20 The Great Gatsby Essay Topics

Hailed as one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, The Great Gatsby is a story that explores love, betrayal, and the pursuit of the American dream in the 1920s.

If you have been asked to write an essay on this classic novel, you might be a little nervous trying to figure out what you should include. However, don’t worry! This guide will walk you through the process of writing an excellent Gatsby essay and provide 20 The Great Gatsby essay topic ideas.

Essay Writing Essentials

Before you can write an essay on The Great Gatsby, you need to understand the basics of essay writing. This includes developing a clear thesis, supporting your claims with evidence from the book, and crafting a solid conclusion.

Writing a Thesis

A thesis statement details the overall point or argument you intend to make in the essay. Therefore, a thesis statement must be clear, specific, and arguable. A thesis statement will be best placed at the end of your first paragraph or as a way to wrap up your introduction if it is multiple paragraphs.

Some examples of well-written thesis statements for a The Great Gatsby include:

“While The Great Gatsby appears to be a novel about love, in reality, it is a scathing critique of the American dream.”

“Though Jay Gatsby is wealthy and well-liked, he is ultimately a tragic figure because he cannot escape his past.”

“The relationships in The Great Gatsby are all ultimately doomed because the characters are not honest with each other or themselves.”

Developing Supporting Claims for the Body

To support your thesis statement, you will need to include evidence from the novel in the form of quotes and analysis. It is vital that you choose passages that directly relate to your thesis and that you explain how these quotes support your argument.

One way to find quotes that support your thesis is to look for passages that seem particularly significant or interesting to you. Then, once you have a few potential quotes in mind, try to come up with a sentence or two explaining how the quote supports your argument. This will help you determine if the quote is actually relevant to your essay or if you need to keep looking.

It can also be helpful to go back to your list of potential thesis statements and look for quotes that could support each one. This way, you can get a sense of which quotes will be most beneficial for your essay before writing.

Crafting a Strong Conclusion

Your conclusion should briefly summarize the main points of your essay and reiterate your thesis statement. You might also want to leave the reader with something to think about or a call to action if you feel strongly about the issue you have been discussing.

A strong conclusion might look something like this:

“Though Gatsby’s pursuit of the American dream is ultimately fruitless, his efforts are nonetheless admirable. His willingness to fight for what he wants, even in the face of overwhelming odds, is something that we can all learn from.”

Citing and Formatting Essays About Books

In addition to using evidence from the novel to support your claims, you will also need to cite any sources you use in your essay. This includes any quotes or paraphrases from The Great Gatsby and any outside sources you might have used.

Citing Sources

When citing a quote from The Great Gatsby, you will need to include the page number in parentheses after the quote. For example:

“Daisy’s voice was sad ‘I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.'” (10).

If you are paraphrasing or summarizing a passage from The Great Gatsby, you will just need to include the page number in parentheses after the paraphrase. For example:

Gatsby’s wealth is often seen as a symbol of his success, but it is also clear that money cannot buy happiness. (21)

If you cite an outside source, you will need to include both the author’s name and the page number (or, for sources that don’t use page numbers, the section or chapter number) in parentheses after the quote. For example:

“The Great Gatsby is widely regarded as a masterpiece of American fiction” (Baldwin 3).

Formatting an Essay About a Book

When formatting your essay, there are a few key things you need to keep in mind. First, all mentions of the book’s title need to be italicized or underlined. Second, your essay should have one-inch margins on all sides.

Your essay should also have a title page that includes the title of your essay, your name, and the name of your class. If you are writing a longer essay (5 or more pages), you may need to also include a header on each page. It’s best to speak with your instructor to clarify any specific formatting requirements for the assignment.

Now that you know how to write an essay on The Great Gatsby, you can start brainstorming potential topics for your paper. If you are having trouble, consider using or adapting one of the following topics.

