Sample essay topic, essay writing: The Great Gatsby: A Full Spectrum Of Character - 527 words
The Great Gatsby: A Full Spectrum of CharacterThroughout Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, there seems to be a broad spectrum ofmoral and social views demonstrated by various characters. At one end, is Tom, aman who attacks Gatsby's sense of propriety and legitimacy, while thinkingnothing of running roughshod over the lives of those around him. A directopposite of Tom's nature is Gatsby, who displays great generosity and caring, yet will stop at nothing to achieve his dream of running off with Daisy. Also, in the middle of this, are various characters who seem to sway back and forth intheir stands as convenient. This range of personalities lends itself well to auniquely subtle interplay between their charactersAt first glance, The Great Gatsby is merely a classic American tragedy, portraying the story of a man's obsession with a fantasy, and his resultingdownfall. However, Fitzgerald seems to weave much more than that into theintricate web of emotional interactions he creates for the reader. Oneinteresting element is the concepts of greatness each has.
For Daisy, it lies inmaterial wealth, and in the comfort and security associated with it. Daisy seemsto be easily impressed by material success, as when she is touring Gatsby'smansion and seems deeply moved by his collection of fine, tailored shirts. Itwould seem that Tom's relative wealth, also, had at one time impressed herenough to win her in marriage. In contrast to that, Gatsby seems to not care abit about money itself, but rather only about the possibility that it can winover Daisy. In fact, Gatsby's extreme generosity gives the reader the impressionthat Gatsby would otherwise have never even worked at attaining wealth had itnot been for Daisy
For Gatsby, the only thing of real importance was hispursuit of Daisy. It would seem that these elements are combined, too in thecharacter Myrtle. Myrtle is, as Daisy, impressed with Tom's wealth andappearance, but, like Jay Gatsby, is stuck in a fantastic, idealized perceptionof her object of affection. Even when abused and trampled over by Tom, Myrtlecontinues to adore him, just as Gatsby continues to dote upon Daisy after beingobviously rejected by her. As far as ethical considerations, Gatsby tends toprove himself a sincere and caring person, while Daisy and Tom just destroy thelives of two people and then leave town to escape the consequences of theiractions. Between the cold ruthlessness of Tom, and the tenderness of Gatsby, there are also characters who appear to fit somewhere in between on this scale. Jordan, while appearing to be a nice, respectable lady, is seen in severalinstances as an accused in cheating and is tends to bend the rules when it suitsher, such as during a game, or during her relationship with Nick.
Jordan seemsto be a standard of semi-corruption, of naked self-interest, that the othercharacters on the extremes of the scale of moral and social considerations canbe measured. Thus, The Great Gatsby presents an extremely interesting set ofmoral imagery. It can be said, then, that one of Fitzgerald's main talents, as shown in thenovel, is in showing various levels of moral and emotional development incharacters, and juxtaposing them. Perhaps it is this element that distinguishesThe Great Gatsby from many other novels with similar elements.
Research paper and essay writing, free essay topics, sample works The Great Gatsby: A Full Spectrum Of Character
The Great Gatsby: A Full Spectrum Of Character