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Betrayal in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
- Betrayal in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s…
In literature, authors use betrayal as a means for their characters to get what they want. Betrayal plays a significant role in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. The first betrayal that takes place is Tom’s betrayal of Daisy. Tom betrays his wife Daisy when he has an affair with a woman named Myrtle. The second betrayal is Gatsby betraying himself.
Jay Gatsby could have easily been a very successful man and could have done a lot of great things with his life. He instead wasted all his potential chasing after Daisy and trying to get her to notice him.
The last betrayal that takes place in Daisy’s betrayal of Gatsby. Daisy led Gatsby to believe that she loved him and not her husband Tom. Daisy then turned her back on Gatsby and ran back to her husband leaving Gatsby alone.
The first betrayal is Tom’s betrayal of Daisy. Tom betrays Daisy by ignoring the sanctity of their marriage and having an affair. He has an affair with a woman named Myrtle who is also married.
Not only is this very unethical but, it destroys everything Tom and Daisy built together. They have a child together and this affair could potentially tear their family apart. Tom’s disloyal and guilt-free ways allow him to have an affair without feeling any regret. This betrayal affected the outcome of the story in a big way.
Tom’s betrayal caused Daisy to see nothing wrong with her betraying Tom. Daisy, like her husband, has an affair but, she cheats on Tom with Gatsby. She slowly starts to lose faith in humanity and starts to see the world as a very bad place. She wishes for her daughter to not see the world for what it is.
Daisy hopes that her daughter will be naive and clueless and to see the world as a happy place instead of the reality where the world is cruel. She tells Nick this when she says, “I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”(22) Tom’s betrayal caused Daisy to think this way. Nothing good came of Tom’s betrayal. It caused Daisy to change her whole outlook on life and impacted her in a very negative way. When you cheat on someone you love nothing good can come and this is proved in Tom’s betrayal.
Another significant betrayal in the novel is Gatsby’s betrayal of himself. Growing up Jay Gatsby always tried his best to become a better man. Gatsby had many hopes and dreams and had planned out ways he could become a better person. After Gatsby died his father found a schedule from his childhood that listed the things he had to improve on to become a better man, such as, “be nicer to parents” (164).
Gatsby was capable of great things but wasted his potential chasing foolish dreams. His dream was to be with the girl he loves the most and that girl is Daisy. Every wrong choice Gatsby made was made with the intention of impressing Daisy. He was a bootlegger, and he would throw extravagant parties using the bootlegged booze hoping for Daisy to be impressed.
Gatsby wanted nothing more than to turn back time to when he and Daisy were in love. Nothing but, trouble came from Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy. He wasted his life chasing Daisy and only cheated himself. Gatsby’s betrayal of himself led to his own death. Instead of doing great things and following his plan, he took the blame for one of Daisy’s big mistakes, which led to his doom.
Gatsby could have been a very successful man, his father said it best when he said,” He’s got something about improving his mind. He was always great for that.” (115) Instead of living the life, he should have, Gatsby betrayed himself and wasted all his potential.
The final betrayal presented is Daisy’s betrayal of Gatsby. Daisy always knew how Gatsby felt about her but, never took an interest in him. Her feelings for him began to change when she saw his immense wealth. Daisy is a very materialistic person and all of Gatsby’s fancy things drew Daisy to him.
Daisy led Gatsby to believe she loved him again and that they would be together forever. Although when Tom confronted Gatsby about the affair, the truth came out. Gatsby accused Daisy of never loving Tom but Daisy admitted that this was not true. Daisy told Gatsby of her love for Tom “I did love him once” (126)
Gatsby was shocked to hear this and he felt very betrayed. He was under the impression that Daisy loved him all along and never Tom. After this incident, Daisy ignored Gatsby and no longer came to visit. She betrayed him by completely cutting him out of her life. Daisy also betrayed Gatsby by never admitting to Tom that she was the one that hit Myrtle with the car. The effect of this betrayal was that all the blame fell on Gatsby.
Myrtle’s husband, Mr. Wilson, demanded revenge and this caused him to kill Gatsby. Daisy’s betrayal of Gatsby led to his death. Daisy never cared enough to ever admit to what she did even after he had died. Daisy also neglected to come to Gatsby’s funeral, yet another betrayal. Daisy’s many betrayals of Gatsby ultimately led to his untimely demise.
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Perhaps the worst betrayal of all is Gatsby’s betrayal of his father, who lived in a small town, by targeting small towns to sell worthless bonds. This was also betrayal of the values of his honest working class roots.
Daisy didn’t betray Gatsby by choosing not to leave Tom and go with him. Her rejection of Gatsby pronounced judgment on his low character, which Tom exposed in that hot hotel room.
Daisy’s judgment of Gatsby was further emphasized when she failed to attend, call or send flowers to his funeral.
Gatsby’s judgement was further emphasized by the failure of his friends and acquaintances to attend his funeral or send flowers.
Gatsby’s final judgment was his execution by George Wilson, a member of the working class Gatsby had betrayed by his criminality.
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Most Important Themes in Great Gatsby, Analyzed
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Need to write about a theme for a Great Gatsby assignment or just curious about what exactly a theme is? Not sure where to start? Learn here what a theme is, what the main themes in The Great Gatsby are, and what the best tips for writing about themes for your English/Language Arts class essays are.
We will also link to our specific articles on each theme so you can learn even more in-depth about themes central to Gatsby .
What Is a Theme? Why Should You Care?
First things first: what exactly is a theme? In literature, a theme is a central topic a book deals with. This central topic is revealed through plot events, the actions and dialogue of the characters, and even the narrator's tone. Themes can be very broad, like love, money, or death, or more specific, like people versus technology, racial discrimination, or the American Dream.
