The Great F. Scott Fitzgerald: Narrated by F. Scott Fitzgerald F. Scott Fitzgerald lived a very unique life, from growing up in the midwest to becoming a successful writer, his journey could only belong to him. Fitzgerald’s life is emulated in the book The Great Gatsby by both Gatsby and Nick, but if this is true why would Fitzgerald have Gatsby die? Fitzgerald crafts The Great Gatsby such that Nick and Jay Gatsby represent two possible paths of his life, as evident through experiences, conflicting through time and ultimately favoring the life and views of Nick, with resentment for the life that could have come of Jay Gatsby with better intentions. The most evident similarities in The Great Gatsby and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life are portrayed
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The initial similarity between Gatsby and Fitzgerald is also shared with Nick, especially when Nick describes being on the train going through Wisconsin (presumably to Minnesota), and briefly chronicling the snowy winter views (Fitzgerald 184). This, again, can be linked to Fitzgerald’s early life, growing up in Minnesota (“F.”). Nick has even more in common with Fitzgerald’s early life also, as evident when Nick tells us, “One of my most vivid memories is of coming back West from prep school and later from college at Christmas time.”, notifying us that Nick attended a prep school and a college (Fitzgerald 183). This can be linked to Fitzgerald 's early life, when he attended The Newman School, a catholic prep school in New Jersey, and then Princeton (“F.”). Similarly, Nick Carraway attended Yale and wrote editorials for the “Yale News” (Fitzgerald 8). Uncoincidentally, Fitzgerald also wrote for the Princeton Tiger and the Nassau Literary Magazine (“F.”). The similarities between these two extend to the fact that Nick also participated in the Great War, much like Fitzgerald (Fitzgerald 7). A question is raised by these obviously purposeful similarities, what message is Fitzgerald conveying by putting his past into the lives of Gatsby and …show more content…
This is evident when Nick is reflecting on Gatsby’s chasing of the green light and states that “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.” (Fitzgerald 189). Fitzgerald, after publishing this book in 1925, had learned that his wife was cheating on him in 1924 with a French Naval Officer (Willett). This impacted Fitzgerald immensely. Throughout the book, Fitzgerald uses Jay Gatsby and his pursuit for the green light and for Daisy as a metaphor for the American Dream, yet when Gatsby dies this symbolizes the death of the pursuit for both Gatsby and Fitzgerald’s dreams and desires. Nick, in this occasion, is a symbol of what Fitzgerald 's life could have been, without being a hopeless romantic for his wife Zelda along with other bad decisions. This is paralleled in the novel by the fact that if Gatsby had given up on Daisy, he never would have taken the blame for killing Myrtle, and ultimately would have never been killed by Wilson. With all of the similarities from Nick’s life to Fitzgerald’s, he is the alternate path for Fitzgerald in Fitzgerald’s mind. A life that could have been, without the mistakes made by Gatsby and himself. Ultimately, the internal conflict within Fitzgerald is that he has lived a life similar to Gatsby’s, with
The initial similarity between Gatsby and Fitzgerald is also shared with Nick, especially when Nick describes being on the train going through Wisconsin (presumably to Minnesota), and briefly chronicling the snowy winter views (Fitzgerald 184). This, again, can be linked to Fitzgerald’s early life, growing up in Minnesota (“F.”). Nick has even more in common with Fitzgerald’s early life also, as evident when Nick tells us, “One of my most vivid memories is of coming back West from prep school and later from college at Christmas time.”, notifying us that Nick attended a prep school and a college (Fitzgerald 183). This can be linked to Fitzgerald 's early life, when he attended The Newman School, a catholic prep school in New Jersey, and then Princeton (“F.”). Similarly, Nick Carraway attended Yale and wrote editorials for the “Yale News” (Fitzgerald 8). Uncoincidentally, Fitzgerald also wrote for the Princeton Tiger and the Nassau Literary Magazine (“F.”). The similarities between these two extend to the fact that Nick also participated in the Great War, much like Fitzgerald (Fitzgerald 7). A question is raised by these obviously purposeful similarities, what message is Fitzgerald conveying by putting his past into the lives of Gatsby and …show more content…
This is evident when Nick is reflecting on Gatsby’s chasing of the green light and states that “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.” (Fitzgerald 189). Fitzgerald, after publishing this book in 1925, had learned that his wife was cheating on him in 1924 with a French Naval Officer (Willett). This impacted Fitzgerald immensely. Throughout the book, Fitzgerald uses Jay Gatsby and his pursuit for the green light and for Daisy as a metaphor for the American Dream, yet when Gatsby dies this symbolizes the death of the pursuit for both Gatsby and Fitzgerald’s dreams and desires. Nick, in this occasion, is a symbol of what Fitzgerald 's life could have been, without being a hopeless romantic for his wife Zelda along with other bad decisions. This is paralleled in the novel by the fact that if Gatsby had given up on Daisy, he never would have taken the blame for killing Myrtle, and ultimately would have never been killed by Wilson. With all of the similarities from Nick’s life to Fitzgerald’s, he is the alternate path for Fitzgerald in Fitzgerald’s mind. A life that could have been, without the mistakes made by Gatsby and himself. Ultimately, the internal conflict within Fitzgerald is that he has lived a life similar to Gatsby’s, with