Essay concept: “Assessment of The Great Gatsby”
– positive, however, one criticizing point should also be made.
– quotes have to be included.
– deep understanding of the novel has to be shown.
– the paragraphs have to have transition phrases and perfectly organized.
– the ideas have to “flow” while reading.
The attached file is a guide on the important ideas, questions, and quotes that needed to be/can be included in the essay.
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Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course Number
Due Date
Assessment of the Novel, “The Great Gatsby”
The novel, The Great Gatsby, seems to tell a tragic love story. However, a deeper understanding of this story demonstrated the author’s intention of criticizing the notion of America being a meritocracy where enough hard work will pay anyone who is working to rise to the top.
Notably, this novel has consistently proven that it deserves the accolades that it has received over time. The timeless issues it handles are why it has received immense praise, especially due to their relevance. The novel has been a fantastic probe into the emptiness of the American Dream, which has been very important in the American community. The narrator, Nick Carraway, stated, “In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars” (Fitzgerald 32). At this point, Nick was describing the Roaring Twenties, which was a period of excess and both moral and material degeneration. This period led to an entire financial and social breakdown which was a result of the Great depression. This novel presented a stinging criticism of the American dream, which could easily go wrong at the disadvantage of the people who put hopes in it.
Additionally, the novel’s juxtaposition of the sensibilities between the affluent class and the working class highlighted how one section controls the lives and deaths of the latter community. The lines, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness…then let other people clean up the mess they had made” shows how the elite have been hypocritical from time immemorial (Fitzgerald 137). The acts of selfishness, snobbery and indifference make the story a timeless piece since these are values seen in the current society. Therefore, when the Great Gatsby is consistently recognized, it is the relevance of the issues handled.
The novel’s positiveness is exuded at its ability to explore relevant universal themes such as the hope and hopelessness of societal constructs, yet it was done in a completely different era. For instance, considering the rich symbolism that this novel applies underpins the intentions of the story. For instance, the green light found at Daisy’s dock-end continually appears in the story to illustrate Gatsby’s ambition. This symbol of an orgastic future demonstrates what the American dream brings forth for every American individual. Nick believed intensely in the orgastic future since it would be his extraordinary present for hope (Fitzgerald 138). Subsequently, Nick would have a lot of admiration for Gatsby due to the promises of life it gave him. This novel of ellipses had its meanings written out in between the lines, which Gatsby had considerably failed to do. Ultimately, the novel distracts the notion of unified American identity and dream by showing how dire, fractured and rigid the American society can be, especially due to the social class.
Fitzgerald’s language primarily constituted vivid imagery and metaphors to portray a visual image of both the characters and setting while providing a deep meaning beyond physical appearances. When Fitzgerald talked about the characters, his elevated and metaphorical language formulated an ironic contrast to their natural characters. The descriptions contain an undertone of ridicule, especially in the most sympathetic and wistful passages that explain Gatsby and Nick’s lost innocence. The sentences were structured to mirror the story’s settings and characters since the author only used compound-complex sentences.
Alliteration and reputation are also important qualities of the novel’s use of language to evoke the text’s moods. For instance, during the visit of Myrtle by Gatsby and Tom, Nick imagined that something was looking up at them while illuminating in a window indicating, “Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening streets, and I was him too, looking up and wondering. I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life” (Fitzgerald 29). The contrasts evident in this text within and without or repelled and enchanted illustrates the character’s unease and allure with the city. The author stylized even the most simple observations to demonstrate how he was delighted with the poetic capacities of his prose.
Fitzgerald’s stylistic expertise is evident in the novel’s characters living in a different era of American society, specifically the period before the Great depression. Nonetheless, these characters can provide deep and lasting meaning that is relevant even in American society. One evident thing is that the characters consider themselves very complex and wish that their lives were simpler than the realities. Each character was willing to give themselves up and move from a definite, constraining and explanatory context into a narrower fantasy compared to their common lives.
I have read this novel twice. In the first instance, it was a book filled with illusions and delusions. Its meaning did not go beyond seeing Gatsby as one’s friend, and one is not left wondering whether Daisy loves Gatsby or whether love was even the initial feeling. By the time I was completing the book, it was a normal read. However, the Great Gatsby has received many accolades only to be a normal read for me. Therefore, I decided to read it for the second time in one sitting. This would be an entirely different and engaging reading experience. The book ends up being a classic book which, as a reader, I did not have to live there because the author tells this story very well through his characters. The author presents a magnificent book that culminates from exposing the waste happening through the characters, which is time, money, space, devotion and even life. As the story progresses, the urge to want to know the intentions of every character arises until one gets to completing the book. By the time I was done reading the book, I had understood why the Great Gatsby novel goes beyond being a slave story to the story of America.
Works Cited:
Fitzgerald,S. F. The great gatsby. Рипол Классик, 2017.
