+ The Great Gatsby Review of F. Scott Fitzgerald Chapter 6 Analysis April 2011 – May 2011

+ Review, Author – The Way Up F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1896 – 1940 (Laurel Avenue, Minnesota) Father went bankrupt but he stilled played with the wealthy kids in town Paradox - self-contradictory Enrolled in WWI, met Zelda Sayre (very animated) – the couple became celebrities of the Jazz Age Had an appetite for excess Expatriate – withdraw from his/her native country 1925 – Charles Scribner’s Sons publishes The Great Gatsby

+ Review, Author – The Way Down F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1896 – 1940 (Laurel Avenue, California) 1932 – Zelda suffered a mental breakdown, never recovered Wrote stories acknowledging his wife’s illness and his own alcoholism 1937 – Fitzgerald relocated to California 1940 – Fitzgerald passed away of a heart attack while writing the novel, The Last Tycoon

+ Chapter Six – Analysis Gatsby “sprang from his Platonic conception of himself,” which refers to that his ideal form Gatsby modeled himself of an ideal version of Jay Gatsby Striving to be the man he envisions in his fondest dreams Think about Daisy being unable to fulfill his ideal vision of her Gatsby = novels representative of The American Dream Myth of the “self-made man”

+ Chapter Six – Analysis Gatsby leaves St. Olaf college because he feels degraded being a janitor – gross humiliation of what he imagines for himself This damages his actual circumstances since graduating from a university would enhance social standing Sensitivity to class – yearns for wealth, sophistication and elegance, which he imagines wealth provides

+ Chapter Six – Analysis Dan Cody/Gatsby Similarities Early hardships turned to self-made millionaire Generous to friend and subordinates Additional analysis America may no longer be a place where the self-made man can thrive Cody drinks – cannot make a place for himself Passes away... Treachery of the woman he loves Foreshadowing

+ Chapter Six – Analysis Awkward luncheon – Old Money vs. New Money Underlines the hostility of the American 1920s toward the figure of the self-made man Tom Buchanan and Mr. and Mrs. Sloane treat Gatsby with contempt because he is not of the long-standing American upper class – like East Eggers are Gatsby may be wealthier than Tom, but is regarded as socially inferior – West Egger

+ Chapter Six – Analysis Daisy Narrow-minded – East Egger Symbol of everything that Gatsby wishes to posses Wealth and sophistication Although she posses these traits, these traits are the reason she cannot fulfill his dreams She would never sacrifice her own status to be with him Cares more for privilege than Gatsby’s love

+ Chapter Six – Key Questions 1. How truthful was Gatsby when he relayed the story his life to Nick? Why does Fitzgerald tell the story of Jay Gatz now? 2. Describe the meeting of Tom and Gatsby. What does this meeting reveal about them? 3. Why did Daisy and Tom find Gatsby’s party loathsome? 4. How did Gatsby measure the success of his party? 5. When Nick told Gatsby that “you can’t repeat the past,” Gatsby replied, “Why of course you can!” Do you agree with Nick or Gatsby?