In short, a book's theme can usually answer the question, "what's the point of this book?". They're the "so what?" of literary analysis. Also, note that books can definitely have more than one major theme —in Gatsby we identify seven!
Knowing a book's major theme(s) is crucial to writing essays, since many assignments want you to connect your argument to a book's theme. For example, you might be asked to write an essay about a prompt like this: "How does the life of Jay Gatsby exemplify (or deconstruct) the idea of the American Dream?" This prompt has you connect specific details in Jay Gatsby's life to the larger theme of the American Dream. This is why many teachers love theme essays: because they encourage you to connect small details to big ideas!
Furthermore, the AP English Literature test always has an essay question that has you analyze some aspect of a book and then "compare it to the theme of the work as a whole." (If you want specific examples you can access the last 15 years of AP English Literature free response questions here , using your College Board account.) So this skill won't just help you in your English classes, it will also help you pass the AP English Literature test if you're taking it!
So keep reading to learn about the major themes in Gatsby and how they are revealed in the book, and also to get links to our in-depth articles about each theme.
Overview of Key Themes in The Great Gatsby
Before we introduce our seven main themes, we'll briefly describe how the story and characters suggest the major Great Gatsby themes. Remember that the story is set in the 1920s, a period when America's economy was booming, and takes place in New York: specifically the wealthy Long Island towns of West Egg and East Egg, as well as Manhattan and Queens.
As you should know from the book ( check out our summary if you're still hazy on the details!), The Great Gatsby tells the story of James Gatz , a poor farm boy who manages to reinvent himself as the fabulously rich Jay Gatsby, only to be killed after an attempt to win over his old love Daisy Buchanan . Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan , and they're both from old money, causing them to look down Gatsby's newly rich crowd (and for Tom to look down at Gatsby himself).
Meanwhile, Tom is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson , the wife of mechanic George Wilson . Through the Wilsons, we see the struggles of the working class in dismal Queens , NY. As if they didn't already have it hard enough, Myrtle is killed in a hit-and-run accident (caused by Daisy Buchanan), and George, who's manipulated by Tom to believe that Jay Gatsby was both his wife's lover and her murderer, ends up shooting Gatsby and then himself.
The whole story is told by Nick Carraway , a second cousin of Daisy's and classmate of Tom's who moves in next to Gatsby's mansion and eventually befriends Jay -- and then comes to deeply admire him, despite or perhaps because of Jay's fervent desire to repeat his past with Daisy. The tragic chain of events at the novel's climax, along with the fact that both the Buchanans can easily retreat from the damage they caused, causes Nick to become disillusioned with life in New York and retreat back to his hometown in the Midwest.
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Aside from having a very unhappy ending, the novel might just ruin swimming pools for you as well.
The fact that the major characters come from three distinct class backgrounds (working class, newly rich, and old money) suggests that class is a major theme. But the rampant materialism and the sheer amount of money spent by Gatsby himself is a huge issue and its own theme. Related to money and class, the fact that both Gatsby and the Wilsons strive to improve their positions in American society, only to end up dead, also suggests that the American Dream -- and specifically its hollowness -- is a key theme in the book as well.
But there are other themes at play here, too. Every major character is involved in at least one romantic relationship , revealing that they are all driven by love, sex, and desire -- a major theme. Also, the rampant bad behavior (crime, cheating, and finally murder) and lack of real justice makes ethics and morality a key theme. Death also looms large over the novel's plot, alongside the threat of failure.
And finally, a strong undercurrent to all of these themes is identity itself: can James Gatz really become Jay Gatsby, or was he doomed from the start? Can someone who is not from old money ever blend in with that crowd? Could Gatsby really aspire to repeat his past with Daisy, or is that past self gone forever?
In short, just by looking at the novel's plot, characters, and ending, we can already get a strong sense of Gatsby's major themes. Let's now look at each of those themes one by one (and be sure to check out the links to our full theme breakdowns!).
The 7 Major Great Gatsby Themes
Money and Materialism : Everyone in the novel is money-obsessed, whether they were born with money (Tom, Daisy, Jordan, and Nick to a lesser extent), whether they made a fortune (Gatsby), or whether they're eager for more (Myrtle and George). So why are the characters so materialistic? How does their materialism affect their choices? Get a guide to each of the characters' material motivations and how they shape the novel.
Society and Class: Building on the money and materialism theme, the novel draws clear distinctions between the kind of money you have: old money (inherited) or new money (earned). And there is also a clear difference between the lifestyles of the wealthy, who live on Long Island and commute freely to Manhattan, and the working class people stuck in between, mired in Queens. By the end of the novel, our main characters who are not old money (Gatsby, Myrtle, and George) are all dead, while the inherited-money club is still alive. What does this say about class in Gatsby? Why is their society so rigidly classist? Learn more about the various social classes in Gatsby and how they affect the novel's outcome.
The American Dream : The American Dream is the idea anyone can make it in America (e.g. gain fame, fortune, and success) through enough hard work and determination. So is Jay Gatsby an example of the dream? Or does his involvement in crime suggest the Dream isn't actually real? And where does this leave the Wilsons, who are also eager to improve their lot in life but don't make it out of the novel alive? Finally, do the closing pages of the novel endorse the American Dream or write it off as a fantasy? Learn what the American Dream is and how the novel sometimes believes in it, and sometimes sees it as a reckless fantasy.
Love, Desire, and Relationships : All of the major characters are driven by love, desire, or both, but only Tom and Daisy's marriage lasts out of the novel's five major relationships and affairs. So is love an inherently unstable force? Or do the characters just experience it in the wrong way? Get an in-depth guide to each of Gatsby's major relationships.
