School : BUCAS GRANDE FOUNDATION COLLEGE

Course : Bachelor of Secondary Education-English

Yr. & Section : 3rd year section-A
Subject : Survey of English and American Literature
Submitted by : Ms. Jhel Reshel C. Telin
Student
Submitted to : Ms. Blessy Grace R. Abacahin
Teacher
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Write a few Critical Statements about The Great Gatsby of F. Scoot

Fitzgerald from the perspectives of the following critical theories:

1. BIOGRAPHICAL CRITICISM
The author of The Great Gatsby is Francis Scott key FitzGerald. He was born on December 24,
1896 in St. Paul in Minnesota. His father was an unsuccessful businessman so the family lived off of
Fitzgerald’s mother’s sizeable inheritance. His mother’s wealth provided opportunities for young
Fitzgerald to mingle with the social elite in his hometown but it wasn’t quite enough for him to be
accepted into the highest class of the social hierarchy like Nick’s character Fitzgerald left Minnesota
for an Ivy league education. He attended Princeton joined the army and later moved to New York
City. When he was 22 years old, he fell in love with socialites’ eldest heir. Although Zelda claimed to
love Fitzgerald, she refused to marry him until he was rich it wasn’t until Fitzgerald published his first
novel this side of Paradise in 1920 that Zelda deemed him appropriate to marry as his writing career
blossomed he and Zelda enjoyed the celebrity with lavish parties heavy drinking and extensive
travels.

However, this lifestyle came with a price for years Fitzgerald struggled with alcoholism and
depression which wreaked on his career and health. Ultimately, these factors contributed to the heart
attack that killed him on December 21 st century 1940 at the age of 44. Many aspects of Fitzgerald’s
life are mirrored in the Great Gatsby, details are scattered throughout his work in the form of
character traits story settings and conflicts. When the Great Gatsby was first released, it received
mediocre reviews and sold poorly. By the time of Fitzgerald’s death, the author was largely forgotten
when the U.S entered the second world war, they gave copies of The Great Gatsby the soldiers to
improve them. In 1944, The Great Gatsby had sold a hundred and twenty copies today the book
regularly sells 500,000 copies per year.

2. NEW HISTORICIST CRITICISM

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is one of the most often taught in American
literature classes. However, the further we move away chronologically from 1922, a time of economic
boom following the devastation of World War I and based from the past history of the facts. The
author describes that Gatsby has reflected ideology of Hybrid which is an undeniable feature of the
post-colonial world that has to be coped with, but as a strategy of resistance, the persistence of
unbalanced power relations despite the discursive valorization, it currently enjoys point to its limits.
Mimicry is the practice of deconstruction wherein it is said to reveal at once the contradictions and
inconsistencies that make the discourse ready for the colonized to adapt the identity of their master,
the invaders. Ethnicism Racism is a social classification on the basis of heredity with certain traits,
such as skin color, body texture, language, and so forth. Sexism Classism demonstrates an
injustice in the treatment of certain sexes, men against women and among women themselves or
others.

That is, in general, it is women who become patients and victims of injustice. The reflection of
these ideologies is in the form of thoughts of the colonized who feel depressed and persecuted; those
are helpless, obedient, and loyal to the colonizer. There is no ideology that is completely separate
from the psychology in which it is produced. Ideology will not exist without the appropriate
psychology, which supports it. For example, classism, which is a link between one another to
another, is a complex psychological model. Ideology and psychology are practiced more clearly in
post- colonial studies. So these are the reasons why the author wrote this kind of literary piece
because it has something to do with the past events.

