My thesis concerns the analysis of the protagonist – Jay Gatsby – in terms of his illusory greatness and pitiful pettiness as depicted in “The Great Gatsby” by Francis Scott Fitzgerald. There are 4 main parts in my study: Introduction, Development, Conclusion, limitation and suggestion for further studies and Reference. To begin with introduction, my thesis is clarified with a rationale for choosing the topic, the aims for my study, the methods of structuring the whole paper and the scope of my study. Secondly, the Development part includes 2 chapters. On one hand, chapter I present the overview of Literature with some literature knowledge of literature, its genre – novel. In addition, this chapter provides some brief historical background related to the novel to help reader have a general view. In this chapter, Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s life and career are also taken into consideration. Moreover, this chapter also devoted to a basis of the novel “The Great Gatsby”: Setting, plot overview, themes and the main characters. On the other hand, chapter II focuses on analyzing the main character Jay Gatsby into 2 different aspects: his illusory greatness and pitiful pettiness so that readers can recognize the ironic implication of the author, hence, have a more sympathy and tolerant opinion toward this character, who is just a victim of the decay of the American Dream as well as Jazz Age. The third part is the conclusion of my study which summarizes the issues addressed in the whole thesis, and points out some limitations as well as makes some recommendation for further study. Last but not least, I give out all the sources that I have used in the reference part.
Trang 1VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION
GRADUATION PAPER
THE ILLUSORY “GREATNESS” AND THE PATHETIC TRAGEDY OF JAY GATSBY IN “THE GREAT GATSBY” BY
FRANCIS SCOTT FITZGERALD
Supervisor: Văn Thị Thanh Bình, M.A Student: Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Anh
Course: QH2010.F1.E4
HÀ NỘI – 5/2014
Trang 2ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH
KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP
Sự vĩ đại ảo tưởng và bị kịch đáng thương của nhân vật Jay Gatsby trong tác phẩm “Đại gia Gatsby” của nhà
văn Fransis Scott Fitgerald.
Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Thạc sỹ Văn Thị Thanh Bình Sinh viên: Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Anh
Khóa: QH2010.F1.E4
Trang 3Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Anh
Date: May 5th, 2014
Trang 4Furthermore, I acknowledge my sincere appreciation to my family andfriends for their continuous support without which I could not haveaccomplished.
Therefore, I cherishingly dedicate this page to all of whom I amprofoundly indebted
Trang 5My thesis concerns the analysis of the protagonist – Jay Gatsby – interms of his illusory greatness and pitiful pettiness as depicted in “The GreatGatsby” by Francis Scott Fitzgerald There are 4 main parts in my study:Introduction, Development, Conclusion, limitation and suggestion for furtherstudies and Reference
To begin with introduction, my thesis is clarified with a rationale forchoosing the topic, the aims for my study, the methods of structuring thewhole paper and the scope of my study
Secondly, the Development part includes 2 chapters On one hand,chapter I present the overview of Literature with some literature knowledge
of literature, its genre – novel In addition, this chapter provides some briefhistorical background related to the novel to help reader have a general view
In this chapter, Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s life and career are also taken intoconsideration Moreover, this chapter also devoted to a basis of the novel
“The Great Gatsby”: Setting, plot overview, themes and the main characters
On the other hand, chapter II focuses on analyzing the main character - JayGatsby into 2 different aspects: his illusory greatness and pitiful pettiness sothat readers can recognize the ironic implication of the author, hence, have amore sympathy and tolerant opinion toward this character, who is just avictim of the decay of the American Dream as well as Jazz Age
The third part is the conclusion of my study which summarizes theissues addressed in the whole thesis, and points out some limitations as well
as makes some recommendation for further study
Last but not least, I give out all the sources that I have used in thereference part
Trang 6TABLE OF CONTENT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………
ABSTRACT……….…
I INTRODUCTION……… …
1. Rationale……… ….…
2. Scope of the study………
3. Working methodology……… ………
II DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW….……… ……
1.1.Literature background……… …
1.1.1. Definition of literature……….………
1.1.2. Literature genre: Novel……….……
1.1.2.1 Definition of novel……….……
1.1.2.2 Main elements of novel……… ………
1.1.2.2.1 Plot……… ………
1.1.2.2.2 Character……… ……
1.1.2.2.3 Theme………
1.2.Historical background……….……
1.2.1. American literature at the turn of the 20th century…….…
1.2.2. The American dream………
1.3.Francis Scott Fitzgerald – life and career………
1.3.1. F Scott Fitzgerald’s life………
1.3.2. Overview F Scott Fitzgerald’s literary career………
1.4.The novel “The Great Gatsby”……… …
1.4.1. Plot overview………
1.4.2. Themes ……….………… ……
1.4.2.1 The American Dream……….…………
1.4.2.2 Class (Old Money, New Money, No Money)
ii iii 1 1 2 2
3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9
Trang 71.4.2.3 Past and Future……….……….
