My Artifacts
Great Gatsby Essay November 12, 2016 English 3/4:
Aitor Iriso
Molly Fenn
English ¾
12 November 2016
Gastby: A Product of the Age of False Prosperity
Usually when people talk about the age known as The Roaring Twenties, the topic of the American Dream emerges frequently and how materialism in the early 20th century led to the prosperity of American culture. However, the illusion created by materialism proves to be consequential, as it casts lust for the pursuit of wealth and property which in turn, decimates American culture. This is otherwise known as the corruption the American Dream; which is attributed to the exploitation of the poor derived from the undiminished hedonism of the rich. Ultimately, the people who suck the juice out of the American Dream eventually suffer a calamity too great to endure. Meet Jay Gatsby. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, through Nick Carraway’s narration, uses indirect characterization to reveal glimpses of who Gatsby is and how he contributes to the destruction known as the American Dream. To illustrate this, Fitzgerald employs an imagistic style of writing in order to epitomize that the man who yearns for love from a long lost innamorata, who is consumed by the illusion of materialism, and who suffers from the lack of self authenticity, will undoubtedly meet his demise tragically.
As a neighbor of Gatsby living in West Egg, Nick is exposed to the sumptuous lifestyle of an infamous celebrity, whose opulence intrigues him to discover the source of Gatsby’s wealth and the mystery surrounding his character. Early on in the novel, Nick is startled by the irony that a renown extrovert is seen alone in the shadows. He felt that Gatsby “gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone--he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward--and distinguished nothing except a single green light”(21). Without hesitation, it can be inferred that Gatsby is at conflict with his emotions pertaining to a long lost love, hence the green light belongs to Daisy: Gatsby’s long lost love as well as Nick’s cousin. The fact that Gatsby stares so passionately at the green light and avoids confrontation with Daisy intentionally tells a lot about his character and how he must compensate for his lack of brilliance as a man by using underhanded tactics to achieve his goal. Speaking of such tactics, in chapter III, after repeatedly describing Gatsby’s parties from what he observes nearby, Nick is shocked to have received an invitation to one of Gatsby’s parties “signed Jay Gatsby in a majestic hand”(41) because it is unknown why Gatsby would want anything to do with Nick; whom he is unfamiliar with. Showcasing his tremendous wealth, Gatsby’s estate features the finest exposition of food, entertainment, and amenities which all but amazed Nick and succeeded to feed his interest to stay at the party. But, what was specifically interesting to Nick was that the extravagance of Gatsby’s party had accomplished its underhanded goal of attracting important people which Gatsby had interest in being associated with. In addition to himself, Nick noted that he “was immediately struck by the number of young Englishmen dotted about; all well dressed, all looking a little hungry, and all talking in low, earnest voices to solid and prosperous Americans. I was sure that they were selling something: bonds or insurance or automobiles.”(42), because now, Nick saw proof that Gatsby was currently involved in big business and that by throwing parties, ingeniously, he could achieve his goals with underhanded tactics while not revealing his motives.
However, Nick manages to infiltrate Gatsby’s inner circle and learns that Gatsby’s lavish possessions and shady encounters are part of a ploy to make himself appear larger than life, in order to win Daisy’s heart. By persuading Nick with his underhanded tactics, Gatsby now has an advantage in approaching Daisy according to his methods because Nick is closely related. Yet, Gatsby still has one obstacle that would be insurmountable to face head on: Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s abusive husband, is the only thing standing in Gatsby’s way. Nevertheless, Gatsby ignores the fact that he is endangering his life by having an affair and he invites Daisy to his house so that he can show her around. As the observer, Nick made an interesting observation when Gatsby began showing Daisy his colorful shirt collection made from precious silks. Surprisingly, “Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily. ‘They’re such beautiful shirts’, she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. ‘It makes me sad I’ve never seen such--such beautiful shirts before.’”(92) but it was most surprising how Gatsby reacted to her crying. Instead of being a supportive friend, he seized the moment to realize that his plans to win Daisy back were suddenly probable, as shortly thereafter, she “put her arm through his abruptly but he seemed absorbed in what he had just said.” and at that moment Nick finally uncovered Gatsby’s hidden motives of displaying his wealth.
In addition to lavish possessions, Nick also witnessed one of Gatsby’s shady encounters with a man named Meyer Wolfsheim, whom is portrayed as a deliberate and calculating lawbreaker by Gatsby when he told Nick that Wolfsheim was the man who “ fixed the world series back in 1919.”(73) proving that Gatsby is involved in illegal activities. But that is not all. In fact, Tom later approached Gatsby, enraged that Daisy was in his presence. He said “ ‘I found out about what your drug stores were. He turned to us and spoke rapidly. He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him and I wasn’t far wrong.’”(133) which frankly shows that Gatsby is ruthless, meaning that he does not care for the implications of his wrongdoings so long as his end goal is in sight. Looking at it from the outside perspective, Gatsby is exploiting the majority of Americans by capitalizing on alcohol during the prohibition and hence sucking the fruit of the American Dream dry for the insatiable goal of winning Daisy’s heart; at the expense of many people.
