The Men of Gatsby

The men of Gatsby are all very differnt much like the women. There is Nick, who I think is everyone's favorite, Gatsby, who we find out isn't exactly what everyone thought he was, and Tom who is arrogant.

Nick Carraway is someone that everyone can relate to and like. He is so nice and so carin about everyone. He is Daisy's cousin and that is how he met Jordan, the girl he is "dating". Out of all the men in Gatsby he seems to be the most level headed. He tries to make everyone happy and stay out of all the drama. He lives next door to Gatsby and was always sceptical of him but when he found out that Gatsby knew that Daisy had hit Myrtle and didn't do anything about it, he really didn't like him.

Jay Gatsby is a very interesting man. He keeps to himself and seems to have a lot of secrets. He throws a lot of parties at his house and we find out later that it is because he hopes that Daisy will come to one one day. He eventually gets in touch with Daisy because Nick invited both of them over to tea. Ever since then Daisy and Gatsby have been inseperable. Gatsby decided to tell Daisy's husband, Tom about them which caused Tom to become very upset.

Tom is married to Daisy but doesn't seem to have any real interest in her. He is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson. He starts to get a little skepitcal about Gatsby when Daisy starts spending a lot of time him. He later finds out that Daisy and Gatsby are in fact having an affair. Then on his way home from finding that out, he stops by where Myrtle lives and sees that she has been hit by a car and killed, ironically by Daisy. He seems to be more upset by Myrtle being killed then Daisy having an affair.

The Women of Gatsby

The women in Gatsby are all so different. There is Daisy who is a little bit crazy, Jordan Baker the athletic one, and Myrtle Wilson the low class girl having an affair with someone from a higher class than her.

Daisy Buchanan is married to Tom Buchanan. She is known to be a little dramatic. She tries to be over joyful and excited because she is in denial. She tries to hide how she really feels because deep down she is truly unhappy with her marriage. Tom is having an affair and Daisy knows but is trying to pretend like she doesn't know. Her cousin Nick Carrway lives next door to Gatsby, a man she once was in love with. She went over to Nick's house for tea one time and to her surprise she saw Gatsby there. Gatsby and Daisy started to spend more time together and now Daisy is having an affair. Tom and Daisy have a very unhealthy relationship and it is talking a toll on both of them.

Jordan Baker is definatley the most sane woman in The Great Gatsby. She is a golfer and friends with Daisy and Tom Buchanan. She met Nick, who she is dating, through Daisy and Tom. The two of them, Nick and Jordan, find themselves caught in the middle of all the drama. She is the only woman in Gatsby that is not cheating. She seems to have a very level head and normal. She is rich and dating someone of a lower class but it doesn't seem to bother her like it does some of the other women.

Lastly there is Myrtle Wilson. She is married to George Wilson who owns a car garrage. She is having an affair with Tom Buchanan. Will she was out with Tom one night she continued to say "Daisy, Daisy,Daisy...." (The Great Gatsby) Tom got frustrated with her and punched her in the nose. Her husband found out that she was cheating and locked her upstairs in their house. He planned on leaving town so that she couldn't cheat with Tom anymore. They got in a fight and she started to run down the street. She was hit and killed instantly by a yellow car. Tom and her husband George were devistated.

Old vs. New Money

In the Great Gatsby, money affected different people in many ways. For Gatsby, it was his chance to get back Daisy, but his money got in the way of getting Daisy. Gatsby became rich just to impress Daisy. Gatsby was considered "new money" because he earned his money and it wasn't inherited.

When Gatsby and Daisy first met, Gatsby was in the war and very poor. He came from the Midwestern United States, where his parents were farmers. Daisy came from a wealthy family so she was known as "old money." Gatsby then dedicated his whole life to getting wealthy for Daisy, so he could reach the social standards of the "old money" lifestyle. He did everything he could to reach that standard. With him making money on his own, he was "new money." "New money" people were still wealthy, but didn't grow up having money their whole life. Their money was earned through an occupation or operation, legal or illegal.

Everyone who was "old money" lived on the island of East Egg and thought they were better than the people on the island of West Egg. The people of West Egg were "new money." Daisy and Tom Buchanan were known as "old money" and Tom's attitudes toward the "old money" was that they weren't as good as him and he showed this by acting very arrogant.

Gatsby wanted to change his money and to make people think that he was wealthy his whole life to impress Daisy. In the end, this didn't work because too many things changed. There was great pressure on Gatsby to try and become like people of "old money," but it never worked out. So overall old and new money were the way people were classified by how they got their money.

Sources: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Green Light

"I didn't call him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone- he streched out his arms toeard the dark water in a curious way,and, far as I was from him, i could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glances seaward- and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unique darkness."(p.20,21)

The green light is a symbol in this book. When we first read about the green light, it was when Gatsby was looking at it and reaching for it in a way that is was something he really admired or wanted. The green light is at the end of Daisy's dock and is a symbol of Gatsby's dream and hope for the future. Green represents promise, hope and renewal, so Gatsby's dream of a future with Daisy is represented by the green light.