CHAPTER 2: THE ILLUSORY “GREATNESS” AND THE PATHETIC TRAGEDY OF JAY GATSBY……….
I. THE ILLUSORY “GREATNESS” OF JAY GATSBY…….…
1. Gatsby’s wealth………
1.1. His extravagant parties ……….……
1.2. His outstanding enigma property ………
1.3. Gatsby’s illusory self - reputation……….…
2. Gatsby’s social relations ………
2.1. Party guests……….……
2.2. Business acquaintances ……….……
3. Gatsby’s persistent love for Daisy ……….……
II. THE PATHETIC TRAGEDY OF JAY GATSBY…….………
1. Gatsby’s humble origin……… …………
2. Gatsby’s misdirected moral compass………… ………
2.1. His misconstrued perception of money value…… ……
2.2. His blind love for Daisy……….………
3. Gatsby’s meaningless and unremembered death…….…………
III. CONCLUSION, LIMITATIONS AND SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER STUDIES…….……… ……….
1 Conclusion……….………
2. Limitations of the study……… ……
3. Suggestion for further studies……… ……
IV REFERENCE………
10
12 12 12 13 13 15 17 17 19 21 24 25 26 27 28 31
34 34 35 35 36
Trang 81 Rationale
Literature is an important component of a total language arts program
as well as the reflection of life through the subjective prism of the author It isalso the bridge connecting the real life and the imaginary world Therefore, it
is undeniable that literature enriches our spiritual life, nurtures our soul andimproves our language competence, especially in writing skills, as mysupervisor said That is the reason researcher decided to conduct a research
on literature as my Graduation Paper
As regards literature, the novel “The Great Gatsby” by Francis ScottFitzgerald is appraised as one of the greatest pieces of art work of all time.The real – life reflective and artistic values of this novel has been proved forages by a lot of literature critics The researcher herself is profoundlyimpressed by the protagonist Jay Gatsby thanks to the author’s skillfulnarrative style
With clever narrative tricks, Gatsby is portrayed as a man whosucceeds in all he does at the very beginning of the novel It is likely that F
S Fitzgerald wants all the readers to believe However, at the end of thenovel, Gatsby’s unremembered death, in common with the disappearance ofhis fame, shocks every single reader Thus, although F Scott Fitzgerald’s
“The Great Gatsby” has received extensive critical attention for ages, thereremain some controversial questions that demand further exploration: whatmakes Jay Gatsby “great?”, and what makes him pathetic? What’s more, doesthis “greatness” is real or just illusory? All of them are clarified in thisGraduation Paper Hopefully, this thesis can contribute a little help readerscomprehend and meditate more about one of the best literary works of humankind
Trang 9Interestingly, everytime researcher spends time studying her thesis, shelistens to the song “Young and beautiful” by Lana Del Rey that is the originalsoundtrack of the movie - adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel ofthe same name, which provides her more energy and enthusiasm during hercarrying out this study
2 Scope of the study
The thesis aims to give the readers a deeper understanding of theprotagonist of the novel “The Great Gatsby” by Francis Scott Fitzgerald – JayGatsby – with relation to his illusory “greatness” as well as his pathetictragedy
3 Working methodology
The method of analysis which is attached to this graduation paperconsists of searching for materials, analyzing, giving final judgments andconclusion
Trang 10CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1 Literature background
1.1.1 Definition of literature
It is common knowledge to state that whether there appears a thing, itmust be given a name and a fixed definition to distinguish that thing fromothers in the surroundings Literature is the same in that case However, up tonow, writers all over the world have not shared the same definition ofliterature A number of writers agree with Edgar Robert that literature is what
“refers to just everything written” There are many more definitions thatcannot be counted exist somewhere in our life And the fact is that no one candecide what is the best, the most acceptable because each of those definitions
is created from its authors’ opinion and his or her chosen literary form that, intheir turns, have their own views of art, life or everything else Therefore,there is still no exact definition for this delicate kind of art that can satisfyeveryone People may create his or her own definition of literature based ontheir understanding about it Researcher herself does agree with Edgar Robertthat literature is what refers to just everything written, however, that writtenmessage must necessarily contain what they call the quiescence of humanlife