The last ingredient in Gatsby’s recipe for disaster is the debility of exerting his emotions authentically. Lies and deceit can be very dangerous when harnessed in coalition with devious tactics as well as compensating for one’s self image with material. All of the pieces of the puzzle for disaster hold the power of blinding Gatsby with the illusion of materialism which as a result affected him to lose sight of who he really was. In his pursuit of the American Dream, Gatsby, consumed by his greed, profited off of the poor Americans of New York illegally to try and impress Daisy that he was a man worth marrying, but he never realized that all that he wanted was love, and that all he needed to do was to be true to himself. Only through Fitzgerald’s vivid imagery in the eyes of Nick Carraway could we see that Gatsby’s authenticity was obscured by the corruption of the American Dream because he only saw himself for the material he possessed and failed to recognize that love is immaterial. There were no need for underhanded tactics or extravagant possessions or even lies for Jay Gatsby, but rather only the clarity to see past the illusion created by the American Dream. In solidity, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s: The Great Gatsby paints a clear picture that the “Great” Gatsby, the contributor to the corruption of the American Dream, whom also yearned for love from his long lost innamorata, was twisted to believe that his pursuit for immaterial love was the pursuit of the American Dream; which therefore resulted in the abrupt end to his life and the suffering of many Americans. Thus, Gatsby exemplifies a product of the of the Age of False Prosperity and was just another victim of the illusion created by materialism.
Works Cited:
-Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004. Print.
Calculus Predator Prey Models:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OEqL7Hiw8rZPV7lvhDUNB2XprbxymoLLdONJ-yjC1fk/edit?usp=sharing
In Calculus, we all learned how to create mathematical models to explain what would happen if a rabbit population and a fox population coexisted in a predator-prey habitat over a certain amount of time.
Senior Store Spreadsheets(google drive):
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DbG6Gnn9FXoNdKmLa9KTXEtKx83JHA0yFe7y-exFgdc/edit?usp=sharing
Over the course of this year, I have worked on managing the senior store and all the money in particular, which is why i made this spreadsheet.
Aitor Iriso
Molly Fenn
English ¾
12 November 2016
Gastby: A Product of the Age of False Prosperity
Usually when people talk about the age known as The Roaring Twenties, the topic of the American Dream emerges frequently and how materialism in the early 20th century led to the prosperity of American culture. However, the illusion created by materialism proves to be consequential, as it casts lust for the pursuit of wealth and property which in turn, decimates American culture. This is otherwise known as the corruption the American Dream; which is attributed to the exploitation of the poor derived from the undiminished hedonism of the rich. Ultimately, the people who suck the juice out of the American Dream eventually suffer a calamity too great to endure. Meet Jay Gatsby. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, through Nick Carraway’s narration, uses indirect characterization to reveal glimpses of who Gatsby is and how he contributes to the destruction known as the American Dream. To illustrate this, Fitzgerald employs an imagistic style of writing in order to epitomize that the man who yearns for love from a long lost innamorata, who is consumed by the illusion of materialism, and who suffers from the lack of self authenticity, will undoubtedly meet his demise tragically.
As a neighbor of Gatsby living in West Egg, Nick is exposed to the sumptuous lifestyle of an infamous celebrity, whose opulence intrigues him to discover the source of Gatsby’s wealth and the mystery surrounding his character. Early on in the novel, Nick is startled by the irony that a renown extrovert is seen alone in the shadows. He felt that Gatsby “gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone--he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward--and distinguished nothing except a single green light”(21). Without hesitation, it can be inferred that Gatsby is at conflict with his emotions pertaining to a long lost love, hence the green light belongs to Daisy: Gatsby’s long lost love as well as Nick’s cousin. The fact that Gatsby stares so passionately at the green light and avoids confrontation with Daisy intentionally tells a lot about his character and how he must compensate for his lack of brilliance as a man by using underhanded tactics to achieve his goal. Speaking of such tactics, in chapter III, after repeatedly describing Gatsby’s parties from what he observes nearby, Nick is shocked to have received an invitation to one of Gatsby’s parties “signed Jay Gatsby in a majestic hand”(41) because it is unknown why Gatsby would want anything to do with Nick; whom he is unfamiliar with. Showcasing his tremendous wealth, Gatsby’s estate features the finest exposition of food, entertainment, and amenities which all but amazed Nick and succeeded to feed his interest to stay at the party. But, what was specifically interesting to Nick was that the extravagance of Gatsby’s party had accomplished its underhanded goal of attracting important people which Gatsby had interest in being associated with. In addition to himself, Nick noted that he “was immediately struck by the number of young Englishmen dotted about; all well dressed, all looking a little hungry, and all talking in low, earnest voices to solid and prosperous Americans. I was sure that they were selling something: bonds or insurance or automobiles.”(42), because now, Nick saw proof that Gatsby was currently involved in big business and that by throwing parties, ingeniously, he could achieve his goals with underhanded tactics while not revealing his motives.
