Jeffrey Shane Hamm
English Composition II (ENG 102-060)
September 23rd 2014
Great Gatsby Final Essay
Discuss the Multiple Deaths of Gatsby
Death is an interesting concept; mainly because a person can die in ways other than just physically. The novel The Great Gatsby was a prime example of this because the main character, Jay Gatsby, dies in many different ways throughout the book. Jay Gatsby is around 30 years old and was born poor, but became wealthy through his participation in crime such as distributing illegal alcohol. Gatsby was infatuated with a girl named Daisy Buchanan. Throughout the story, Gatsby attempts to impress and win Daisy's love. In doing so he dies socially, emotionally, mentally, and psychologically. A social death is when a character is no longer accepted by their peers or society. Emotional death is when a character's feelings are damaged so badly that they begin to experience an absence of emotion.
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The cover of the first edition of The Great Gatsby...
The Great Gatsby (1926 film)Mental death is when a character loses their sense of identity, core values, and beliefs due to alienation by others, shame, guilt, or a sense of being permanently damaged. Lastly, psychological death is when a character feels that they have died internally and that they no longer serve a purpose in life. This essay will take into account different ideas of exactly how Jay Gatsby died in these various ways throughout the book.
Gatsby dies socially a few different times throughout the book. One of the first ways in which Gatsby dies socially is when another main character, Nick Carraway, becomes inclined to believe that Gatsby obtained his wealth through participation in organized crime. This happens when Gatsby brings Nick to meet with a man named Meyer Wolfsmen who, according to Gatsby, was responsible for fixing the World Series in 1919. When Gatsby told Nick that Meyer...