The Collection—Biographical Connections
1. F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota ("F. Scott Fitzgerald Biography").
2. Fitzgerald fell in love with his wife at Camp Sheridan in Montgomery, Alabama while he was stationed there in the army. His wife, Zelda Sayre, refused to marry him until he proved himself a successful man ("F. Scott Fitzgerald Biography”).
3. Fitzgerald attended Princeton College in 1913, but never graduated from there. He ended up enlisting in the Army in 1917 ("F. Scott Fitzgerald Biography").
4. After the success of his novels, Fitzgerald became a reckless man whose life-style consisted of parties and debauchery. At the same time his life-style took a turn for the worst, he was attempting …show more content…
Jay Gatsby had spent five years of his life waiting for the opportunity to meet his lover from when he was younger, Daisy Buchanan. He spent his time, after having been away from her, becoming wealthy so as to impress her when they finally did reunite. For years he dreamed of what it would be like once they met again. He had “thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way” (Fitzgerald 101). The time finally came when the pair met again. Gatsby took Daisy (and Nick) on a tour throughout his house in an attempt to impress her. His intentions behind the tour were one step in his plan to reconcile with Daisy despite her marriage to Tom. It was after the tour when Nick was leaving that Gatsby’s face held an “expression of bewilderment” (Fitzgerald 101). He was internally questioning “the quality of his present happiness” (Fitzgerald 101). The reality of the reunion did not quite live up to the scenarios Gatsby had painted in his head. He had for so long imagined how that day would go, but there were “moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams” (Fitzgerald 101). Gatsby realized that the reality of making his dreams come true were not as satisfying or as joyful as he imagined them to …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald penned The Great Gatsby in the midst of the Roarin’ Twenties. It was a period of cultural explosion, rags-to-riches histories, and a significant shift in the ideals of the American Dream. Fitzgerald’s characters all aspired to fill an American Dream of sorts, though their dreams weren’t the conventional ones. The original principals of the Dream faded away, in their place, amorality and corruption. The fulfillment of one’s own American Dream is often marked by corruption, dishonesty, and hope. The original American Dream had nothing to do with achieving wealth, but had everything to do with achieving freedom and equality. The “fresh, green breast of the new world” (Fitzgerald 189) offered these two things to the Europeans who journeyed there. The American Dream in the 1920s was the complete opposite; the only goal in mind was to become wealthy. Not only did the Dream get corrupted, but the people attempting to fulfill their dreams of wealth became corrupted too. This was exemplified in the way Gatsby achieved his wealth. While just becoming wealthy was not his ultimate goal, it was necessary to complete it. It is insinuated that Gatsby achieved his wealth through illicit sell of alcohol through his connections with the mob. “A lot of these newly rich people are just big bootleggers, you know” (Fitzgerald 114) said Tom about Gatsby. Though Gatsby represented the American Dream in the way that he was resourceful, ambitious, and made something
1. F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota ("F. Scott Fitzgerald Biography").
2. Fitzgerald fell in love with his wife at Camp Sheridan in Montgomery, Alabama while he was stationed there in the army. His wife, Zelda Sayre, refused to marry him until he proved himself a successful man ("F. Scott Fitzgerald Biography”).
3. Fitzgerald attended Princeton College in 1913, but never graduated from there. He ended up enlisting in the Army in 1917 ("F. Scott Fitzgerald Biography").
4. After the success of his novels, Fitzgerald became a reckless man whose life-style consisted of parties and debauchery. At the same time his life-style took a turn for the worst, he was attempting …show more content…
Jay Gatsby had spent five years of his life waiting for the opportunity to meet his lover from when he was younger, Daisy Buchanan. He spent his time, after having been away from her, becoming wealthy so as to impress her when they finally did reunite. For years he dreamed of what it would be like once they met again. He had “thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way” (Fitzgerald 101). The time finally came when the pair met again. Gatsby took Daisy (and Nick) on a tour throughout his house in an attempt to impress her. His intentions behind the tour were one step in his plan to reconcile with Daisy despite her marriage to Tom. It was after the tour when Nick was leaving that Gatsby’s face held an “expression of bewilderment” (Fitzgerald 101). He was internally questioning “the quality of his present happiness” (Fitzgerald 101). The reality of the reunion did not quite live up to the scenarios Gatsby had painted in his head. He had for so long imagined how that day would go, but there were “moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams” (Fitzgerald 101). Gatsby realized that the reality of making his dreams come true were not as satisfying or as joyful as he imagined them to …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald penned The Great Gatsby in the midst of the Roarin’ Twenties. It was a period of cultural explosion, rags-to-riches histories, and a significant shift in the ideals of the American Dream. Fitzgerald’s characters all aspired to fill an American Dream of sorts, though their dreams weren’t the conventional ones. The original principals of the Dream faded away, in their place, amorality and corruption. The fulfillment of one’s own American Dream is often marked by corruption, dishonesty, and hope. The original American Dream had nothing to do with achieving wealth, but had everything to do with achieving freedom and equality. The “fresh, green breast of the new world” (Fitzgerald 189) offered these two things to the Europeans who journeyed there. The American Dream in the 1920s was the complete opposite; the only goal in mind was to become wealthy. Not only did the Dream get corrupted, but the people attempting to fulfill their dreams of wealth became corrupted too. This was exemplified in the way Gatsby achieved his wealth. While just becoming wealthy was not his ultimate goal, it was necessary to complete it. It is insinuated that Gatsby achieved his wealth through illicit sell of alcohol through his connections with the mob. “A lot of these newly rich people are just big bootleggers, you know” (Fitzgerald 114) said Tom about Gatsby. Though Gatsby represented the American Dream in the way that he was resourceful, ambitious, and made something