The Great Gatsby INTRODUCING THE CHARACTERS SETTING THEMES

The Great Gatsby INTRODUCING THE CHARACTERS, SETTING, THEMES, AND MOTIFS

“What is the American Dream” �Read essay— How does James Truslow Adams define the American Dream? How did the founding fathers help to shape the definition of the American Dream? Looking at paragraph 3, how has the American dream evolved over time? How do you define the American Dream in 2017?

Nick Carraway �Narrator �Midwesterner �Ivy League grad �WWI vet �Living in NY— trying to make it big in stock market

Jay Gatsby � Protagonist (main character) � Mysterious—his origin is unknown � Nouveau Riche —did not inherit his wealth; earned it instead � Throws lavish parties for rich people and celebs

Daisy Buchanan �Married to Tom �Gatsby’s love interest �Socialite— raised in wealth and has never had to work EVER �Nick’s distant cousin

Tom Buchanan �College acquaintance of Nick’s �Married to Daisy �Old Money— inherited all his wealth; has never had to work a day

Jordan Baker �Daisy’s closest friend; grew up with her in Louisville; a couple years younger than Daisy �Socialite—OLD MONEY �Professional golfer �Nick’s love interest

Myrtle Wilson �Married to George �Member of lowest class—the working poor �Lives above a gas station in Valley of Ashes

George Wilson �Married to Myrtle �Valley of Ashes— Dump between NYC and Long Island (West and East Egg)

F. Scott Fitzgerald �Born into East Coast family, raised in the Midwest �Left Princeton in 1917 to join the army �First published in 1920 This Side of Paradise Novel defined the Jazz Age � Short hair � Short Skirts illegal alcohol parties jazz music �Published The Great Gatsby in 1925 Considered by literary community to be a flawless masterpiece

The Great Gatsby �Published first in 1922 as a short story called “Winter Dreams” �Commercial failure during Fitzgerald’s life—was also the beginning of the end of his marriage to Zelda; decline of his health as alcoholism took over

Themes in The Great Gatsby �Themes Money � Novel exposed wealth as a dehumanizing force that destroys the heart The American Dream � Trying to fulfill the American Dream can and will cost some people everything Carelessness � People who are driven by wealth lack a moral or spiritual compass

Motifs �Motifs Social status—New Money (earned wealth) vs. Old Money (inherited wealth); Ultra Rich Values—Upper Class (Buchanans and Jordan) vs. Middle Class Values (Nick) vs. Lower Class Values (Wilson and to some extent, Gatsby)

Settings �What year does the story take place during? Summer of 1922: “…after various delays I came East, permanently, I thought, in the spring of twenty-two. ” � NYC: The city is a huge metropolis, full of opportunity and promise; also full of extreme poverty Nick has moved East to work in the bond business Wall Street Tom keeps an apartment for his mistress in the city

Setting �West and East Egg: on the North Shore of Long Island Known for extreme wealth and lavish estates Nicknamed “The Gold Coast” � East Egg: more fashionable of the two—all who live in East Egg are inherited wealth Old Money � West Egg: Inhabited by those who have recently earned their fortunes New Money Also still has smaller homes from the time before the wealthy moved in • New Money people are known to “show off” their wealth and are seen as desperate to fit in with Old Money.

Setting �Valley of the Ashes Where the road and the railroad intersect, between the Eggs and NYC Giant garbage dump where excess from the Eggs and NYC is burned � Symbolically represents the moral and social decay of the rich garbage created by the rich in NYC and the Eggs is dumped in the laps of the poor This is where the Wilsons live Represents absolute poverty and hopelessness of the lower class � All want to find a way out, but never will Shows how the American Dream is NOT achievable for the lower class