Old vs. New Money

"F. Scott Fitzgerald uses his novel The Great Gatsby as a way to compare old and new money and to illustrate the lack of morals in those with old money. The main character, Jay Gatsby, representing Fitzgerald's personification of new money, makes his living selling alcohol illegally. He earns his money quickly and is now showing it off with fabulous parties in his oversized mansion in West Egg. Another character, Tom Buchanan, represents old money being the "scion of those ruthless generations who raised up the great American fortunes." Both act out their dreams. Gatsby's is to get Daisy while Tom's is to completely possess Daisy as well as to appear as a well-rounded intellectual. Tom and others in his class inherited their money and live elegantly in East Egg."(http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2004/5/15/141559/670)

This shows how old money makes people used to it. It's not out of the ordinary and its a comfortable place to be. Tom isnt completely "happy" however, he feels he must also commit adultery to satisfy himself. That is, until Myrtle gets killed. Gatsby is new to money and he wants to show it off. This also makes people suspicious on how he got his money so fast. He too is not completely satisfied with his life. This is where Daisy comes in. She seems to make both sides happy in different ways. Tom loves Daisy but feels he needs Myrtle too and Gatsby wants Daisy all for himself. It seems that no matter which side you come from, you're always wanting more.

The Men of Gatsby

The Great Gatsby has 3 main male leads in the story. Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, and Tom Buchanan. Each character has a different personality, and contributes to the storys plot in many ways.

The first character introduced is Nick Carraway. Nick Carraway moved from Minnesota to New York in the beginning of the novel. Nick moved next door to the infamous, James Gatsby. He becomes very close to Mr. Gatsby. Nick is also often associated with his cousin, Daisy Buchanan. They never used to be that close, but after they started spending more time together, they grew closer. Nick was the one to bring together Daisy and Gatsby after a long 5 years without being reaquianted. Nick did this in hopes of becoming lcoser with one of Daisy's friends, Jordan Baker.Nick is also the narrator for The Great Gatsby.

The next character mentioned it Jay Gatsby, formally known as James Gatz. James Gatsby is very well known in the city of West Egg for his outrageous parties. Gatsby very rarely attends his parties, for he is not onr to be very social. Gatsby is a very fortunate man, who attains his money from his chain of drug stores. Gatsby went to college at Oxford, he attended Oxford for a mere 5 months. Gatsby is also madly in love with Daisy Buchanan. Daisy and Jay had a relationship about 5 years prior to her meeting her current husband Tom. Daisy left Jay because at the time he was not wealty enoug for her. Thsi rejection inspired Gatsby to work hard and earn alot more money. Gastby is quite delusional because he believes that although Daisy is happily married to Tom, that he still has a chance with her.

The next character is Tom Buchanan, Daisy's husband. Tom is very fortunate in that he has alot of money. Tom is not very respectful of Daisy, he is not loyal to her, and has an affair with a lower class woman, Myrtle. Tom is also very hypocrytical, when he believes Gatsby and Daisy are havign an affair he is outraged, even though in actuallity he is the one having an affair. Although Tom and Daisy do not have a stable relationahip, they are in love.

The Green Light

The Green Light is mentioned a few times in The Great Gatsby but it symbolizes many things. Gatsby enjoys going outside at night and watching the green light that belongs to the home of Daisy and Tom Buchanan. This green light symbolizes the jealousy that Gatsby feels towards Tom. Tom was able to marry Daisy while Gatsby wasnt liked by her parents. Green is a color of envy and jealousy. The fact that the light was green further emphasizes how Gatsby wishes he was living at that house with Daisy as his wife.


This green light also is symbolized for Daisy herself. For five years, Jay Gatsby waited for Daisy to come to one of his parties and this never happened. Seeing the light on from across the bay helped Gatsby know she was still there and there was still hope they would meet once again. Once they reunite, the importance of the green light looses its original wonder. Gatsby had used this light to show mystery and how he didnt know what would happen between him and Daisy.

Dan Cody

We are first introduced to Dan Cody in chapter 6 of The Great Gatsby. Dan Cody is described as a "gay, florid man with a hard, empty face." pg. 100. Jay Gatsby, formally known as James Gatz, first met Cody on a yacht dock on Lake Superior. Gatz admired Cody the first day he had met him. Dan Cody was a very wealthy man, he made his millions through the transactions in copper. He made most of his money through metal trades and productions. Dan was very well admired by the women of the city, they mostly tried to separate him from his money and take advantage of his wealth.

Jay Gatsby admired Cody and thought of him as a member of his family, since he had none of his
own. Jay was like Dan Cody's assistant, and followed his every move. When Jay first saw his yacht he thought it "represented all the beauty and glamour in the world." pg. 100. Dan Cody was the person that inspired Gatsby to become wealth. After Cody's death, Gatsby inherited over 25,000 dollars from him. He however was never able to access the money because of Cody's mistress, Ella Kaye. He was left with his knowledge of Cody and how he would approach a situtaion. Gatsby has a portait of Dan Cody in his bedroom to honor him and the work he has done for him.

