The Great Gatsby Historiography

Fitzgerald’s Autobiography: The Great Gatsby In nearly every piece of literature written, authors incorporate significant details from their own life into their writing, but no other has done it as completely as Scott Fitzgerald with his classic The Great Gatsby. The similarities between Fitzgerald’s characters and his own life are undeniable. From his humble beginnings to his unstable education to his romantic affairs, Fitzgerald documents his life through the infamous Gatsby. Perhaps his reason for this was to create realistic characters that readers could easily emphasize with. Or perhaps it was for his personal sake, that by recording his personal experiences for the public, his life would not be forgotten. Or perhaps by writing it down, …show more content…
Granted Gatsby went to Oxford, but the similarity is that neither stayed at those schools long enough to earn their intended degree. Dropping out, Fitzgerald joined the Army eventually becoming a second lieutenant in the infantry. Not a surprise that Fitzgerald wrote Gatsby to have practically the same experience. It was also during their service that they both met their love interests. Fitzgerald and Zelda compared to Gatsby and Daisy. It was when Fitzgerald was assigned to Camp Sheridan near Montgomery, Alabama that he met the beautiful Zelda Sayre. Zelda was the daughter of a wealthy judge and he fell instantly in love with her, captivated by her vibrant charm and vowed to make a fortune worthy of her. He spent a few months working in advertising in New York City, but quit, having been dissatisfied with the work environment, in the same manner Gatsby quit his janitorial job at St. Olaf. Gatsby’s version of first love is nearly identical. The alluring young Daisy, lounging in her luxuries, stole his heart with a single kiss. And just like Fitzgerald, Gatsby worked feverishly in attempts to woe her with money. It is interesting that Fitzgerald portrayed Gatsby as, for lack of better words, love-sick. By putting it down on paper he may have been able to admit to himself his own dramatic loyalty to Zelda. He also incorporates Zelda’s personality in Daisy. In a very direct …show more content…
They are supports for each other and confide with one another about very personal matters. This fictional friendship is a quiet mention of the friendship between Fitzgerald and one of America’s other famous authors, Earnest Hemingway. Despite being rivals in writing they shared a deep appreciation for literature which led to a rocky relationship. Just like Gatsby and Nick, Hemingway and Fitzgerald were two very different creatures and yet very much the same. An article in the Los Angeles Times states, “Hemingway and Fitzgerald, in fact, had much in common: Both were Midwesterners; both believed their fathers were failed men and sought to compensate for the slight;” () The friendship between these two great authors is especially mirrored by Nick and Gatsby’s in the light that, though they often times did not agree, there was always respect. A respect that Nick held only for Gatsby. While Nick and Gatsby embody much of Fitzgerald, there are a other characters that depict different aspects of him. There is Dan Cody who was an avid alcoholic. It is known that Fitzgerald was a compulsive drinker himself and was disgusted that he was. The truth of how Fitzgerald feels about alcohol is shown through the fact of Gatsby’s refusal of drinking. “It was indirectly due to Cody that Gatsby drank so little.” (Pg.