Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
The Great Gatsby -Scott Fitzgerald
Argue who is the most admirable or…
The Great Gatsby -Scott Fitzgerald
Argue who is the most admirable or despicable character in the novel.
Aidan Marra - Period 2
Gatsby
‘I found out what your “drug-stores were.” He turned to us and spoke rapidly. ‘He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn’t far wrong.’ ‘What about it?’ said Gatsby politely. ‘I guess your friend Walter Chase wasn’t too proud to come in on it" (Fitzgerald 103).
‘I’ll tell you God’s truth.’ His right hand suddenly ordered divine retribution to stand by. ‘I am the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West all dead now. I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford, because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years. It is a family tradition" (Fitzgerald 51)
Gatsby spent the last years of his chaotic life trying to hide his despicable tenancies and reassure Nick that he had good intentions. He repeatedly lies to the people around him while he focuses on his only real goal of acquiring Daisy and her love.
Nick
"Every one suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known" (Fitzgerald 47)
Nick, although he may not seem despicable and may be entitled to some sympathy, is despicable in his own unique and twisted way. Nick is responsible for the chaos of Daisy and Gatsby's affair with Tom as he was the own who and suggested and planned it. He may seem to be the one trying to help Gatsby with his dreams, but he is really creating a new beast with his carelessness and naive actions.
“There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.” “And Daisy ought to have something in her life,” murmured Jordan to me. “Does she want to see Gatsby?” “She’s not to know about it. Gatsby doesn’t want her to know. You’re just supposed to invite her to tea" (Fitzgerald 62).
Tom
"He broke off defiantly. "What if I did tell him? That fellow had it coming to him. He threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisy's, but he was a tough one. He ran over Myrtle like you'd run over a dog and never even stopped his car" (Fitzgerald 136).
‘You’re crazy!’ he exploded. ‘I can’t speak about what happened five years ago, because I didn’t know Daisy then – and I’ll be damned if I see how you got within a mile of her unless you brought the groceries to the back door. But all the rest of that’s a God damned lie. Daisy loved me when she married me and she loves me now" (Fitzgerald 101).
Tom is despicable because he was having an affair with his married wife Daisy. When he learned of Daisy's death, Tom tried to frame Gatsby so he would get killed by George. Although Tom does all of these reprehensible acts, he is less despicable compared to Nick and Gatsby because he is honest and doesn't try to hide his actions.
Main Argument/Theme
Throughout the novel, Gatsby, Nick and Tom reveal their degrading behaviors as we watch them chase for insurmountable power.
Situation in Context
The height of the roaring 20s. Gatsby and Tom are men that live at the top of the wealth food chain and live in a secluded bay away from the poor.
About the Author
F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896, died on December 21, 1940. He was a very famous writer than served during WWI and was known for his romantic style of writing.
-
Essential Question
Throughout the novel, Nick claims he reserves all judgments, yet he continually narrates with the tone that he disagrees with his fellow characters’ moral choices. All characters in The Great Gatsby display positive and negative character attributes. Argue who is the most admirable or despicable character in the novel.
-