1.1.2 Literature genre: Novel
1.1.2.1 Definition of novel
A novel is a long work of written fiction in which a complex story istold with a number of different situations by a narrator In a novel, the writerhas the freedom to develop the story slowly, surround the main plot withsubplots, and create numerous shifts in time, place and focus of interest Anovel may celebrate great event as well as details of everyday life In a novel,
Trang 11the narrator can directly address the reader or stay outside to leave the events
to flow naturally These features differentiate a novel with other literaryforms like short story, epic poetry, drama or mythology, and so on
1.1.2.2 Main elements of novel
1.1.2.2.1 Plot
A plot of a novel is a narrative and thematic development of the story,which is a series of event that depend on one another, not a sequence ofunrelated episodes Plot is “a narrative of events, the emphasis falling oncausality” (E.M Forster) In most stories, the plot arises out of conflictundergone by the main character When makes choices and resolves theconflict, the story is shaped and the plot is generated Plot consists of threethings First, it is the work itself, the author’s arrangement of events from thefirst page to the last By reading the work, we experience the events as theauthor has arranged them Secondly, plot includes the linkage of events bycause and effect This is Forster’s concepts of plot An inevitable byproduct
of cause and effect is conflict Third, plot is the author’s presentation ofevents so as to engage readers intellectually and emotionally
1.1.2.2.2 Character
Characters of a novel are the fictional figures that move through theplot Invented by the author from words rather than blood, characteristics,though, have hopes, fears, concerns and emotions that convince the readersthat they a real people To create complex realistic characters, the authorusually combines traits which do not correspond to any single person but areaspects of several people He or she also highlights the characters’ thought,emotions, conflicting impulses and capacity for change
The character element consists of the protagonist who is the maincharacter of a novel and the antagonist who is the character or force inconflict with the protagonist A character may be round, which has multiple
Trang 12personality traits and therefore, resemble real people; or flat which has onlyone or to personality traits are easily recognizable as stereotypes.
1.1.2.2.3 Theme
A novel’s theme is defined as the underlying meaning of the storywhich the author wants to express Due the length of a novel, it is difficultand inadvisable to interpret its themes in only one way The number ofcharacters, conflicts and setting contributes to the complexity of themes thatneed uncovering form different aspects
In many works, especially complex ones, there may be several, evencontradictory themes They can be grouped into the following types First, thethemes of an individual who strikes out to face the world or strives to breakthe social conventions are used in many novels Another common theme isthe search for identity, that is, the characters struggle to assert themselves, toseek for their own “identity” Besides, a novel can include some themes ofsocial issues such as religion, class distinction, love, marriage, educationproblem, women’s role or children, and so on Especially, a number of novelsdeal with the theme of the conflict between art and life, between talent andmoney Generally, the theme of a novel is more than its subject matter andhighly complicated
1.2 Historical background
1.2.1 American literature at the turn of the 20 th century
From the late 19th to the early 20th century, American experienced thenoticeable development in literature led by consequences of socio –economic and political achievements A number of new themes, motifs andsorts of characters were introduced The multiple contextual changes ofsociety heralded American cultural challenge and brought along newredefinitions of literature, literary voices, and different considerations on thewriters place in the American society The theme of disillusionment, along
Trang 13with the downfall of some American certain ideals and values, is successfullydepicted in “The Great Gatsby” by F Scott Fitzgerald.
