The Great Gatsby: Critical Analysis

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The Great Gatsby
Nick Carraway, an ambitious young gentleman, migrates to West Egg to pursue an American dream before meeting Jay Gatsby. This expenditure is documented in the book 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Basu-Zharku). In search of a better fortune, Nick Carraway moved from Midwest to West Egg, a wealthy neighborhood in Long Island, to understand the bond business. This was an era where the rural to urban migration was higher than ever before. People started embracing modernity and experiencing the grandeur of the period. The book was set when society was corrupted by materialism and money, one of the major themes highlighted in the book. Materialism, social class, and pursuit of unachievable dreams bring despair to Gatsby.
Jay Gatsby is the main character, while Nick Carraway, Daisy, and Tom Buchanan are other significant characters. Other characters include Jordan Baker, Myrtle Wilson, and George Wilson. The plot majorly focuses on the life of a newly self-made billionaire Jay Gatsby whose primary goal is to try to win back Daisy Buchanan. Nick happens to be the neighbor of Gatsby, and they quickly become friends. “Nick Carraway is a character who has an ugly past and unrealistic hopes” (Basu-Zharku 41). Although at the start of the book Nick appears neutral, in the end, he takes sides. Daisy Buchanan is born into wealth and does not seem to understand the meaning of poverty. She is married to Tom Buchanan and is the cousin of Nick. Gatsby seeks Nick's assistance to reunite him with Daisy. Although Tom Buchanan has a mistress called Myrtle Wilson, George Wilson's wife, he tries everything to stop Gatsby and Daisy from getting together, which he succeeds. Myrtle is killed in a road accident by Daisy, and George Wilson kills Gatsby. The love of money is illustrated in the book as a way to show a status symbol.
Gatsby was considered new money and wanted to buy himself into the elite class, which proved fatal. Jay Gatsby comes from a Midwestern origin where he was born and raised from a poor background. He made himself rich and wanted to join the elite class by throwing parties at his house. To be at the elite level, one had to analyze people and events accurately to survive. Gatsby lacked the skill to be in an elite class and ultimately contributed to his downfall. The book also shows different levels in society at that time. “Gatsby organized parties for the New York elite” (Basu-Zharku 41). The story is about ...