3. FORMALISM/NEW CRITICISM
The Great Gatsby is an example of literary realism because it depicts the world as it really is.
In the novel, Jay Gatsby is the hero because he drives the action of the story by getting Jordan and
Nick to reintroduce him to Daisy (which leads to the affair, confrontation in Manhattan, the death of
Myrtle, and then the murder-suicide), he goes up against an antagonist of sorts (Tom), and the story
ends with his death. He also symbolizes as the American dream life in the 1920’s and the story tells
us of how some people will do anything to get what they want even if that means earning their riches
through criminal acts while the characters of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby represent a
specific segment of 1920s American society: the rich hedonists of the Jazz Age. As I observed, there
is this Multiple Types of Cheating in the movie which is a symbol of corruption. Marital infidelity
seems rampant, with Tom Buchanan cheating on his wife Daisy with Myrtle Wilson and Daisy
cheating on Tom with Gatsby which happened to Tom Buchanan to become the victim of dramatic
irony. Tom shows up at Gatsby's home, not realizing that he's accepting the hospitality of the man
who's trying to steal his wife. Later in the novel, Tom assumes that his mistress Myrtle Wilson was
killed by Gatsby and his car.

The people of this time drift through life aimlessly, because they do not feel that anything is
worth importance or permanence. Daisy exemplifies this trait of the era when she says, “What’ll we
do with ourselves this afternoon…and the day after that, and the next thirty years? The principle
desire and goal of Daisy and the other characters in the novel is to have their immediate pleasure
needs met and to live lavishly in the moment. This is encouraged by the prosperity of the time,
where a surplus of money makes it so that few people let the need to plan their lives in advance,
because they assume their wealth will remain forever. Wealth and pleasure are the only things the
society wants to be permanent. People wanted wealth and pleasure out of life, and these desires are
driven by the values of money and a “Carpe diem” mindset. A mindset such as this often leads to the
using of other people in the hopes of attaining this goal of wealth and living in the moment.

4. PSYCHOLOGICAL CRITICISM/ PSYCHOANALYTICAL APPROAH

In the story The Great Gatsby, is written in first-person limited perspective from Nick’s point of
view. This means that Nick uses the word “I” and describes events as he experienced them. He does
not know what other characters are thinking unless they tell him. Although Nick narrates the book, in
many ways he is incidental to the events involved, except that he facilitates the meeting of Daisy and
Gatsby. For the most part, he remains an observer of the events around him, disappearing into the
background when it comes time to narrate crucial meetings between Gatsby, Tom, and Daisy. In
several extended passages his voice disappears completely, and he relates thoughts and feelings of
other characters as though he is inside their heads. Insofar as Nick Carraway plays a role inside the
narrative, he shows strongly mixed reactions to life in New York.

It creates a powerful internal conflict that does not resolve until the end of the novel. In this
critical theory, we can determine the Freudian approach to personality of Gatsby’s id, superego and
ego by just watching the movie attentively; and finds that the id largely rules his behavior, with few
instances where the ego takes control and manifests the superego. The three psychoanalytic core
issues are identifiable in the character of Gatsby: fear of abandonment, low self-esteem and insecure
or unstable sense of self. The id largely rules Gatsby’s behavior, with few instances where the ego
takes control and manifests the superego. Jay Gatsby’s id, superego and ego manifest themselves as
regards his goal and ultimate desire or dream, that of being with Daisy, as well as ascending to a
higher class, of which Daisy can be seen as a personification. The author of the movie thinks in that
way because he wants us to delight, to entertain, and to inform, but more specifically, to advocate
for going after our dreams. Dreams may be doomed to failure, but it is nevertheless important to
dream big.

