Avery Liardon

Mrs. Champine
Block 3
11-17-16
Censored Novel Essay: The Great Gatsby
In the compelling and introspective novel, The Great

Gatsby, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald writes

from a somewhat autobiographical standpoint as he divides himself and his characteristics into the
characters of both Jay Gatsby, who represents the modern day dreamer with no cause, and parallels his
Gatsby like qualities with those of main character, Nick Carraway, the moral more gritty exemplification
of the Midwest at the time; allowing the readers to see the ideals of Fitzgerald through his embodiment of
his characters, though mainly using Jay Gatsby as his own personal outlet.
The first similarity that Fitzgerald shares with his character Gatsby is developed through his
economic status. Growing up, Fitzgerald had never held any substantial level of confidence when it came
to his economic status or sector of social circumstance. He often longed to belong to a family of great
great wealth, or even royalty, to be identified as greater within the distinct both social and economic
hierarchical pyramid amongst the people during the early 1900s. Due to his economic lacking he was
grown into, Fitzgerald often blamed and put his father at fault for this, therefore he saw him as both a
communal and fiscal embarrassment. Fitzgerald communicates this similar ideal of social and money
based grouping through his character Jay
Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. Similarly, Gatsby was held victim
to these restrains set in place by economic prosperity. Formerly known as Jimmy Gatz, Gatsbys gain of
wealth and a higher socioeconomic output transformed him from his previous low class identification of
Jimmy Gatz to his pseudo all powerful character of Jay Gatsby. This transformation was dreamt of by
Gatsby since his days as a little boy, as he always set the blame on his mother for her devastating
economic and social weaknesses and the household as a product of these factors he was grown into.

Fitzgeralds character Nick Carraway parallels these combating qualities of both Fitzgerald and Gatsby by
identifying the causes and unfolding the unknown name of Jimmy Gatz at the end of the novel. The
revealing of the pseudo figure that the true Jimmy Gatz upheld allows the audience to understand the
transparency and better identify the inner concepts and conflicts and their effects that Gatsby underwent
throughout the era that the novel spanned.
The second similarity that Fitzgerald shares through his character Gatsby is his unforgiving love
life. Fitzgerald's low economic identity caused him to be a victim of social discrimination, which truly
came into play throughout the course of his different relationships with women. One of his significant
relationships in college was with Ginevra King, a very wealthy young woman coming from a family with
old money and superficial prosperity. The parents of Ms. King told Gatsby that there was no reason for a
pathetic poor boy like himself to think he could ever win the hand of a rich girl like Ginevra. A similar
situation occurred between Fitzgerald and his eventual wife, Zelda, who resisted marriage with him until
she felt he was wealthy enough to support her and her excessive lifestyle. Both of these relationships
exemplified the social boundaries that relied on money during the era. Through his own personal
experiences, Fitzgerald alludes this restricting standard throughout relationships within The Great Gatsby.
Similarly, Gatsby struggled in his younger years to fight the constraints of his poor upbringing when it
came to his relationships with women. Gatsby never had a wife throughout the novel, but always longed
for the marriage of Daisy whom left him when he left to fight in the war. When he found her once again
years later, he attempted to show off his copious amounts of wealth as a tactic to win her back, for he
thought she was deserving of the finest jewelry and sum of money in all of New York City. The idea of a
relationship between two people of different economic class distinctions also existed during the book
through Tom and his secret lover Myrtle. Toms lower class mistress Myrtle was often kept a secret from
his wife, whom he didnt want to know he was being unloyal, and from society, who gravely looked down
upon this kind of infidelity from people of such distinct socioeconomic platforms. Fitzgeralds character

Nick Carraway parallels these reflective qualities of both Fitzgerald and Gatsby due to his distinct role he
plays in terms of the audience. Nick allows the audience to observe and break down this theme of a boy
pursuing a girl through the various relationships illustrated throughout the novel.
Lastly, the final similarity that Fitzgerald shares through his character Gatsby is through his
ornate and exorbitant lifestyle he perpetually leads on. Fitzgerald was alive and well in the height of the
Roaring Twenties, right in the middle of New York City where he lived for several years alongside his
wife Zelda. Amidst the glitz and the glitter, the couple was constantly caught up in the frivolous and
gaudy lifestyle, all components of the neverending hustle and bustle feeling the city bodied. The two lived
in the city until they decided to invest their copious amounts of money into a lavish estate in a suburb of
eastern New York known as modern day Long Island. Their mansion like house embodied their obsession
with materialistic items - every flashy car, diamond necklace, or breathtaking portrait imaginable held a
place within their home. They were most famously known by their neighbors and people from
neighboring communities of their seemingly never ending parties they continually held at their house,
never without fail. This idea of a never ending party and the most ornate possessions was greatly
reflected within the novel, taking after Fitzgeralds true lifestyle. Gatsby lived within the books setting of
the Roaring Twenties in a suburb of Eastern New York known fictionally as the West Egg. He too, was
never without fail, drowned within the materialistic, glamorous lifestyle he led. He lived within an
extravagant home of which he had all to himself, only accompanied by others when he threw his lavish
parties on a frequent and regular basis. Fitzgeralds character Nick Carraway parallels these reflective
qualities of both Fitzgerald and Gatsby because he represents the lower class, and the view of the higher
class from his perspective. Nick too lived in West Egg in a tiny, practical, remodeled home thought to
previously be slave or maid quarters from one of the towering homes around him. He placed little value
on material possessions and led a common, blue collar-esque lifestyle. His placement within the books
allows the readers to contrast and see the extremities between the lifestyles of Gatsby and Nick.

The novel The Great Gatsby upholds many explicit meanings, but also many implied and
introspective qualities that span the novel from front to back. The exemplifications of Fitzgeralds life
within the character of Gatsby helps improve his credibility as being a source, and make the
representation of the time period by the novel much more accurate. This novel, although focusing greatly
on the 1920s era, establishes the boundaries between real and fake, and rich and poor, which are themes
that are very applicable to todays society and the perspectives that embody the present.