Jealousy

According to dictionary.com, jealousy is "jealous resentment against a rival, a person enjoying success or advantage, etc., or against another's success or advantage itself." In The Great Gatsby, jealousy is common. One of the most obvious examples of jealousy is how Gatsby feel toward Tom Buchanan. Daisy and Gatsby fell in love when they were young and naive. Gatsby wanted to be with Daisy for the rest of his life but while Daisy came from a wealthy family, Gatsby did not. Once Gatsby enrolled on the military, Daisy was crushed but had promised she'd wait for him. She did not keep her promise and ended up marrying Tom Buchanan, partially because he was wealthy. Jay Gatsby found this out and was jealous of Tom and wished to someday be rich so he could have Daisy all for himself. Daisy and Tom's relationship struggles a lot and he is having an affair. The only thing that is keeping them together, is their image. They are a wealthy couple living in East Egg. Gatsby was extremely jealous of all that Tom had; money, succesfulness, and Daisy.

"F. Scott uses a color scheme to show many emotions of characters in this story. The ultimate factor for almost every action within the story is money, the color green. This color shows the envy, greed, and jealousy that make up this story. Green is not only the color of money and the color most notably associated with greed, but it is also the color of the light on Daisy's dock. The same dock light that Gatsby spent so many nights gazing at. This is no coincidence, F.S.F. wanted to express to his readers the symbolism behind the color. Gatsby envied Tom because he knew that Daisy needed a wealthy man to take care of her. And as he was building his wealth, Gatsby would look over the lake toward that green light with envy and await the day he would be good enough for Daisy."(symbolism and symbals of The Great Gatsby.com)

The East Egg vs. The West Egg

There are many comparisons in the novels of today's time. The comparison in The Great Gatsby is with The East Egg and The West Egg. The differences between the two cities is the social class standing. The East Egg is the wealthier part of the city, and the West Egg is the city that isn't as fortunate as the East Egg. The West Egg is not poor, but not wealthy, it is in between, such as a middle class. Each city represents the people living in those cities personalities. The two different cities represent the division of the classes in the 1920's. Around the time of the Great Depression, the social classes were seperated, and each class was forced to deal with the Depression on their own.

The East Egg is very well kept and the more refined of the two. The East Egg also is not very social, and is kept more to themself. The West Egg, although not as fortunate as the East Egg is very close, and friendly. The main focus in the novel is social standing. The people of the East Egg are very well known, and the people of the East Egg are nto as well known. Although Gatsby is extremely wealthy he does not belong to much of a social class, because he is always trapped within his house, and although he throws those incredible parties, he very rarely attended them.

source: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Women of the Great Gatsby

Daisy Buchanan is one of the main women in the novel The Great Gatsby. She is Nick's cousin, and Gatsby's love interest. Daisy was one of the first characters introduced in the book. She is somewhat flighty and speaks whatever is on her mind. Her husband, Tom is unfaitherful to her and is cheating on her with a woman who is less fortunate and lives in a smaller, secluded area. Daisy is quite oblivious to her husband's unfaithfulness, and still continues to live her life normally. As Daisy just reaquainted herself with her cousin whom she had not seen in years, she mentions how he failed to come to her wedding. She states that even though he had not been back from war that she's "had a very bad time, Nick, and I'm pretty cynical about everything." pg. 16. Daisy is very sensitive about this situation and wishes he had been there for her special day.

The next woman mentioned in The Great Gatsby was Jordan Baker. Jordan is one of Daisy's beautiful friends. Nick noticed Jordan's beauty within the first moments of meeting her, he quickly became in love. Daisy wants to set Nick and Jordan up on a romantic date, she thinkgs they are perfect together. Jordan is a competitive golfer, and she has caught the eye of many men. Jordan has somewwhat of a bad reputation, "I had heard some story of her too, a critical,unpleasant story, but what is was I had forgotten long ago." pg. 18. Something about Jordan makes some uneasy. Her attitude towards some things seems decieving towards others. It may also be her "temptuous expression" that had left many speechless

source: The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby Film Versions

The Great Gatsby is a well known and popular book. It would only make sense for there to be multiple films of this book. One of the more popular film versions is the 1974 one. This film recieved two Oscars and five other wins. However there are problems with this version of the film. IMDb.com explains some major problems with this film and how it doesn't do the book justnce. "Farrow's shortcomings as Daisy are hugely overshadowed, however, by the character of Tom Buchanan, who is changed from a `hulking brute of a man' in the novel to a tall and skinny guy who only has the slow intellect and harsh jealousy toward Gatsby from his character in the novel. Bruce Dern is hugely miscast in this role, but does a decent job going through the motions of his character, at least the verbal ones that he's given. Sam Waterson probably gives the best performance in the film as Nick Carraway, although there is something of an awkward feel with his character if only because he is the narrator in the film, telling the story through his own eyes, while in the film he is an external character and the vast majority of his internal thoughts are necessarily erased."

