great gatsby analysis essay

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Life in West Egg and East Egg

Resurfacing gatsby’s past, a deadly crash and a shooting, setting and historical context, publication history, legacy, and adaptations, the meaning of the great gatsby.

• When did American literature begin?
• Who are some important authors of American literature?
• What are the periods of American literature?
• Who was F. Scott Fitzgerald?
• When and where was F. Scott Fitzgerald born?

The Great Gatsby

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The Great Gatsby , novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald , published in 1925 by Charles Scribner’s Sons. Set in Jazz Age New York , it tells the story of Jay Gatsby , a self-made millionaire, and his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, a wealthy young woman whom he loved in his youth .

Commercially unsuccessful when it was first published, The Great Gatsby —which was Fitzgerald’s third novel—is now considered a classic of American fiction and has often been called the Great American Novel.

• Who is Jay Gatsby, and what are the parties like at his house?
• How does Tom Buchanan react to the relationship that his wife, Daisy, has with Gatsby?
• What shocking event occurs when Daisy, seated beside Gatsby, is driving his car, and how does it affect everyone involved?
• How does The Great Gatsby capture the essence of the Jazz Age?
• How did The Great Gatsby ’s popularity change over time?
• What is the significance of West Egg vs. East Egg, and which wins in the end?

These AI-generated questions have been reviewed by Britannica’s editors.

Plot summary

The Great Gatsby is narrated by Nick Carraway , a Yale University graduate from the Midwest who moves to New York after World War I to pursue a career in bonds . He recounts the events of the summer he spent in the East two years later, reconstructing his story through a series of flashbacks not always told in chronological order.

In the spring of 1922, Nick takes a house in the fictional village of West Egg on Long Island , where he finds himself living among the colossal mansions of the newly rich. Across the water in the more refined village of East Egg live his cousin Daisy and her brutish, absurdly wealthy husband Tom Buchanan. Early in the summer Nick goes over to their house for dinner, where he also meets Jordan Baker, a friend of Daisy’s and a well-known golf champion, who tells him that Tom has a mistress in New York City . In a private conversation, Daisy confesses to Nick that she has been unhappy. Returning to his house in West Egg, he catches sight of his neighbor Jay Gatsby standing alone in the dark and stretching his arms out to a green light burning across the bay at the end of Tom and Daisy’s dock.

Early in July Tom introduces Nick to his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, who lives with her spiritless husband George Wilson in what Nick calls “a valley of ashes”: an industrial wasteland presided over by the bespectacled eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, which stare down from an advertising billboard. Meeting her at the garage where George works as a repairman, the three of them go to Tom and Myrtle’s apartment in Manhattan. They are joined by Myrtle’s sister and some other friends who live nearby, and the evening ends in heavy drunkenness and Tom punching Myrtle in the nose when she brings up Daisy. Nick wakes up in a train station the morning afterward.

As the summer progresses, Nick grows accustomed to the noises and lights of dazzling parties held at his neighbor’s house, where the famous and newly rich turn up on Saturday nights to enjoy Gatsby’s well-stocked bar and full jazz orchestra. Nick attends one of these parties when personally invited by Gatsby and runs into Jordan, with whom he spends most of the evening. He is struck by the apparent absence of the host and the impression that all of his guests seem to have dark theories about Gatsby’s past. However, Nick meets him at last in a rather quiet encounter later in the evening when the man sitting beside him identifies himself as Gatsby. Gatsby disappears and later asks to speak to Jordan privately. Jordan returns amazed by what he has told her, but she is unable to tell Nick what it is.

Nick begins seeing Jordan Baker as the summer continues, and he also becomes better acquainted with Gatsby. One afternoon in late July when they are driving into Manhattan for lunch, Gatsby tries to dispel the rumors circulating around himself, and he tells Nick that he is the son of very wealthy people who are all dead and that he is an Oxford man and a war hero. Nick is skeptical about this. At lunch he meets Gatsby’s business partner Meyer Wolfsheim, the man who fixed the World Series in 1919 (based on a real person and a real event from Fitzgerald’s day). Later, at tea, Jordan Baker tells Nick the surprising thing that Gatsby had told her in confidence at his party: Gatsby had known Nick’s cousin Daisy almost five years earlier in Louisville and they had been in love, but then he went away to fight in the war and she married Tom Buchanan. Gatsby bought his house on West Egg so he could be across the water from her.

At Gatsby’s request, Nick agrees to invite Daisy to his house, where Gatsby can meet her. A few days later he has them both over for tea, and Daisy is astonished to see Gatsby after nearly five years. The meeting is at first uncomfortable, and Nick steps outside for half an hour to give the two of them privacy. When he returns, they seem fully reconciled , Gatsby glowing with happiness and Daisy in tears. Afterward they go next door to Gatsby’s enormous house, and Gatsby shows off its impressive rooms to Daisy.

As the days pass, Tom becomes aware of Daisy’s association with Gatsby. Disliking it, he shows up at one of Gatsby’s parties with his wife. It becomes clear that Daisy does not like the party and is appalled by the impropriety of the new-money crowd at West Egg. Tom suspects that Gatsby is a bootlegger, and he says so. Voicing his dismay to Nick after the party is over, Gatsby explains that he wants Daisy to tell Tom she never loved him and then marry him as though the years had never passed.

Gatsby’s wild parties cease thereafter, and Daisy goes over to Gatsby’s house in the afternoons. On a boiling hot day near the end of the summer, Nick arrives for lunch at the Buchanans’ house; Gatsby and Jordan have also been invited. In the dining room, Daisy pays Gatsby a compliment that makes clear her love for him, and, when Tom notices this, he insists they drive into town.

Daisy and Gatsby leave in Tom’s blue coupe, while Tom drives Jordan and Nick in Gatsby’s garish yellow car. On the way, Tom stops for gas at George Wilson’s garage in the valley of ashes, and Wilson tells Tom that he is planning to move west with Myrtle as soon as he can raise the money. This news shakes Tom considerably, and he speeds on toward Manhattan, catching up with Daisy and Gatsby.

The whole party ends up in a parlor at the Plaza Hotel, hot and in bad temper . As they are about to drink mint juleps to cool off, Tom confronts Gatsby directly on the subject of his relationship with Daisy. Daisy tries to calm them down, but Gatsby insists that Daisy and he have always been in love and that she has never loved Tom. As the fight escalates and Daisy threatens to leave her husband, Tom reveals what he learned from an investigation into Gatsby’s affairs—that he had earned his money by selling illegal alcohol at drugstores in Chicago with Wolfsheim after Prohibition laws went into effect. Gatsby tries to deny it, but Daisy has lost her resolve, and his cause seems hopeless. As they leave the Plaza, Nick realizes that it is his 30th birthday.

Gatsby and Daisy leave together in Gatsby’s car, with Daisy driving. On the road they hit and kill Myrtle, who, after having a vehement argument with her husband, had run into the street toward Gatsby’s passing car, thinking it was Tom. Terrified, Daisy continues driving, but the car is seen by witnesses. Coming behind them, Tom stops his car when he sees a commotion on the road. He is stunned and devastated when he finds the body of his mistress dead on a table in Wilson’s garage.

Wilson accusingly tells him it was a yellow car that hit her, but Tom insists it was not his and drives on to East Egg in tears. Back at the Buchanans’ house in East Egg, Nick finds Gatsby hiding in the garden and learns that it was Daisy who was driving, though Gatsby insists that he will say it was he if his car is found. He says he will wait outside Daisy’s house in case Tom abuses Daisy.

The next morning Nick goes over to Gatsby’s house, where he has returned, dejected . Nick advises him to go away, afraid that his car will be traced. He refuses, and that night he tells Nick the truth about his past: he had come from a poor farming family and had met Daisy in Louisville while serving in the army, but he was too poor to marry her at the time. He earned his incredible wealth only after the war (by bootlegging , as Tom discovered).

Reluctantly, Nick leaves for work, while Gatsby continues to wait for a call from Daisy. That afternoon, George Wilson arrives in East Egg, where Tom tells him that it was Gatsby who killed his wife. Wilson makes his way to Gatsby’s house, where he finds Gatsby in his pool. Wilson shoots Gatsby and then himself. Afterward the Buchanans leave Long Island. They give no forwarding address. Nick arranges Gatsby’s funeral, although only two people attend , one of whom is Gatsby’s father. Nick moves back to the Midwest, disgusted with life in the East.

Set in the Jazz Age (a term popularized by Fitzgerald), The Great Gatsby vividly captures its historical moment: the economic boom in America after World War I, the new jazz music, the free-flowing illegal liquor. As Fitzgerald later remarked in an essay about the Roaring Twenties , it was “a whole race going hedonistic, deciding on pleasure.”

According to F. Scott Fitzgerald, the 1920s witnessed “a whole race going hedonistic, deciding on pleasure.”

The brazenly lavish culture of West Egg is a reflection of the new prosperity that was possible during Prohibition , when illegal schemes involving the black-market selling of liquor abounded. Such criminal enterprises are the source of Gatsby’s income and finance his incredible parties, which are probably based on parties Fitzgerald himself attended when he lived on Long Island in the early 1920s.

The racial anxieties of the period are also evident in the novel; Tom’s diatribe on The Rise of the Colored Empires —a reference to a real book published in 1920 by the American political scientist Lothrop Stoddard—points to the burgeoning eugenics movement in the United States during the early 20th century.

Fitzgerald finished The Great Gatsby in early 1925 while he was living in France, and Scribner’s published it in April of the same year. Fitzgerald struggled considerably in choosing a title, toying with Trimalchio and Under the Red, White and Blue , among others; he was never satisfied with the title The Great Gatsby , under which it was ultimately published.

The illustration for the novel’s original dust jacket was commissioned by Fitzgerald’s editor Maxwell Perkins seven months before he was in possession of the finished manuscript. It was designed by Francis Cugat, a Spanish-born artist who did Hollywood movie posters, and depicts the eyes of a woman hanging over the carnival lights of Coney Island . The design was well-loved by Fitzgerald, and he claimed in a letter to Perkins that he had written it into the book, though whether this refers to the eyes of Doctor Eckleburg or something else is uncertain. Cugat’s painting is now one of the most well-known and celebrated examples of jacket art in American literature .

