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072_1.docxRunning Head: THE GREAT GATSBY 3
Synopsis of the Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald; Matthew J Broccolis
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The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald together with the first edition became published during the year 1925 within the US, and generally, the novel majorly covers periods tanging from 1922 up to 1929. The Great Gatsby is written during a period when the United States is undergoing economic recovery from the great depression.
A young man who was called Nick Caraway, coming from Minnesota and who had various kinds of interests in the business of bonds goes to New York. It was in the summer season of the year 1922 and He finds residence in West Egg which is a neighborhood of wealthy people. These wealthy neighbors are people who have recently become rich and are living extravagant life. They reveal their richness, hoping that they will get various kinds of social affiliations within the society. Nick’s next-door neighbor within the West Egg is generally a strange man called Jay Gatsby. This man Gatsby resides within a huge mansion and besides, he entertains the neighbors, as well as friends through hosting various kinds of parties all weekends, something that portrays him to be a highly extravagant individual.
Tom who happens to be Daisy’s husband is a wealthy man and a sportsman; they live in East Egg neighborhood which is across a bay. A professional golfer by the name Jordan Baker was among the people who were present when Nick visited. He is an old friend of Daisy and she is very happy to introduce Baker to Nick hoping that the two will fall in love to each other. In their conversation Baker happens to mention Gatsby and Daisy is a little upset about this fact. Tom introduces a topic about the theories of civilization and how they have declined, but this is interrupted by the ringing of his phone. When Nick and Baker are left alone in the drawing room, Baker mentions to Nick about Tom having a woman in New York, Daisy complains when she narrates how she was living a boring life because of being mistreated by Tom. Their marriage was a total failure because she failed to consider the reality of her dreams but instead considered material wealth. Baker gets back in the house and Nick spells out his fears that are linked to the societies within the East. Tom starts wondering about the personality of Gatsby but this is interrupted by the ringing of his phone once again, he is seen to be occupied by the luxuries of life
The novel is a clear commentary on corruption of the American dream. Immorality cases, bad behavior and superficiality are the attributes of the high classes in the society. The writer criticizes the society’s foibles in a humorous style. Jay Gatsby is generally depicted to be a symbol of corruption of American dream. Being a young man, he believed in the often held views that success is highly influenced by character. This is evident through his notebook in his youth hood which was filled with self-improvement plans focusing mostly on building good character. Ironically, he grew up to be a terrible criminal who successfully gained great wealth which is part of the dream. On the contrary, the increase in the bank account did not bring any kind of change in his character, and this generally turns the fundamental component of the American dream ironical.
Gatsby represents the American dream since he wanted to live a successful and a worthwhile life while he had nothing. He worked hard towards realization of his dream. However, only a few people make it as even he did not make it to be rich and marry Daisy. In the earlier times, the dream was full of hard work but later in the end things changed. It represents the dream of gaining self-made wealth, the ability to make one’s life valuable despite his/her background and being resourceful.
Nick arranged the meeting between Daisy and Gatsby which was to take place at Nick’s residence, Gatsby arrives to meet his former lover and after a while Daisy also arrives. They both engage each other in a jovial reunion. They tours Gatsby’s mansion with an interesting affection for each other. During this time, Nick engages Baker in a conversion of naming the guests at Gatsby party; it is then that Baker narrates to nick how Gatsby and Daisy had fallen in love even though Daisy’s parents did not approve their relationship. The relationship did not progress because Gatsby went to fight in the World War I while Daisy went ahead and married Tom.
During another Gatsby’s party, rumors concerning his past run wild. It is then that the Buchanan arrived and Tom is introduced to Gatsby. Daisy is engaged in a dance by Gatsby while a band vocalist is singing. When Gatsby sees Nick, he excuses himself from Daisy and goes to Nick. Gatsby talks to Nick about Daisy not having a good time, but nick assure him that he should not be worried at all. Daisy requests Nick to keep her husband such that, he can be alone with Gatsby. Gatsby goes ahead to convince Daisy that they can go back and recover the glory of their old relationship. In the meantime, Tom is looking for his wife and he finally finds her. During the party news about Gatsby, business interests are discussed by the guests. As the party ends, Tom invites Gatsby in their home on the following Sunday.
On one warm afternoon at the Buchanan’s home, Daisy and Baker who are both in white clothes are listening to the radio. At the same time, Nick and Gatsby engage in a tense talk. Daisy is interested more with Gatsby and this annoyed Tom, this makes Daisy suggest that they should go out to the city. Tom claims that he will drive Gatsby’s car and request Gatsby to take his car, Daisy chooses to accompany Gatsby, Tom has no option than to join Baker and Nick.
The four of them; Daisy, Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, Nick and Baker take sits at the Plaza Hotel. The sounds from a wedding which was held downstairs from where they are seated makes Daisy think of her own wedding in Louisville. Tom starts to confront Gatsby and Daisy turns on him, it is apparent that Daisy is on Gatsby’s side. Gatsby asserts that Daisy did not love him and Tom remembers the effects that united them as one which forced Daisy to choose between the two of them. The two men attempted to persuade Daisy but she finally decided to stay with Tom. However, when Daisy requests to go home, her husband asks her to go with Gatsby because he had nothing to fear in their company. Nick unexpectedly remembers that, it is his thirtieth birthday.
Bibliography of the great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald; Matthew J Bruccoli
Fryer, Sarah Beebe. "Beneath the Mask: The Plight of Daisy Buchanan." Critical
Essays on F. Scott Fitzgerald's “The Great Gatsby.” Ed. Scott
Donaldson. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1984. 153-166. It offers an argumentative essay based on feminism that portrays Daisy as a woman who is determined to become a rich wife and a beautiful lady. She makes decision on her marriage based on these factors which turn out to be not stable and satisfactory, she later turns to be affected just like Jordan.
Kerr, Frances. "Feeling Half-Feminine: Modernism and the Politics of Emotion in
The Great Gatsby." American Literature 68 (1996): 405-31. This is a precise analysis of the novel’s homoerotic. This is clearly described in the novel through Nick’s getting attraction towards McKee and Gatsby. He tends to believe that the tennis girl with lip filled with sweat is a Jordan of which it might not be true. According to how he narrates about dumping her, the leader tends to believe it was because of the Jordan indifference. This decision portrayed him to be dishonest and shallow in thinking. He is romantically attracted to feminine men and not to masculine women.
Mandel, Jerome. "The Grotesque Rose: Medieval Romance and the Great
Gatsby." Modern Fiction Studies 34(1988): 541-558. He portrays Gatsby to be a person who follows many of the convections of the medieval romance. He analyses the west and east egg and concludes that they are competing courts. Buchanan being the prince, he finds daisy to be an unattainable queen. The mentioning of Jordan is only through passage of attendant figure Daisy as the queen.
Reference
Fitzgerald, F. S., & Bruccoli, M. J. (1996). The great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner.
Jeremy Ross, author of ClassicNote. Completed on February 4, 2000, copyright held by GradeSaver.
Updated and revised by Rachel Nolan September 8, 2006. Copyright held by GradeSaver.
Bernard Tanner. Fitzgerald's Odyssey: a reader's guide to the Gospels in The Great Gatsby. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2003.
Dalton Gross. Understanding the Great Gatsby. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998.
Matthew Bruccoli. Getting It Wrong: Resetting The Great Gatsby. Columbia, SC: s.n., 2005.
Fryer, Sarah Beebe. "Beneath the Mask: The Plight of Daisy Buchanan."