Earlier in 1926, a silent version of this book was made. This film is no longer printed and is known as the "lost version". IMDb.com also says, "Although a lost film, the trailer survived and is one of the 50 films in the 3-disk boxed DVD set called "More Treasures from American Film Archives."

There was another verion in 1949. This version is said to be extremely accurate and well cast. "The 1949 version, in monochrome, captures much of the atmosphere of the 'jazz age' which strangely does not come over in the lavish period detail of the later version. The gallery of supporting players contributes significantly to the success of the film. There are a few minor faults, such as the montage shots in the opening sequences which border on cliché. Nick Carraway is less prominent than the author might have intended. But the essence of the novel is there." (IMDb.com)

1920's

The 1920's or "Roaring Twenties" were a time of dancing, women and fashion. According to thecentury.com, "The radio became popular, and people tuned in everyday. The T.V. was not invented yet, so the radio was the next best thing. When they listened, people liked to listen to jazz, especially the king of jazz, Louis Armstrong. But never fear, people weren't couch potatoes, sitting next to the radio. Movies were also a big hit. This decade marked the start of the sound movies. So much happened in the 1920's, this is only a fraction of it all."

In the 1920's, women were given the rights to vote. Also, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich became famous in 1922. The bestselling book at the time was a manners book and it was the first time a women was governer of a state. In this decade the invention of insulin helped people with diabeties. It was good years for science and medicine.The popular dances were the Charleston, Fox-trot, and the shimmy. Jazz was the popular style of music and the radio was a nessecity in every household. Movies were a fad in the 1920's. The invntion of 3-D movies excited many viewers. Overall the 1920's were an exciting time with fashions, fads and dancing.(http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/decade/1920.htm)

Prohibition

Prohibition is the restriction of manufacturing, transportation, and import of alcohol. Prohibition began in the 1920's around when the 18th amendment was put into action. Prohibition was first put into action in hopes of lowering crime rates and corruption throughout the city, and improving hygiene in america. Large imports of alcohol was imported from Canada. Restricting alcohol made people want to go around the rules which in fact provoked crime. Alcohol was still served in speak-easeies and other underground bars.

Prohibition however did not last as long as people were hoping it would. In fact it rose the crime rate because after alcohol was banned, people tried to get it at ny cost possible. And because Prohibition did not ban the consumption of alcohol, people assumed it would be ok to still find some way to drink it. Almost 2/3 of states adopted some sort of vote to go against Prohibition. By 1966 all states fully repealed all Prohibition laws.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald is the author of The Great Gatsby. He was an American writer of the 20's. According to E.Notes.com, He was "Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 24, 1896 and was the son of Edward Fitzgerald, who worked for Proctor and Gamble and brought his family to Buffalo and Syracuse, New York, for most of his son's first decade. Edward Fitzgerald's great-great-grandfather was the brother of the grandfather of Francis Scott Key, who wrote the poem 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'" You could say that his talent ran in the family.

He wrote many amateur plays at St. Paul and wrote a few lyrics at Princeton. He wrote both dramatic plays and some comedic plays as well. Fitzgerald also tried acting for a few plays for the Triangle Club at Princeton. In 1917, just before he was about to graduate, he enrolled in the military. While in Alabama for a training camp, he meets Zelda Sayre and marries her in 1920. The same year, he publishes his first book, This Side of Paradise.

By 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald had a daughter named Frances, had two short stories published, had written a play, and had a short series published. In 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald made his greatest accomplishment by writing The Great Gatsby. The story was set in Long Island which is where him and his wife lived for some time. The story involves characters that were inspired by real people in Fitzgerald's life.15 years after writing The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald passed away in Hollywood of a heart attack.

flappers

In the 1920's a new generation of women evolved, these women did the unthinkable of that time era and they smoked, drank, danced, voted, wore make-up, and cut their hair. These women were called flappers. The term flapper was created in Great Britain after World War I. This term was used for girls in their awkward stage, meaning they were not really women, but not really young girls anymore.

Author, F. Scott Fitzgerald first used the term in the United States, he created and evolved the image and the style of the flapper. Fitzgerald described the flapper as "lovely, expensive, and about nineteen." He also defined the girls to make a "flapping" noise while they would walk. Flappers had both the image and attitude.


Flappers reinvented the image of the typical woman. Almost every article of clothing was either shortened or made alighter color, so she would be more comfortable when walking. The new era of dancing required alot of movement, so the "flappers" were able to move confortably in their short clothing. The old style included "ironsides" which didn't allow much movement. But the new "step-ins" allowed the women to move freely and comfortably.