F. Scott Fitzgerald & The Great Gatsby

Early Biography  Sept 24,1896: Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald born in St. Paul, MN  His parents were Mary McQuillan, the daughter of Irish immigrants, and Edward Fitzgerald, a salesman. Both were Catholic.  Attended the St. Paul Academy, then the Newman School, a Catholic prep school in New Jersey.

Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald  On academic probation, Fitzgerald joined the army as a 2nd lieutenant in  June 1918: While on assignment in Montgomery, AL, he fell in love with Zelda Sayre, daughter of an Alabama Supreme Court judge.  She broke off their engagement in 1919 because she was unwilling to live on Scott’s small salary.

Literary Career Beginnings  June 1919: Fitzgerald returns to St. Paul, MN to rewrite his novel, This Side of Paradise.  In the fall of that year, he begins writing stories in mass-circulation magazines.  He wrote many stories for the Saturday Evening Post describing the free- thinking flappers of the 1920’s.

Overnight Fame  March 26, 1920: This Side of Paradise is published, making the 24 year-old Fitzgerald famous almost overnight.  One week later, he marries Zelda Sayre in New York.

Extravagant Living  Scott & Zelda begin to live as young celebrities, socializing and drinking heavily.  They take their first trip to Europe in  October 1921: Their first and only child, Frances Scott (Scottie) Fitzgerald is born.

Early Stumblings  Fall, 1922: The young family moves to Great Neck, NY, expecting to earn a lot of money from Scott’s play, The Vegetable.  1923: The play bombs, and Scott has to write short stories to get out of debt.  Scott’s drinking increases. He and Zelda fight often.

Gatsby is Born  Spring 1924: The Fitzgeralds go to France.  Summer 1924: Scott starts writing The Great Gatsby. Zelda has a relationship with a French pilot.  Winter : The Fitzgeralds go to Rome where Scott revises Gatsby.  April Gatsby is published. Critical reviews are positive, but sales remain low.

Fitzgerald and the Expatriates  During the mid 1920’s in Paris, Fitzgerald becomes part of the group of expatriate American writers which included Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and Ezra Pound.

Further Estrangement  During the 1920’s, Scott and Zelda’s relationship continues to be strained due to his drinking and her mental instability. They live in Paris, the Riviera, and a mansion near Wilmington, DE.  Even though Fitzgerald earns about $4,000 per story (equal to about $40,000 today), he and Zelda continue to run into debt.

1930’s  The Fitzgeralds rent a house in Montgomery, AL in Scott makes an unsuccessful trip to Hollywood; Zelda suffers a mental breakdown in 1932 and is hospitalized.  : Scott drinks, gets into more debt, and lives in hotels near Asheville, NC. Zelda enters a nearby hospital.

The Last Years  Summer 1937: Fitzgerald goes to Hollywood with a screenwriting contract earning $1,000/ week.  Despite earning $91,000 from MGM, he is unable to save any money.  1938: He falls in love with Sheilah Graham, a movie columnist.  Dec 21, 1940: Fitzgerald dies of a heart attack in Graham’s apartment.  1948: Zelda dies in a fire at Highland Hospital.

Fitzgerald’s Death “On December 21, the Winter Solstice -- the author F. Scott Fitzgerald jolted to his feet from a green armchair, grasped hold of a marble mantlepiece, and fell down dead of a massive heart attack. He was forty-four years old. His woman companion of three-and-a half years ran out into the hallway and began knocking frantically on doors of their small Hollywood apartment building on Laurel Avenue, just south of Sunset Boulevard, crying desperately for help. She refused to accept that Scott was dead, even later when the ambulance came, and a fire engine also, and a fireman stood over the body and shook his head. The name of the woman was Sheilah Graham, Fitzgerald's last heroine -- a young, pretty Hollywood newspaper columnist.” --Robert Westbrook, son of Sheilah Graham

Fitzgerald’s Legacy  Although Fitzgerald’s drinking gave him a reputation as an irresponsible writer, he was a painstaking reviser.  While he endured a lot of criticism just after his death, his reputation grew in the 1960’s.  Today, he is considered one of the great American novelists, and The Great Gatsby is considered his masterpiece.

Enduring Associations  Fitzgerald has become identified with the extravagant living of the Jazz Age: “It was an age of miracles, it was an age of art, it was an age of excess, and it was an age of satire.” “It was an age of miracles, it was an age of art, it was an age of excess, and it was an age of satire.” --F. Scott Fitzgerald --F. Scott Fitzgerald  He felt that aspiration and idealism defined America and its people.  His writing style is known for being clear, lyrical, and witty.

