The Great Gatsby Essay examples -- English Literature

The Great Gatsby In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book The Great Gatsby the narrator, Nick Caraway makes a statement that, in my opinion, reveals to the reader why the book is called The Great Gatsby. â€Å"They’re a rotten crowd† Nick shouted across the lawn to Gatsby â€Å"You're worth the whole damn lot put together.† I agree with Nicks statement because Gatsby has outstanding values that differ and set him apart from the other characters in the book. Also the one main feature that really sets him apart from the crowd and makes him worth more than the whole crowd is his ability to set himself goals and achieve them. He had a dream, An American Dream. Throughout the book Gatsby is portrayed as a mysterious character. The first impressions of Gatsby, which are conveyed to the reader, are through gossip. This is mainly due to Gatsby’s inaccessibility. He surrounds himself with people but never interacts, instead opting to watch other people enjoy themselves. The rumours about Gatsby are abundant and come from the very people who take advantage of his hospitality. Jordan and the two twins, tell Nick at one of Gatsby’s parties â€Å"Somebody told me that he killed a man.† There are also disputes about which country he fought for in the war. As one man tells Nick â€Å"I heard that from a man who knew all about him, grew up with him in Germany.† This is opposed by another woman at the party saying, â€Å"It couldn’t be that because he was in the American army during the war.† Gatsby’s wealth which is also a mystery to begin with, adds to his mysterious reputation. Despite these rumours circulating about Gatsby our first real impression of Gatsby is a positive one, â€Å"He smiled understandingly- much more than understanding... ...for he is always searching for more. For example in the beginning he wanted to obtain wealth, he achieved that and then he wanted more in the form of love; Daisy. Although in the end it is that drive that brings him down. Gatsby lived life to try and catch the attention of one woman, Daisy Fay, and he almost attained that goal but never quite reached it. When the dream was gone, he had nothing left to live for. In conclusion the American Dream that Gatsby had created for himself improved him as a person. Fitzgerald has created Gatsby as a more exciting and mysterious character than any in the story. Gatsby is the only character that had the ability to set himself goals and achieve them. Although this ability brought about his downfall it was the only thing that Gatsby had to live for. For these reasons, Gatsby is â€Å"worth the whole damn lot put together.†