Book Report- The Great Gatsby
Plot Analysis
The book narrates a story of love triangles among its characters but ends with the death of some (Fitzgerald). Nick, who is the main character in the novel, travels east. Nick was a student at Yale University before he became a veteran of the world war one. He relocates to New York to seek employment as a bond salesman. He rents a bungalow in the West Egg Village, next to a tycoon, Gatsby. The tycoon holds evening parties from time to time, but he is rarely part of them. One evening, nick has dinner with his distant relative, daisy, who is married to a former football star, Tom. The two had relocated from Chicago to Gatsby neighborhood. This is where Nick meets Jordan, an amateur golfer, who is as a childhood friend of Daisy. Jordan reveals Tom’s secret to nick; Tom had an affair outside his marriage with Myrtle, a wife to garage owner, George. One evening, Nick accompanies drunk Tom for a party in New York, where they stopover at George’s garage to pick up Myrtle. However, the party comes to an end when Tom slaps Myrtle for mentioning Daisy. After some time, Nick is invited to a party at Gatsby mansion, where he is disappointed after realizing he didn’t know any person. However, after some time, Jordan appears, and as they were chatting, Gatsby joins them, where he tries to impress Nick to like him.
Late July, Jordan reveals to Nick that Daisy and Gatsby were lovers before they were separated when Gatsby was deployed overseas, prompting Daisy to reluctantly marry Tom. Gatsby uses his new friendship with Nick to win Daisy again, and the two resumes a sexual affair. Following Daisy’s carelessness, Tom finds out about the affair, which prompts a heated argument that is calmed when Daisy claims to love both Gatsby and Tom. However, Daisy chooses Tom when he exposes Gatsby’s illegal business. Sure of his victory, Tom lets Gatsby drive Daisy home, but on the way, they hit Myrtle, who ends up dead. Tom responds by telling George that Gatsby was the owner of the vehicle, where George concludes that Gatsby was Myrtle’s partner. He shoots him at his pool and commits suicide. These events make Nick hate New York, but before leaving, he goes to Gatsby’s to gaze at his favorite scene, the green light.
Theme Analysis
The American dream is a dominant theme in the book (Harvey 12). However, this theme is depicted in a negative manner in that; the author tries to discredit it. He presents Gatsby as the American dreamer in that. He engaged in illegal business just to afford a fancy life. Gatsby also holds parties, which he did not participate in. From this portrayal, the author depicts that the American dream is only great in fantasy but not appealing in reality. Also, Gatsby dies a sudden death, which was mainly contributed by his chase after the American dream. Unfortunately, he went down with three other characters, further depicting the author’s take on the American dream as a fantasy that is unattainable.
The theme of class stratification is also dominant in the book. The author uses Nick’s perception of Gatsby to establish the theme of class stratification (Harvey 18). Rich people are portrayed as extravagant and unhappy. That is, Gatsby did not take part in parties and was always reminiscing as he gazed at the green light. Besides, the low class is depicted as happy in that they were the ones having fun at rich Gatsby’s parties. Despite his wealth, Gatsby had a problem with love, where he hoped that he would change Daisy’s mind after their long separation.
Gender relations are also another dominating theme in the book (Harvey 20). The author provides two conflicting perspectives on gender relations. Tom is presented as the male victimizer of women. For instance, he slapped Myrtle for mentioning Daisy at a party. His action portrays women’s position in society as subject to men. Also, despite him committing infidelity, he gets angry when he finds out that Daisy and Gatsby were having an affair. On the other hand, Gatsby is presented as a loyal man who has maintained his loyalty to Daisy despite her marriage. Women are presented as disloyal. The main female characters, Daisy and Myrtle, are no loyal to their husbands, despite their low position in society. The author depicts the biased inter-gender relationship.
Character analysis
Nick is the main character in the book. He is also the narrator of the story and Gatsby next door’s neighbor (Lena 19-42). In the story, he is an immigrant in New York, where through him, the main themes of the story are developed. He also contributes to the construction of other characters, where the readers are limited to perceiving them, in his opinion. Gatsby is also a dominant character in the story. He the representation of the American dream and a loyal man in the story. The author uses him to criticize the American dream and to depict social stratification. Daisy is a feminine representation in the story. She is depicted as self-absorbed but also helps develop the theme of gender relations. Finally, Tom is a representation of make cruelty to women. Although he is rich and influential, he is absorbed in male chauvinism. Other supporting characters include George, Myrtle, Jordan, and Meyer.
Bibliography
Fitzgerald, Francis Scott. The Great Gatsby (1925). na, 1995.
Harvey, W. J. “Theme and Texture in The Great Gatsby.” (1957): 12-20.
Lena, Alberto. “Deceitful Traces of Power: An Analysis of the Decadence of Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby.” Canadian Review of American Studies 28.1 (1998): 19-42.