The Great Gatsby is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald set in the early 1920's. It is about the American Dream and one person who tries to captivate it's false promises. His name is Jay Gatsby and his dream is that, through wealth and power, he can get happiness. Jay is the main person throughout the story and he longs for the past. In the past, Jay had a love affair with the beautiful Daisy. Knowing he could not marry her because of their difference in status, he leaves to go aquire his wealth so that it meets Daisy's standards. The story is set right after World War I and during a time called Prohibition. This time period outlawed the manufacture, sale, or consumption of alcohol. So, Jay gets wealthy through bootlegging. When he has gained this wealth he moves across the bay from Daisy and her now husband, Tom. Tom and Daisy live on the West Egg and Jay on the East Egg, which are fictional names to represent New York City and Long Island. At his mansion he throws expensive parties, hoping that Daisy might show up at one of them. He does not actually attend his parties, however. He just watches them from a distance. When this plan doesn't work, he asks around if anyone knows her. Then he meets Nick Carraway, his neighbor and a cousin of Daisy, and Nick sets up a meeting for them to get together. All of the affairs unfold. Jay takes blame for the accidental death of Myrtle, Tom's mistress, which Daisy caused.
Gatsby cannot accept the fact that you cannot relive the past. When Nick points this out, Gatsby replies, "Can't repeat the past?…Why of course you can!" Jay's American Dream is not material possesions, although it may appear to be. His true dream is Daisy, which is why he gets rich. This symbolizes a bigger picture of the American Dream - that we all have the chance to get what we want. Gatsby pays the price and gets murdered.
I suggest The Great Gatsby for anyone who wants a good read. I especially liked it because of the time period and setting.
Rub Rakha,
Maddie
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