The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)
1920s Background Info World War I ends – 1918 America is a stronger, more powerful nation After the war – people are full of energy People had been repressed because of a bad economy $$ saved for possible hard times because of the war Protest & Violence followed the end of the war
Prohibition (1919-1933) Restricted sale & Use of liquor Originally to abolish saloons Thought to be immoral & dangerous to society Bootleggers People who made & sold liquor illegally Often ran drugstores & other “front” businesses in order to sell liquor
The Roaring Twenties Carefree time of wild parties, illegal drinking & extravagant lifestyles Young people of America embraced Time of change in fashion & music “The Jazz Age” Flappers
Flappers Described young girls in the US & Britain who were ideally “lovely, expensive & about 19” Defined as “giddy, attractive and slightly unconventional…inclined to revolt against the precepts (rules)…of her elders” Nearly a generation of men died in WWI Women were not willing to waste away their youth waiting for spinsterhood Decided to enjoy life New Trends No corsets Waists @hipline Bobbed hair Makeup
1920s Literature Showed a mood of rebellion with alarming topics More freedom of language & descriptions New & freer attitudes toward the representation of sex
F. Scott Fitzgerald Born (1896) in St. Paul, Minnesota Studied for 4 years @Princeton Wanted to play football but didn’t make the team Developed a drinking problem - flunked out A girl did not like him because he was poor (huge influence) Did not graduate – joined the Army Met & married Zelda Sayre - rich, Southern Belle Zelda - Fitzgerald’s muse
Fitzgerald’s Outlook Father was fired and a failure in business Caused obsession with success/money Used his talent for writing to produce plays for school so he could cast people he wanted as friends
Fitzgerald’s Writing This Side of Paradise (1920) - describes life @Princeton among the glittering, bored and disillusioned Novel was an overnight success Fitzgerald known as King of the Jazz Age
The Great Gatsby Published in 1925 Critical success Sales were disappointing
Gatsby Characters Tom: dictator/bully Daisy: clinging vine Myrtle: clinging vine/weakling Gatsby: calculator Nick: nice guy/protector George: nice guy/protector Jordan: calculator
Theme(s) Corruption of the American Dream Defined as the idea that in America one might hope to satisfy every material desire & thereby achieve happiness Fitzgerald believed this to be deceptive How can the goal of all you desire be something you can attain? desire = material possessions = dissatisfaction One can end up with great wealth & “stuff” and be quite empty
More Theme(s) Old $$ v. New $$ Prosperity, Material Excess, Bootlegging v. Discovery, Individualism, “Pursuit of Happiness”
Even More Theme(s) Sight/Insight Meaning of the Past Many images of blindness No one seems to really know what’s going on Meaning of the Past Gatsby & Nick hold on to a simpler, nobler time when family & church meant something Illusion v. Reality
Color Symbol(s) Gray - death, lifelessness (people & land) Green - money (light at end of Daisy’s peer), Gatsby’s goal Blue: dream (eyes of Dr. Eckleburg-rep’s. sightlessness) White: corruption is underneath-wedding cake, Daisy’s and Jordon’s clothes(airiness and fairylike)
More Color Symbol(s) Darks & Lights: Gatsby’s world is deceptive Gold or Yellow: wealth, materialism Red: violence/violent death Pink: violence underneath
Other Symbols Valley of Ashes: The Wasteland T.S. Eliot Explores the “hollowness @the heart of things” Purgatory Moral & Social Wasteland Daisy: wealth, position, status, “golden girl” Dr. Eckleburg’s Eyes (billboard): capitalistic profit (He is the “god” of the Wasteland)
Even More Other Symbols Ashes: gray, lifeless, wasteland, death, True Reality Apartment: on outside, a beautiful wedding cake; inside, corruption, greed & selfishness Gatsby’s house (white), Garden (blue), Chauffer’s uniform (blue) The Green Light (Buchanan’s Dock) Positive & Negative aspects of the color Opportunity v. Greed
Still More Other Symbols Buchanan’s house: red & white/carpet crimson Nick’s boats: red & gold (dream stained by violence) Myrtle: wears brown in Valley of Ashes, changes to Ecru/Cream dresses: becomes unreal & someone else Sunday: day of worship except @Gatsby’s where people party (un-God-like)
The Eggs West Egg East Egg Modeled after Long Island Known for affluence & high quality of life Represents old wealth Those who HAVE East Egg Less fashionable than the West Egg New wealth Wealth most likely acquired by ruthless (read: illegal) means Those who HAVE NOT