Death and Failure: Nick narrates Gatsby two years after the events in question, and since he's obviously aware of the tragedy awaiting not only Gatsby but Myrtle and George as well, the novel has a sad, reflective, even mournful tone. Is the novel saying that ambition is inherently dangerous (especially in a classist society like 1920s America), or is it more concerned with the danger of Gatsby's intense desire to reclaim the past? Explore those questions here.
Morality and Ethics: The novel is full of bad behavior: lying, cheating, physical abuse, crime, and finally murder. Yet none of the characters ever answer to the law, and God is only mentioned as an exclamation, or briefly projected onto an advertisement . Does the novel push for the need to fix this lack of morality, or does it accept it as the normal state of affairs in the "wild, wild East"?
The Mutability of Identity: Mutability just means "subject to change," so this theme is about how changeable (or not!) personal identity is. Do people really change? Or are our past selves always with us? And how would this shape our desire to reclaim parts of our past? Gatsby wants to have it both ways: to change himself from James Gatz into the sophisticated, wealthy Jay Gatsby, but also to preserve his past with Daisy. Does he fail because it's impossible to change? Because it's impossible to repeat the past? Or both?
How to Write About The Great Gatsby Themes
So now that you know about the major themes of The Great Gatsby , how can you go about writing about them? First up: look closely at your prompt.
Sometimes an essay prompt will come right out and ask you to write about a theme , for example "is The American Dream in Gatsby alive or dead?" or "Write about the relationships in Gatsby. What is the novel saying about the nature of love and desire?" For those essays, you will obviously be writing about one of the novel's major themes. But even though those prompts have big-picture questions, make sure to find small supporting details to help make your argument.
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For example, if you're discussing the American Dream and arguing it's dead in the novel, don't just make that claim and be done with it. Instead, you can explore Gatsby's past as James Gatz, George Wilson's exhausted complacency, and Myrtle's treatment at the hands of Tom as examples of how the American Dream is treated in the novel. Obviously those examples are far from exhaustive, but hopefully you get the idea: find smaller details to support the larger argument.
On the other hand, many essay prompts about Gatsby will look like a question about something specific, like a character or symbol:
- Explore Tom and Daisy as people who 'retreat into their money.'
- What does the green light at the end of Daisy's dock represent? How does its meaning change throughout the novel?
- Show how Fitzgerald uses clothing (and the changing of costumes) to tell the reader more about the characters and/or express theme(s).
These prompts are actually a chance for you to take that detailed analysis and connect it to one of the larger themes—in other words, even though the prompt doesn't state it explicitly, you should still be connecting those more focused topics to one of the big-picture themes.
For example, if you talk about Tom and Daisy Buchanan, you will definitely end up talking about society and class. If you talk about the green light, you will end up talking about dreams and goals, specifically the American Dream. And if you discuss clothing to talk about the characters, you will definitely touch on money and materialism, as well as society and class (like how Gatsby's pink suit makes him stand out as new money to Tom Buchanan, or how Myrtle adopts a different dress to play at being wealthy and sophisticated).
In short, for these more specific prompts, you start from the ground (small details and observations) and build up to discussing the larger themes, even if the prompt doesn't say to do so explicitly!
What's Next?
Now you're an expert on themes, but what about symbols? If you need to write about the important symbols in The Great Gatsby, check out our symbols overview for a complete guide.
Want a full analysis of Jay Gatsby and his backstory? Not sure how his story connects with the American Dream? Get the details here .
Want to go back to square one? Get started with Chapter 1 of our Great Gatsby plot summary.
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“The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald: Betrayal, Romance, Social Politics and Feminism Essay
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Women as sources of entertainment
Women as “inanimate” objects, works cited.
Fitzgerald offers an insight into the treacherous affair of navigating through the prospects of achieving the “American dream.” Most Americans aspire to climb the ladder of prosperity and achieve “financial independence and social emancipation.” Nevertheless, there are lots of adversities along the way of achieving the “American dream.” Thematically, the author explores issues such as betrayal, romance, social politics, and feminism. He castigates society for “surrendering” to the lowest phases of moral decadence and erosion of the basic matters of trust and honesty. The book extensively highlights the manner in which the female gender is portrayed in society. This work seeks to outline the role of women in the development of the plot of the book and in relation to the social issues affecting women in contemporary society.
The setting of the novel is a quintessential reminder of the ancient and “primitive” view that women have a sole role in meeting the sexual pleasures and desires of men. Fitzgerald outlines this belief in a male-dominated setting of West Egg where parties are held with a view to “appeasing” women. The inhabitants of West Egg are described as “well to do” (Fitzgerald ch.1). The author affirms this opulence when Nick admits, “…my family have been prominent, well – to – do people in this Middle Western city…” (Fitzgerald ch.1)
Gatsby incessantly organizes parties with the purpose of attracting Daisy, Nick’s cousin, and engaging in a romantic affair despite Daisy’s marital commitment to Tom. The writer is very keen to illuminate to the readers the role that society assigns to women through the actions of Mr. Gatsby. Gatsby desires to fulfil his lustrous pleasures by getting romantically involved with Daisy. His arrangement with Nick to “lure” Daisy into a forum where they could meet affirms the prurient nature of Gatsby. He perceives the female gender merely as objects of “fulfilment.” The narrator, in reference to the planned meeting, asserts, “I talked with Miss Baker,” I said after a moment. “I’m going to call up Daisy tomorrow and invite her over here to tea” (Fitzgerald ch. 5).
Fitzgerald’s dispositional beliefs on the feminine gender are traceable through all his literary works. The subservient role he assigns to women in a number of his works speaks voluminously about the setting in which his novels are based. Throughout the work “The Great Gatsby” the women are entirely dominated by the male gender.
