Why Is Zelda Important In The Great Gatsby

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The smoky residue was left fluctuating in the air and the resonances of what felt like timeless music resounded from inside. A rush of pure exhilaration resided in her as she watched the influx of soldiers enter the restaurant from afar. Her popularity came unquestioned even with many who appear envious. It was evident that even she knew of the infatuations for herself among the young men and soldiers. How could one be ignorant of her allure that she casts throughout the room? How can she stand there so beautiful and yet still be such a mystery? Her beauty stands unhindered as her tendency to be unpredictable remains fascinating. She dances with such confidence, breathes with such assurance, and smiles with such captivation. However, it is …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald thoroughly utilized his tumultuous marriage with Zelda and the exuberant characteristics of Zelda to establish parallels to the American life amidst the 1920s. The origins of The Great Gatsby could be demarcated as very personal when aligned with the life of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. The novel consisted of many instances in which the main character Daisy Buchanan and Tom Gatsby portrayed similar aspects to the lives of the Fitzgerald’s. Specifically, the resemblance composed between both Zelda and Daisy was entirely indisputable. The line, “…with Daisy Buchanan a richer, sillier, but still ‘thrilling’ version of Zelda, and Jay Gatsby, a farm boy turned millionaire who lived by Scott’s faith in the necessary magic of illusions…” emphasizes the similarity juxtaposed between the lives of the Fitzgerald’s and the lives of the characters illustrated in The Great Gatsby. Just as Zelda Fitzgerald was known by many as a belle of the ball, Daisy Buchanan was known for her beauty and exuberance (Werlock). Additionally, Fitzgerald had pronounced his copious love for Zelda through the forbidden love shared between the characters, Tom Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. As the source had stated, “He could see that Gatsby’s desperate wish to reclaim his perfect love with Daisy was part of the bright, precarious dream of his own generation, a dream that confused the ownership of beautiful thing with happiness and freedom” (Mackrell 311). This quote accentuates how Fitzgerald had contorted his own dreams into a reality through the prospect of writing. He had established the love he craved for between the two characters portrayed throughout the

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