About the Author

•F. Scott Fitzgerald•Born-September 24, 1896•Died-December 21, 1940•Married Zelda Sayre•Famous works include

•The Great Gatsby •The Beautiful and the Damned •Tender is the Night

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Impact on Society

• Fitzgerald named the 1920’s “The Jazz Age”

• Wrote screenplays for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

• Created the The Great Gatsby which is said to be the most accurate description of the 1920’s

Introduction• The Great Gatsby is a highly specific portrait of

American society during the Roaring Twenties. A man claws his way from rags to riches, only to find that his wealth cannot afford him the privileges enjoyed by those born into the upper class. The central character is Jay Gatsby, a wealthy New Yorker of undefined occupation. Gatsby is primarily known for the lavish parties he throws each weekend at his ostentatious Gothic mansion in West Egg. He is suspected of being involved in illegal bootlegging and other underworld activities.

Setting

• F. Scott Fitzgerald chose New York as the setting for The Great Gatsby because it was considered the cultural center of the United States during the 1920s.

Setting

• New York has 5 areas – Manhattan– Brooklyn– Bronx– Queens– Staten Island

Setting

• The Great Gatsby takes place in Long Island

• Long Island is located near Queens and The Bronx

Setting: West Egg & East Egg

Setting

Eggs

• East Egg and West Egg are the peninsulas of Long Island and where the main characters live.

• In real life the peninsulas are not referred to by these names, but Fitzgerald saw them as egg shaped.

East Egg

• East Egg is the place where the "old money" lives. The East Eggers are the aristocrats and have lived with their money for generations.

• An important aspect of their lives is their contempt for so called "new money" and their feelings that these neophytes could eventually cause the downfall of the aristocratic society.

• Tom and Daisy Buchanan live in East Egg.

West Egg

• The West Eggers are the "new money" that the East Eggers resent.

• They are all lower and middle class people who have found themselves with outrageous amounts of money, and as a result spend it in an outrageous manner.

• Nick Carraway (narrator) and Jay Gatsby live in West Egg.

Valley of Ashes

• A very important place in the novel is the "Valley of Ashes."

• This desolate wasteland is located on the way to New York from East or West Egg.

• The valley represents modern society and the destruction that it causes. The ashes are a byproduct of the trains and represent a poisoning of the American landscape. The valley is essentially a dumping ground for modern, industrial, toxic waste.

• George and Myrtle Wilson live in the valley of ashes.

Characters of The Great Gatsby

• Jay Gatsby- The self-made wealthy man who lives next door to Nick Carraway and loves Daisy Buchanan

• Nick Carraway- the narrator, Daisy’s cousin, Gatsby’s neighbor

Characters in The Great Gatsby

• Daisy Buchanan- married to Tom, Gatsby’s love interest before the war, socialite

• Tom Buchanan- Daisy’s husband, has an affair with Myrtle

Characters in The Great Gatsby

• Myrtle Wilson- Tom’s woman in the city, married to George

• George Wilson- owns the gas station

• Jordan Baker- Daisy’s friend, professional golfer

• Green Light- at the end of Daisy’s dock and visible from Gatsby’s mansion. Represents Gatsby's hopes and dreams about Daisy.

• The Valley of Ashes- the area between West Egg and New York City. It is a desolate area filled with industrial waste. It represents the social and moral decay of society during the 1920’s. It also shows the negative effects of greed.

• The Eyes of Dr. T. J. Ekleburg- A decaying billboard in the Valley of Ashes with eyes advertising an optometrist. There are multiple proposed meanings, including the representation of God’s moral judgment on society.

Symbolism

The American Dream

• Gatsby is the ideal image of one who has achieved the American Dream.

Old Money Vs. New Money

• New Money:– Someone who has

achieved the American Dream

– Not as respected in the 1920’s

• Old Money– Money from family

wealth– Born rich– Not earned through

work done by yourself– Respected above all in

the 1920’s