The author uses Nick as his voice in the book. To an extent, Nick seems to be in disapproval of the lifestyle of the society in which the novel is set. Although he ends up attending some of the “wild” parties organized by his friends, the mood of the work is that of slight disapproval. Moreover, Tom’s infidelity issues despite his marriage, affirm that he slavishly views women, a further illustration of the peripheral role of women in the societal setting of the work. “Tom’s got some woman in New York” (Fitzgerald ch.1).
Violence against women in the book is ubiquitous. The inhuman manner in which the male characters treat the women in the work is despicable. As a reader, one is appalled by how Tom beats up his wife. The level of physical violence that the male gender “imposes” on women is deplorable. Nick describes this episode further through Mrs. Wilson: “Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!” shouted Mrs. Wilson, “I’ll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai -” Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand” (Fitzgerald ch. 2).
Fitzgerald has painted a rather gloomy silhouette of feminism in the book. To be a woman, according to the author, is to be hollow. A woman remains the marionette of the male gender. No wonder the voice of the author exclaims that the best a woman can be is a fool. The author clinically explicates this point through the conversation between Daisy and Nick about the birth of Daisy’s daughter. After revealing the gender of the child in the hospital, Daisy claims.
“I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald ch.1).
This comment from Daisy sums up the feeling that society has towards the women in the book. Providently, the feminine gender has resigned to the position of gender dotage and seems to be well-adapted to their “insignificant” role in society; no wonder Daisy casually accepts the fact that Tom has a mistress. Women are not identified as significant members of society; their consciousness has been perfectly tethered to believe that indeed, they represent the “passive” members of society. Their responsibility in society is as prescribed by men. This “surrender” has “perfectly” confined females into a locus of inherent suppression to the wishes of the males.
Fitzgerald, Scott. The Great Gatsby. Australia : University of Adelaide, 2014. The University of Adelaide Library . Web.
- Short Summary
- Summary (Chapter 1)
- Summary (Chapter 2)
- Summary (Chapter 3)
- Summary (Chapter 4)
- Summary (Chapter 5)
- Summary (Chapter 6)
- Summary (Chapter 7)
- Summary (Chapter 8)
- Summary (Chapter 9)
- Symbolism & Style
- Quotes Explained
- Questions & Answers
- F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Biography
- Feminism in Mourning Dove’s “Cogewea, the Half-Blood”
- The Feminine Roles in the 'Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus' by M. Shelley
- “The Great Gatsby” Novel by Francis Scott Fitzgerald
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- "My World of the Unknown" by Alifa Rifaat
- Gender Issue in Büchner’s Woyzeck
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- Feminist Criticism in Literature: Character of Women in Books
- The Medieval Portrayals of Women in Literary Works
- Chicago (A-D)
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IvyPanda. (2022, January 28). "The Great Gatsby" by Fitzgerald: Betrayal, Romance, Social Politics and Feminism. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-great-gatsby-by-fitzgerald-betrayal-romance-social-politics-and-feminism/
""The Great Gatsby" by Fitzgerald: Betrayal, Romance, Social Politics and Feminism." IvyPanda , 28 Jan. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/the-great-gatsby-by-fitzgerald-betrayal-romance-social-politics-and-feminism/.
IvyPanda . (2022) '"The Great Gatsby" by Fitzgerald: Betrayal, Romance, Social Politics and Feminism'. 28 January.
IvyPanda . 2022. ""The Great Gatsby" by Fitzgerald: Betrayal, Romance, Social Politics and Feminism." January 28, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-great-gatsby-by-fitzgerald-betrayal-romance-social-politics-and-feminism/.
1. IvyPanda . ""The Great Gatsby" by Fitzgerald: Betrayal, Romance, Social Politics and Feminism." January 28, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-great-gatsby-by-fitzgerald-betrayal-romance-social-politics-and-feminism/.
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IvyPanda . ""The Great Gatsby" by Fitzgerald: Betrayal, Romance, Social Politics and Feminism." January 28, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-great-gatsby-by-fitzgerald-betrayal-romance-social-politics-and-feminism/.
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Betrayal in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”
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The novel The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, is often hailed as the quintessential expression of the “Great American Novel.” It depicts the grandeur of great wealth, extravagant parties, the enchanting allure of jazz music, and various aspects associated with the “American Dream.” Fitzgerald skillfully incorporates symbols and themes throughout his work, highlighting notions such as wealth, greed, and perhaps most poignantly, betrayal. Betrayal, a deeply unsettling act that can shatter lives and relationships, permeates this novel extensively, intertwining characters and events. Three instances exemplify this recurrent theme of betrayal: Gatsby’s betrayal by Daisy, Tom’s infidelity with Myrtle, and the absence of mourners at Gatsby’s funeral.
Tom Buchanan’s extramarital affair in the novel stems from his romantic entanglement with “some woman in New York” (Fitzgerald, 21). Throughout the novel, Tom consistently exhibits acts of betrayal. Despite being married to Daisy Buchanan, it is universally recognized that infidelity is morally and socially reprehensible. Tom’s affair is specifically with Myrtle Wilson, who happens to be George Wilson’s wife. Their illicit relationship has endured for a significant duration.
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Tom is astonished when he sees Gatsby and Daisy together romantically, which is ironic. Fitzgerald describes Tom’s surprise by noting his slightly open mouth and his gaze shifting between Gatsby and Daisy, as if he had suddenly recognized her from a distant past (119). This emphasizes Gatsby’s ultimate ambition – to be reunited with his long-lost love, Daisy Buchanan. However, Daisy is now married to Tim Buchanan. Gatsby’s plan was to wait for the end of World War I so that he could return and marry her.
