The Great Gatsby – Chapter 4 Gatsby’s past beginning to be revealed LO – Using interpretations of others to explore the text

Why do we use alternative interpretations?  To show understanding of wider views  To demonstrate ability to read widely What is the purpose of alternative interpretations?  To help support your analysis and prove your argument

Although there is something attractive about the character of Jay Gatsby, it can be argued Fitzgerald “exposes the darkest aspects of human nature,” in his characterisation. This is particularly the case in Gatsby’s misguided concern for Daisy rather than Myrtle following the fatal car accident. The callousness of his response and the concern for the ‘shock’ Daisy has suffered rather than the death and mutilation of Myrtle implies the selfish and dispassionate nature of human beings. Perhaps Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s response to highlight what he perceives as the ‘darkness’ of humanity in a time when society had become obsessed with an individual’s self gratification rather than a responsibility for others within society.

Gatsby is in many ways, as the title suggests, great, but when looking at him critically, some of the things he stands for may not be so admirable. gatsby/character-analysis/jay-gatsby.html

Gatsby is a “perfect symbol of the strange combination of moral decadence and vibrant optimism”. n4.rhtml

Gatsby can be perceived as either, “a figure of rare charm who offers you a romantic image of yourself so long as you accept his romantic image of himself (or) an uncultured young man who adopts a stiffly formal manner in order to conceal his social deficiencies.” Kathleen Stevens; The Great Gatsby Penguin Critical Studies; (Penguin: London) 1988 p.101

“Fitzgerald exposes the darkest aspects of human nature in Gatsby.” Critical Insights: The Great Gatsby The Critical Reception of The Great Gatsby By Amy M. Green

“The language in the novel (has been described as) "blankets of excellent prose“. The Great Gatsby mystery? Anne Crow explores the mystery of how Jay Gatsby really died; Anne Crow; The English Review (Sept. 2009): p8. From Literature Resource Center.