Gatsby wants to win Daisy's love, but after reuniting with Daisy a mist comes over and blocks the green light, not allowing Gatsby to see it. Nick realizes this and says, "Possibly it had occured to him that the colossal significance of the light had now vanished forever [...] Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one."(p.98) This shows that Gatsby finally realizes that he must face the reality of Daisy, rather than what he wanted for her.

Sources: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

www.shmoop.com/great-gatsby/symbolism-imagery

The Great Gatsby Film Verisions

According to http://www.imdb.com/ there have been four versions of the movie The Great Gatsby, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, and one in the making. these movies have been made in many different time eras, ranging from the twenties to 2000.

The first film verision of The Great Gatsby was made in 1926. The director was Herbert Brenon.The cast was as follows: Warner Baxter as Jay Gatsby, Lois Wilson as Daisy, Neil Hamilton as Nick, Georgia Hale as Myrtle, Hale Hamilton as Tom, and Carmelita Geragnty as Jordan Baker. This version of The Great Gatsby is a silent film, so you can only imagine how annoying and dramatic Daisy is in this one. This came out a year after F. Scott Fitzgerald's book was released.

The second version of the film was made in 1949, it was released on March 9. The Director was Elliott Nugent. Jay Gatsby was played by Alan Ladd, Daisy was played by Betty Field, Nick was played by Macdonald Carey, Jordan Baker was played by Ruth Hussey, Tom was played by Barry Sullivah, and Myrtle was played by Shelley Winters. Paramount pictures produced this film it was released on August 5th. Because of the times it was made in black and white.

The third and probablly the most popular film version was released in 1974. It was directed by Jack Clayton and produced by Paramount Pictures as well. Many of the cast members in this film you may recognize today. A lot of them still act today. Robert Redford plays Jay Gatsby, Mia Farrow plays the always annoying Daisy, Bruce Dern plays Tom, Karen Black plays Myrtle, Lois Chiles plays Jordan Baker and Sam Waterson plays Nick. If you would like to find out anymore information on any of these cast member you can go to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071577/ and click on their name.

There was a fourth version of the film made in 2000 that was the television adaptation of the book, The Great Gatsby. According to http://www.imdb.com/ there is a fourth version of the film coming out in 2012. There is no released information of the film since it is "in develoment" but you can check back at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343092/ regularly to find out more information.

East Egg vs. West Egg

East Egg and West egg are "a pair of enormous eggs, identical in contour and seperated by a courtesy bay, just out into the most domesticated body of salt water [...] of Long Island Sound. They are not perfect ovals [...] but their physical resemblance must be a source of perpetual confusion to the gulls that fly overhead. To the wingless a more arresting phenomenon is their dissimiliarity in every particular shape and size." (p.5)

East Egg is the more fashionable group of people who are known as "old money". That means they have always had money. Daisy and Tom lived in East Egg because they were wealthy for most of their lives. Everyone there feels like they have to live up to the social standard and they are shallow people who lack values. An example is Jordan Baker who is completely consumed with herself because she thinks people should be careful of her when she drives. East Eggers are spoiled and dont know any other way to live. Even though this isn't a good way to live, the West Eggers want to be like them.

West Egg is where the group of people known as "new money" live. This means that they worked hard and earned their money in short amount of time. Their wealth is based on what they have. Gatsby is known as "new money" because he got wealthy through bussiness dealings and he has trust and beleif in acheiving his dreams, which gives him morality. West Egg is more moral than East Egg, but still is a place where they like to spend money.

Both East Eggers and West Eggers like to spend money, but the difference is how they got their money and the way it's changed and affected their lives.

Sources: www.angelfire.com/moon2/greatgatsby/eastwestegg

www.culturazzi.org/review/literature/the-great-gatsby-f-scott-fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1894 in St. Paul, Minesota. His father was a furniture manufacterer and his mother was from a wealth family. His family moved to New York for a little bit and then they eventually moved back to St. Paul. He was homeschool for most of his life but "he attended Newman School in Hackensack, New Jersey, from 1911 to 1913" (www.notablebiographies.com/Fi-Gi/Fitzgerald-F-Scott.html) where he worked on the school newspaper.

Fitzgerald attended Princeton University in 1913 where he also worked on a school magazine and school paper. He dropped out in 1915 because he was ill and had bad grades. He returned to Princeton again but only for year and then joined the army. He was stationed in Alabama which is where he met Zelda at the age of 18. Zelda and Fitzgerald met at a dance at the Montgomery Country Club. Even though Zelda loved him she had a hard time committing to him because she was afraid that he wasn't going to make enough money. He finally convinced her to marry him when his book This Side of Paradise was published. In 1921 Zelda and Fitzgerald had their first baby, Frances Scott Fitzgerald (Scottie).