After being betrayed by Daisy, Gatsby is heartbroken when she chooses to marry Tom Buchanan during wartime. However, the novel portrays their intense love for each other, as demonstrated when they have their first conversation in five years. The narrator describes Daisy’s tear-streaked face and the noticeable transformation in Gatsby, who radiates with a glowing aura and a sense of satisfaction. Despite their deep affection, Gatsby and Tom engage in a fiery argument over Daisy.
Daisy and Gatsby went to his house, but on the way, they struck Myrtle with Gatsby’s car before continuing. Later, Daisy reconciled with Tom, and they reunited, leaving Gatsby alone and causing his downfall. According to Fitzgerald (146), Daisy and Tom sat facing each other at the kitchen table. Tom was speaking passionately to her, and his hand had gently landed on top of hers. Occasionally, she would glance up at him and nod in agreement.
In chapter eight, Gatsby’s life comes to a tragic end as detailed in the text. Tom manipulates George Wilson, leading to Gatsby’s murder in pursuit of justice. The news of Gatsby’s death quickly spreads, attracting a multitude of people to his house. These visitors include journalists, photographers, police officers, and various media personnel who are not personally acquainted with him. Everyone, except Nick, believes that Gatsby is responsible for Myrtle’s death and that Wilson is emotionally unstable due to grief (Fitzgerald, 164). The investigation reaches its conclusion, and subsequently, the funeral takes place.
Gatsby requested Nick to contact all the usual party attendees as he couldn’t handle it alone: “You must find someone for me. You have to make an effort. I cannot confront this by myself.” (Fitzgerald, 166) Nevertheless, none of the partygoers complied and only provided excuses. The Buchanans, Tom and Daisy, had relocated without providing a new address, while Meyer Wolfsheim alleged being occupied with crucial matters to participate at that time. Gatsby’s alleged “friends” failed to organize any gatherings to show their support for him.
Only a few individuals attended the service: Nick, Gatsby’s father, Owl Eyes, and a handful of Gatsby’s servants. It was not only Gatsby who felt betrayed, but Nick as well. The Great Gatsby effectively depicted betrayal at a deeply personal level. Fitzgerald skillfully conveyed this theme through his characters, particularly Tom Buchanan, who I perceive as the most deceitful individual in the story. The novel successfully portrayed betrayal as a profoundly overwhelming emotion.
Bibliography
- Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1986. Print.
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Life in West Egg and East Egg
Resurfacing gatsby’s past, a deadly crash and a shooting, setting and historical context, publication history, legacy, and adaptations, the meaning of the great gatsby.
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- When did American literature begin?
- Who are some important authors of American literature?
- What are the periods of American literature?
- Who was F. Scott Fitzgerald?
- When and where was F. Scott Fitzgerald born?
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The Great Gatsby
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The Great Gatsby , novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald , published in 1925 by Charles Scribner’s Sons. Set in Jazz Age New York , it tells the story of Jay Gatsby , a self-made millionaire, and his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, a wealthy young woman whom he loved in his youth .
Commercially unsuccessful when it was first published, The Great Gatsby —which was Fitzgerald’s third novel—is now considered a classic of American fiction and has often been called the Great American Novel.
- Who is Jay Gatsby, and what are the parties like at his house?
- How does Tom Buchanan react to the relationship that his wife, Daisy, has with Gatsby?
- What shocking event occurs when Daisy, seated beside Gatsby, is driving his car, and how does it affect everyone involved?
- How does The Great Gatsby capture the essence of the Jazz Age?
- How did The Great Gatsby ’s popularity change over time?
- What is the significance of West Egg vs. East Egg, and which wins in the end?
These AI-generated questions have been reviewed by Britannica’s editors.
Plot summary
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The Great Gatsby is narrated by Nick Carraway , a Yale University graduate from the Midwest who moves to New York after World War I to pursue a career in bonds . He recounts the events of the summer he spent in the East two years later, reconstructing his story through a series of flashbacks not always told in chronological order.
In the spring of 1922, Nick takes a house in the fictional village of West Egg on Long Island , where he finds himself living among the colossal mansions of the newly rich. Across the water in the more refined village of East Egg live his cousin Daisy and her brutish, absurdly wealthy husband Tom Buchanan. Early in the summer Nick goes over to their house for dinner, where he also meets Jordan Baker, a friend of Daisy’s and a well-known golf champion, who tells him that Tom has a mistress in New York City . In a private conversation, Daisy confesses to Nick that she has been unhappy. Returning to his house in West Egg, he catches sight of his neighbor Jay Gatsby standing alone in the dark and stretching his arms out to a green light burning across the bay at the end of Tom and Daisy’s dock.
Early in July Tom introduces Nick to his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, who lives with her spiritless husband George Wilson in what Nick calls “a valley of ashes”: an industrial wasteland presided over by the bespectacled eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, which stare down from an advertising billboard. Meeting her at the garage where George works as a repairman, the three of them go to Tom and Myrtle’s apartment in Manhattan. They are joined by Myrtle’s sister and some other friends who live nearby, and the evening ends in heavy drunkenness and Tom punching Myrtle in the nose when she brings up Daisy. Nick wakes up in a train station the morning afterward.
As the summer progresses, Nick grows accustomed to the noises and lights of dazzling parties held at his neighbor’s house, where the famous and newly rich turn up on Saturday nights to enjoy Gatsby’s well-stocked bar and full jazz orchestra. Nick attends one of these parties when personally invited by Gatsby and runs into Jordan, with whom he spends most of the evening. He is struck by the apparent absence of the host and the impression that all of his guests seem to have dark theories about Gatsby’s past. However, Nick meets him at last in a rather quiet encounter later in the evening when the man sitting beside him identifies himself as Gatsby. Gatsby disappears and later asks to speak to Jordan privately. Jordan returns amazed by what he has told her, but she is unable to tell Nick what it is.