While Fitzgerald considered The Great Gatsby to be his greatest achievement at the time it was published, the book was neither a critical nor a commercial success upon publication. Reviews were mixed, and the 20,000 copies of its first printing sold slowly. It was printed one more time during Fitzgerald’s life, and there were still copies unsold from this second printing when he died in 1940.

The Great Gatsby was rediscovered a few years later and enjoyed an exponential growth in popularity in the 1950s, soon becoming a standard text of high-school curricula in the United States. It remains one of Scribner’s best sellers, and it is now considered a masterpiece of American fiction. In 2021 it entered the public domain in the United States.

There have been several film adaptations of the novel, most notably a production directed by Jack Clayton in 1974, starring Robert Redford as Gatsby, and one in 2013 directed by Baz Luhrmann , starring Leonardo DiCaprio .

Above all, The Great Gatsby has been read as a pessimistic examination of the American Dream . At its center is a remarkable rags-to-riches story, of a boy from a poor farming background who has built himself up to fabulous wealth. Jay Gatsby is someone who once had nothing but who now entertains rich and celebrated people in his enormous house on Long Island. However, even though Gatsby’s wealth may be commensurate with the likes of Tom Buchanan’s, he is ultimately unable to break into the “distinguished secret society” of those who were born wealthy. His attempt to win Daisy Buchanan, a woman from a well-established family of the American elite, ends in disaster and his death.

This tension between “new money” and “old money” is represented in the book by the contrast between West Egg and East Egg. West Egg is portrayed as a tawdry, brash society that “chafed under the old euphemisms,” full of people who have made their money in an age of unprecedented materialism. East Egg, in contrast, is a refined society populated by America’s “staid nobility,” those who have inherited their wealth and who frown on the rawness of West Egg. In the end, it is East Egg that might be said to triumph: while Gatsby is shot and his garish parties are dispersed, Tom and Daisy are unharmed by the terrible events of the summer.

The Great Gatsby is memorable for the rich symbolism that underpins its story. Throughout the novel, the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock is a recurrent image that beckons to Gatsby’s sense of ambition. It is a symbol of “the orgastic future” he believes in so intensely, toward which his arms are outstretched when Nick first sees him. It is this “extraordinary gift for hope” that Nick admires so much in Gatsby, his “heightened sensitivity to the promises of life.” Once Daisy is within Gatsby’s reach, however, the “colossal significance” of the green light disappears. In essence, the green light is an unattainable promise, one that Nick understands in universal terms at the end of the novel: a future we never grasp but for which we are always reaching. Nick compares it to the hope the early settlers had in the promise of the New World. Gatsby’s dream fails, then, when he fixates his hope on a real object, Daisy. His once indefinite ambition is thereafter limited to the real world and becomes prey to all of its corruption.

The valley of ashes—an industrial wasteland located between West Egg and Manhattan—serves as a counterpoint to the brilliant future promised by the green light. As a dumping ground for the refuse of nearby factories, it stands as the consequence of America’s postwar economic boom, the ugly truth behind the consumer culture that props up newly rich people like Gatsby. In this valley live men like George Wilson who are “already crumbling.” They are the underclasses that live without hope, all the while bolstering the greed of a thriving economy. Notably, Gatsby does not in the end escape the ash of this economy that built him: it is George Wilson who comes to kill him, described as an “ashen” figure the moment before he shoots Gatsby.

Over the valley of ashes hover the bespectacled eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, which appear on the advertising billboard of an oculist. These eyes almost become a moral conscience in the morally vacuous world of The Great Gatsby ; to George Wilson they are the eyes of God. They are said to “brood” and “[keep] their vigil” over the valley, and they witness some of the most corrupt moments of the novel: Tom and Myrtle’s affair, Myrtle’s death, and the valley itself, full of America’s industrial waste and the toiling poor. However, in the end they are another product of the materialistic culture of the age, set up by Doctor Eckleburg to “fatten his practice.” Behind them is just one more person trying to get rich. Their function as a divine being who watches and judges is thus ultimately null , and the novel is left without a moral anchor.

A Summary and Analysis of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

The Great Gatsby is the quintessential Jazz Age novel, capturing a mood and a moment in American history in the 1920s, after the end of the First World War. Rather surprisingly, The Great Gatsby sold no more than 25,000 copies in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s lifetime. It has now sold over 25 million copies.

If Fitzgerald had stuck with one of the numerous working titles he considered for the novel, it might have been published as Trimalchio in West Egg (a nod to a comic novel from ancient Rome about a wealthy man who throws lavish parties), Under the Red, White and Blue , or even The High-Bouncing Lover (yes, really).

How did this novel come to be so widely acclaimed and studied, and what does it all mean? Before we proceed to an analysis of Fitzgerald’s novel, here’s a quick summary of the plot.

The Great Gatsby : plot summary

Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel, is a young man who has come to New York to work on the stock exchange. He lives on the island of West Egg, where his neighbour is the wealthy Jay Gatsby, who owns a mansion.

One evening, Nick is dining with his neighbours from East Egg, Tom and Daisy Buchanan. Tom is having an affair, and goes to answer the phone at one point; Daisy follows him out of the room, and their fellow guest, a woman named Jordan Baker, explains to Nick about Tom’s mistress.

A short while after this, Nick is with Tom when Tom sets up a meeting with his mistress, Myrtle, the wife of a garage mechanic named Wilson. Nick attends a party with Tom and Myrtle; Tom hits his mistress when she mentions Daisy’s name.

In the summer, Gatsby throws a number of lavish parties at his mansion. He meets Jordan Baker again and the two are drawn to each other. Nobody seems to know the real Gatsby, or to be able to offer much reliable information about his identity. Who is he?

Gatsby befriends Nick and drives him to New York. Gatsby explains that he wants Nick to do him a favour: Jordan Baker tells him that Daisy was Gatsby’s first love and he is still in love with her: it’s the whole reason Gatsby moved to West Egg, so he could be near Daisy, even though she’s married to Tom. Gatsby wants Nick to invite both him and Daisy round for tea.

When they have tea together, Gatsby feels hopeful that he can recover his past life with Daisy before she was married. However, he knows that Daisy is unlikely to leave Tom for him. When she expresses a dislike for his noisy parties, he scales down his serving staff at his house and tones down the partying.

When they are all at lunch together, Tom realises that Daisy still loves Gatsby. Tom goads Gatsby as he realises he’s losing his mistress and, now, his wife. While staying together in a suite at the Plaza Hotel, Daisy tells Tom that she loves both men.

On their way back home, Gatsby’s car accidentally hits and kills Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s mistress, who has rushed out into the road after her husband found out about her affair. Tom finds her body and is distraught. Nick learns that Daisy, not Gatsby, was driving the car when Myrtle was killed.

Gatsby also tells Nick that he had built himself up from nothing: he was a poor man named James Gatz who made himself rich through the help of a corrupt millionaire named Dan Cody.

The next day, Nick finds Gatsby dead in his own swimming pool: Wilson, after his wife was killed by Gatsby’s car, turned up at Gatsby’s mansion to exact his revenge. Wilson’s body is nearby in the grass. The novel ends with Nick winding up Gatsby’s affairs and estate, before learning that Tom told Wilson where he could find Gatsby so he could take revenge.

The Great Gatsby : analysis

The Great Gatsby is the best-known novel of the Jazz Age, that period in American history that had its heyday in the 1920s. Parties, bootleg cocktails (it’s worth remembering that alcohol was illegal in the US at this time, under Prohibition between 1920 and 1933), and jazz music (of course) all characterised a time when Americans were gradually recovering from the First World War and the Spanish flu pandemic (1918-20).

One reason The Great Gatsby continues to invite close analysis is the clever way Fitzgerald casts his novel as neither out-and-out criticism of Jazz Age ‘values’ nor as an unequivocal endorsement of them. Gatsby’s parties may be a mere front, a way of coping with Daisy’s previous rejection of him and of trying to win her back, but Fitzgerald – and his sympathetic narrator, Nick Carraway – do not ridicule Gatsby’s behaviour as wholly shallow or vacuous.

Fitzgerald’s choice to have a first-person narrator, rather than a more detached and impersonal ‘omniscient’ third-person narrator, is also significant. Nick Carraway is closer to Gatsby than an impersonal narrator would be, yet the fact that Nick narrates Gatsby’s story, rather than Gatsby telling his own story, nevertheless provides Nick with some detachment, as well as a degree of innocence and ignorance over Gatsby’s identity and past.

Nick Carraway is both part of Gatsby’s world and yet also, at the same time, an observer from the side-lines, someone who is not rich and extravagant as many in Gatsby’s circle are, yet someone who is ushered into that world by an enthusiastic Jay Gatsby, who sees in Carraway a man in whom he can confide.

Nevertheless, Fitzgerald deftly sets the world of West Egg, with Gatsby’s mock-chateau and swimming pool, against the rather grittier and grimier reality for most Americans at the time. If Gatsby himself symbolises the American dream – he has made himself a success, absurdly wealthy with a huge house and a whole retinue of servants, having started out in poverty – then there are plenty of reminders in The Great Gatsby that ‘the American dream’ remains just that, a dream, for the majority of Americans:

About half way between West Egg and New York the motor-road hastily joins the railroad and runs beside it for a quarter of a mile, so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land. This is a valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.

This is the grey, bleak, industrial reality for millions of Americans: not for them is the world of parties, quasi-enchanted gardens full of cocktails and exotic foods, hydroplanes, and expensive motorcars.

Yet the two worlds are destined to meet on a personal level: the Valley of Ashes (believed to be modelled on Corona dump in Queens, New York, and inspired by T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land ) is where Wilson’s garage is located. The dual tragedy of Gatsby’s and Wilson’s deaths at the end of the novel symbolises the meeting of these two worlds.

The fact that Gatsby is innocent of the two crimes or sins which motivate Wilson – his wife’s adultery with Tom and Daisy’s killing of Myrtle with Gatsby’s car – hardly matters: it shows the subtle interconnectedness of these people’s lives, despite their socioeconomic differences.

