Identity In The Great Gatsby

In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald displays society’s role in transforming one’s identity by creating complex and realistic characters. Jay Gatsby is a prime example of how one will change themselves to accommodate society. Once a poor son from a farming family, Gatsby puts up an extravagant facade to hopefully win a woman over, however in the process, puts aside morals and values. Fitzgerald demonstrates the importance of social expectations, wealth and the perception of the American Dream are in determining one’s identity.

Tom’s character develops in chapter two, through his choice of body language. Near the end of the chapter, it states that Tom had “made a short deft movement,” (Fitzgerald 37) which caused Myrtle’s nose to break. This signifies that Tom does not exactly respect Myrtle, especially not as much as he respects his wife, Daisy. Even though he is ‘cheating’ on Daisy with Myrtle, he thinks that Myrtle is nothing compared to Daisy, which implies that he does not really love Myrtle as much as he ‘loves’ Daisy. This also shows that Tom is controlling character; he is demanding. He even asks the janitor to bring some sandwiches for them. Tom is very used to ordering his

Tom Buchanan is, throughout the book, cheating on his wife with another married woman names Myrtle. Despite his dishonest ways he still sees himself as morally reputable and even has the gall to judge others based on his crooked moral compass. Tom often hints at his superiority and acts accordingly, often seeing

First, Tom and Daisy demonstrate their carelessness through their insensitiveness. When Tom is visiting his mistress, Myrtle, she taunts Tom by repeatedly saying “Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!” (Fitzgerald, 39). This causes Tom to get aggravated and strike Myrtle in the face, breaking her nose. Tom physically abuses Myrtle and while he is under the influence of alcohol, he has the intent of hurting her, not caring if she gets injured. Tom also lies to Myrtle, telling her that he would marry her if is wife wasn’t Catholic. Tom does not care about the feelings of his mistress, seeing her as an object and not a human. Myrtle is nothing more than a way for Tom to feel powerful due to her low social status and insecurities. It is mentioned that Tom has cheated on Daisy before with a maid, further proving that Toms motive for having an affair is power. It also proves that Tom is not cheating on Daisy because he is bored, but because he does not truly love her or care for her. Tom’s lack of concern for those around him proves his insensitiveness and overall carelessness.

True identity is a complex concept that encompasses various aspects of a person's life. A person is not identified by a single factor but by various factors such as family and upbringing, personality traits, values, and accomplishments. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby", Jay Gatsby is a complex character. Gatsby, born James Gatz, changes his name and creates a new identity for himself. When Gatsby was talking about his family and who he was, he made a remarkable statement that Nick later said, "his imagination never really accepted them as his parents at all" (98).

Ari Dubner Prompt #3 “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald reveals the influences of wealth on identity through the contrasting lives of his characters. Fitzgerald contrasts the entitlement of old money, represented by Tom and Daisy Buchanan, with the ambitious, insecure new money portrayed through characters like Jay Gatsby and the stark life of the working class personified by George Wilson. Their varying social status and wealth heavily impact their self-worth and morals. The old money of characters like Tom and Daisy Buchanan defines their entire identity as unearned superiority. Gatsby, conversely, uses his fortune to emulate the identity of old money.

Life is not always what it seems, but is constantly fooled by metaphorical masks people wear. The appearance of many of the characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby differs greatly from their actual selves. The use of illusion in the novel is used effectively to portray the nature of people in the 1920 's, and the “artificial” life that is lived in this modern age. There are many incidences in which the appearance of characters is far different than what lurks inside them. Several of these incidences are shown in the appearances of Gatsby himself, Daisy Buchanan, and Gatsby’s true love for Daisy. Gatsby goes through a dramatic transformation from his old self to his new self, even changing his name and buying a faux mansion in

I feel like Identity is the theme for the great Gatsby because the whole story is basically about the truth behind Gatsby. Gatsby is doomed when he disguises himself and tries to hide his Midwestern origins because when he reunites with Daisy identities start to get exposed and she loses his trust which ruins their relationship they had. Nick judges Gatsby for his imaginative exploits because it takes a lot for someone to come up with a backstory and actually makes people believe his whole story. One example can be his big parties that he throws in order to get Daisy closer to him. Nick becomes curious about Gatsby and who he is as a person.

So, the notions of love and identity are ubiquitous themes explored by many composers throughout time. As with most concepts, its depiction and interpretation are not consistent but rather, are dynamic. In essence they are constantly reconstructed in order to remain relevant to the composer’s context, purpose and audience. As such, the treatment of love and identity is shaped by the perspectives of individuals within society in accordance to their contextual values.

When Tom is around Myrtle, he sometimes tries to still have respect for Daisy. Quotes to support this is, “Some time toward midnight Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face, discussing in impassioned- voices whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy’s name” and “Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand” (2.37). Tom seemed to have limits or boundaries for Myrtle when it came to talking about his wife, however the second quote reveals how violent he can be and doesn’t treat women well. As to Daisy, Tom get upset with her for having an affair with Gatsby. A quote to support this is, “ I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from nowhere make love to your wife” (7.130). This quote shows how for Tom, it’s okay for him to have an affair but for Daisy to have an affair it’s not okay at

Near the beginning of the book, we meet Tom's mistress for the first time, and we learn of his other life. Right off the bat he is shown as a bad person, but it is not until he breaks Myrtle's nose that we see how he deals with the fact of his cheating. Here he only changes before the reader's eyes, but this will play a big part in how he transforms later in the book. “”Daisy! Daisy! Daisy! “ Shouted Mrs. Wilson. “I’ll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai-----” Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand.” (pg.37) Here Tom shows how he holds Daisy’s name and person in a shrine of purity in his mind, and how he is also a cruel person, who doesn’t really care about Myrtle. He breaks her nose simply for bringing Daisy’s name into this place, where he is cheating on Daisy.

In life, masks are used for a wide range of different things, whether it is for a theatre production, to complete a Halloween costume for a costume contest, or even just to try on in a store for fun. The thing about those masks is that they are visible. In Scott Fitzgerald's book The Great Gatsby, the characters in the book put on masks, the difference is, is that these masks are not visible to others, and are used to conceal their imperfections. The characters that apply are two of the most obvious ones in the novel, Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson. These two women portray that wealth is better than everything else, and they both base their lives on it. Also, the novel shows the hardships and difficulties they have in their marriages; they are never satisfied with what they have, and are always longing for more.

Everyone wears a mask at some point, some of us are just better at hiding it. In the book “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald many challenges are being faced. Many fake people are being discovered. Lying is a common aspect faced for many decades to hide what we don’t want others to know to gain or keep their respect/reputation . Gatsby, Daisy, and Myrtle all wear masks to try and hide their superficiality so that people can like them.

Gatsby creates an identity for himself as a wealthy man, who lives a glamorous life by throwing huge parties, and is known by the most prestigious figures in New York. What the partygoers don’t realize is that the parties and his wealth is all in the hopes of rekindling with his love from the past, Daisy. In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald tells the story of a young man named Jay Gatsby, who came from nothing, and built up to be everything that he had hoped and dreamed of being. However, his one dream did not become a reality due to misfortunate events. All the money in the world couldn’t make Gatsby happy, as he died as his true self, not the identity he created for himself.

Tom advertises his affair with Myrtle to spread word of his power over women. Tom is insecure in his masculinity, he needs his peers to validate it. When Nick enters his social circles, Tom is quick to introduce