loved her and he knew that to have any chance with her he must follow the “Dream”, so he followed it and it took him to where he thought he ought to be. Unfortunately, this may not have been where he really wanted to be since this “Dream” led to his death. Gatsby dies presumably unhappy and unsatisfied, which is not how Fitzgerald dies but it is how he felt he would die if he life continued in the same direction.
Andrew Retica
English 11 Enr.
3/20/07
F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby, is considered one of the great writers in American history. His honest adaptation of early twentieth century American life has won him vast accolade and tribute. The Great Gatsby, generally considered to be his greatest achievement, is also considered by many to be the definitive American novel. The acclaim is just; Fitzgerald is a master of not only the English language but also of the ironies and falsehoods of the American dream. His perception of the “dream” comes from his own experiences and the parallels between Fitzgerald and his characters, namely Jay Gatsby, are present to create . When studying the life of Fitzgerald, it becomes apparent that many of the ideas or events in the novel were not originated solely within Fitzgerald’s mind, but from his experiences and observations.
One of the more apparent of these parallels is the one between Daisy Buchanan and Zelda Fitzgerald. Daisy is the wife of Tom Buchanan and the love interest of Jay Gatsby. Daisy and Gatsby had a history together before any of the events on Long Island; they met while Gatsby was in the army, but she left him for Tom. Her true love for Tom comes into question many times throughout of the novel. She is with Tom, it seems, because of his “old money,” riches that have been passed down through the generations and come with a certain assumed dignity and prestige. Daisy, like many characters, aside from Nick, is materialistic and needs to be associated with not just money, but money that comes with tradition and grandeur. These qualities are not completely synonymous with Zelda Fitzgerald’s, but there are noticeable similarities. Zelda and Fitzgerald met while Fitzgerald was in the army, and she left him during that time. Fitzgerald still wanted to be with her, but she refused until he made it big as an author with his first successful novel, This Side of Paradise. These situations are somewhat analogous to the ones described above between Gatsby and Daisy. They met while Gatsby/Fitzgerald was in the army and both men knew that in order to get Zelda/Daisy back they would need to fulfill the women’s materialistic needs.
The similarities between Fitzgerald and his novel seem to be infinite, but there is more to be understood and analyzed then the simple parallels. There is the question of why Fitzgerald chose to do what he did. Why did he deliberately put similarities between himself and his life into the characters and events of the novel? He did this, it seems, because it was something he felt strongly about. Fitzgerald was able to see through many people including himself and his wife, Zelda. Fitzgerald recognized his problems and his inability to change. For instance, Fitzgerald was, quite simply, an alcoholic but Gatsby did not touch the stuff, leading many people to believe Gatsby was not created as an equal to Fitzgerald but as an embellished image of him. This holds true for the whole novel until near the ending when Gatsby is murdered. It is doubtful that Fitzgerald’s ideal of himself involves homicide. That is not the only reason Fitzgerald put himself and his life into the novel. He did it to express his feelings on the so called “American Dream.” Judging by the disastrous way the novel ends, Fitzgerald was not a believer in the “Dream.” The murder of Gatsby further highlights Fitzgerald’s opinion that the “American Dream” is fruitless and unfulfilling. According to the American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition, the “American Dream” is defined as “A phrase connoting hope for prosperity and happiness, symbolized particularly by having a house of one's own. Possibly applied at first to the hopes of immigrants, the phrase now applies to all except the very rich and suggests a confident hope that one's children's economic and social condition will be better than one's own.” Obviously, this definition does not apply directly to the novel, but the general idea is present: the idea that one can begin life in relative obscurity and obtain vast riches and success during their lifetime. Gatsby was able to do just that.
Gatsby’s life was all about a woman. Daisy was excessively materialistic but he still loved her and he knew that to have any chance with her he must follow the “Dream”, so he followed it and it took him to where he thought he ought to be. Unfortunately, this may not have been where he really wanted to be since this “Dream” led to his death. Gatsby dies presumably unhappy and unsatisfied, which is not how Fitzgerald dies but it is how he felt he would die if he life continued in the same direction.