West Forsyth

Major Works Data Sheet

AP Language and Composition

Title of Work: The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Date of Publication:
Genre: The Great Gatsby can belong to an assortment of genres, two major genres include Modernist Novel, and Social Criticism. / Characteristics of the genre
The Social Criticism genre often critiques society’s flawed social structures. They create a story in which the characters are revealing a specific component of society in which they believe should be changed.
Modernist Novel: Many modernists’ novels are set post World War I and the characters face struggles brought about by an increasingly industrialized and globalized world. Characters frequently are confronted by the innovations of the change world around them
Represented a shift in what was considered to be culturally sensible after World War I. Brought in new themes that were popularized after the war, such as the world becoming more and more industrialized and globalized
Historical Information about the period of publication:
The jazz age was often called the roaring twenties because everyone and everything was on the verge of changing or getting “more sophisticated”. Everyone parties until 2 a.m., had a lot of money, and seemed to be very successful. Older generation thought the newer generations were absurd for what they thought of as fun and tried to pass amendments that would alter the way of living for the newer generations, one being the 18th amendment (1919), which would obviously later be overcome. World War I had left America in shock from the violence it caused. People were spending money and the economy had never been better, this would end the 30’s with the great depression. / Biographical information about the author
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (F. Scott Fitzgerald) was born in 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Fitzgerald attended Princeton University until he left in 1917 to join the army. When he returned from battle at the age of twenty-three, his first novel, This Side of Paradise, was published by Scribners in 1920. He married Zelda Sayre in that same year and they spent much of their time indulged in their travels to New York, Paris, and the Riviera together. However, in the 1930, nervous breakdowns began to plague Zelda and she ended up needing to be placed in an institution for her safety. This only added to Fitzgerald’s issues while writing Tender is the Night in 1934, as he had to handle his own problems with drinking during this time as well.
F. Scott Fitzgerald eventually began writing commercial short stories for The Saturday Evening Post which came as a result of his desire to accommodate the greater lifestyle that he was accustomed to. However, Fitzgerald left for Hollywood where he worked on screen plays for the remainder of his life in 1937. “Through some of his other works of literature such as The Beautiful and Damned and The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald steadily became a major force in the literary world. However, while working on The Love of the Last Tycoon, Fitzgerald died of a heart attack at the age of forty four in 1940. Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is known as one of the most influential and important writers of the twentieth century through his strong social insight and impressive lyricism (Simon and Schuster, 217).” Fitzgerald is especially able to portray different perspectives from different characters when explaining the idealization of the “American Dream” and how it can be achieved from each different point of view.
He is also able to emphasize the traits of each character and how the characteristics between them vary significantly as well as the consistency of other characters throughout The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald paints a fascinating picture of how The Great Gatsby portrays lifestyles from different perspectives throughout the 1920s to give readers a better idea and how different situations were acted upon in the specific time period as well.
Plot Summary
Chapter 1- The setting starts in summer of 1922, the narrator, Nick Carraway has just arrived to New York from Minnesota. He begins the book by commenting about himself and how he grew up privileged. When he was younger, his father told him “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” This quote is significant because it establishes his wealth and social status early on. His new residency is in West Egg, Long Island and unlike Nick; most people there did not grow up with money, and were considered “new rich.” Nick graduated from Yale University and had several social connections.
Nicks Cousin, Daisy also lives in West Egg with her husband Tom, who was a former acquaintance of Nicks. Nick planned on having dinner with just the two of them, but was surprised to meet another woman at dinner named Jordan Baker, a friend of the two. Tom and Daisy seem like a happy married couple, but in reality it is very gilded, pleasant on the surface but underneath is disrupted. Tom leaves the dinner unexpectedly to answer a phone call and eventually Daisy runs after him. Jordan informs Nick that it was Tom’s mistress. After dinner Jordan leaves because she has a golf tournament early in the morning. Eventually Daisy and Tom set Jordan and Nick up, and the two have intimate relations. Once he returns home, he sees the infamous Gatsby standing on his lawn looking out onto the water. Gatsby seems to be staring out at a green light in the distance. This green light is foreshadowing a symbol that represents his hopeful goal to pursue Daisy.
