Thesis

The Great Gatsby depicts the theme the American dream because in the book, all the characters want to live the perfect life, to be rich, and to have no worries and to be happy.

They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they made. (Fitz 187 - 188) This deals with in my thesis how they thought money was everything. They thought that they could do anything as long as they had money, and with that they were selfish. Then once Gatsby died, they just ran because they didn't want to get involved with the police and couldn't face the truth and take the consequences of taking life by the horns.

As Tom left the room Daisy got up and kissed Gatsby "You know I love you," she murmured. "you forget there's a lady present," said Jordan. Daisy looked around doubtfully "You kiss Nick too." "What a low, vulgar girl!" "I don't care!" said Daisy. (Fitz 123) The book also involves love, as in this sentence, Jordan accuses Daisy of being a low, vulgar girl. But Daisy isn't the only one in love. This pertains to the American Dream because if you want to live the American Dream you need to be happy, Nick in the book falls in love with Jordan, the Golf player, and Daisy is in love with Gatsby but is married to Tom, Tom loves Daisy but can't get over his other love Myrtle. Tom and Myrtle both are in an affair, but Myrtle is more in love with Tom than her husband Wilson. Even though this evolves being hurt, as long as they get what they want, they will be happy.

This book showed unlike Gatsby that waiting for happiness will not always bring happiness. The most important theme of the Great Gatsby is the American Dream because everyone wants to live the American Dream and that's what Gatsby tried to do. He was not in it for the money or for the fame, his only dream was to have Daisy, but fatefully ended. Also if you want to be happy you shouldn't half to wait for it, but live happiness, because happiness will not always come to you.

Thesis Draft

The Great Gatsby depicts the theme the American dream because in the book, all the characters want to live the perfect life, to be rich, and to have no worries and to be happy.

Gatsby - Chapter 9

In this chapter Nick tries to have a funeral for Gatsby, he tries inviting people, he tries inviting Daisy and Tom but they moved away, he can't get anyone to go. He starts getting sick of the East and moves to the West, he then breaks up with Jordan, right before Nick leaves he sees tom, reluctant of shaking his hand he still does. Tom says how much he suffered giving up his apartment and said that Gatsby deserved to die, Nick also think that Tom and Daisy think they can do whatever they want as long as they have money. Nick then thinks about the East in comparison of the West, on his last night Nick goes into Gatsby's empty mansion and erases a bad word on his steps, thinking of how Gatsby's goal was unfulfilled. Nick then says that everyone is motivated by a goal, he relates like a boat going against the currents in the sea.

R: In this chapter Nick says that everyone has a goal in life that they would like to reach, unlike most people Gatsby's goal was not to be rich and powerful, it was just to get Daisy back. This chapter also relates to Fitzgerald's life, his goal in life was to get enough money so he could get the girl to marry him, his goal was pretty much reached because she married him for the money. Fitzgerald related a lot of things in this book to his own life.

Q:

Gatsby - Chapter 8

In this Chapter Nick goes to Gatsby's house the next night to talk with him, Gatsby tells Nick that he waited outside his house until 4 and Daisy never came out. Nick tells him that he should leave Daisy and find someone else, but Gatsby does not want to, Gatsby tells Nick before the war him and Daisy were going to get married but while he was gone he went to Tom instead. Gatsby then decides to take a swim, Nick then leaves for work, later on the book goes onto George and him telling Myrtle that she needs to stop because God is watching her. He thinks that whoever drove the car was the killer, he thought it was Tom but then assumed it wasn't because he showed up at a different time. George than assumes it's Gatsby, he then goes to Gatsby and shoots Gatsby in the pool than shoots himself, Nick tries to hurry back and sees that Gatsby is dead. He thinks his last thoughts are meaningless because he didn't fulfill Gatsby's goal of getting Daisy.

R: i thought this chapter was very saddening, George accuses Gatsby of killing her wife and shoots Gatsby then kills himself, I don't know why he would just go and shoot Gatsby, he didn't even know that it was him he just assumed, i would of thought me might of killed Tom instead because of what he has done.

Q: Why did George kill Gatsby?