What’s more, as Ian Ousby notes in his Introduction to Fifty American Novels (Reader’s Guides) , there is more than a touch of vulgarity about Gatsby’s lifestyle: his house is a poor imitation of a genuine French chateau, but he is no aristocrat; his car is ‘ridiculous’; and his very nickname, ‘the Great Gatsby’, makes him sound like a circus entertainer (perhaps a magician above all else, which is apt given the magical and enchanted way Carraway describes the atmosphere and detail at Gatsby’s parties).

And ultimately, Gatsby’s lavish lifestyle fails to deliver happiness to him, too: he doesn’t manage to win Daisy back to him, so at the same time Fitzgerald is not holding up Gatsby’s ‘success’ uncritically to us.

Is Gatsby black? Although he is known for having been played in film adaptations by Robert Redford and Leonardo DiCaprio, and the novel does not state that Gatsby is an African American, the scholar Carlyle V. Thompson has suggested that certain clues or codes in the novel strongly hint at Gatsby being a black American who has had to make his own way in the world, rising from a poor socio-economic background, and not fully accepted by other people in his social circle because of racial discrimination.

Whether we accept or reject this theory, it is an intriguing idea that, although Fitzgerald does not support this theory in the novel, that may have been deliberate: to conceal Gatsby’s blackness but, as it were, hide it in plain sight.

In the last analysis, The Great Gatsby sums up the Jazz Age, but through offering a tragedy, Fitzgerald shows that the American dream is founded on ashes – both the industrial dirt and toil of millions of Americans for whom the dream will never materialise, and the ashes of dead love affairs which Gatsby, for all of his quasi-magical properties, will never bring fully back to life.

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10 thoughts on “A Summary and Analysis of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby”

I regret the several hours wasted in slogging through this low-prole distraction.

You might want to start with something like Dick and Jane.

One of my favorite novels. I have always loved this book. No matter how may times I read it, more is revealed.

The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite novels. Thank you for the detailed analysis! I can also add that Fitzgerald includes lots of symbols in the novel. To my mind, one of the most vivid symbols is a giant billboard with the face of Doctor TJ Eckleburg which is towering over the Valley of Ashes. These eyes are watching the dismal grey scene of poverty and decay. I guess the billboard symbolizes the eyes of God staring at the Americans and judging them. In case seomeone is interested in symbols in The Great Gatsby, there is a nice article about it. Here: https://custom-writing.org/blog/symbols-in-the-great-gatsby

While I could imagine and accept a modern film version of Gatsby as black, I really can’t espouse the notion that Fitzgerald had that in mind. If you know anything about American society in the 1920s, you’d know that you didn’t have to be black or of some other minority to be outside the winner’s circle. US society may still have tons of problems accepting that all people are created equal, but back then, they weren’t even thinking about blacks et al very much. They were quite happy to ostracize Italians, Irish, Catholics, etc, without batting an eye.

This is such a widely misunderstood book, by scholars as well as regulars.

Daisy was the victim of love. She would’ve married Jay while he was in the army. Also, Jay’s so-called symbolic “reaching” is nothing more than him trying to understand self love, to attain it, to unravel the “mystery! ” of it. But he never realizes he’s totally in love with himself, which is his biggest issue other than preying on Daisy’s real love.

And Nick ” Carraway” …. Care-a-way, care-a-way… What self-appointed moral man witnesses nakedly two married plotters sceam against a neighbor they like, or any person in serious need of legal, emotion aid, AND DOES NOTHING. Yeah, care a way, Nick, just not your way! And Come On!! who the hell doesn’t judge others….that’s the ENTIRE POINT OF EVERY BOOK AND LIFE.

WHAT preyed on Gatsby preys upon every person everywhere. Influences of life and choices we make because if them. Gatsby’s such an interesting, centralized , beloved character because he represents everyone’s apparent embracement of the childhood notion, ” we can have it all and make our own consequences, and if not, let’s see if I can manipulate time successfully. Gatsby’s us the full human demonstration of self love at all costs and quite deliberately finding a way disguise and masquerade and mutate and thus deny this very fact while simultaneously trying to make it MAGICAL AND MYSTICAL.

ARTISTS, from geniuses to so-called laypeople, are all simple people with very basic emotions. That’s where ALL starts. They are not Gods, nor do they desire misunderstanding. Frankly, they just wanna see if you have any common sense. Once you get passed that, all literature resembles EVERY aspect of life.

A terrific novel and not bad adaptation as a movie by DiCaprio, I thought! While some of the comments on here are a little excessive, there is much to be said for the symbolism in the book. I rather like the fact that ‘West Egg’ and ‘East Egg’ surely hints at questioning who is the ‘good egg’ and who is ‘the bad egg’. The place names are so unusual that this must be deliberate (‘bad egg’ has been around since at least 1855) and we’re left to wonder just what is good and bad here. No character comes out smelling of roses in this story, which – for me – makes the novel utterly compelling.

Well said, Ken. It’s the subtlety of the characterisation which makes it for me – I know a lot of critics and readers praise the prose style, but I think it’s the way Fitzgerald uses Carraway’s narration to reveal the multifaceted (and complex) nature of Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, and even himself that is so masterly. I’ve just finished analysing the opening paragraphs of the novel and will post that up soon!

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The Great Gatsby

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The Extensive Guide to Analysing ‘The Great Gatsby’ for English: Summary, Context, Themes & Characters

The Great Gatsby explores themes of the American Dream, wealth, love, and disillusionment through the tragic story of Jay Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy Buchanan and their complex relationships.  Stay tuned for the full Great Gatsby summary, characters, context, themes and more!

We’ve even got a step-by-step guide on how to write Band 6 analysis for The Great Gatsby that’ll blow your teachers away! 

And here’s a bonus for you — we’ve also created an analysis table (aka a TEE table ) and a sample paragraph that’s all free for you to download.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s start the party!

Summary of The Great Gatsby Key Characters Historical Context The Great Gatsby Themes Sample Band 6 Analysis of The Great Gatsby

Summary of The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story that revolves around Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire who strives to rekindle his relationship with his old flame, Daisy Buchanan.

It takes on the narrative of Nick Carraway, who witnesses the events between Gatsby and Daisy to tell a tale about doomed love in the world of the wealthy. 

Meet Nick, Daisy, Tom and Jordan

In 1922, Nick Carraway moves to a modest home in Long Island, New York in hopes of claiming his own American Dream. He lives next to the famous Jay Gatsby, who had his own mansion and threw lavish parties every weekend. 

One day, Nick travels to the other side of Long Island to visit his cousin, Daisy Buchanan and her husband, Tom whom Nick had known since their university days at Yale. They introduce him to Jordan Baker , who tells Nick about Tom’s mistress.

Later on, Daisy confides in Nick about her unhappiness in her marriage. Nick returns home to see his neighbour, Jay Gatsby, in front of his mansion, stretching his hands across the bay and towards the green light at the end of the Buchanan residence. 

Image sourced from LitHub

Meet Myrtle

Nick is then invited to visit the city with Tom and his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, who is married to a repairman named George and lives in an industrial wasteland nicknamed “valley of ashes”.

They party at Tom’s apartment, where an argument about Daisy breaks out between Tom and Myrtle, which ends in Tom breaking Myrtle’s nose. 

Meet Gatsby

As the summer passes by, Nick receives an invitation to one of Gatsby’s extraordinary parties. Nick attends the party and bumps into Jordan.

He then meets the Great Gatsby himself, who turns out to be a remarkable young man who looked like he was longing for something as he peers over his own party. 

As the party winds down, Gatsby speaks to Jordan privately. Jordan would later tell Nick about how Gatsby had met Daisy in Louisville back in 1917 and fell in love with her then.

Gatsby is still deeply in love with Daisy, so he hosts many extravagant parties in hopes to see her again. 

Gatsby and Daisy reunited 

As Nick and Gatsby become closer, Nick accepts Gatsby’s request to invite Daisy over to Nick’s house , with Gatsby arriving unannounced. Daisy is surprised to see Gatsby after five years apart.

Although awkward at first, Gatsby and Daisy warm up to one another, and begin a love affair. 

Tom gets suspicious 

After a while, Tom starts to suspect something fishy between his wife and Gatsby, so he invites them over for luncheon . At the table, Gatsby responds in a manner that reveals his love for Daisy, which Tom picks up.

Despite having his own affair, Tom gets extremely angry and forces the party to drive to a suit in the Plaza Hotel, New York City. 

Gatsby insists that Daisy claims her love for him in front of Tom, but she backs out after realising her devotion to Tom . Tom begins to assert his own history with Daisy over Gatsby’s and reveals his own private investigations into Gatsby’s job as an illegal alcohol dealer.

Astounded, Daisy runs away and Gatsby chases after her. Daisy and Gatsby take off in Gatsby’s car.

Image sourced from Curbed New York

Myrtle’s death

The party drives back to the buchanan residence with nick, jordan and tom in another car. as they pass through the valley of ashes, they find out that gatsby’s car had crashed and killed myrtle, tom’s mistress..

When Nick returns to Long Island, Gatsby tells him that Daisy killed Myrtle as she was driving the car and Gatsby was willing to take the fall. 

Gatsby dies 

The following day, Tom informs Myrtle’s husband, George, that Gatsby was the driver that killed Myrtle. A miserable, grieving Tom comes to the conclusion that Gatsby was Myrtle’s secret lover and proceeds to kill Gatsby in the pool of his mansion . Tom then shoots himself. 

Nick arranges a funeral for Gatsby, which no one attends as the world starts to forget about him. Disgusted by the people in Gatsby’s life, Nick moves away from New York to escape the hollowness and moral decline of the higher class.

The novel ends with Nick standing where Gatsby once stood, peering across to watch the green light flicker at the now abandoned Buchanan residence. Although Nick acknowledges that Gatsby was “great” because of his ability to manifest his dreams into reality, he realises that both the pursuit of Gatsby’s and the American dream are, sadly but ultimately, futile. 