However, Nick manages to infiltrate Gatsby’s inner circle and learns that Gatsby’s lavish possessions and shady encounters are part of a ploy to make himself appear larger than life, in order to win Daisy’s heart. By persuading Nick with his underhanded tactics, Gatsby now has an advantage in approaching Daisy according to his methods because Nick is closely related. Yet, Gatsby still has one obstacle that would be insurmountable to face head on: Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s abusive husband, is the only thing standing in Gatsby’s way. Nevertheless, Gatsby ignores the fact that he is endangering his life by having an affair and he invites Daisy to his house so that he can show her around. As the observer, Nick made an interesting observation when Gatsby began showing Daisy his colorful shirt collection made from precious silks. Surprisingly, “Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily. ‘They’re such beautiful shirts’, she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. ‘It makes me sad I’ve never seen such--such beautiful shirts before.’”(92) but it was most surprising how Gatsby reacted to her crying. Instead of being a supportive friend, he seized the moment to realize that his plans to win Daisy back were suddenly probable, as shortly thereafter, she “put her arm through his abruptly but he seemed absorbed in what he had just said.” and at that moment Nick finally uncovered Gatsby’s hidden motives of displaying his wealth.
In addition to lavish possessions, Nick also witnessed one of Gatsby’s shady encounters with a man named Meyer Wolfsheim, whom is portrayed as a deliberate and calculating lawbreaker by Gatsby when he told Nick that Wolfsheim was the man who “ fixed the world series back in 1919.”(73) proving that Gatsby is involved in illegal activities. But that is not all. In fact, Tom later approached Gatsby, enraged that Daisy was in his presence. He said “ ‘I found out about what your drug stores were. He turned to us and spoke rapidly. He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him and I wasn’t far wrong.’”(133) which frankly shows that Gatsby is ruthless, meaning that he does not care for the implications of his wrongdoings so long as his end goal is in sight. Looking at it from the outside perspective, Gatsby is exploiting the majority of Americans by capitalizing on alcohol during the prohibition and hence sucking the fruit of the American Dream dry for the insatiable goal of winning Daisy’s heart; at the expense of many people.
The last ingredient in Gatsby’s recipe for disaster is the debility of exerting his emotions authentically. Lies and deceit can be very dangerous when harnessed in coalition with devious tactics as well as compensating for one’s self image with material. All of the pieces of the puzzle for disaster hold the power of blinding Gatsby with the illusion of materialism which as a result affected him to lose sight of who he really was. In his pursuit of the American Dream, Gatsby, consumed by his greed, profited off of the poor Americans of New York illegally to try and impress Daisy that he was a man worth marrying, but he never realized that all that he wanted was love, and that all he needed to do was to be true to himself. Only through Fitzgerald’s vivid imagery in the eyes of Nick Carraway could we see that Gatsby’s authenticity was obscured by the corruption of the American Dream because he only saw himself for the material he possessed and failed to recognize that love is immaterial. There were no need for underhanded tactics or extravagant possessions or even lies for Jay Gatsby, but rather only the clarity to see past the illusion created by the American Dream. In solidity, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s: The Great Gatsby paints a clear picture that the “Great” Gatsby, the contributor to the corruption of the American Dream, whom also yearned for love from his long lost innamorata, was twisted to believe that his pursuit for immaterial love was the pursuit of the American Dream; which therefore resulted in the abrupt end to his life and the suffering of many Americans. Thus, Gatsby exemplifies a product of the of the Age of False Prosperity and was just another victim of the illusion created by materialism.
Works Cited:
-Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004. Print.
Calculus Predator Prey Models:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OEqL7Hiw8rZPV7lvhDUNB2XprbxymoLLdONJ-yjC1fk/edit?usp=sharing
In Calculus, we all learned how to create mathematical models to explain what would happen if a rabbit population and a fox population coexisted in a predator-prey habitat over a certain amount of time.
Senior Store Spreadsheets(google drive):
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DbG6Gnn9FXoNdKmLa9KTXEtKx83JHA0yFe7y-exFgdc/edit?usp=sharing
Over the course of this year, I have worked on managing the senior store and all the money in particular, which is why i made this spreadsheet.