Nick begins seeing Jordan Baker as the summer continues, and he also becomes better acquainted with Gatsby. One afternoon in late July when they are driving into Manhattan for lunch, Gatsby tries to dispel the rumors circulating around himself, and he tells Nick that he is the son of very wealthy people who are all dead and that he is an Oxford man and a war hero. Nick is skeptical about this. At lunch he meets Gatsby’s business partner Meyer Wolfsheim, the man who fixed the World Series in 1919 (based on a real person and a real event from Fitzgerald’s day). Later, at tea, Jordan Baker tells Nick the surprising thing that Gatsby had told her in confidence at his party: Gatsby had known Nick’s cousin Daisy almost five years earlier in Louisville and they had been in love, but then he went away to fight in the war and she married Tom Buchanan. Gatsby bought his house on West Egg so he could be across the water from her.
At Gatsby’s request, Nick agrees to invite Daisy to his house, where Gatsby can meet her. A few days later he has them both over for tea, and Daisy is astonished to see Gatsby after nearly five years. The meeting is at first uncomfortable, and Nick steps outside for half an hour to give the two of them privacy. When he returns, they seem fully reconciled , Gatsby glowing with happiness and Daisy in tears. Afterward they go next door to Gatsby’s enormous house, and Gatsby shows off its impressive rooms to Daisy.
As the days pass, Tom becomes aware of Daisy’s association with Gatsby. Disliking it, he shows up at one of Gatsby’s parties with his wife. It becomes clear that Daisy does not like the party and is appalled by the impropriety of the new-money crowd at West Egg. Tom suspects that Gatsby is a bootlegger, and he says so. Voicing his dismay to Nick after the party is over, Gatsby explains that he wants Daisy to tell Tom she never loved him and then marry him as though the years had never passed.
Gatsby’s wild parties cease thereafter, and Daisy goes over to Gatsby’s house in the afternoons. On a boiling hot day near the end of the summer, Nick arrives for lunch at the Buchanans’ house; Gatsby and Jordan have also been invited. In the dining room, Daisy pays Gatsby a compliment that makes clear her love for him, and, when Tom notices this, he insists they drive into town.
Daisy and Gatsby leave in Tom’s blue coupe, while Tom drives Jordan and Nick in Gatsby’s garish yellow car. On the way, Tom stops for gas at George Wilson’s garage in the valley of ashes, and Wilson tells Tom that he is planning to move west with Myrtle as soon as he can raise the money. This news shakes Tom considerably, and he speeds on toward Manhattan, catching up with Daisy and Gatsby.
The whole party ends up in a parlor at the Plaza Hotel, hot and in bad temper . As they are about to drink mint juleps to cool off, Tom confronts Gatsby directly on the subject of his relationship with Daisy. Daisy tries to calm them down, but Gatsby insists that Daisy and he have always been in love and that she has never loved Tom. As the fight escalates and Daisy threatens to leave her husband, Tom reveals what he learned from an investigation into Gatsby’s affairs—that he had earned his money by selling illegal alcohol at drugstores in Chicago with Wolfsheim after Prohibition laws went into effect. Gatsby tries to deny it, but Daisy has lost her resolve, and his cause seems hopeless. As they leave the Plaza, Nick realizes that it is his 30th birthday.
Gatsby and Daisy leave together in Gatsby’s car, with Daisy driving. On the road they hit and kill Myrtle, who, after having a vehement argument with her husband, had run into the street toward Gatsby’s passing car, thinking it was Tom. Terrified, Daisy continues driving, but the car is seen by witnesses. Coming behind them, Tom stops his car when he sees a commotion on the road. He is stunned and devastated when he finds the body of his mistress dead on a table in Wilson’s garage.
Wilson accusingly tells him it was a yellow car that hit her, but Tom insists it was not his and drives on to East Egg in tears. Back at the Buchanans’ house in East Egg, Nick finds Gatsby hiding in the garden and learns that it was Daisy who was driving, though Gatsby insists that he will say it was he if his car is found. He says he will wait outside Daisy’s house in case Tom abuses Daisy.
The next morning Nick goes over to Gatsby’s house, where he has returned, dejected . Nick advises him to go away, afraid that his car will be traced. He refuses, and that night he tells Nick the truth about his past: he had come from a poor farming family and had met Daisy in Louisville while serving in the army, but he was too poor to marry her at the time. He earned his incredible wealth only after the war (by bootlegging , as Tom discovered).
Reluctantly, Nick leaves for work, while Gatsby continues to wait for a call from Daisy. That afternoon, George Wilson arrives in East Egg, where Tom tells him that it was Gatsby who killed his wife. Wilson makes his way to Gatsby’s house, where he finds Gatsby in his pool. Wilson shoots Gatsby and then himself. Afterward the Buchanans leave Long Island. They give no forwarding address. Nick arranges Gatsby’s funeral, although only two people attend , one of whom is Gatsby’s father. Nick moves back to the Midwest, disgusted with life in the East.
Set in the Jazz Age (a term popularized by Fitzgerald), The Great Gatsby vividly captures its historical moment: the economic boom in America after World War I, the new jazz music, the free-flowing illegal liquor. As Fitzgerald later remarked in an essay about the Roaring Twenties , it was “a whole race going hedonistic, deciding on pleasure.”
According to F. Scott Fitzgerald, the 1920s witnessed “a whole race going hedonistic, deciding on pleasure.”