Chapter 2- Fitzgerald describes the valley of ashes – the area between the Eggs and New York City. Included in the description is the description of the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg. Tom takes Nick into the city and to meet “his woman.” Nick gets dragged into a awkward party where he doesn’t know anyone and ends up getting drunk. Tom and Myrtle get into a fight and Tom hits her. Gatsby is mentioned at the party, sparking Nick’s interest in him again. Nick hears some gossip that the reason Tom and Daisy don’t get a divorce is because Daisy is Catholic, which is untrue. Myrtle discusses her hatred for her husband. Myrtle tells Nick the story of how she met Tom. Nick ends up trying to get home at four in the morning.
Chapter 3- Nick hears the noise from Gatsby’s party and describes the extravagant and abundant provisions required to maintain the incessant activity. He describes his attendance at the party and the superficiality of the other guests including those who converse with Jordan. He has a strange experience with a man, obviously drunk, who is obsessed with Gatsby’s extensive library. Nick talks to a man who is actually Gatsby. He then engages in roundabout conversation with other guests about Gatsby while Gatsby is on the phone. Gatsby then talks to Jordan for an hour while Nick is continued to be bored by the guests. Near the end of the party, someone wrecks their car driving drunk. Nick returns home after promising Gatsby to go hydroplaning the next day.
Chapter 4- Nick goes to eat lunch in the town with Gatsby, while driving there Gatsby tells Nick a lot of things about his past such as the college he attended which he said was oxford, and how he came from the Midwest. Nick becomes doubtful of Gatsby’s story because when asked what part of the Midwest Gatsby said “San Francisco.” Gatsby also tells stories of him getting medals for his achievements in World War 1 from several different European countries. Gatsby later shows Nick these medals as he notices Nick seeming quite doubtful. On the way to the city for lunch Gatsby is pulled over by the police for speeding, but he then shows them a card and the policeman apologizes for bothering him. This is very significant because this allows Nick to experience just how powerful this man Gatsby is, that he is powerful enough to be above the law. At lunch Nick is introduced to Meyer Wolfshiem. Through their conversations with Meyer Nick begins to think that Meyer may be involved in some type of illegal activity and that Gatsby may be involved. Jordan Baker and Nick have a conversation in this chapter that reveals a lot of Gatsby and Daisy’s past and how they were engaged and things got broken off and how Gatsby is supposedly still in love with her, then a plan is devised for both of them to show up at Nicks house for tea without the two knowing each other will be there.
Chapter 5- Nick comes home to find that Gatsby’s house is lit up as if he is throwing a party. After a little while longer, Nick realizes that Gatsby isn’t throwing a party but just has all the lights on. Gatsby walks up to Nick and asks him if he wants to go to Coney Island. When Nick refuses Gatsby asks if Nick wants to go for a swim. Once again Nick turns down the offer saying that it is too late and he has to go to sleep. Gatsby then starts asking him about which day to invite Daisy over for tea. Gatsby requests that the date be moved forward because he needs to get the grass cut. Nick looks at the grass-line between their lawns and notices that Gatsby’s lawn is perfectly cut but his is not. This leads Nick to believe Gatsby is refering to his own grass that needs to be cut, not Gatsby’s. Gatsby also wants to make sure he is not bothering Nick as he tries to choose a day and decide on one that is convenient for him. The next day Nick calls Daisy to invite her from his office telling her to not invite Tom. The day of the tea party it was raining and a man arrives at Nick’s house to cut his grass. Gatsby comes a little later looking tired and wearing a blank expression. They both anxiously wait for Daisy’s arrival. When she finally arrives Gatsby is still extremely nervous and there is akward conversation between him and Daisy. Nick also notices that Gatsby doesn’t remove his hands from his pockets. After the cakes and the tea had been brought in, Nick talked with Daisy while Gatsby looked at