Saturday, March 12, 2011

The Great Gatsby-By: F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, addresses the events of a summer in the Jazz Age for people in different social classes, who are forced to deal with a clash in life styles and values. The protagonist of the story, Jay Gatsby, tries to achieve high social status but has to deal with the values that come along with it.

Gatsby lives on the poorer of the two islands, but he still tries to be a part of the wealthy society by throwing parties every night. Many of the guests that come to his parties do not understand the reasons for the parties, Gatsby's wealth, or anything about his past. For this reason, Gatsby does not have many close friends accept Nick Carraway, his neighbor. Nick knows his former love and Gatsby befriends him, because he wants nothing more than to see her. While his former love lives across the water, to him she seems unreachable, because they have both changed in the years and haven't spoken. Therefore, Gatsby is living with the false idea that he can have wealth and a former love.

Questions
1. Does Gatsby only throw the parties in hopes of seeing his former love?

2. Will Gatsby ever come to the realization that some dreams are unreachable or will he achieve his dreams, of living with his former love and being accepted fully by society?

3. Is Gatsby only using Nick to get closer to his former love?

12 comments:

Sarah N. 7-8 said...

1. I think that, for Gatsby, the parties represent his image of wealth and living/being a part of the wealthy society. As well as, serving as a hope that his former love will come, because she is wealthy.

3. In the beginning it wasn't clear whether or not Gatsby knew Nick had some connection with his former love. However, as the story progressed Gatsby was trying to get Nicks help, in reaching his former love, but I think their relationship also developed into something more.

Morgan O 7-8 said...

1) I agree, I think that Daisy represents this high-life that Gatsby wants to live so he throws these parties for two reasons; 1. these parties themselves represent the high-life, and 2. He hopes that Daisy will show up to the parties and bring the high-life back to him.
2) I don't think he will achieve his dreams, because his dreams are long gone. His dreams of living his life with Daisy died when he left as a young adult. Now he is middle aged and Daisy has an entirely different life. Gatsby cannot expect to live out these dreams anymore because Daisy and Gatsby are not the same people anymore. They have both changed.

Sevgim A.1-2 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sevgim A.1-2 said...

1. I think Gatsby is throwing these parties to see his former love because he is trying to impress her by having parties all the time, making him look rich and important.

Sara D. 7-8 said...

2. I find it kind of ironic to say that some dreams are unreachable. Although, I think in this case, it is not very likely that he will live with his former love and be accepted fully by society.Unless of course if people were that shallow as to think someone is worthy of living with the wealthy because of his parties. But then again, they should have accepted him even before he had started to throw the parties.

Sarah N. 7-8 said...

I agree with you Sara. I think that it would be unfortunate if the society only accepted him because he threw the parties.

Sometimes people need to dream big, even though they may not come true. However, its hard to say if sometimes when people dream big it hurts them or worsens their condition.

Freddy B. 7-8 said...

I agree with Sarah that people need to dream big. If you don't try then you may never accomplish something that you previously thought was impossible.

Garret Edward Patrick Graehling 1/2 said...

I agree with Sarah if we did not dream big we would all be living in caves.

Adam B. 7-8 said...

1) I don't think that he throws the parties just to see her. I think he throws them more as an attempt to achieve the status that he dreams about.

Morgan O 7-8 said...

However there is a difference between dreaming big and dreaming about the past. Gatsby was living according to a fling he had as a young adult and a decade later he was still in love with her.

AnaleeL7-8 said...

1. I think Gatsby wants to make him out as wealthy in order to impress his former love.

Mrs. Sherwood said...

Thread graded.