Access The Great Gatsby Downloadable Sample Paragraph and Examples of Essay Analysis here!

Key Characters in The Great Gatsby

Nick Carraway  As Nick is the main narrator, his perceptions and judgements shape how the story is being told. As a young, bright man, Nick attended Yale and fought in World War I before moving from Minnesota to New York City to learn about the bond industry.  Soon enough, he becomes friends with his wealthy neighbour, Jay Gatsby. He also has a cousin, Daisy Buchanan, who lives across the area and happens to be Gatsby’s former lover. He plays a pivotal role in facilitating the reunion between Gatsby and Daisy.  He claims his own character to be honest, open-minded and quiet, so many trust to confide him with their secrets, no matter how scandalous it may be. 

Jay Gatsby Jay Gatsby makes the title of the book as the main protagonist — a mysterious young millionaire who hosts luxurious parties every Saturday night to impress his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.  Born as James Gatz on a humble farm in North Dakota, Gatsby’s strive for his American Dream steered him out of poverty and into the upper class world. During his days training as an officer in Louisville, he met Daisy and fell in love with her. Unfortunately, he had to leave for the army, so he swore to come back to her through acquiring as much fortune as he could. Whether it’d be selling illegal alcohol or trading stolen goods — he would do anything to become rich so he could be back with Daisy.  Although Nick sees Gatsby as a dishonest man, we have to give it to Gatsby and his extraordinary ability to transform his dreams into a reality as he reconstructs an identity for himself as the legendary “Great” Gatsby. 

Daisy Buchanan Daisy Buchanan is Nick’s cousin and Gatsby’s love interest. As a young beautiful socialite, she attracted many men in Louisville, including Gatsby. Although she promised to wait for Gatsby, Daisy longed for love and gratification. So, when Tom (a wealthy, hunky hot mess) asked for her hand in marriage, Daisy decided not to wait for Gatsby and married Tom instead.  Gatsby sees Daisy as the perfect woman for him due to her charm, grace and wealth. In reality, Daisy is sardonic, superficial and cynical — representing the flaws of the aristocratic. 

Tom Buchanan Tom is Nick’s former college mate from Yale who was born into an aristocratic, wealthy family line. He is a big bully who exudes arrogance, aggression and cold-heartedness as he projects racism and sexism onto anyone he interacts with. An outright liar and hypocrite, Tom has no second thoughts about his feelings for Daisy during his extramarital affair with Myrtle, yet becomes enraged at Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship. 

Jordan Baker Jordan is Nick’s love interest and Daisy’s socialite friend. As a professional golfer, Jordan naturally belongs to the upper class of society as she plays a sport exclusive to the wealthy. While Jordan is described as alluring and beautiful upon first meeting, Nick later discovers that she is quite cynical, self-centred and a liar. For example, Jordan’s success is built on lies as she cheated in her first major tournament to win.  Jordan’s sly and self-focussed nature reflects the “new women” of the Roaring Twenties, otherwise known as “flappers” who can be recognised by their bobbed hair, short skirts and makeup that is symbolic of the Jazz Age. The “new women” were open towards sexuality, digressing from the conventional domestic life alike Daisy’s, to welcome a new age of women. 

Myrtle Wilson Myrtle is Tom’s mistress and a married woman, wedded to a mechanic who owns a garage in the valley of ashes. Desperate to escape her social situation, Myrtle enters an affair with the rich Tom Buchanan, who rents an apartment where she can pretend that she belongs to the upper class world. Unfortunately, Tom treats Myrtle as an object, inflicting violence upon her whenever she tries to assert her will. 

George Wilson George Wilson is Myrtle’s exhausted husband, tirelessly working to run his auto shop in the valley of ashes. Despite Myrtle’s ferocity and snappy attitude, George worships the ground that Myrtle walks on. Soon after learning about his wife’s death, George becomes consumed by grief and commits murder to exact his revenge.  In a way, George reflects Gatsby as both were dreamers whose lives were destroyed by their unrequited love for the women who pursue people like Tom — rich, immoral and selfish. 

Context of The Great Gatsby

Coined as the Great American Novel, The Great Gatsby is a classic piece of American fiction that is revered for its reflective take on American social classes during the Jazz era .

With its imagistic prose and rich history, it teleports us to the 1920s post war society, known as the “Roaring Twenties”.

It was a chaotic period in American history in terms of its politics, society and economy. 

To understand The Great Gatsby, it is important to know its historical roots first. Let’s dive into America’s most turbulent time of growth, prosperity and corruption. 

Warren Harding’s Presidency 

After World War I ended in 1919, Warren Harding became the President of the United States and targeted the economy to rebuild America’s morale. It was a time of scandal and corruption as the presidency sided with management in disputes over unions, minimum wage and child labour, which compromised the labourers. 

To make matters worse, Harding and his next-in-line, Calvin Coolidge established tax legislation, which benefited the rich more than the other classes. Further policies also forced people to relocate to urban areas to earn a living, as rural industries such as agriculture, textiles and mining were disadvantaged.

Despite their migration, these people were unable to achieve the better life they sought out for, striving to live in the harsh conditions like that of the valley of ashes in Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby. 

Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution: Prohibition 

In 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution: prohibition was approved. This meant that it was illegal to manufacture, sell or transport any type of alcohol. The Americans at that time felt that this was a moral decision, as it would remove any vices associated with drunkenness. 

Yet, things didn’t turn out as planned. Many broke the law and consumed illegal liquor, which boosted demand for illegal alcohol to the extent where organised crime activity took hold of its profitability. This new line of industry generated fortunes for the nouveau riches (newly rich) founders such as Gatsby.

Understanding this part of American law in the 1920s is very important to understand the weight of Gatsby’s crimes, and how amoral his actions were to become one of the filthy rich. 

Materialism

As the economy prospered, the people earned more money and spent more money at a rate that is higher than any other period in history. People also started to spend more time and money on leisure goods and activities, making sports an enjoyable recreational pastime. 

The Roaring 20s

The “Roaring 20s” was a retaliation against the chaos and violence of World War I which left America in a state of shock . A wild, exuberant lifestyle was what the generation needs to drown the trauma they’ve inherited from the cruel war.

The generation also turned away from the worn out conservative values of the past, charging into the wealth, opulence and extravagance that America’s economic prosperity provides them. 

Like Gatsby, Fitzgerald worked hard through writing to please his aristocratic wife, Zelda, who was everything he wanted to become, yet became everything he regarded with contempt . After cycles of endless parties all day and night, Fitzgerald became tired of his luxurious lifestyle as he found himself empty under a fake facade of wealth, longing for the return of his moral crux. 

Image sourced from History Collection

The Great Depression

In the early 1920s, wealthy Americans got even wealthier through stock dividends, corporate profits and wages. As technology and means for productivity improved, production costs reduced and the economy flourished. 

However, good things must come to an end. In 1929, the stock market crashed and flooded in a new age of financial decline known as The Great Depression.

Personal income, tax revenue and profits dropped, but the ones who were hit the hardest were the lower class. For some countries, its effects lasted until the start of World War II. 

Although Fitzgerald didn’t know this would happen, he did figure that too much of a good thing is a bad thing, hinting that the opulent Jazz Age has its own impending doom. 

Image sourced from Bushcraft Buddy

The American Dream

The American Dream is an ideal where anyone can achieve success if they work hard in a society that facilitates upward mobility, regardless of which class they are born into.

Simply put, even if you’re poor, the American Dream states that you can get real rich — if you just work real hard. 

The concept of the American Dream began from the Founding Fathers, who established independence from England and started a free America.

However, Americans in 1918 were disillusioned after experiencing the harsh brutalities of war, finding cynicism and emptiness within the Victorian social model. 

Additionally, as the stock market skyrocketed and people gained money from all avenues (legal or not), people from all backgrounds who could make themselves a fortune and become what is known as “new money”, were scorned by those who were born with wealth, coined as “old money.” 

While Fitzgerald first portrays the American dream as a positive ideal of self-discovery and the pursuit of happiness, he reveals the moral corruption of those obsessed with wealth — noting the greed, hunger and selfishness that consumes them.

Despite any sacrifices to achieve this dream, Fitzgerald points out how the goal of obtaining wealth, like Gatsby’s dream of obtaining Daisy, is empty, futile and unworthy. 

As the American Dream fell apart, the 1920s generation sought refuge in the past where their dreams were once meaningful, in a bygone era where the American values remain untainted. 

Themes from The Great Gatsby

1. disillusionment of the american dream.

In “The Great Gatsby,” F. Scott Fitzgerald meticulously portrays the disillusionment of the American Dream through the lives of his characters. Jay Gatsby, the embodiment of this dream, chases the illusion of wealth and success to win back his lost love, Daisy Buchanan. However, as the story unfolds, the hollowness of this pursuit becomes evident.

One significant quote highlighting this disillusionment is when Nick Carraway, the narrator, reflects on the futility of Gatsby’s aspirations:

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.”

Moreover, the tragic demise of Gatsby himself serves as a poignant testament to this theme of disillusionment, highlighting the tragic consequences of chasing an elusive fantasy.

2. Emptiness of the Wealthy

Beneath Tom Buchanan’s immense wealth is a profound lack of fulfilment. As he discusses books with Nick, he demonstrates an attitude of cynicism:

“Civilization’s going to pieces… I’ve gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things.”

The extravagant parties hosted by Gatsby also symbolise the superficiality of wealth. Amidst the glittering festivities, Nick observes the juxtaposing emptiness that lies beneath such lavish displays of affluence:

“I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”

Despite amassing vast riches, Gatsby’s life also lacks genuine substance. Even Daisy, a symbol of wealth and status, cannot fill the void in his life, as seen in his longing for an idealized version of her from the past.

Fitzgerald masterfully weaves these instances throughout the narrative, revealing the hollowness and vacuity that often accompany material wealth, thereby dissecting the emptiness within the lives of the ostensibly prosperous characters.

3. Moral Conflict in Pursuit of the American Dream

Jay Gatsby is driven by an unwavering desire for success, but his methods often clash with moral integrity. As he chases after Daisy, Gatsby becomes entangled in a web of deception and corruption.