The brazenly lavish culture of West Egg is a reflection of the new prosperity that was possible during Prohibition , when illegal schemes involving the black-market selling of liquor abounded. Such criminal enterprises are the source of Gatsby’s income and finance his incredible parties, which are probably based on parties Fitzgerald himself attended when he lived on Long Island in the early 1920s.
The racial anxieties of the period are also evident in the novel; Tom’s diatribe on The Rise of the Colored Empires —a reference to a real book published in 1920 by the American political scientist Lothrop Stoddard—points to the burgeoning eugenics movement in the United States during the early 20th century.
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Fitzgerald finished The Great Gatsby in early 1925 while he was living in France, and Scribner’s published it in April of the same year. Fitzgerald struggled considerably in choosing a title, toying with Trimalchio and Under the Red, White and Blue , among others; he was never satisfied with the title The Great Gatsby , under which it was ultimately published.
The illustration for the novel’s original dust jacket was commissioned by Fitzgerald’s editor Maxwell Perkins seven months before he was in possession of the finished manuscript. It was designed by Francis Cugat, a Spanish-born artist who did Hollywood movie posters, and depicts the eyes of a woman hanging over the carnival lights of Coney Island . The design was well-loved by Fitzgerald, and he claimed in a letter to Perkins that he had written it into the book, though whether this refers to the eyes of Doctor Eckleburg or something else is uncertain. Cugat’s painting is now one of the most well-known and celebrated examples of jacket art in American literature .
While Fitzgerald considered The Great Gatsby to be his greatest achievement at the time it was published, the book was neither a critical nor a commercial success upon publication. Reviews were mixed, and the 20,000 copies of its first printing sold slowly. It was printed one more time during Fitzgerald’s life, and there were still copies unsold from this second printing when he died in 1940.
The Great Gatsby was rediscovered a few years later and enjoyed an exponential growth in popularity in the 1950s, soon becoming a standard text of high-school curricula in the United States. It remains one of Scribner’s best sellers, and it is now considered a masterpiece of American fiction. In 2021 it entered the public domain in the United States.
There have been several film adaptations of the novel, most notably a production directed by Jack Clayton in 1974, starring Robert Redford as Gatsby, and one in 2013 directed by Baz Luhrmann , starring Leonardo DiCaprio .
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Above all, The Great Gatsby has been read as a pessimistic examination of the American Dream . At its center is a remarkable rags-to-riches story, of a boy from a poor farming background who has built himself up to fabulous wealth. Jay Gatsby is someone who once had nothing but who now entertains rich and celebrated people in his enormous house on Long Island. However, even though Gatsby’s wealth may be commensurate with the likes of Tom Buchanan’s, he is ultimately unable to break into the “distinguished secret society” of those who were born wealthy. His attempt to win Daisy Buchanan, a woman from a well-established family of the American elite, ends in disaster and his death.
This tension between “new money” and “old money” is represented in the book by the contrast between West Egg and East Egg. West Egg is portrayed as a tawdry, brash society that “chafed under the old euphemisms,” full of people who have made their money in an age of unprecedented materialism. East Egg, in contrast, is a refined society populated by America’s “staid nobility,” those who have inherited their wealth and who frown on the rawness of West Egg. In the end, it is East Egg that might be said to triumph: while Gatsby is shot and his garish parties are dispersed, Tom and Daisy are unharmed by the terrible events of the summer.
The Great Gatsby is memorable for the rich symbolism that underpins its story. Throughout the novel, the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock is a recurrent image that beckons to Gatsby’s sense of ambition. It is a symbol of “the orgastic future” he believes in so intensely, toward which his arms are outstretched when Nick first sees him. It is this “extraordinary gift for hope” that Nick admires so much in Gatsby, his “heightened sensitivity to the promises of life.” Once Daisy is within Gatsby’s reach, however, the “colossal significance” of the green light disappears. In essence, the green light is an unattainable promise, one that Nick understands in universal terms at the end of the novel: a future we never grasp but for which we are always reaching. Nick compares it to the hope the early settlers had in the promise of the New World. Gatsby’s dream fails, then, when he fixates his hope on a real object, Daisy. His once indefinite ambition is thereafter limited to the real world and becomes prey to all of its corruption.
The valley of ashes—an industrial wasteland located between West Egg and Manhattan—serves as a counterpoint to the brilliant future promised by the green light. As a dumping ground for the refuse of nearby factories, it stands as the consequence of America’s postwar economic boom, the ugly truth behind the consumer culture that props up newly rich people like Gatsby. In this valley live men like George Wilson who are “already crumbling.” They are the underclasses that live without hope, all the while bolstering the greed of a thriving economy. Notably, Gatsby does not in the end escape the ash of this economy that built him: it is George Wilson who comes to kill him, described as an “ashen” figure the moment before he shoots Gatsby.
Over the valley of ashes hover the bespectacled eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, which appear on the advertising billboard of an oculist. These eyes almost become a moral conscience in the morally vacuous world of The Great Gatsby ; to George Wilson they are the eyes of God. They are said to “brood” and “[keep] their vigil” over the valley, and they witness some of the most corrupt moments of the novel: Tom and Myrtle’s affair, Myrtle’s death, and the valley itself, full of America’s industrial waste and the toiling poor. However, in the end they are another product of the materialistic culture of the age, set up by Doctor Eckleburg to “fatten his practice.” Behind them is just one more person trying to get rich. Their function as a divine being who watches and judges is thus ultimately null , and the novel is left without a moral anchor.
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Betrayal plays a significant role in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby. The first betrayal that takes place is Tom's betrayal of Daisy. Tom betrays his wife Daisy when he has an affair with a woman named Myrtle. The second betrayal is Gatsby betraying himself. Jay Gatsby could have easily been a very successful man and could have ...
