The Man Behind Jay Gatsby essays

The Man Behind Jay Gatsby essays In the novel "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, no one really seemed to know the man known as Jay Gatsby. When he was rich and powerful, he was a man everyone "wanted to be well acquainted with." But when he died, life went on without him. It seemed as if nobody cared that he was the man behind the extravagant parties and all the good times. He was dead and nobody mourned or gave any signs of sympathy. This shows the difference of opinions of the great Jay Gatsby throughout the story. He was an icon of not only every man's image of the American Dream, but he was also a part of Americanism and the American Experience. He was seen as the richest and luckiest man during his time. Unlike any of the other characters in the novel, Jay Gatsby does not change during the course of the story. He as a person may not have changed, but the way that people perceived him certainly became different. When he was alive and well, he was the perfect example of the American Dream. "He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them one by one before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel which lost their folds as they fell and covered the table in many-colored disarray (Fitzgerald 97). This illustrates how he had more money than he knew what to do with. He could afford to have oversized parties every weekend and live the lavish style that he did. Jay Gatsby was the person to know when it came to West Egg. In the beginning, he was only known as Jay Gatz. He was a poor boy who had joined the army. He only had his charm to get him by. With that, he met Daisy. She was a very rich and sheltered girl from a wealthy family. They were in love from the beginning. Unfortunately, Daisy believed overall that security was of more importance than of love. From that moment on, Jay Gatz wanted one thing; to get rich so he could gain Daisy's approval and also to show her that a poor boy can become wealthy. This obsession ate up and de...