One notable instance highlighting this moral conflict is when Nick Carraway, the narrator, reflects on Gatsby’s nature, stating,

“Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.”

This quote underscores Gatsby’s eventual tragic end, emphasizing the ethical dilemmas inherent in his pursuit of wealth and love.

His relentless ambition and compromised morality ultimately lead to disillusionment, exposing the emptiness behind the façade of the American Dream and revealing the price one might pay when morality is sacrificed in the relentless pursuit of success.

4. The Power Struggle Between Social Classes

F. Scott Fitzgerald also keenly explores the power dynamics inherent in social classes, showcasing the stark divisions and struggles between the wealthy elite and those striving for acceptance.

Gatsby, despite his immense wealth, faces continual rejection by the old-money aristocracy. He yearns for Daisy’s acceptance into their world, realizing the limitations imposed by his nouveau riche status. As he laments,

“Her voice is full of money.”

The novel’s portrayal of lavish parties and opulent lifestyles juxtaposed with the struggles of characters like George Wilson also underscores the societal imbalance and the desperation of those outside the elite circles.

Writing Band 6 Analysis for The Great Gatsby in 3 Steps

We know how easy it is just to jump in and answer the question right away when you’re writing your essay for The Great Gatsby. However, we do recommend that you start by building a solid in-depth analysis of the text before you get writing!

This is because a strong foundational knowledge of the text inside and out can help you identify ideas from it and compose a comprehensive thesis !

So, here is a step-by-step guide on how to drill into an analysis for The Great Gatsby!

Step 1: Choose your example(s) 

A pro tip is to choose an example with a technique . Techniques allow you to delve deeper into the hidden messages that the author is trying to communicate. 

Here is a famous quote from the Great Gatsby: 

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year receded before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter- to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther… and one fine morning- So, we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” 

This is a pretty long quote from The Great Gatsby, so when you’re writing this into your essay, remember that you can always chop it up into short excerpts to help your essay flow better. 

Step 2: Identify your technique(s)

The best technique is one that allows you to explore the underlying message behind the text. 

Look out for literary techniques that represent another meaning such as metaphors, symbols and motifs, as this can help demonstrate your depth of understanding. 

If you can find multiple techniques within one quote or example, that’s even better!

For the above quote, there are techniques such as metaphor, symbolism and alliteration. 

Step 3: Write the analysis

When writing the analysis, it is important that you explain what the effect of the technique is and how this backs up your argument . In this example, we are going to analyse how this quote discusses the deterioration of the American Dream, one of the prominent Great Gatsby themes.

The green light is a classic symbol of the unattainable American Dream with its greed, materialism and wealth. As Gatsby reaches out to the green light until his death without ever attaining it, it’s a metaphor of how the American dream is far from our reach.  Furthermore, the alliteration of “b” in “beats”, “boats” and “borne back” elicits the effect of being beaten back, which accentuates Gatsby’s futile pursuit of wealth.  There is also another metaphor with the boats moving backwards into the current. This symbolises Fitzgerald’s reflection on his own generation and their reversion to the past ideals once dispelled of the flawed American Dream. Alternatively, this can be perceived as how pursuit of success beats us back into our humble beginnings, reinforcing that true success in the name of wealth is ultimately unattainable. 

If we put all these together in our analysis, it will look like this:

Although the “green light” represents hope in the beginning chapters, it becomes a symbolic image of the flawed American Dream with its “green” colour reminiscent of money and its greed,  superficiality and materialism. Fitzgerald reinforces the unattainable reality of the American Dream through the “green light” which Gatsby yearns for but never acquires, symbolising how the American dream is far from our reach. The alliteration of “b” in “beats”, “boats” and “borne back” evokes the sensation of being beaten down, which reveals how the American Dream has failed individuals with its empty promise, despite its sacrificial pursuit of success. As the boats, representative of society, are metaphorically “borne back ceaselessly into the past,” Fitzgerald reveals how one’s progress in the pursuit of wealth is worthless, as they are tied to their original socioeconomic roots due to systemic injustice perpetrated by the “old money” clan. 

Need help analysing a different text?

Check out other texts we’ve created guides for below:

• Romeo and Juliet
• Run Lola Run
• In Cold Blood
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• The Book Thief
• The Tempest
• Blade Runner
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The Great Gatsby

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Critical Overview

Just before The Great Gatsby was to appear—with a publication date of April 10, 1925—the Fitzgeralds were in the south of France. Fitzgerald was waiting for news from Max Perkins, his publisher, and cabled him to request “Any News.” The 29-year-old author had won critical acclaim for his first novel, This Side of Paradise, but had faltered with the less-than-perfect The Beautiful and the Damned . He was earnest about being considered one of the top American writers of his time, and needed the boost that his third novel might give him to achieve that status.

During his lifetime, Fitzgerald was generally praised for The Great Gatsby ; it is usually considered to be his finest accomplishment and the one most analyzed by literary critics. The established opinion, according to biographer Arthur Mizener in The Far Side of Paradise , is best represented by renowned critic Lionel Trilling: “Except once, Fitzgerald did not fully realize his powers.… But [his] quality was a great one and on one occasion, in The Great Gatsby , it was as finely crystallized in art as it deserved to be.” Saturday Review critic William Rose Benét said that the book “revealed matured craftsmanship.” Even harsh critics like Ernest Hemingway and H. L. Mencken praised the writer, as quoted by Mizener. Said the notoriously abrasive Mencken in a letter to the author: “I think it is incomparably the best piece of work you have done.” Nevertheless, he qualified this compliment with a complaint that the basic story was “somewhat trivial, that it reduces itself, in the end, to a sort of anecdote.” Ring Lardner liked it “enormously” but his praise was too thin, for Fitzgerald's tastes: “The plot held my interest … and I found no tedious moments. Altogether I think it's the best thing you've done since Paradise.” Some of the initial reviews in newspapers called the book unsubstantial, since Fitzgerald dealt with unattractive characters in a superficially glittery setting. His friend, Edmund Wilson, called it “the best thing you have done—the best planned, the best sustained, the best written.” All reviews, good and bad, affected Fitzgerald deeply.

From an artistic perspective, Fitzgerald's third novel was as close to a triumph as he would ever get. Financially, however, the book was a failure since he was over $6200 in debt to Scribner's, his publisher, and sales of the book did not cover this by October of 1925. By February, a few more books were sold and then sales leveled out. The summer of 1925 for Fitzgerald was one of “1000 parties and no work.” His drinking continued to affect his work. For the rest of his life, nothing he wrote quite measured up to Gatsby . In fact, when he walked into a book shop in Los Angeles and requested one of his books, he discovered they were out of print.

In the early 1950s, Fitzgerald's works began to enjoy a revival; in addition to Gatsby , Tender Is the Night , with its psychological bent, appealed to readers. Critics found similarities between Fitzgerald and English poet John Keats and novelist Joseph Conrad. Joseph N. Riddel and James Tuttleton analyzed American-born novelist Henry James's impact on Fitzgerald, since both men wrote about the manners of a particular culture. Gatsby was compared to T. S. Eliot's poem The Waste Land and to Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises. The mythic elements of the novel have been studied by Douglas Taylor, Robert Stallman, and briefly by Richard Chase in The American Novel and Its Tradition .

Symbolism in Gatsby focuses on Dr. T. J. Eckleburg's eyes, the Wasteland motif, and the color symbolism. Gatsby has ironically been likened to Christ, and Nick Carraway, the storyteller, to Nicodemus, in a Christian interpretation of the novel. Relatively speaking, most of Fitzgerald's short stories have been sorely neglected by critics, though a steady stream of critical comment appears every year. It has been difficult for critics to detach Fitzgerald the writer from Fitzgerald the legend. Sociological, historical, and biographical approaches to teaching literature have predominated in past decades. Now, more attention is being given to a close reading of Gatsby for its artistry.

Cite this page as follows:

"The Great Gatsby - Critical Overview." Novels for Students, Vol. 2. Gale Cengage, 31 Aug. 2024 <https://www.enotes.com/topics/great-gatsby/critical-essays/critical-overview>

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The Great Gatsby (Critical Survey of Contemporary Fiction)

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Best Great Gatsby Character Analysis

Book Guides

Familiar with the characters of The Great Gatsby , but need to analyze one or more of them for an essay or class assignment? This article has got your back! In it, we'll discuss what the point of analyzing a book character is. We'll also talk about the dos and donts of writing a character analysis, essay, explaining how to go from an argument to finding evidence. Finally, we'll give you an example of how to develop an essay of this type by constructing one around the old money characters (Tom, Daisy, and Jordan). 

You'll also find links to our in-depth articles on each of The Great Gatsby 's main characters, explaining their role and significance in the novel, key quotes for each, and some ideas for essay topics, really helping you pull together your thoughts about these characters!

Why Write a The Great Gatsby Character Analysis Essay?

By assigning a character analysis, your teacher is giving you the chance to practice many different writing and analysis skills, including:

• close reading
• incorporating evidence from the novel into an essay
• building a larger argument
• tying small details you notice while reading into one of the book’s larger themes

The Great Gatsby  is the perfect book for character analysis since it features seven major characters that interact in interesting ways across gender and class lines.  Since this novel has so many beautiful and fascinating bits of character description, it will also get you to practice using evidence from the text in an argument.

So make sure that any character analysis you write builds on the skills you are learning in class! We will go over some do’s and don’t of character analysis below.

Character Analysis Do's

Here are some tips for constructing an excellent The Great Gatsby  character analysis essay.

Create an Argument, Not Just a Topic 

There is a big difference between an essay topic and an essay argument.

Most of the time, your teacher will give you an essay topic - in other words, what your essay should be about generally . Normally a topic will involve connecting the character to one of the novel’s larger themes, especially money and materialism , the American Dream , love and desire , or the relationship between upper and lower classes in society. If you design your own topic, you could explain how your chosen character illuminates one of the novel's symbols motifs.

For our example, let's take the common prompt, “Write an essay about how either Tom, Daisy, or Jordan represents old money.” This essay assignment has the topic built in: it wants you to take one of those characters and explain how their individual qualities tie them to the bigger abstract idea of the old money class.