“The Great Gatsby” is set on Long Island of New York, in two areascalled “West Egg” and “East Egg” known as place of the rich and fabulouspeople Nevertheless, nobody seems particularly interested in politics, orreligion, or even education; instead, they spend their time conforming tocertain standards, like not wearing pink suits This setting matters, because itmeans that a lot takes place through innuendo and suggestion Rich people dolike to spend their time drawing subtle distinctions between types of wealth.Nick tells us right away that East Egg is the wealthier, more elite of the twoEggs Despite all his money, Gatsby lives in West Egg, suggesting that he hasnot been able to complete his transformation into a member of the socialelite The distance that separates him from Daisy isn't just the water of thebay; it's also class The second contrast is between the city scenes and thesuburban ones Like Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsbycommute into the city for their respective lines of work, while the women areleft behind This geographical divide ends up being a gender distinction, too.But the city is important in other ways, too; Tom only interacts with hismistress in the city, and Gatsby only sees Meyer Wolfsheim there They bothuse the city to hide their goings-on from the people they value on LongIsland Subsequently, “The Great Gatsby” opens in the early 1920s with therapid technological changes, urbanization, the results of the war, are amongthe many causes suggested for the resulting revolt against the past and thedrunkenness issue Jazz Age evokes people the picture of American society
in 1920s
1.2.2 The American Dream
The American Dream is “that dream of a land in which life should bebetter and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according
Trang 14to ability or achievement It is a difficult dream for the European upperclasses to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grownweary and mistrustful of it It is not a dream of motor cars and high wagesmerely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall
be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and
be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitouscircumstances of birth or position.” (Adams, 1931, p 214-215) TheAmerican Dream is a national feature of the United States, a set of idea inwhich perform includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and anupward social mobility achieved through hard work It has become thepursuit of material prosperity The American Dream is popularized incountries in countless rags-to-riches stories and the portrayal of the good life
1.3. Francis Scott Fitzgerald – life and career
1.3.1 F Scott Fitzgerald’s life
F Scott Fitzgerald (1896 – 1940) grew up in St Paul, Minnesota – asocial landscape called “the middle west of large cities and country clubs”.His family was Irish Catholic, his mother’s side wealthy The family lived forsome years in Buffalo and Syracuse; but in 1908, when Scott’s father lost hisjob, they returned to St Paul There, he attended St Paul Academy from
1908 to 1911 Here he published his first story For the most part, Scott wasprivately educated; he attended Newman School in Hackensack, N.J., from
1911 to 1913
Fitzgerald enrolled at Princeton University in 1913 and struck upenduring friendships with Edmund Wilson and John Peale Bishop Because
of his health and low grades, he left college in 1915 He returned to Princeton
in 1916 but left a year later without a degree and joined the army with asecond lieutenant’s commission Stationed in Alabama in 1918, he first metZelda Sayre, began an intense romance Scott went to New York to make his
Trang 15fortune, so they could be married Zelda, at the same time, however, wasunwilling to wait or live on his small salary, broke their engagement in 1919.Heartbroken, he quit his job and moved back to St Paul to write Finally, hemarried her a few years later and their life embellished what Fitzgerald hadalready called the Jazz Age Zelda and Fitzgerald were celebrities, known fortheir extravagant lifestyle In 1924, the Fitzgeralds moved to France andtraveled Europe, where he wrote “The Great Gatsby” Likewise, Scottbecame part of the circle of literary expatriates in Paris He died at the age of44.
