The Great Gatsby is hailed as a great piece of 1920's fiction due to its detailing of a new, fast paced America, and the way that America affected the population. These affects manifested as traits in people, and further developed into stereotypes. In the post World War 1 America this novel is set in, industry and technology were becoming readily available to the public, cementing these stereotypes into our population as we quickly moved along at a new pace. In The Great Gatsby, these people, actions, and relationships, are represented by the four main characters: Nick, Daisy, Tom, and Jay. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses these characters to symbolize the stereotypical people of a modern America.
The most representative person from The Great Gatsby …show more content…
The first quality of Tom is his narcissism, he is always right in his head, making him impossible to push around. Tom frequently talks for Daisy, or ignores other people's opinions, and instead, presents his own opinions as fact. This is seen in the dramatic climax of the book where Tom makes the claim, "Daisy loved me then, just as she loves me now" (Fitzgerald 132). This assertiveness makes it difficult for many people to stand up to him, particularly Daisy, giving him control. The second way he gets control is through physical appearance, Tom's being of physical strength. His intimidating appearance is unmatched by the other characters in the story, giving him control much of the time. Daisy reveals Tom's overwhelming appearance early in the novel by saying, "That's what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great, big, hulking physical specimen of a man" (Fitzgerald 12). His "brutishness", only further accentuates his control, giving off his ability to back up his narcissism with physical power. Furthermore, this physical power is shown off in his last method of control, abuse. Tom has gone as far as hitting his women for control before, ""Daisy! Daisy! Daisy! shouted Mrs. Wilson. I'll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai-" Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand" (Fitzgerald 37). As quoted here, when Tom loses …show more content…
Jay doesn't focus much on the things of the present like Daisy, Nick, and Tom do, Jay looks forward. Jay spends most of the book looking toward the future of his life, wanting it to be with Daisy. The University at Albany's page on The Great Gatsby says, "Gatsby gazes upon a green light cast from a lamp at the end of Daisy's East Egg dock. The green light is initially representative of Gatsby's hope that Daisy will one day be his." Jay's optimism is reflective of the American dream: that one might achieve success through initiative and determination. Second to the idea of the American dream, Jay is considered by most to be respectable. Jay served in the military in World War 1 as a young adult, representing America literally and metaphorically. "I was in the Seventh Infantry until June nineteen-eighteen" (Fitzgerald 47). Veterans are viewed with respect by the general population, and are supposed to represent and fight for American ideals. Lastly, Jay acts ambitiously to get ahold of the things he wants. "I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night" (Fitzgerald 80). Jay's ambitious plan to find Daisy in all of New York shows his determination to reach his goals, like the American dream encourages. Despite having all these things going for him, the actions of greedy
The most representative person from The Great Gatsby …show more content…
The first quality of Tom is his narcissism, he is always right in his head, making him impossible to push around. Tom frequently talks for Daisy, or ignores other people's opinions, and instead, presents his own opinions as fact. This is seen in the dramatic climax of the book where Tom makes the claim, "Daisy loved me then, just as she loves me now" (Fitzgerald 132). This assertiveness makes it difficult for many people to stand up to him, particularly Daisy, giving him control. The second way he gets control is through physical appearance, Tom's being of physical strength. His intimidating appearance is unmatched by the other characters in the story, giving him control much of the time. Daisy reveals Tom's overwhelming appearance early in the novel by saying, "That's what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great, big, hulking physical specimen of a man" (Fitzgerald 12). His "brutishness", only further accentuates his control, giving off his ability to back up his narcissism with physical power. Furthermore, this physical power is shown off in his last method of control, abuse. Tom has gone as far as hitting his women for control before, ""Daisy! Daisy! Daisy! shouted Mrs. Wilson. I'll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai-" Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand" (Fitzgerald 37). As quoted here, when Tom loses …show more content…
Jay doesn't focus much on the things of the present like Daisy, Nick, and Tom do, Jay looks forward. Jay spends most of the book looking toward the future of his life, wanting it to be with Daisy. The University at Albany's page on The Great Gatsby says, "Gatsby gazes upon a green light cast from a lamp at the end of Daisy's East Egg dock. The green light is initially representative of Gatsby's hope that Daisy will one day be his." Jay's optimism is reflective of the American dream: that one might achieve success through initiative and determination. Second to the idea of the American dream, Jay is considered by most to be respectable. Jay served in the military in World War 1 as a young adult, representing America literally and metaphorically. "I was in the Seventh Infantry until June nineteen-eighteen" (Fitzgerald 47). Veterans are viewed with respect by the general population, and are supposed to represent and fight for American ideals. Lastly, Jay acts ambitiously to get ahold of the things he wants. "I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night" (Fitzgerald 80). Jay's ambitious plan to find Daisy in all of New York shows his determination to reach his goals, like the American dream encourages. Despite having all these things going for him, the actions of greedy