But you still have to come up with the argument yourself. An argument is exactly what it sounds like - it's a point that you're trying to make by using reasons and evidence. There's an easy test for figuring out whether you're working with an argument. Could someone argue the opposite of what you're saying? Then yes, that's an argument. Otherwise, it's just a statement of fact. Plus, an essay anchored by a surprising assertion will immediately seem more interesting - how on earth are you going to prove this, your reader will be wondering.

In our example essay, let's say that we've decided to analyze Tom. It's tempting to use something like this as the "argument":

Tom's wealth and privilege show that he is part of the old money class.

But could anyone argue the opposite? Not at all - because this is a factual description, not a contentious statement.

Instead, an argument should make some kind of provocative, challengeable point:

Tom Buchanan is an example of Nick’s scathing depiction of the old money class as fearful and insecure despite enormous privilege.

Now, that someone could argue with! After all, Tom doesn't at first glance seem like someone who is fearful or insecure.  

Outline How You Will Prove Your Argument

Make sure each paragraph is anchored by a thesis statement - a one-sentence summary of what part of your argument this particular paragraph is going to prove. Also, loosely plan out what evidence you will use to back up each paragraph's thesis statement.

It can be helpful to create a simple outline before hand to guide how you’ll go about your essay. This will keep your essay clearly organized, and make writing easier.

In our example essay, an outline could look like:

Argument:   Tom Buchanan is an example of Nick’s scathing depiction of the old money class as fearful and insecure despite enormous privilege.

Paragraph 1: The trappings of Tom’s life show his privilege and his insecurity. Evidence:

• fancy house
• polo horses
• enormous wealth
• year in France

Paragraph 2: Tom actions constantly hint at his insecurity about his status. Evidence:

• depressed that his football glory days are behind him
• racist tirade shows he thinks the elite is about to be swept off the map
• has affairs only with lower-class women he can dominate

Paragraph 3: Tom's constant policing of other people's behavior shows how much he wants to reinforce class divisions in the face of them eroding. Evidence:

• throwing money at Myrtle to buy ten dogs
• grousing about Gatsby misinterpreting the invitation from the Sloanes and mocking the pink suit
• investigating Gatsby's criminal dealings even when already pretty sure Gatsby is a bootlegger

Paragraph 4: Tom decisions around Myrtle's murder show that he is more cowardly than his intimidating physical presence leads us to believe. Evidence:

• manipulating George to kill Gatsby rather because he was scared of George's gun
• running away with Daisy rather than sticking around to face consequences

Conclusion: Tom's privilege only heightens his sense of himself as a victim whose status is in danger of being usurped. Tom is a scathing portrait of old money royalty.

Use and Analyze Evidence to Support Your Argument

Bold arguments depend on a solid use of evidence to back them up. That means you can't just throw a quote into your writing and move on! Instead, use this rule of thumb: for each line of quoted text you insert, make sure you have 2-4 lines of your own explaining and interpreting the meaning of the quote as it relates to your argument .

To back up our example argument, we would now scour the book to find evidence of Tom being insecure or fearful. Once we've got something, though, it can't just be thrown into the essay willy nilly like this:

Nick says that Tom was "one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterward savors of anti-climax" (1.16).

Instead, we have to connect this description to the larger argument, using close reading to really get at the meaning of the words Nick is choosing:

Nick is pointing out that Tom's athletic achievements happened too long ago to keep feeding Tom's ego, Instead, because nothing has ever lived up to his football glory days, Tom is spending his time trying to avoid the depressing feeling of "anti-climax."

Use Evidence to Address Counterarguments

Because you've created an actually disputable argument, you can take the time to swat away the opposite position .

In the example essay we've been constructing, we're arguing that Tom Buchanan represents Fitzgerald’s critique of old money and is essentially an antagonist. We should address the idea that Tom is the novel's sharpest observer of people. (After all, unlike Nick, Tom immediately pegs Gatsby as a bootlegger.) This seemingly positive quality could be spun to be yet another example of Tom's insecurity - he is very quick to leap to judgment rather than giving people the benefit of the doubt.

Character Analysis Don'ts

Now that we've covered what you  should  do in a  Gatsby character analysis essay, let's go over some mistakes you should avoid.

Avoid Stating the Obvious

Don’t just say what the character is like, list descriptions from the book, or summarize what the character did without adding any analysis. For example, don’t just say “Gatsby is flamboyant, throws big parties, and even wears a pink suit sometimes. He does all of this to try and win back Daisy, the love of his life.” All that does is summarize something that is obvious from the book.

Instead, tie those observations to a larger idea. For example, “the extravagance of Jay’s parties and dress marks him as a member of the newly rich, allowing Fitzgerald to satirize the newly rich in America as he also critiques the cruelty of old money” or “Jay’s obsessive pursuit of Daisy reveals an unrealistic obsession with reliving the past.”

Don’t Make All or Nothing Claims About a Character

The beauty of this novel is that the statements “Daisy is a horrible person” or “Daisy is a misunderstood martyr” are both wrong.

Instead, try and find the nuances, the good and the bad points of each character, and make them work for your bigger argument. For example, if you’re writing an essay about how Daisy represents the limited options available to women in the 1920s, you would likely be more sympathetic to some of her behavior, but you still shouldn’t excuse her hit-and-run!

Don’t Focus on Including Every Single Scene or Line That Features Your Character

Even for a short novel, Gatsby is jam-packed with meaningful dialogue, imagery, and plot events, and you couldn’t possibly analyze every single key moment for each character in one essay! (You could – and people have – write whole books on the subject!) Instead, focus on finding a few moments and analyzing them in detail, then tying them to your main point. Remember that the quality of analysis is worth more than the quantity of evidence!

Character Analysis Links

Each of our character pages has a detailed section with analysis of each character.

You can also get some helpful background information, a summary of the character’s actions in the book, and important quotes by and about them:

Nick Carraway

Daisy Buchanan

Tom Buchanan

Jordan Baker

Myrtle Wilson

George Wilson

The Bottom Line on  The Great Gatsby  Character Analysis

• Character analysis is a chance to practice many different writing and analysis skills.
• Create an argument - a debatable, provocative point that you're trying to make by using reasons and evidence. 
• Anchor each paragraph by a thesis statement - a one-sentence summary of what part of your argument this particular paragraph is going to prove.
• Loosely plan out what evidence you will use to back up each paragraph's thesis statement.
• For each line of quoted text, have 2-4 lines of your own explanation relating to your argument.
• Take the time to swat away the counterarguments.
• Avoid stating the obvious. Instead, tie observations to a larger idea.
• Don’t make all or nothing claims about a character. Instead, find the nuances in each character, and make them work for your bigger argument. 
• Don’t feel like you have to include every single scene or line that features your character. 

What’s Next?

Want to get advice about comparing and contrasting characters? Head on over to  our Compare/Contrast post to learn how to best write about common character pairings.  

Need a little more background on novel’s plot? Check out our Great Gatsby  summary , or look at a timeline of all of the events in chronological order .

Interested in getting help analyzing important symbols and motifs? Get an introduction to symbols in The Great Gatsby   and an overview of the novel's motifs to get started.

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185 The Great Gatsby : Best Topics and Examples

Looking for some creative titles for The Great Gatsby essay? There are many themes to explore about this novel. We offer you The Great Gatsby essay examples about symbolism, character analysis, the style of the novel, and many other topics.

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The Great Gatsby, the masterpiece written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, will help you dive into the Roaring Twenties’ wealth atmosphere. This is a story of a millionaire Jay Gatsby and his passion for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan

Your professor may ask you to analyze topics such as decadence, money, American Dream, or symbolism in your The Great Gatsby Essay. But what if you have no idea what to write? Well, below, you can find some tips and essay samples that you may use to compose your papers

Tip #1. Analyze symbolism in The Great Gatsby

First, let’s define what symbolism is. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, symbolism is “practice of using symbols, especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible using visible or sensuous representations.” The Great Gatsby story is full of symbols. And here are just two examples of them:

• The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg painted on a billboard in the Valley of Ashes. You can find a lot of The Great Gatsby essay samples that draw the conclusion that Eckleburg represents God. However, let’s ask a few more questions. Why do these eyes have no mouth or arms, or legs? Does this mean that Eckleburg can only watch people transgressions without any ability to punish them as a God-like entity? Does this billboard mean anything?
• Use of color in Fitzgerald’s story. If you carefully read the novel, you might notice the use of a few colors throughout the book. They are green, gray, gold, and yellow. Think, what do these colors can symbolize and represent these ideas in your paper.

Tip #2. Think about point of view in The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is written in the first-person point of view. Nick Carraway, one of the main characters, tells us about the life and thoughts of Gatsby. In your writing, you can imagine how different the novel would be if it were told in the third-person point of view.

You also can provide some examples if the story was told from Gatsby’s perspective.

Tip #3. Assess how the book relates to the American Dream

If you look through the vast majority The Great Gatsby essay titles, you can find out plenty of samples that address the validity of high society or the social class divide. Gatsby had achieved the American Dream by building his wealth. However, he’s still not satisfied with the shallowness of the upper class and wants something more.

In your paper, you can argue why does one can never attain the American Dream, and why dreamers always want more.

Tip #4. Analyze the characters and their relations

Fitzgerald put each character into the novel for a particular reason. And your job is to analyze what they represent and why they are in the story. For example, Tom represents evil, while Daisy represents innocence. Another aspect you should examine is relationships between Daisy and Gatsby, Tom and Daisy, Nick and Gatsby.

Tip #5. Examine the tone of the novel

When we talk about the tone of the story, we mean how the author describes the events and characters. In your paper, decide what the tone of the novel is and analyze how it affects the readers’ attitude to characters and events.

Now, check The Great Gatsby essay examples below and use the acquired ideas to write your own paper!