5. AECHETYPAL/MYTHOLOGICAL CRITICISM
In the novel/movie, I’ve seen a lot of Archetypes such as;

 Archetypal plots of the novel- Fitzgerald borrows the most two fundamental biblical plots:
the plot of conflicts between the virtuous and the evil, and the plot of seeking for faith and
ideal. The writer of this thesis has expounded the parallel correspondence and the
displacement between the biblical archetypes and Gatsby’s story.
 Archetypal analysis of characters- tries to find out the archetypes of the leading character
Jay Gatsby and other characters related to Gatsby. Fitzgerald ingeniously gives the main
characters—Gatsby, Nick, Daisy and Tom—many traits of biblical archetypes. The archetypes
of Adam and Jesus Christ can be found in Gatsby. By comparing him as Adam, Fitzgerald
stresses Gatsby’s innocence, warmness, ignorance of time, and the fate of fall.
  The Green light- in the novel symbolizes the hope and optimism for Gatsby to have Daisy
and reunite with her. When he looks at this light, he feels confident and hopeful that his
dream will be fulfilled. It is a concrete object that represents abstract concepts of yearning and
nostalgia. The green light is noticed again in the last chapter of the novel, but here it indicates
the disillusionment of the American Dream.
 The Valley of Ashes- wherein the ashes are made by industry that helps others to be rich.
Thus, it shows the impossibility of the American Dream. It is a wasteland of human desires
and human life.
 Nick's Mantle Clock- the clock symbolizes the passage of time.
 Gatsby's Parties- symbolize the glamorous lifestyle of the Roaring Twenties, the flashy
spending of someone with "new money" seeking to impress those who will never accept him,
and the corruption of the American Dream.
 Gatsby's Extravagant House- the enormous mansion that Gatsby purchases with his newly
gained wealth symbolizes the extravagance of the Jazz Age along with its emptiness.
 Gatsby’s garden and Jacob’s ladder as the apocalyptic imagery.
 Water as the manifest demonic imagery.

These archetypes can be used not merely to be as the sources of the novel in order to constitute an
integral part of Fitzgerald artistic creation, but also effectively convey and manifest the themes of the
novel. It also contributes to the eternal artistic brilliance and greatness of the novel.

6. FEMINIST/GENDER CRITICISM
The Great Gatsby reveals how the novel both supports and challenges the assumptions of a
patriarchal society. It also displays various aspects of feminist philosophy by reflecting opposing
principles of society’s model through very different female characters. By using a range of characters
who respond to the figure of the New Woman, the novel shows how difficult it was to defy the norms
of the time. The novel paints a picture of America in the 1920’s. Before the war, women had no
freedom, and they had to remain on a pedestal prescribed by the limits of male ideals. But now,
women could be seen smoking and drinking, often in the company of men. They could also be seen
enjoying the sometimes raucous nightlife offered at nightclubs and private parties. Even the new
dances of the era, which seemed wild and overtly sexual to many, bespoke an attitude of free self-
expression and unrestrained enjoyment.

In other words, a “New Woman” emerged in the 1920’s. The appearance of the New Woman
on the scene evoked a great deal of negative reaction from conservative members of society who felt
that women’s rejection of any aspect of their traditional role would inevitably result in the destruction
of the family and the moral decline of society as a whole. However, this movie had passed the
Bechdel Test because there are two or more women who talk to each other about something other
than a man. They are; Daisy, Jordan, Myrtle, Catherine, and Lucille wherein they discuss something
other than a man which is all about travel. The novel also abounds with minor female characters
whose dress and activities identify them as incarnations of the New Woman, and they are portrayed
as clones of a single, negative character type: shallow, revolting, exhibitionist and deceitful. The
women are shown to be victims of social and cultural norms that they could not change,
demonstrating how influential culture can be in shaping the lives of individuals.

7. MARXIST CRITICISM
The novel includes characters from several different socioeconomic classes. The Great
Gatsby's main characters are clearly divided among three social classes: the wealthy elite social class;
the nouveau riche, or newly-rich social class; and the working class. It is the control over the natural,
economic and human resources of the world that divides people, the division is made between those
who have and those who do not have. The “haves” are those with the control over these things, the
natural, economic and human resources, while the “have-nots” are everybody else. Fitzgerald
presents Tom Buchanan as a very controlling person who believes he is entitled too many things
because of his wealth. He displays this control when he manipulates those of the lower class, and he
tries to dominate his relationships.

The struggle between the power and powerless in the novel develops into a battle between
the upper and lower classes. The main powerful and wealthy character, Tom Buchanan, uses his
power to hurt other people, and he does not care who it is. People were obsessed with money and
would do anything in order to create the image of wealth for themselves. The Great Gatsby can be
seen as a novel that explores 1920′s America from a political view of social class and structure.
Fitzgerald reflects social status through geographical locations in America and distinguishes the
characters by their traits, lifestyles and mentalities.

