Kaitlin O'Neill | Spencer Walthall | Isaac Hackman
The setting of the Great Gatsby primarily takes place in the two eggs on Long Island, and has several scenes in New York. The significance of the setting in the Great Gatsby helps to segregate people which helps to distinguish between "Old Money" and "New Money." The time being set in the 1920's and 30's helps the reader connect history to the novel and understand just how big and crazy these parties could have been, especially in the case of Jay Gatsby who threw huge parties. The culture of this time period was essentially just living as gaudy as possibly without having to work. America, also being under a prohibition law made getting alcohol illegal, but being able to have the money, and power to get alcohol anyways made their parties much more risque.
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The novel is set in the 1920's and 30's, "Get rich quick era." It allowed people of the time to easily generate a large amount of money by going to the stock market, which allowed many people like Jay Gatsby to become very rich through some underhanded moves. This, however, started a war between old money and new money which had quite a few hate conflicts. Parties were very frequent in this time period because people had the money to be able to afford to host, and attend parties frequent, and often times, they were very decadent.
American Dream:
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F. Scott Fitzgerald(1896) - (1940) Jay Gatsby
The protagonist who the story is about, giving his name to the title of the story. His quest for the American Dream leads him from poverty to wealth, into the arms of his beloved, and eventually death. He is newly wealthy Midwesterner turned Eastener who centralizes his life around one desire; to be reunited with his love, Daisy Buchanan.
Nick Carraway
The story's narrator. Nick's Midwestern sensibility finds the East and unsettling place, and he becomes disillusioned with how many wealthy members of society like the Buchanans lead their lives. Nick rents the small house situated right next to Gatsby's mansion, and helps Gatsby attempt to be reunited with his love Daisy, who happens to be Nick's cousin.
Daisy Buchanan
She is beautiful and mesmerizing. Her upbringing in Louisville has her conditioned to live a certain lifestyle, which tom, her husband, is able to provide her. Daisy lives with Tom across from Gatsby in the fashionable East Egg. She behaves superficially to mask her pain at her husband's infidelity.
Tom Buchanan
Daisy's immensely wealthy husband, who was once a member of Nick's social club at Yale. tom is a hypocritical and arrogant bully. His social attitudes are linked with sexism, and he has a difficult time living up to the moral standards of those around him. He sees nothing wrong with his affair that he has with Myrtle, but when he sense Gatsby and Daisy having an affair, he is outraged.
Myrtle Wilson
Tom's lover, whose husband, George Wilson, owns a run down garage, located in the Valley of Ashes. Myrtle wishes to live an extravagant lifestyle, while desperately looking for ways to improve her current situation. According to Tom, Myrtle is just an object of his desire.
Jordan Baker
Daisy's friend, a woman with whom Nick falls into a romantic relationship with throughout the course of the novel. She represents one of the new girls of the 1920's; boyish, cynical , and self-centered. She is also dishonest; as she cheats in her first golf tournament.
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