Gatsby - Chapter 7

In this chapter, Gatsby fires all his servants and cancels all his parties so no more rumors get spread, Gatsby then goes to Daisy's house and Tom realizes they are in love, he than they should all go into town to get a suite at the Plaza Hotel, Tom and Gatsby begin to argue, Tom gets angry because he always says old sport. Gatsby then says Daisy has always loved him, she agrees, than Tom says that Gatsby got all his money from bootlegging, tom then sends Daisy back with Gatsby, nick than realizes it his his 30th birthday, on their way back they witness a horrid sight, they see that someone was hit by a car, and that someone was Myrtle. Nick realizes that Gatsby and Daisy must have hit her with Gatsby's car, Tom thinks Wilson will recognize the vehicle and assume Gatsby was driving. Back at Tom's Nick sees Gatsby in the bushes, later on Gatsby says Daisy was driving the car when she hit Myrtle, but he will take the blame. Gatsby sends Nick inside to check on Daisy and sees them eating, they're not fighting anymore and leaves Gatsby in the dark alone.

R: Gatsby and Tom in this chapter argue a lot, and while arguing Gatsby says that Daisy loves him, and Tom accuses Gatsby of bootlegging. During the chapter, Myrtle is killed by a hit and run.

Q: Why would Daisy kill Myrtle?

Gatsby - Chapter 6

In this chapter roomers about Gatsby are starting to spread throughout the town, during this chapter a newspaper writer comes to Gatsby's house, during the interview, Nick interrupts the writer and tells him about Gatsby's past. He tells him that his real name is James and that he worked on Lake Superior as a fisherman and that he met Dan Cody, who owned a yacht. He worked there for years and began to love money, he left 25,000 dollars for Gatsby and dedicated himself to be wealthy. Nick doesn't see Gatsby or Daisy for a couple of weeks, and one day when he went over to Gatsby's he saw tom inside. tom still yet doesn't know about Daisy's and Gatsby's love for each other, later on Gatsby troughs another party and this time tom and Daisy went, during the party Tom tells Daisy that Gatsby got all his money from bootlegging. This upset her and, next Gatsby finds Nick and tells Nick that he is upset because Daisy is not having a good time. Gatsby wants things to be like they were back then and Nick thinks that Gatsby's dream is over.

R: Nick now thinks that if Gatsby and Daisy get together Gatsby's dream will be over and that he will not have to work or anything, now that Gatsby is close to making his goal he doesn't feel as happy as he thought he would be.

Q: What will Gatsby do to help make Daisy feel better?

Gatsby - Chapter 5

In this chapter, Nick has Arrived home from his date with Jordan, once he is home he sees that Gatsby's mansion is lit up and is surprised by this, next thing you know Gatsby walks towards nick and offers things to Nick. Nick than realizes this is just could help with the set up with Daisy, Nick agrees, as Daisy comes over Gatsby disappears, later on he comes back and the first 30 min were very awkward, then they start talking and Gatsby offers them over to his place, Daisy sees all the nice things in his house, Nick realizes that they started not to notice them and leaves the house.

R: That was kind of Nick what he did for Gatsby and Daisy, there could be problems in the future because Nick and Tom are friends and Nick is starting to become friends with Gatsby.

Q: Will Daisy go back to Gatsby?

Gatsby - Chapter 4

Nick is describing the trip he went on with Gatsby through New york, Jay tell him about his past claiming he was form the Midwestern part and attended Oxford Uni. He than says he's from San Francisco,Nick is a little skeptic of Gatsby about what he tells about himself. Gatsby than shows Nick pictures to prove to him about his past, later on they get pulled over by the cops, once the cop talks to Gatsby, Gatsby shows him a white piece of paper and lets them go. then they go to lunch, after that Nick goes to see Jordan and tells her that Gatsby loves Daisy, he told her that Gatsby meet her before the War, but was stationed to go out and never got back together, and they get a plan to have Nick invite Daisy and Gatsby to nick's house, she will be fooled into seeing him.

R: Nick and Jordan are going to try and Get Daisy and Gatsby together by inviting them to Nick's house, Nick is getting pulled into something once again, this chapter is related to Fitz, because he was in love with a girl named Zelda but then had to go to War.

Q: Why didn't Daisy stay for Gatsby to get back from the War?

Gatsby - Chapter 3

At the beginning of the party Gatsby throws a huge party at his house, and is know for throwing good parties with lots of rich people. People look at his things in awe, he has a rolls royce, a huge house and a pool, during the party Nick decides to go and meets Jordan there along with her friend Lucille and thinks that Gatsby is a German spy and kills people. Around midnight they go to see a play of some sort and Nick sits by someone he thinks he recognizes, and the person is Jay Gatsby, the man who threw the party. Nick notices that he is not drunk and keeps it to himself, later on the butler tells Jordan that Gatsby wants to speak to her. Nick than says goodbye to Gatsby as he begins to walk home, as he was walking he sees a car in the ditch and notices that it is the guy that he meet earlier in the library, Nick took the advise and is now seeing Jordan.