• Analysis of the Shirt Scene in “The Great Gatsby” Film Although the shirts mean nothing to Gatsby without Daisy, the audience watches Gatsby’s facial expression display a great deal of empathy and love whenever Daisy seems distressed, especially in this scene when she begins to […]
• Tom and Gatsby: Compare and Contrast Essay In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald pays attention to the relationships between both Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan and Daisy Buchanan. Scott Fitzgerald’s book is mainly focused on the relationship of Daisy with Gatsby and Tom, […]
• Autobiographical Elements in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The story is set during the roaring twenties, a period of significant social and cultural change, and it incorporates many of the author’s personal experiences, feelings, and perceptions of the time.
• Daisy Buchanan: “I Did Love Him Once, but I Loved You, Too” Another scene shows Daisy’s immoral behavior when she is in the room with Gatsby, Jordan, and Nick. This view shows Daisy’s lustful side in that she pushes Jordan to do the same and is out […]
• The Great Gatsby Reflection Paper Throughout the novel the major character Nick who was the narrator managed to bring out the main themes of the novel as well as developing other characters.
• The Clock as a Symbol in “The Great Gatsby” By incorporating metaphorical elements that allude to the fleeting nature of time, “the Great Gatsby” emphasizes the idea of the futility of life and the inescapability of the past and its mistakes.
• The Great Gatsby: Analysis and Feminist Critique The feminist critique is an aspect that seeks to explore the topic of men domination in the social, economic, and political sectors.
• Daisy’s Character Study in “The Great Gatsby” The argument is that the author attempts to describe her as a pure and innocent female to ensure that the reader understands the perspective of Jay, but particular aspects of her true identity are revealed […]
• The Great Gatsby All these characteristics of America during 1920 are evident and inherent in the main character, Jay Gatsby, in the novel The Great Gatsby. This is one of the themes in the novel The Great Gatsby.
• Nick as the Narrator in The Great Gatsby Therefore, his connection with the Gatsby’s story is that he is depended upon to serve as the mouthpiece of the older generation as he metaphorically transcends through time to retell the Great Gatsby tale accurately […]
• Silver & Gold: Color Symbolism in The Great Gatsby Although the color palette presented in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is rich, the problem of differing social status is most vividly described in the novel through the use of golden and silver colors that stand […]
• American Culture in the Novel “The Great Gatsby” In The Great Gatsby, Scott Fitzgerald documents these changes through an in-depth exploration of cultural changes such as the rise in consumerism, materialism, greed for wealth, and the culture of loosening morals in the 1920s […]
• “The Great Gatsby” Film by Baz Luhrmann The Great Gatsby is a film that stars Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, and the Southern Belle Daisy. The influence of the past comes out throughout the course of the film.
• Gatsby & Nick in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is a novel of vibrant characters, and paradox is one of the main themes of the book. Even though Daisy and Tom are married, Nick agrees to help Gatsby be with the […]
• Fairy Tale Traits in The Great Gatsby Basing on the several evident parameters, for instance, the character traits, the behavior of prince and princess, and gender distinctions amongst others, Fitzgerald’s masterwork stands out as a variation and sophisticated version of the fairy […]
• Female Characters in A Streetcar Named Desire & The Great Gatsby: Comparative It can be seen in the case of Stella and Daisy wherein in their pursuit of what they think is their “ideal” love, they are, in fact, pursuing nothing more than a false ideal that […]
• Novel Analysis: The Great Gatsby and Siddhartha Hesse’s Siddhartha seems complementary to The Great Gatsby as Brahman, the main role in Siddhartha, finds contentment in self-realization and not in money, sensuality, and love.
• ‘The Great Gatsby’: Tom and Blanche Like Tom, Blanche in the book of Street Car Named Desire, is loyal to her sister who is the only member of her family that we come across.
• The Great Gatsby and Winter Dreams by Scott Fitzgerald In this analysis, the researcher will try to confirm the argument that the Great Gatsby was a continuation of the Winter Dreams.
• ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ Literature Comparison Stella is a devoted wife struggling to make her marriage work, even though her husband Stanley, subjects her to a lot of pain and suffering.
• Babylon Revisited & The Great Gatsby: Motifs & Themes When he pleads his case to the guardians of Honoria, his sister-in-law Marion, and her husband, he continually evades his escapades of the past and recounts his hard work and sincerity of the present.
• Architecture in “The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald From this perspective, the case of Gatsby’s mansion is a symbolic call for leaving behind the anachronistic ideas of aristocracy and embracing American ideals.
• “The Great Gatsby” by Baz Luhrmann The filmmakers never stop depicting Gatsby’s wealth and his otherness. He throws money around and he is a topic of heated debates in the society.
• Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’, Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ and the American Dream “The America Dream’ is a longstanding common belief of the American population that in the United States, people are free to realize the full potential of their labor and their talents and every person in […]
• Why is Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby a Satire? Another aspect of satire in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is the wealth associated with Gatsby, as the reader observes in chapter two.
• The American Dream in The Great Gatsby After spending some time in this neighborhood, Nick finally attends Gatsby’s exuberant parties only to realize that Gatsby organizes these parties to impress Daisy, Nick’s cousin, and wife to Tom.
• Time as a Theme in The Great Gatsby The embodiment of these negative aspects comes in the form of Gatsby and his life, which in the end is seen as hollow and empty, just as the morals and values of the characters seen […]
• The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald Review Gatsby’s dream to become wealthy to gain Daisy’s attention “is simply believable and is still a common dream of the current time”. However, Gatsby is the story’s main character and is a “personification” of the […]
• Fertile Questions: “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald The two fertile questions arising from the novel are: what are political and economic impacts of the World War I? and what are the challenges faced by American students born from poor families post-World War […]
• Tom and George in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby At the same time, the motives of Tom and George’s behavior differ due to their backgrounds, origins, and belonging to different social classes.
• “The Great Gatsby”: The American Dream in the Jazz Age The Jazz Age is a period in the history of the United States of America from the end of World War I to the beginning of the Great Depression due to the remarkable popularity of […]
• Women’s Role in “The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald Though the women in the novel are depicted as careless, treacherous, and selfish, the author uses them to underscore the power of the will to rebel against societal norms in pursuit of happiness.
• “The Great Gatsby Directed” by Baz Luhrmann This is due to the fact that the film is an indirect adaptation of Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald’s book “The Great Gatsby”.
• The Corrupted American Dream and Its Significance in “The Great Gatsby” The development of the American dream and its impact on the society of the United States is a pertinent topic of discussion for various authors.
• Jay Gatsby: The Great Fool or the Unfortunate Genius The main idea of the work is to show the unfairness of the fate of a poor young man who cannot marry the girl he loves.
• “The Great Gatsby” by Scott Fitzgerald Who will take care of the dead creatures seems not to be in Tom’s order of what to bother him and together with the wife is comfortable enjoying their wealth while the creatures are rotting […]
• Characters in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” and Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” The author presents challenges faced in the society as a result of the mixture racial and gender discrimination that a young black girl goes through in search of her dream and personal identity.
• Greene’s “Our Man in Havana” and “The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald It is imperative to realize that the purpose of the paper is not to carry out a critical analysis of the plays but to carry out a comparison of the attributes in which they relate […]
• What Money Cannot Buy: ‘The Great Gatsby’ Book by F. S. Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby is a book that unveils the instrumental role of the social aspect of life among people; which not only concentrates on the economic part of it.
• First-Person Narrative in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” Joyce’s “The Boarding House,” Bowen’s “The Demon Lover” In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Joyce’s short story “The Boarding House,” and the Scottish poem The Demon Lover, the first-person narrative is used differently to achieve the authors’ objectives and create a comprehensive picture of […]
• First-Person Narrative in Bowen’s ”The Demon Lover,” Updike’s ”A&P,” Fitzgerald’s ”The Great Gatsby” In this work, the unworked, repressed experience of the First World War is personified and embodied in the image of the ghost of a person who died in this war.
• “The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald: Betrayal, Romance, Social Politics and Feminism This work seeks to outline the role of women in the development of the plot of the book and in relation to the social issues affecting women in contemporary society.
• Jay Gatsby, Jean Valjean and Henry Fleming: The Compare and Contrast Analyses of the Characters The way the characters of the main protagonists are revealed in the novel is one of the most important things in every piece of literature.
• “The Great Gatsby” Novel by Francis Scott Fitzgerald However, what the reader should acknowledge is that the author manages to present a wholesome and clear image of the issues and occurrences that defined the United States throughout the 1920s.
• The Great Gatsby’ by Scott Fitzgerald Literature Analysis This is one of the details that can be identified. This is one of the issues that can be singled out.
• Political Satire in American Literature Scott Fitzgerald was one of the more famous satirists of the time, particularly in his production of the work The Great Gatsby.
• The Dilemmas of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is a story of a young man in the early twentieth century who seems to know what he wants in the way of that dream and what to do to achieve it.
• The Great Gatsby – Love, Wealth, and Illusion In the novel, the fictional village of West Egg is perhaps one of the key items that symbolize the life of the new millionaires in the city.