1.3.2 Overview F Scott Fitzgerald’s literary career
Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whoseworks are paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself He iswidely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.Fitzgerald is considered a member of the “Lost Generation” of the 1920s Thepoint that marked his career as a writer was when he courted academictrouble as he pursued success on the parallel tracks at Princeton He wrotelyrics for the Triangle Club’s shows and published poems and stories in theNassau Literature Magazine Later on, he wrote story after story for “TheSaturday Evening Post” and movie scripts for Hollywood while he struggled
to write the novels for which he is chief remembered He has many notablenovels such as “This Side of Paradise”, “The Great Gatsby” and “The LastTycoon”, and short stories like “Head and Shoulders”, “The Curious Case ofBenjamin Button” and “Crazy Sunday”
1.4 The novel “The Great Gatsby”
1.4.1 Plot overview
In the novel, Fitzgerald presents the rise and fall of Jay Gatsby, asrelated in a first – person narrative by Nick Carraway Carraway reveals thestory of a farmer’s son – turned racketeer, named Jay Gatz His ill – gotten
Trang 16wealth is acquired solely to gain acceptance into the sophisticated, moneyedworld of the woman he loves, Daisy Fay Buchanan His romantic illusionsabout the power of money to buy respectability and the love of Daisy – the
“golden girl” of his dreams – are skillfully and ironically interwoven withepisodes that depict what Fitzgerald viewed as the callousness and moralirresponsibility of the affluent American society of the 1920s
1.4.2 Themes
1.4.2.1 The American Dream
The American Dream—that hard work can lead one from rags to riches
—has been a core facet of American identity since its inception Settlerscame west to America from Europe seeking wealth and freedom Thepioneers headed west for the same reason The Great Gatsby shows the tideturning east, as hordes flock to New York City seeking stock marketfortunes The Great Gatsby portrays this shift as a symbol of the AmericanDream's corruption It's no longer a vision of building a life; it's just aboutgetting rich
Gatsby symbolizes both the corrupted Dream and the originaluncorrupted Dream He sees wealth as the solution to his problems, pursuesmoney via shady schemes, and reinvents himself so much that he becomeshollow, disconnected from his past Yet Gatsby's corrupt dream of wealth ismotivated by an incorruptible love for Daisy Gatsby's failure does not provethe folly of the American Dream—rather it proves the folly of short-cuttingthat dream by allowing corruption and materialism to prevail over hard work,integrity, and real love And the dream of love that remains at Gatsby's corecondemns nearly every other character in the novel, all of whom are emptybeyond just their lust for money
1.4.2.2 Class (Old Money, New Money, No Money)
Trang 17The Great Gatsby portrays three different social classes: "old money"(Tom and Daisy Buchanan); "new money" (Gatsby); and a class that might becalled "no money" (George and Myrtle Wilson) "Old money" families havefortunes dating from the 19th century or before, have built up powerful andinfluential social connections, and tend to hide their wealth and superioritybehind a veneer of civility The "new money" class made their fortunes in the1920s boom and therefore have no social connections and tend toovercompensate for this lack with lavish displays of wealth.
The Great Gatsby shows the newly developing class rivalry between
"old" and "new" money in the struggle between Gatsby and Tom over Daisy
As usual, the "no money" class gets overlooked by the struggle at the top,leaving middle and lower class people like George Wilson forgotten orignored
1.4.2.3 Past and Future
Nick and Gatsby are continually troubled by time—the past hauntsGatsby and the future weighs down on Nick When Nick tells Gatsby thatyou can't repeat the past, Gatsby says "Why of course you can!" Gatsby hasdedicated his entire life to recapturing a golden, perfect past with Daisy.Gatsby believes that money can recreate the past Fitzgerald describes Gatsby
as "overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery that wealth imprisonsand preserves." But Gatsby mixes up "youth and mystery" with history; hethinks a single glorious month of love with Daisy can compete with the yearsand experiences she has shared with Tom Just as "new money" is moneywithout social connection, Gatsby's connection to Daisy exists outside ofhistory
Nick's fear of the future foreshadows the economic bust that plungedthe country into depression and ended the Roaring Twenties in 1929 The dayGatsby and Tom argue at the Plaza Hotel, Nick suddenly realizes that it's his
Trang 18thirtieth birthday He thinks of the new decade before him as a "portentousmenacing road," and clearly sees in the struggle between old and new moneythe end of an era and the destruction of both types of wealth.
Trang 19CHAPTER 2: THE ILLUSORY “GREATNESS” AND PATHETIC TRAGEDY OF JAY GATSBY.