They lived in Europe while he was writing The Great Gatsby. Zelda started to feel lonely leading her to have an affair. They both started drinking heavley, bringing out the worst in all of them. They eventually bought a mansion where they through a lot of parties. Zelda started taking ballet lessons but she her anxiety and lonelyness drove her to insanity. She spent the rest of her life in psychiatric hospitals. F. Scott made sure he supported her and visited her while she as in the hospital. He conitnued writing and Zelda represents a lot of Fitzgerald's characters.

http://www.zeldafitzgerald.com/fitzgeralds/index.asp

Mafia/Gangsters

In the 1920's gangsters represented silk suits, diamond rings, guns, and drinking and influenced many people to think that gangsters and the criminal lifestlye was the cool thing to be. The public saw the gangster lifestyle as a way to get money, fame, nice clothes, women, cars, and homes. Quality, high fashion suits and expensive accessories were what the gangsters wore.

The 1920's brought us the best dressed and most famous gangster of all time, known as Al Capone. Many other famous gangsters were Lucky Luciano, Bugs Morgan and Dutch Schultz. Every famous gangster's name went along with the color and style of their suit. The tailored suit was the key to their whole ensemble.

When prohibition was passed gangsters changed the way they went about their business. Business was no longer beating someone up for their money and valuables, but instead the mob integrated itself throughout the neighborhoods of Chicago, Detroit, and New York City. Here they would bootleg and make millions of dollars from it by supplying beer and liquor to speakeasies.

Gangsters were feared and respected within their neighborhoods, which allowed them to earn a good living from the public by convincing them to increase the price of groceries and services. Then they would take the profits from the providers of these goods.

In the 1920's, gangsters became the American icon of an ordinary man. Gangsters lived their life by their own ethics by bootlegging, getting into illegal marketing and prostitution. The modern gangster is still the ultimate consumer of everything luxurious and expensive. Jewelry, clothes, cars, and houses are and were the rewards of their lifestyle.

source: www.1920s-fashion-and-music.com/1920s-gangsters

The 1920's

The 1920’s was a time of change. Women were changing their style, and earning more rights. Movies were becoming a big business, and cars were becoming more common and affordable.
Women were straying away from long dresses and things that covered them, and turned to things more revealing and comfortable. They started to wear short dresses that showed a lot of skin. These dresses were considered racy and immoral to people of the older generation. Women were also cutting off all of their hair, and also drinking and smoking in public for the first time. They seemed to be more comfortable and carefree. Some see this as a bad thing, but I see it as a good thing. The 1920’s allowed women to express themselves and showed them that they didn’t have to fit the cookie cutter image of what a woman should be or look like.

Also, movies were becoming a big hit in the twenties. The first “sound picture” was created during this decade. This was a big deal because before movies were basically like a slideshow of pictures that told a story. The first Oscar Award was given in 1929, it wasn’t a big event like it is today it was very small and hosted in a hotel. I find this very interesting since we make such a big deal about the awards ceremony now and how big of an event it is. Also in the entertainment business, Broadway hit an all time peak in the twenties. Entertainment grew immensely during this decade and a lot of it influenced our entertainment today.

Lastly, automobiles were more common in the 1920’s then they ever were before. This was because Henry Ford created the Model T. The Ford manufactures made it less expensive to make cars, which made cars less expensive. Therefore allowing more middle class citizens to afford cars.

Flappers of the 1920's

Flappers of the 1920's started a new era for women. During this time, women left their conservative looks and wore lots of makeup, had crazy hairstyles, and wore clothes out of the ordinary that sometimes were considered inappropriate. This was a rebellion by women that changed women's fashion and their place in society.

During the Roaring Twenties, after WWI, women had the right to vote and felt more independent, which could have caused the flappers to come about.

Flappers were described as risk-takers and wanted to do things out of the ordinary. They listened to the new jazz music and danced very provocatively at jazz clubs. They dated whoever they wanted and viewed sex alot more casually than before. Women in this era even drove cars, rode bicycles and even smoked

Flappers were known for their style. When gowns, corsets and long hair were the ordinary thing to have, flappers brought in a completely different look. They wore short skirts, which showed their legs, cut their hair short and wore alot of makeup. They also wore cloche hats, layered necklaces and horn-rimmed glasses. High heel also became popular and short dresses too. This was so women could show off their legs when they danced. The Charleston dance became extremely popular with the flappers.

1920's Prohibtion

Prohibition was the ban of making, selling, or drinking alcohol. Prohibition seemed to do more harm than good. It caused many people to revolt and crime rates to increase. The government soon found that it was almost impossible to enforce prohibition.

Gangsters, bootleggers, moon shiners, and rumrunners all illegally made and sold alcohol. Prohibition made a great business for these groups. They were able to sell the alcohol that they either smuggled or made (illegally). In fact gangsters such as, Al Capone, became multi-millionaires. With the money they made from alcohol they were able to pay off any officials that caught them. Gangs also increased the crime rates during prohibition because they thought of bootleggers, moon shiners, and rumrunners as competition. Gangs wanted to get rid of their competition so they turned to violence.
Also, a lot of gangs opened up speakeasies to sell their alcohol. Speakeasies were underground bars where people, men and women, could go and drink without getting caught. Women were drinking for the first time in public in speakeasies. They were very popular during prohibition because people wanted to party and that meant drinking and these underground bars were the only place they could go and drink socially.