• Gatsby & Jean Valjean He is a mysterious person, and no one exactly knows his origins and the ways he used to acquire his fortune.
• The Ethicality of an Action Jay Gatsby As well, an action is “wrong” if it results in the opposite of happiness to the people. Mill’s utilitarian theory can be used to assess the ethically of Jay Gatsby’s action, as presented in the […]
• Francis Scott Fitzgerald & His American Dream In the novel “Tender is the Night,” Fitzgerald describes the society in Riviera where he and his family had moved to live after his misfortune of late inheritance.
• Jay Gatsby & Eponine From Les Miserables: Compare & Contrast Gatsby is the main character in the book “The Great Gatsby,” while Eponine is one of the characters in the book “Les Miserables”.
• Jay Gatsby & Gean Valjean: Characters Comparison This essay compares and contrasts the characters of Gatsby and Jean Valjean in the Les Miserable novels and films. Gatsby strikes the readers as a na ve and lovesick individual though his character is negative.
• Jay Gatsby and Valjean in ‘Les Miserables’: Comparative Valjean’s life contains a series of misfortunes in the sense that he has to hide his true identity. Most of the people in his life were there just for convenience and for the fact that […]
• The Idea of Love in The Great Gatsby and the Parallels or Contrasts That Can Be Drawn With the Presentation of Love in The Catcher in the Rye Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Jerome Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, it is possible to state that the notion of love is presented there similarly even though the texts are absolutely different and […]
• Fitzgerald’s American Dream in The Great Gatsby & Winter Dreams To my mind, Winter Dream is a perfect example of the American Dream, since the main hero, Dexter, implemented each point of it, he was persistent and very hard-working, he was a very sensible and […]
• What Are the Literary Devices Used to Create the Image of Jay Gatsby?
• Analyze How Fitzgerald Uses Imagery in the Great Gatsby
• What Do Colors Symbolize in the Great Gatsby?
• How Does Fitzgerald Use Geographical Setting to Show the Contrast Between Social Classes in the Novel?
• How Does Fitzgerald Convey a Notion of the American Dream Through Metaphors and Symbols?
• What Does the Green Light in Daisy’s Window Represent in the Great Gatsby?
• What Does the Valley of Ashes Symbolize in the Great Gatsby?
• What Role Does Nick Carraway’s Narration Play in the Story? If We Got It Through an Omniscient Third-Person Narrator, What Would We Gain or Lose?
• Could the Story Have Been Set in Other Places, Like Chicago or Los Angeles, or Were New York City and Long Island Absolutely Necessary?
• Look at the Novel’s Opening Lines. If We Accept Nick’s Advice When We Read the Story, Will Our Views of It Change? Or, in Other Words, Does Refraining From Criticism Promote Compassion?
• Is There a Hidden Meaning of the Title of the Great Gatsby? What Is It?
• How Is the Color White Used Within the Novel? When Does It Make a False Representation of Innocence? When Does It Truly Represent Innocence?
• What Is the Role of a New York Setting in the Novel’s Storyline?
• What Is the Real Meaning of ‘Great’ in the Title of the Great Gatsby?
• What Significance Do Colors Have in the Party’s Descriptions in Chapter 3?
• Elaborate on the Green Light as the Symbol of the American Dream
• What Is the Meaning of the Phrase “Can’t Repeat the Past?.. Why of Course You Can!” What Does Gatsby Really Want From Daisy?
• What Role Do the Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg Play in the Great Gatsby?
• How Is the Great Gatsby a Satirical Representation of the Society?
• Are the Rich in the Novel Really So Careless as Everyone Believes Them to Be?
• Create an Alternative Ending for the Great Gatsby. Justify Your Choice
• What Is the Relationship Between Those Born Rich and Those Who Became Rich in the Novel?
• Discuss Female Characters and Their Significance in the Great Gatsby
• Compare Gatsby and Wilson. In What Ways Are They Similar?
• Who Is the Most Responsible for Gatsby’s Death? Why Is It So?
• Why Do Tom and Daisy Stay Together at the End of the Novel?
• Does Gatsby’s Money Bring Him Real Happiness?
• Can Jay’s Feelings for Daisy in the Great Gatsby Be Considered Love?
• How Do Secondary Characters Affect the Story?
• Who Is the Real Hero in the Great Gatsby?
• Can We Call Jay Gatsby a Romantic Hero or a Villain?
• What Does Jay Gatsby Really Live For in the Novel: the Present or the Past?
• Compare Myrtle and Daisy
• What Does Tom’s Quarrel With Myrtle in Chapter 2 Tell Us About His Personality?
• Elaborate on How Both Tom and Gatsby Want to Change Not Only the Future, but the Past in Chapter 7.
• What Was Gatsby’s Power of Dreaming Like? Was Daisy a Worth Object?
• Is Anyone to Blame for Gatsby’s Death?
• Are There Any Moral Characters in the Novel?
• Can Jordan and Daisy Be Considered Perfect Role Models for the Upper Class in America? Why or Why Not?
• Is Gatsby Really Great? In What Way? How Does His Greatness Evolve as the Plot Unfolds?
• How Does Nick’s Character Change over the Course of the Great Gatsby?
• Does Gatsby Deserve the Definition of a Self-Made Man? Why or Why Not?
• What Role Does Daisy Play in the Conflict Between Gatsby & Tom?
• Describe How F.S. Fitzgerald’s Life Experiences Influenced the Great Gatsby
• What Are the Central Themes in the Great Gatsby?
• What Roles Do Fidelity and Infidelity Play in Fitzgerald’s the Great Gatsby?
• What Importance Does Sex Have in the Story?
• What Role Does Alcohol Play in the Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald?
• Did Fitzgerald Really Criticize the Idea of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby?
• Does Love Play Have Any Importance in the Great Gatsby?
• What Role Does the Relationship Between Geography and Social Values Play in the Novel?
• What Is the Meaning of Time in the Great Gatsby?
• How Do the Aristocratic East Eggers, Tom and the Sloanes, Regard Gatsby in Chapter 6? How Is Their Contempt Connected to the Theme of Social Class in the Novel?
• Analyze the Great Gatsby Through the Prism of Feminist Theory
• How Are the Themes of Kindness and Compassion Presented in the Great Gatsby?
• Describe How the Theme of Ambition Is Presented in the Novel
• Elaborate on How Fitzgerald Contrasts Education and Experience in the Great Gatsby
• Make a Critical Comparison of the Novel With the 2013 Movie
• Make a Comparison of the Novel With the 1949 Movie
• Compare the Great Gatsby Movies of 1949 and 2013
• Compare and Contrast Two Classic American Novels: The Great Gatsbyand the Grapes of Wrath
• How Are Donald Trump and the Great Gatsby’s Tom Buchanan Alike?
• Compare Miller’s Death of a Salesman and the Great Gatsby
• What Other Fictional or Non-fictional Character From a Book or Movie Can Nick Carraway Be Compared To?
• Make a Critical Comparison of the Sun Also Rises and the Great Gatsby
• Compare the Great Gatsby With a Farewell to Arms
• Make a Comparison of Daisy From the Great Gatsby With Henrietta Bingham From Irresistible
• What Pop Stars of Nowadays Daisy Can Be Compared To?
• Macbeth vs. Jay Gatsby: Make a Character Comparison
• Why does Daisy cry about the shirts in chapter 5 of The Great Gatsby?
• What is Daisy’s opinion of Gatsby’s party in chapter 6?
• How does The Great Gatsby explore the ideas of illusion versus reality?
• How did Gatsby measure the success of his party in chapter 6?
• What is the true relationship between Daisy and Tom in The Great Gatsby?
• What does Gatsby tell Nick about himself and his past?
• What role do the first lines of The Great Gatsby play?
• What destroyed Gatsby’s dreams in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald?
• What is the cause of the problem between Jordan and Nick?
• Describe Daisy and Gatsby’s new relationship. What is it like?
• Why does Jordan want to leave the group from East Egg?
• What does Old Money vs. New Money mean in The Great Gatsby?
• Which excerpt from The Great Gatsby is the best example of foreshadowing?
• How does Fitzgerald represent the society of his time in thenovel? Would you like to live in the Jazz Era? Why or why not?
• How does Nick describe himself at the beginning of The Great Gatsby?
• How do we know that Myrtle Wilson is not an intellectual?
• Who does the narrator think Daisy is at the end of the story?
• What role does the book “The Rise of the Colored Empires” play in The Great Gatsby?
• How is America shown in The Great Gatsby? What values do the East and the West represent?
• Why did Gatsby fail to achieve the American Dream?
• How did F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby reflect the culture of the 1920s?
• Which excerpt from The Great Gatsby best indicates that Nick is not fully content with his life?
• What role does social class in The Great Gatsby play?
• What does Nick mean by the last line of The Great Gatsby?
• What are the main differences between The Great Gatsby book and movie?
• How does Fitzgerald provide a critical social history of Prohibition-Era America in his novel?
• How does Nick know Daisy and Tom in The Great Gatsby?
• What did Dan Cody do for Gatsby? What did Gatsby learn from him?
• How does Myrtle behave as the party progresses in chapter 2?
• Describe the meeting between Gatsby and Daisy in chapter 5. What was it like?
• How does The Great Gatsby reflect the Jazz Age?
• What were the rumors about Gatsby?
• What does The Great Gatsby’s ending mean?
• What part does social class play in The Great Gatsby?
• Why was young Gatsby drawn to Daisy?
• How does Nick describe Tom Buchanan in chapter 1?
• In The Great Gatsby, is Nick a reliable narrator?
• What is the main conflict in The Great Gatsby?
• How does Nick meet Gatsby for the first time?
• Why is Gatsby great?
• How women are portrayed in The Great Gatsby?
• Who killed Myrtle in The Great Gatsby?
• What was Jay Gatsby’s real name & background?
• How is Gatsby different from his guests?
• Who killed Gatsby and how did that happen?
• In chapter 7, why does Gatsby stop giving parties?
• Does money buy love in The Great Gatsby?
• What does “owl eyes” reveal about Gatsby’s books?
• What does Gatsby want from Daisy in chapter 6?
• How does the Narrator describe Gatsby?
• What is Gatsby doing when Nick first sees him?
• How did Gatsby get rich?
• Is The Great Gatsby about love or money?
• Why did Daisy marry Tom in The Great Gatsby?
• What role does Dan Cody’s yacht play in Great Gatsby?
• Who attended Gatsby’s funeral?
• What is the climax of The Great Gatsby?
• What is Gatsby’s real history?
• How is society shown in The Great Gatsby?
• What does “her voice is full of money” mean?
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• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, August 23). 185 The Great Gatsby : Best Topics and Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/the-great-gatsby-essay-examples/

"185 The Great Gatsby : Best Topics and Examples." IvyPanda , 23 Aug. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/the-great-gatsby-essay-examples/.

IvyPanda . (2024) '185 The Great Gatsby : Best Topics and Examples'. 23 August.

IvyPanda . 2024. "185 The Great Gatsby : Best Topics and Examples." August 23, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/the-great-gatsby-essay-examples/.

1. IvyPanda . "185 The Great Gatsby : Best Topics and Examples." August 23, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/the-great-gatsby-essay-examples/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "185 The Great Gatsby : Best Topics and Examples." August 23, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/the-great-gatsby-essay-examples/.