WHERE IS THE LOVE???

Daisy married Tom while Gatsby was off at war, because she constantly needs someone to be there for her. On the surface, their marriage looks nice and content; however, Tom is cheating on her. Even worse, he is cheating on her with a married woman, Myrtle. Myrtle's husband, George, seems to just accept the affair, as if there is nothing he can do about it. I feel really bad for Daisy in the beginning of the story, because she just puts up with it as well, but later she reunites with Gatsby, and it is obvious that she still loves him. It's sad because two wrongs don't make a right, but what is she supposed to do? Stay with her husband while he cheats on her? Cheat on him back with Gatsby? Or end her relationship with her husband for Gatsby? I would hope that she would pick choice C, but that is probably unrealistic.

SETTING

East Egg and West Egg are so close geographically, yet so far apart when it comes to lifestyle. They are both concerned with material goods and wealth, but the people from East Egg are newly rich. They are constantly trying to impress and show up others. They do not have connections like the people of West Egg do. I think it's strange that Nick lives in East Egg, because he does have connections after attending Yale. However, it is a good thing that he lives in East Egg or he might have never met Gatsby. Gatsby likes to show off his wealth by throwing lavish parties and inviting tons of people that he doesn't know. I think it would be very interesting and fun to attend one of the parties that Gatsby throws.

MEYER WOLFSHEIM

There is something very suspicious about Wolfsheim from the moment he is introduced to this novel. We are informed that he conducts under the counter business. This reminds me of the mafia. When I was reading this, I was thinking, "I wonder how many people he's killed in his life..." My family is Italian, so I've always had an interest in the mafia. Later we find out that he used to bootleg alcohol and that Gatsby was involved with the business. That is part of the reason that Gatsby is so wealthy now. Nick is curious as to whether Gatsby is still involved in the business, because he still has a good relationship with Wolfsheim. I doubt that Gatsby is fully involved anymore, but maybe he does it on the side sometimes when he needs some extra money.

IRONY

For some reason, Nick is strangely intrigued by Gatsby. He spends a lot of time thinking about him before he even knows him. Then, once he meets him, he tries to find out his background and the way that he earns his income. Ironically, this man that Nick is so interested in is in love with his cousin, Daisy. It's funny, because, even though he is related to Daisy and decently close with her, she failed to mention her past with Gatsby. It turns out that the reason he worked so hard all of his life was to win Daisy's attention. Once Gatsby went off to war and came back to find that Daisy had married while he was away, he had a goal to get her back. It just shows how small the world is when such a connection is uncovered in this novel.

"The Great Gatsby" F. Scott Fitzgerald

Although we do not formally meet Jay Gatsby until the 3rd chapter, he is the protagonist of the story. The narrator, Nick, is always curious about Gatsby, so we keep a close eye on him throughout the story. Gatsby always throws parties to show off his wealth, but nobody knows how he earned all of his money. Eventually, Nick comes to believe it may be through dishonest deeds. Under it all is his love for Daisy! He fell in love with her before the war, but when he was off fighting, she married Tom Buchanan. He has now done everything in his power to become rich and impress Daisy. I think that is dumb, because if she loves him like he supposedly loves her, then he wouldn't need material things to win her over. That fact is proven when she never attends any of his parties, but is enchanted during their reunion at Nick's house.