"The Great Gatsby " by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Essay by ananaHigh School, 10th gradeA+, May 2003

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Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1925

The Great Gatsby has been proclaimed as the most definitive novel of that turbulent decade known as the "Roaring Twenties".

A young man pursuing the bond business came to New York. His name was Nick Carraway, and he became neighbor to the millionaire Jay Gatsby, in the district of West Egg. Across the Manhasset bay from West Egg was the more fashionable East Egg, where Nick's cousin and Gatsby's ex-lover, Daisy, lived. Because Daisy decided to marry the brutal, but wealthy, Tom Buchanan, instead of him, Gatsby dedicated his life to amassing riches- even if it meant the illegal smuggling of alcohol. Almost every week, Gatsby held parties at his house, hoping to attract Daisy's attention. Through his fair cousin Nick met a young, sporty woman named Jordan Baker. He soon learned that Tom was having an affair.

Caught between a cheating husband and a relentless suitor, Daisy was helpless. Towards the end of the story, Daisy drove Gatsby's car, perhaps by accident, fatally at Tom's mistress. When the dead woman's husband found out that the car had belonged to Gatsby, he took his gun and shot him. Despite the popularity of his parties, only his father, Nick, and a few servants attended Gatsby's funeral. Daisy and Tom would never be seen again.

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The Great Gatsby portrays the 1920s as a reckless, lively, even chaotic, time. This was a decade of great change and confusion, and though this particular story takes place in the U.S., many of the images and events are mirrored by the Canadian society of that time. By 1918, World War I had ended, and people started to rebuild their lives. Although the 20s has been labeled as a prosperous...