8. POSTCOLONIAL THEORY
The Great Gatsby is set in the 1920's, a period known in America as the Roaring Twenties. After the
end of World War I and before the stock market crash of 1929, there was a spirit of rebellion in the
United States. The people attacked the old-time stability and respectability, represented by Nick in
the novel:

SETTING AND POST COLONIALISM

 Divide between West Egg and East Egg.

 East Egg looks down on Gatsby-human instinct to seek flaws in others.
 Valley of Ashes placed where the outcasts colonized.
 ‘As we crossed Blackwell’s Island a limousine passed us, driven by a white Negros, two bucks
and a girl. I laughed a loud as the yolks of their eyeballs rolled toward us in haughty rivalry.’

TOM BUCHANAN

 Tom immediately points out the difference in race while referring to the book ‘The Rise of the
Colored Empires.’, where he felt that his race was most superior.
 ‘It’s is up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have
control of things.’
 Tom finds it difficult to see white and black people married to one another and he seems to
represent the vicious racial views of people at the time in 1920’s America.
WOLFSHEIM

 Gatsby’s associate is described with remarks which seem to originate from him being a Jew.
 Nick introduces him as a ‘small, flat nosed Jew with a large head.’
 He is also involved in distasteful jobs match flexing, gambling, black money.
 In the movie, Wolfsheim is played by an Indian, perhaps to avoid controversy in the modern
audience.
 Fitzgerald also points out Wolfsheim’s pronunciation with ‘Oggsford and ‘gonegtion’.

NICK CARRAWAY

 He always mentions a person’s ethnicity when introducing them.

 Nick’s father alludes in opening lines how not everyone would have had the same advantages
as he had in life, suggesting that in 1920s, people not independent and already tied by
stereotypes.
 Nick is the only person to use the term ‘Negro’
 Nick states that he is ‘reserved from all judgments’ but he goes against this, which Jordan
points out near the end of the novel.
The Great Gatsby illustrates, colonialism exist “within” in another sense of the term, as well: it
exists within the individual psyche, where it influences our personal identity and our
perception.

9. READER RESPONSE CRITICISM

There are lots of readers’ responses in the novel of ‘The Great Gatsby. So in here, as one of the
readers/ viewers, I’m going to share my response and interpretation as well with regards to the
movie that I’ve watched recently.

The ending of The Great Gatsby is one that will always be remembered because it makes me
sad. Nobody realizes how alone Gatsby was because he surrounded himself by false people who only
took from him. The first time ever I’ve watched Gatsby story I truly thought it was a cute love story
gone bad, but now that I've dissected the story and somewhat understand what F. Scott wrote, I see
it's so much more. This story is a hazard light to those who believe that fame, money and fancy
things are more important than family and love. Knowing F. Scott's life with his wife, Zelda I feel as
though Gatsby dying in the end is more significant the many realize. F Scott in many ways mirrored
Gatsby, so I wondered what is F. Scott really saying about the life he and Gatsby both lived. It was
really heartbreaking to watch how nobody cared enough to come to Gatsby's funeral. While he was
alive everyone loved him and wanted to be his friend. Gatsby so desperately wanted this unrealistic
image that he only kept artificial people around him, people who lied and used him.

Because Gatsby lived in the past he was not able to see what was right in front of him. It was
not only a woman who was draining him but the lifestyle that she needed, the lifestyle he could only
pretend to be a part of. Daisy and Tom belong together. He with all his dysfunction and she with not
only regret but the emptiness she will feel. Because the truth is the life she gave up love for is only a
life she can have by giving away parts of herself. Nick said it best when describing Tom and Daisy
"they were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then
retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them
together, and let other people cleanup they had made." In the end Gatsby always had faith that he
could achieve his ultimate dream; make Daisy love him. He died believing that his dream couldn't fail,
so long as he kept up his façade.