R: In this chapter we get to know that Gatsby is good for throwing parties and has a huge house and a nice car, there is also a roomer that he is a spy and he killed someone, Scott Fitzgerald was also in the army.

Q: What did Gatsby tell Jordan at the party?

Gatsby - Chapter 2

In this chapter, the beginning starts out with Tom and Nick and they are headed to a train station, after the first stop, Tom forces Nick to get out of the train and they go to George Wilson's garage where they go and see Myrtle who is a lover of Tom's. After that they get back onto the train and head to Morningside Heights, where Tom has an apartment. Later that day they go to a party and Nick hears that Gatsby is a nephew or a close relative to the leader of the German army in WW1. People start drinking and getting drunk. during the party Myrtle starts saying Daisy's name, Tom tells her to stop but she keeps repeating her name and Tom then Breaks her nose and soon after Nick leaves on a train to go back home.

R: Nick was brought into another awkward situation where Tom made Nick go to a party where he knew nobody, and i thought it was mean how Tom made Nick get off the train. Nick also found out that Gatsby was related to the leader of the German army.

Q: Why did Myrtle keep repeating Daisy's name.

Gatcby - Chapter 1

In this chapter it begins off with Nicks father telling him not to judge other people, be treated the way he would want to be treated. Then the story takes place in 1922 in the summer, nick is renting an apartment on West Egg, which is more for the newer rich people, and there's a place called East Egg, for the more rich and powerful people. Later on nick goes to East Egg to visit his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom Buchanan, whom Nick knows from his days at Yale.
Tom greets him, than receives a call from Jordan Baker, who is a good golfer, they have an unusuakl dinner and Jordan leaves early because of a golf tournament tomorrow morning, Daisy and Tom give Nick a hint that he should have an interest in her. Than after Nick goes home and sees Gatsby for the first time, he is standing by the pool.

i thought the first chapter was ok, it was weird how the had an awkward dinner, why did Daisy and Tom give Nick a hint to make him like Jordan, wonder if Nick will ever go out with Jordan.

Q: Why was Gatsby standing by his pool with his arms out infront of him

Character List

Nick Carraway - Main character of the book, from West Egg, lives next to Gatsby, fought in WW1, knows and is close to all the people in the story, the story is comming from his point of veiw.
Jay Gatsby - Rich man from West Egg, actually moved to West Egg for his lover Daisy, he is the "New" rich which means he inherited his money, is believed of bootlegging for his wealth, from WW1 from the same division as Nick, Gets Daisy to like him again but in the end she stays with Tom.
Daisy Buchanan - Pretty, Gorgeous girl, also Nick's cousin, promised to wait for Gatsby after the war was desperate for love when a rich wealthy man named Tom Buchanan cam along and married her, she begins to then fall in love with Gatsby but stays with Tom.
Tom Buchanan - Rich wealthy man that marries Daisy, he is the "Old" rich which means his fathers before him were rich, member of Nick's social club, he is very arrogant, and starts to get mad when Daisy and Gatsby start to have an affair.
Jordan Baker - Daisy's friend in which Nick falls in love with a little, the Golfer that people say "Cheated" while in a tournament, she is also very pretty.
Myrtle Wilson - Married to George, Tom's lover, her husband owns a garage, looks for help but picks Tom which treats her with disrespect, in the end gets killed by Gatsby.
George Wilson - Myrtle's husband, owner of the car garage, he is lifeless and is devastated when Myrtle gets killed by Gatsby.
Owl Eyes - the Drunk Nick meets at Tom's party, he goes to Tom's library and is astonished that his books are real.

Fitzgerald

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 24, 1896, the namesake and second cousin three times removed of the author of the National Anthem. Fitzgerald was born a catholic and attended a Catholic school called the Newman Prep School in New Jersey, where he met Father Fay, who encouraged his ambitions for personal instinct and achievement. In 1918 he was assigned to go to Camp Sheridan in Montgomery, Alabama, where he fell in love with Zelda Sayre, the youngest daughter of the Alabama Supreme Court. They were going to get married but did not, later on Fitz wrote the novel The Side of Paradise, which later on after married Zelda.