The Great Gatsby:Jay Gatsby AiLi Lim
Olivia RussellMartine Acanfora
Connection to Roaring Twenties The Great Gatsby was a novel written by F.
Scott Fitzgerald during the Roaring Twenties. It was a criticism of that time period Jay Gatsby represented the wealthy
lifestyle of the 1920’s. Jay Gatsby was a “new egg”
New egg were the wealthy that obtained wealth through work rather than through inheritance.
Rumors of Gatsby “…he’s a nephew or a cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm.” “….he was a German spy during the war.” “…he killed a man who had found out that he was
nephew to Von Hidenburg and second cousin to the devil.”
“…he didn’t live in a house at all, but in a boat that looked like a house and was moved secretly up and down the Long Island shore.”
What Gatsby says about himself He was the son of some wealthy people in the Middle
West (San Francisco) who are all dead now. Brought up in America, but educated in Oxford
All his ancestors were educated there so it was a family tradition
Lived like a rajah in all the capitals of Europe like Paris, Venice, and Rome.
Participated in war and was promoted to be a major and even obtained a medal
Gatsby’s Real Background His real name was James Gatz
He changed his name to Jay Gatsby at the age of 17 Born in North Dakota in a poor family Went to a small Lutheran college of St. Olaf for 2 weeks Dan Cody employed Gatsby to work for him on his yacht While he was in the army during WWI, he met Daisy and fell in
love with her. After he returned to America from war, Gatsby started to work
for Wolfsheim in the criminal business He received most if his fortune there
Appearance
Young man with tanned skin and short hair that was trimmed everyday
Around thirty years old Flamboyant style of
dressing Caramel colored suit White flannel suit, silver
shirt, and gold-colored tie Pink suit
Personality Formal speech (ex: Old
sport) Loyal to those he loves Persistent Kind-hearted, charming,
and generous Naïve and idealistic As a boy, he made resolves
to improve himself
American Dream Theme The American dream—an individual can achieve success regardless of
family history or social status if they work hard enough Goal: To achieve happiness
Jay Gatsby represented the American dream He grew up in poverty, but grew up to be a millionaire Epitome of a self-made man (though he did not obtain the money through
honest means) However, Fitzgerald also used Gatsby to show the corruption of the
American Dream in the 1920s Desire for money and worldly pleasures overshadowed the true values of the
dreamo Elaborate parties represented the greed, material excess, and
unrestrained desire for pleasure Gatsby was blinded by his dream of wealth, status, and success and it led to
his demise http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqbDBit1xoU
Occupation and Wealth Throughout Gatsby’s life, he has strived to
obtain wealth through numerous jobs. Janitor Worked for Dan Cody as steward, mate,
skipper, secretary, and even jailor After the war, he worked with Wolfsheim
Bootlegger—illegally selling alcohol Gatsby obtained his an enormous wealth
through criminal activity rather than honest work. One could question if the end justify the means. Gatsby’s American dream was accomplished through criminal actions.
Gatsby’s Relationships Daisy Fay
Fell in love with her Lied about his family background to
her Left for war and came back to only
find out that she married Tom Attempts to win back Daisy’s love Takes the blame of killing Myrtle
when it was really Daisy Daisy doesn’t even attend Gatsby
funeral
Nick Carraway Befriended Nick in order to
get closer to Daisy Became good friends in the
end Nick acknowledges Gatsby as
the most morally “good” person of all the characters
Only friend who went to his funeral
Gatsby’s Relationships Tom
Negative relationship between each other because of their mutual love for Daisy
Tom ruins the possibility for Daisy to love Gatsby when he mentions Gatsby profession as a criminal
Tells Wilson that Gatsby “killed” his wife leading to Gatsby’s death
Meyer Wolfsheim Met Gatsby after the war
and gave him a job Gatsby’s crime partner However, Wolfshiem
neglects to go to Gatsby’s funeralo Their relationship was
purely out of business than out of friendship
Connection to today’s world Like Gatsby, everyone strives to obtain the American
dream. We have goals that we want to achieve, though some may be more difficult to accomplish than others.
The dream may be different than its 1920’s counterpart; however, the underlying theme is still the same.
Modern day celebrities can be compared to Jay Gatsby Oprah Winfrey, J.K Rowling, Jay-Z They all started out in a poor background, but
through hard work, they became successful
Sources Emin Tunc, Tanfer. "The Great Gatsby: The Tragedy of the American Dream on Long
Island's Gold Coast." In Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BLTTAD009&SingleRecord=True (accessed May 3, 2012).
Putnam, LuElla. "the American dream." McClinton-Temple, Jennifer, ed. Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature.. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= ETL0004&SingleRecord=True (accessed May 3, 2012).
http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0310/From-Poverty-To-Power-Celebrities-Who-Started-With-Nothing.aspx
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