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The Great Gatsby Research Paper

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The 1920s was a time of great economic prosperity and social change. From the 1920s emerged the evolution of jazz, the age of flappers, and technology that created a new mass culture. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the culture of the 1920s to weave a tale of love and tragedy that explores these changing conditions. The Great Gatsby is told from the perspective of a WW1 veteran and Yale graduate who goes by the name of Nick Carraway. Nick moves from the Midwest to New York where he ends up reconnecting with his cousin Daisy and becoming friends with his wealthy neighbor Gatsby. Soon after he moves to New York, Nick stops by to have dinner with Daisy. When Nick arrives at Daisy’s mansion, he is greeted by the sight of Daisy’s Husband, Tom. There he …show more content…

After Gatsby left to fight in the war, Daisy was a mess; but within the year she became tired of waiting for Gatsby to return and began to search for someone new. Fitzgerald suggests,”She wanted her life shaped now, the decision must be made by some force-of love, of money, of unquestionable practicality...That force took shape in the middle of spring with the arrival of Tom Buchanan. There was a wholesome bulkiness about his person and his position and Daisy was flattered.The letter reached Gatsby while he was still at Oxford.” (159) Before Gatsby left, Daisy and Gatsby were madly in love. So when he departed, Daisy was left without a purpose and nobody to give her the attention she craves. As a result, she went out to search for someone else to depend on. Fitzgerald states that Daisy wanted her life shaped, which implies that she enjoys being controlled and influenced and also that she needs someone to depend on. Daisy is influenced by love and money which is why she is attracted to Tom. She is attracted to the wholesome bulkiness of his position which refers to his wealth and his high ranking in society. Gatsby still believes that Daisy is waiting for him to come back from war but what he does not know is that as soon as Tom came along Daisy threw Gatsby aside for Tom and his wealth. She does not even bother waiting for Gatsby to return from his deployment. This shows both her callous nature and how little she really cared for Gatsby. All she liked was that he gave her all of his attention. Fast forward some years later, Daisy and Gatsby get back together but while she is still with Tom. This results in a conflict between Gatsby and Tom that Nick witnesses. Nick observes,” ‘She began to sob helplessly, ‘I did love him once-but I loved you too.’ ‘Even that’s a lie,’said Tom savagely... ‘I want to speak to Daisy alone,’ he insisted. ‘She’s all

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