The Great Gatsby
The Story of Gatsby
The novel starts with Nick Carraway reflecting his journey with Jay Gatsby. Nick moved to the West Egg in New York, after spending his time in the Great War. Nick reunites with his cousin Daisy and old friend Tom at their home in East Egg where he discovers that Tom is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson. A few days later, Nick spends the day with Tom and his mistress, and in the following days he receives a personal invite to one of Gatsby's many parties. At the party, Gatsby strikes a conversation with Nick, and later in the week Gatsby takes Nick out to New York; there Nick is "voluntold" by Gatsby to take Jordan out for tea. At tea, Jordan informs Nick of Gatsby and Daisy's past, and proceeds to inform him of Gatsby's plan to reunite with Daisy. When Gatsby and Daisy meet again, they begin an affair, but things take a turn for the worst when Gatsby is invited to the Buchanan home; there, Tom discovers the relationship of Gatsby and Daisy. They agree to go out to the town, where Tom and Gatsby have a confrontation regarding Daisy. Tom commands the two of them to head out, but disaster strikes as Nick and the others discover that Myrtle Wilson has been hit by Gatsby's car. Tom convinces Mr. Wilson that Gatsby is the murderer, as well as the man she was having an affair with, and then heads home. When they arrive, Nick finds Gatsby hiding behind a bush, and Nick discovers Daisy's guilt; Nick goes home, and Gatsby soon thereafter, and the two of them stay up together. As they wait for the sunrise, Gatsby confesses his true origins to Nick, and after Nick leaves for work, Gatsby is shot by Wilson! Wilson then kills himself, and Nick provides his reflection of his life, and his opinion of all the people he's had connections with throughout the story.
The Man Behind the Novel
F.
Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 in Minnesota. He grew in an
upper-middle class family and started writing at a very young age. Encouraged
by a multitude of people, Fitzgerald chose to focus on writing more than his
academics and dropped out of Princeton University to join the Army. He wrote
his first book, The Side of Paradise,
and attempted to get it published, but it was rejected twice before finally
being accepted upon revision. As a result, his lover, Zelda Sayre, agreed to
wed him. He continued to write novels in between short stories and magazine
articles. His works included The
Beautiful and the Damned, Tender is
the Night, and of course, The Great
Gatsby. Fitzgerald struggled with alcoholism and the mental illness of his
wife who stayed in the hospital until her death, but his future seemed brighter
upon gaining a contract with Metro-Goldwyn Mayer in 1937. He was able to write
scripts, a book about Hollywood, and even fell in love with another woman;
however, in 1940, at the age of 44, Fitzgerald suffered a heart attack and
passed away, leaving behind his legendary works that would fail to gain
recognition until many years after his death (Willett).
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| "F. Scott Fitzgerald" |
Works Cited
F. Scott Fitzgerald. Digital image. Biography. Bio, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
Willett, Erika. "F. Scott Fitzgerald and the American Dream." PBS.
PBS, n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.