By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Setting  New York  West Egg- where Nick and Gatsby live, represents new money  East Egg- where Daisy lives, the more fashionable area, represents old money  The City- New York City, where the characters escape to for work and play, a place where anything goes  The Valley of Ashes- between the City and West Egg, where Wilson’s gas station is, desolate wasteland

Main Characters  Nick Carraway- The narrator of the novel; moves from the Midwest to New York to learn the bond business  Jay Gatsby- Lives next to Nick in a mansion; throws huge parties, complete with catered food, open bars, and orchestras; people come from everywhere to attend these parties, but no one seems to know much about the host  Daisy Buchanan- Shallow girl who is the embodiment of Gatsby's dreams  Tom Buchanan- Husband of Daisy; a cruel man who lives life irresponsibly.  Jordan Baker- A cynical and conceited woman who cheats in golf; wants Nick to go out with her.  Myrtle Wilson- Tom has an affair with this married woman, and then abandons her after he become bored with her.  George Wilson-Myrtle’s husband, the lifeless, exhausted owner of a run-down auto shop at the edge of the valley of ashes.  Owl Eyes - The eccentric, bespectacled drunk whom Nick meets at the first party he attends at Gatsby’s mansion. Nick finds Owl Eyes looking through Gatsby’s library, astonished that the books are real.  Klipspringer-The shallow freeloader who seems almost to live at Gatsby’s mansion, taking advantage of his host’s money.  Meyer Wolfsheim- Gatsby’s friend, a prominent figure in organized crime. Before the events of the novel take place, Wolfsheim helped Gatsby to make his fortune bootlegging illegal liquor. His continued acquaintance with Gatsby suggests that Gatsby is still involved in illegal business.

Fitzgerald = Characters  Jay Gatsby Sensitive young man who idolizes wealth Sensitive young man who idolizes wealth Falls in love with a beautiful young woman while stationed at a military camp in the South Falls in love with a beautiful young woman while stationed at a military camp in the South Fitzgerald fell into a wild, reckless life- style of parties and decadence, while desperately trying to please Zelda by writing to earn money Fitzgerald fell into a wild, reckless life- style of parties and decadence, while desperately trying to please Zelda by writing to earn money Similarly, Gatsby amasses a great deal of wealth at a relatively young age, and devotes himself to acquiring possessions and throwing parties that he believes will enable him to win Daisy’s love Similarly, Gatsby amasses a great deal of wealth at a relatively young age, and devotes himself to acquiring possessions and throwing parties that he believes will enable him to win Daisy’s love Like Gatsby, Fitzgerald was driven by his love for a woman who symbolized everything he wanted, even as she led him toward everything he despised Like Gatsby, Fitzgerald was driven by his love for a woman who symbolized everything he wanted, even as she led him toward everything he despised  Nick Carraway Thoughtful young man from Minnesota Educated at an Ivy League school Moved to New York after the war Like Nick, Fitzgerald saw through the glitter of the Jazz Age to the moral emptiness and hypocrisy beneath, and part of him longed for this absent moral center

The Great Gatsby Narrator: First Person Nick Carraway  The story is told in the first person, through the eyes of Nick Carraway.  The primary and most visible story is about Jay Gatsby and his devotion to his dream.  Other stories, also told through Carraway’s eyes, include Tom’s reconciliation with his wife Daisy, Nick’s own relationship with Jordan, and Nick’s evolving friendship with Gatsby.  Nick Carraway is able to easily become part of the wallpaper. His major character trait – reserving judgment – allows him to be almost an "invisible" narrator, similar to a traditional third-person omniscient point of view.  Ultimately, however, if we lost Nick’s point-of-view, we would never understand the evolution of his character. He is the invisible man until the end of the book, when suddenly, he has opinions about everybody.

Symbols  Green Light- at the end of Daisy’s dock and visible from Gatsby’s mansion. Represents Gatsby's hopes and dreams about Daisy.  The Valley of Ashes- the area between West Egg and New York City. It is a desolate area filled with industrial waste. It represents the social and moral decay of society during the 1920’s. It also shows the negative effects of greed.  The Eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg- A decaying billboard in the Valley of Ashes with eyes advertising an optometrist. There are multiple proposed meanings, including the representation of God’s moral judgment on society.

Themes  Hope - represented by the light across the bay that Gatsby was fixated on. It was the embodiment of his sole goal in life, which was a reunification with Daisy.  Success - Gatsby felt that the only way he would win Daisy was through his money.  Ignorance - The characters have little self-knowledge and even less knowledge of each other.  Judgment - Nick misinterprets the advice of his father and tries not to judge people.  Disillusionment - Gatsby dreams of getting back together with Daisy even though she is married and has a daughter.  Morals - The morals of people with great wealth seem to be less than desirable, but many times are more socially accepted than lower classes.

Lessons  Money cannot buy happiness.  You cannot relive the past.  If dreams are too fantastic, and reality cannot keep up with ideals they are usually not fulfilled.  Life is paradoxical – aspects and attitudes seem to contradict

Important Quotes  “I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” – Daisy’s description of her daughter  “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” –the last line of the novel  "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made." – Nick’s description of Tom and Daisy