Betrayal in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925. It is recognized as the "Great American Novel" as it shows great wealth, partying, jazz music and many other aspects of the "American Dream". In his novel, he displays a lot of symbols, and themes including ...
Another significant betrayal in the novel is Gatsby's betrayal to himself. Gatsby had always tried to become a better man when he was growing up, and he had many hopes and dreams that would help in in achieving this goal. His father even states "[Gatsby's] got something about improving his mind. He was always great for that"(Fitzgerald 173).
The definition of Betrayal is- To be unfaithful, or to disappoint the hopes or expectations of someone. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, you encounter varying degrees of betrayal. From a forbidden love affair, Daisy and Gatsby fight for their lost love until a huge sacrifice has to be made. While Myrtle is unhappy with her ...
Park 3 betrayal shattered this illusion. Exposing Gatsby's trust to the harsh reality. Similarly, Gatsby's trust in Meyer Wolfsheim leads him down a dishonest path. "That's one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him and I wasn't far wrong." (Chapter 7 Page 143) Meyer introduces Gatsby to the underworld and gets him deep into bootlegging.
The Great Gatsby is a novel full of extravagant characters during an extravagant time period. The 1920s was a flashy, colorful time full of shallow love and deep betrayals. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses these characteristics to create his novel, The Great Gatsby. In it, Fitzgerald demonstrates the themes of love and betrayal through its complex ...
The essay is a comprehensive analysis of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is well-organized and focused on the main topic of The Great Gatsby as a highly symbolic meditation on 1920s America, and how the disintegration of the American dream is reflected in the characters and events of the novel.
Related to money and class, the fact that both Gatsby and the Wilsons strive to improve their positions in American society, only to end up dead, also suggests that the American Dream -- and specifically its hollowness -- is a key theme in the book as well. But there are other themes at play here, too.
American Dream in his writing, perhaps especially so in The Great Gatsby. Dealing with ti-meless themes such as the meaning of existence, social stratification and the pursuit of happi-ness, the novel is set in New York during the 1920s. One of the more interesting themes of The Great Gatsby is the underlying commentary regarding the American ...
The Great Gatsby Essay Topic Examples. Whether you want to analyze the American Dream, compare and contrast characters, vividly describe settings and characters, persuade readers with your viewpoints, or share personal experiences related to the story, these essay ideas provide a diverse perspective on the themes and complexities within the book.
Daisy betrays Gatsby by telling him that she had never loved her husband Tom, but she did love him. Gatsby loved the idea that she never loved him. Tom and Gatsby was in an argument and Gatsby accused Daisy of never loving Tom but Daisy admitted that this was not true. Daisy told Gatsby of her love for Tom "I did love him once" (Fitzgerald ...
While reading The Great Gatsby, there are many different topics that Fitzgerald displays throughout the book, but the main one that seems to stick out is betrayal. The topic is shown during the entirety of the book, along with the fact that it is consistently normalized using some of the different main characters.
Gatsby's love for Daisy blinds him from her acts of betrayal, which eventually leads Gatsby to his death. In Song of Solomon, the relationship between Milkman and Guitar deteriorates due to Guitar's excessive desire for money and revenge. This is paralleled in The Great Gatsby where Daisy use Gatsby's love and wealth to seek revenge on Tom.
Theme Of Betrayal In The Great Gatsby. The chapters 6-9 deal with the main theme of betrayal. Many people were betrayed throughout this book whether it was infidelity, untruthfulness, etc. Gatsby was untruthful in his rise to becoming rich. His original name was James Gatz. The untruthfulness made people rethink how they felt about Gatsby.
"The Great Gatsby" by Fitzgerald: Betrayal, Romance, Social Politics and Feminism Essay Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Updated: May 31st, 2024
In the novel "The Great Gatsby" by F . Scott Fitzgerald, it emphasized the theme betrayal where it takes a huge role in the characters' lives. Also, how it...
A few forms of betrayal are betrayal through sex, love, and self. Betrayal in the 1920s was abundant. During the 1920's women were more promiscuous than they had been in the past so both men and women were more likely to be unfaithful. Fitzgerald portrays the amount of betrayal that happened in the 1920's very well throughout the novel.
Betrayal in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby". Essay's Score: C. The novel The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, is often hailed as the quintessential expression of the "Great American Novel.". It depicts the grandeur of great wealth, extravagant parties, the enchanting allure of jazz music, and various ...
The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald takes place during this transformative time period, and follows the life of the socialite Daisy Buchanan. Daisy is unhappy in her marriage to Tom Buchanan, and wants to spend her life with Jay Gatsby, the epitome of a self-made man who covers up his sadness by throwing big parties.
The Great Gatsby is F. Scott Fitzgerald's third novel. It was published in 1925. Set in Jazz Age New York, it tells the story of Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, and his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, a wealthy young woman whom he loved in his youth. Commercially unsuccessful upon publication, the book is now considered a classic of American fiction.
Betrayal in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925. It is recognized as the "Great American Novel" as it shows great wealth, partying, jazz music and many other aspects of the "American Dream". In his novel, he displays a lot of symbols, and themes including ...
Betrayal was a tremendous theme in the Great Gatsby. Betrayal is a tremendous theme in The Great Gatsby because of family, marriage, and time. F.Scott Fitzgerald puts betrayal in the book so much that a lot of the book is about Tom and Daisy and how Gatsby loves Daisy so much. Gatsby even betrayed his own family for Daisy and his love for Daisy.
Published: Mar 5, 2024. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic novel that explores themes of wealth, love, and the American Dream. In this essay, we will examine the thesis statement that the pursuit of wealth and status ultimately leads to emptiness and disillusionment.