F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

About the AuthorSeptember 24, 1896-December 21, 1940• “Daddy Issues” and success v. failure • Good looking, popular, Princeton boy…who partied too much• Commissioned into the Army and sent to Alabama: enter Zelda Sayre. • Life is marked by extravagance• Success ebbed and flowed; died of a heart attack at 44, a depressed

alcoholic • Coined the term “The Jazz Age” about the excesses of the 1920s

• “Something had to be done with all the nervous energy stored up and unexpended in the war.”

• “It was an age of miracles, it was an age of art, it was an age of excess, and it was an age of satire.”

The Jazz Age/The Roaring Twenties 1917-1919-U.S. involved in WWI Jan. 1920-Prohibition

Changing moral code, social code (blue to white, men to women)

Role of Women Had jobs during the war, continued afterwards Received the right to vote Took more masculine look to symbolize new

freedom/power (helmet hats, bobbed hair, straight dresses to camouflage curves)

The Flappers

• Flappers were women who rebelled against the fashion and social norms of the early 1900’s.• They married at a later

age and drank and smoked in public• Flappers were known

for their carefree lifestyles.

Prosperity in the 20’s• Nearly half the population owns automobiles, radios, vacuum

cleaners and washing machines• Advertising and public relations begin to campaign for the

American household• Widespread electrification helps reduce manufacturing costs

of existing products• Introduction of Consumer Credit

Poverty in the 20’s• Rural poverty is widespread• Mainly affected African Americans, White farmers, and

immigrants - DEBT• Agricultural economy of the 1920’s experiences depression

despite booming economy• The newly wealthy = obsessed with minority culture

Characters in The Great Gatsby• Jay Gatsby- The self-made wealthy man who lives next door to

Nick Carraway and loves Daisy Buchanan

Characters in The Great Gatsby• 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

Characters in The Great Gatsby• Tom Buchanan- Daisy’s arrogant husband, has an affair with

Myrtle Wilson

Characters in The Great Gatsby• Myrtle Wilson- Tom’s lower-class woman in the city, married

to George

Characters in The Great Gatsby• George Wilson- owns the auto shop, wants

success/love/respect

Characters in The Great Gatsby• Jordan Baker- Daisy’s wealthy friend, professional golfer

Settings in The Great Gatsby• West Egg- where Nick

and Gatsby live, represents new money• East Egg- where Daisy

lives, the more fashionable area, represents old money

Settings in The Great Gatsby• The City- New York City, where the characters escape to for

work and play • The Valley of Ashes- between the City and West Egg, where

Wilson’s station is

Symbols/Motifs in The Great Gatsby• Green Light- at the end of Daisy’s dock and visible from

Gatsby’s mansion. Represents Gatsby's hopes and dreams about Daisy.

Symbols/Motifs in The Great Gatsby• 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.

Symbols/Motifs in The Great Gatsby• The Eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg- 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.

Symbols/Motifs in The Great Gatsby

Cars• Industrialization, status

symbol, carelessness, recklessness

Water•Barriers and

boundaries•Gatsby’s restraints

from Daisy•Abandonment

The American Dream• Not just a love affair between characters! • Fitzgerald showcases disillusionment with the AD• Post-war soldiers found social mores stifling• Stock market boom creates easy money, the CONSUMER!• Old money scorned the new “instant” wealthy

• The AD was discovery, individuality, and happiness…in 1920s it is corrupt.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xw39kk_the-great-gatsby-trailer-2_shortfilms

The Great Gatsby

MLA FORMATTING

INTRODUCTION and THESIS

BODY PARAGRAPH #1-Minimum 2 Gatsby DIRECT quotes required

-Minimum 1 LitCrit Source DIRECT quote required-Additional paraphrasing of material is encouraged.

BODY PARAGRAPH #2-Minimum 2 Gatsby DIRECT quotes required

-Minimum 1 LitCrit Source DIRECT quote required-Additional paraphrasing of material is encouraged.

CONCLUSION

Optional additional analysis paragraph --- very impressive.

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