GATSBY
1.1. His extravagant parties
Throughout the procession of the 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby,readers are exposed to Gatsby's excessive wealth through elaborate partiesthat Jay Gatsby throws most nights throughout the summer At these parties,
he has the best of everything He has bands that play music of the time: “nothin five-piece affair but a whole pitiful of oboes and trombones andsaxophones and viols and cornets and piccolos and low and high drums”(Fitzgerald 44) Crates upon crates of fresh fruits and other food are alsoserved generously in his parties: “Every Friday five crates of oranges andlemons arrived from a fruiterer in New York—every Monday these sameoranges and lemons left his back door in a pyramid of pulpless halves Therewas a machine in the kitchen which could extract the juice of two hundredoranges in half an hour, if a little button was pressed two hundred times by abutler’s thumb.” (Fitzgerald 43) and “On buffet tables, garnished withglistening horsd’oeuvre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads ofharlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold In themain hall a bar with a real brass rail was set up, and stocked with gins andliquors and with cordials” (Fitzgerald 44) Additionally, champagneexemplifies excess of Gatsby's party, in quantity and cost: " champagne wasserved in glasses of finger-bowls" (Fitzgerald 51) Especially, many of theguests come to his parties by his own Rolls-Royce: “On week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city, between
Trang 20nine in the morning and long past midnight, while his station wagonscampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains” (Fitzgerald 43).Obviously, one of the reasons that this New-money has become so famousaround New York is because of his unbelievably glamorous parties heldevery weekend at his mansion as well as his outstanding hospitality
1.2. His outstanding enigma property
Along with the extravagant parties, Chapter III is devoted to theintroduction of Gatsby and the lavish, showy world he inhabits from themansion, to the countless dress shirts and expensive cars
At the first place, Gatsby’s mansion is part of Gatsby's lavish display
to show off his wealth and status in order to attract attention from others,specifically Daisy Not only does the author mention the enormous mansionwhich is home to this “new- money”, but also the site of many extravagantparties attracting guests of all kinds It is “a colossal affair by any standard—
it was a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower
on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marbleswimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn and garden” (Fitzgerald 7)
or “the halls and salons and verandas are gaudy with primary colors and hairshorn in strange new ways and shawls beyond the dreams of Castile The bar
is in full swing and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outsideuntil the air is alive with chatter and laughter and casual innuendo andintroductions forgotten on the spot and enthusiastic meeting” (Fitzgerald 44).Furthermore, Gatsby's house is furnished well with old looking ornamentsand (probably) second hand antiques That mansion is extensive, has manydifferent rooms and facilities filled with colour and energy, creating a fun,wild, exciting atmosphere in each party Nevertheless, Gatsby's huge andlavish house is yet tasteless, showing his lack of real sophistication Nicksneers at it for being unattractive and looking like a copy of a
Trang 21Normandy Hôtel de Ville This suggests its design is inappropriatelygrandiose for a dwelling house It is significant that it is an imitation, asGatsby himself is an imitation In other words, this self – delusion character’smansion is a rather imitated artificial place, the house was originally built toimpress his beloved - Daisy with his so - called wealth, and this is a sign of acorrupt way of 'winning' love through money and wealth
Then, as the story continues, Gatsby shows off that he is successful andwealthy enough to afford so many different kinds of shirts When Nick andDaisy have chance to visit his mansion, Gatsby takes out all his colourfulshirts and displays them “a pile of shirts and began throwing them, one byone before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel which losttheir folds as they fell and covered the table in many-colored disarray While
we admired he brought more and the soft rich heap mounted higher - shirtswith stripes and scrolls and plaids in coral and apple-green and lavender andfaint orange with monograms of Indian blue” (Fitzgerald 99) and then Daisysuddenly bursts into tears This may, at first glance, illustrate the lavishwealth of the upper class - there is a huge array of colours, materials, designs;however, there is the underlying and ridiculous truth of Daisy’s weepingabout those countless shirts is her shallowness, easily satisfied by materialgoods
Equally important, owning several luxury cars is another part of histoo-perfect facade, which he wants others to see “It was a rich cream color,bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length withtriumphant hatboxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes, and terraced with alabyrinth of windshields that mirrored a dozen suns” (Fitzgerald 69) Anotherinteresting detail is Gatsby’s car is yellow instead of the standardized black
of the era stresses the thought that he is engrossed with the obsession ofdisplaying his material wealth to get the love of Daisy The Death car is