them unhappily. When Nick had an opportunity to leave he seized it and tried to go away. On his way out Gatsby asked him where he was going and said he needed to talk to him. Gatsby tells Nick that the tea party was a horrible idea. Nick reassures Gatsby that they are just both a little emarrassed and he should go and talk to her. After the talk Nick does go outside and wait until it is sunny. The grocer’s automobile drove up carrying the supplies for dinner. Nick goes back in and makes noise in the kitchen because there is such an akward silence in the house. When Nick walks back in he finds Gatsby to be a new man and Daisy is wiping away tears. Now that it has stopped raining, Gatsby offers to show his house to Daisy and Nick. Nick is surprised to hear that Gatsby is offering to bring him, but Gatsby assures Nick that he wants him to come. While looking at Gatsby’s house Nick and Gatsbt start talking. Gatsby makes a remark that it only took him three years to save up the money to buy his house. Nick is confused and says he thought Gatsby inherited his money. From this point on Gatsby’s responses are quick and as if he is trying to hide something. Daisy comes out from washing her face and ends Nick and Gatsby’s conversation. They take a tour through Gatsby’s house but the whole time Gatsby can’t stop looking at Daisy. Gatsby shows them both all of his clothes that are sent to him from England at the beginning of each season. Daisy starts to cry saying that she has never seen such beautiful shirts. After that they go outside and it is raining once again. They go inside and look at pictures of Gatsby on a yacht with a man named Mr. Dan Cody. Gatsby calls in a man named Mr. Klipspringer to play the piano even though the man says he isn’t that good and is out of practice. Gatsby continually cuts the man off from talking and orders him to play the piano. They all sit and listen to the man play piano while the sounds of the thunderstorm and New York come in from outside. Nick notices that the black look had come back over Gatsby’s face. He concludes that in Gatsby’s mind, Daisy is more than just herself. He thinks that Gatsby’s imagination had taken over the idea of Daisy.
Chapter 6-It is revealed that Gatsby has been lying all along about his identity. His real name is James Gatz and he comes up with a fantasy that he really isn't who everyone thinks he is-or who he thinks he is. He disowns his parents due to their inability to live up to his imaginary standards-they were farmers and poor. One day while on the beach, Gatsby spots a man named Dan Cody- a man with a yacht. The plan he's been thinking about for so long starts to spin in his head and he decides to swim over to him. Dan asks Gatsby many questions including what his name is. Gatsby uses his false name instead and tells him all sorts of lies-like who he knows and what's he's been through. Cody falls for it and ends us buying clothes for Gatsby and basically becomes a grandfather-like figure to Gatsby- this is the official beginning of Gatsby. Later in the chapter, Tom and two of his friends arrive at Gatsby's house and Gatsby brings up the fact that he knows Daisy. The way Gatsby says this and the very fact that Gatsby says this rubs Tom the wrong way and there is immediate tension between the two. Tom and Gatsby had actually already met at one of Gatsby's parties and while there, Daisy and Gatsby spent time together. In Gatsby's mind, Daisy doesn't seem to be enjoying herself but in reality she isn't living up to his expectation of her. Nick later explains to him that he can't live in the past and Gatsby replies, "Why of course you can!" The point is that Gatsby wants things to be like were five years ago and Nick is trying to make him understand that things have changed, the past is dead and gone. Gatsby just won't accept this- and suffers because of it.
Chapter 7- The chapter opens with news that Gatsby has fired all of his servants and replaced them with new ones who are suspected to have some connection to Wolfsheim. Daisy has asked Gatsby to lunch at her house that afternoon and Nick tags along-much to Daisy’s relief. Nick and Gatsby arrive to the Buchanan’s house during on an extremely hot day to find Daisy and Jordan lounging on couches. When Nick inquires about Tom, he overhears the end of a conversation between Tom and Wilson where Tom decides not to sell Wilson his car.