  • How does Gatsby’s wealth (or lack thereof) impact his relationships?
  • How does Gatsby’s pursuit of the American dream ultimately fail?
  • What role do women play in The Great Gatsby?
  • How are the parties that Gatsby throws symbolic of his own emptiness?
  • How does Fitzgerald use symbolism to comment on the state of the American dream?
  • What role does fate play in The Great Gatsby?
  • Is Gatsby a tragic hero? If so, why?
  • How is The Great Gatsby an example of the “Lost Generation”?
  • What role does the past play in The Great Gatsby?
  • How do the relationships between men and women change throughout the novel?
  • How is The Great Gatsby a commentary on the class divisions in American society?
  • What role does morality play in The Great Gatsby?
  • How do the characters in The Great Gatsby represent different aspects of the American dream?
  • What role does money play in The Great Gatsby?
  • Is Gatsby a sympathetic character? Why or why not?
  • How is Nick Carraway’s role as narrator important to the novel?
  • How does Fitzgerald use setting to comment on the characters and events in The Great Gatsby?
  • What role do secrets play in The Great Gatsby?
  • How is The Great Gatsby a commentary on the corruption of the American dream?
  • What theme(s) are explored in The Great Gatsby?

These topics should provide any student assigned an essay on The Great Gatsby with plenty to write about. If you need further help, consider using or adapting one of these topics for your own paper.

Related Posts

  • 50 I Believe Essay Topics
  • 150 Comparison Essay Topics
  • 100 Mental Health Essay Topics
  • 45 Photo Essay Topics
  • 160 Rhetorical Essay Topics
UndergraduateStudying for 1st degree
MasterStudying for Master’s degree
PhDPursuing Doctoral degree

Categories:

  • Essay Samples
  • Essay Topics
  • Essay Writing Guides

Recent posts:

  • 170 Ethics Essay Topics
  • 160 Satire Essay Topics
  • 155 Criminal Justice Essay Topics
  • 150 Political Essay Topics
  • 145 Classification Essay Topics
  • 140 Sociology Essay Topics
  • 140 Opinion Essay Topics
  • 140 Environmental Essay Topics
  • 135 Controversial Essay Topics
  • 125 Classification and Division Essay Topics
  • 120 Literary Essay Topics
  • 100 Profile Essay Topics
  • 90 Heart of Darkness Essay Topics
  • 80 Holocaust Essay Topics

Testimonials

Group 6

PrepScholar

Choose Your Test

  • Search Blogs By Category
  • College Admissions
  • AP and IB Exams
  • GPA and Coursework

Most Important Themes in Great Gatsby, Analyzed

Book Guides

feature_booktheme.jpg

Need to write about a theme for a Great Gatsby assignment or just curious about what exactly a theme is? Not sure where to start? Learn here what a theme is, what the main themes in The Great Gatsby are, and what the best tips for writing about themes for your English/Language Arts class essays are.

We will also link to our specific articles on each theme so you can learn even more in-depth about themes central to Gatsby .

What Is a Theme? Why Should You Care?

First things first: what exactly is a theme? In literature, a theme is a central topic a book deals with. This central topic is revealed through plot events, the actions and dialogue of the characters, and even the narrator's tone. Themes can be very broad, like love, money, or death, or more specific, like people versus technology, racial discrimination, or the American Dream.

In short, a book's theme can usually answer the question, "what's the point of this book?". They're the "so what?" of literary analysis. Also, note that books can definitely have more than one major theme —in Gatsby we identify seven!

Knowing a book's major theme(s) is crucial to writing essays, since many assignments want you to connect your argument to a book's theme. For example, you might be asked to write an essay about a prompt like this: "How does the life of Jay Gatsby exemplify (or deconstruct) the idea of the American Dream?" This prompt has you connect specific details in Jay Gatsby's life to the larger theme of the American Dream. This is why many teachers love theme essays: because they encourage you to connect small details to big ideas!

Furthermore, the AP English Literature test always has an essay question that has you analyze some aspect of a book and then "compare it to the theme of the work as a whole." (If you want specific examples you can access the last 15 years of AP English Literature free response questions here , using your College Board account.) So this skill won't just help you in your English classes, it will also help you pass the AP English Literature test if you're taking it!

So keep reading to learn about the major themes in Gatsby and how they are revealed in the book, and also to get links to our in-depth articles about each theme.

Overview of Key Themes in The Great Gatsby

Before we introduce our seven main themes, we'll briefly describe how the story and characters suggest the major Great Gatsby themes. Remember that the story is set in the 1920s, a period when America's economy was booming, and takes place in New York: specifically the wealthy Long Island towns of West Egg and East Egg, as well as Manhattan and Queens.

As you should know from the book ( check out our summary if you're still hazy on the details!), The Great Gatsby tells the story of James Gatz , a poor farm boy who manages to reinvent himself as the fabulously rich Jay Gatsby, only to be killed after an attempt to win over his old love Daisy Buchanan . Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan , and they're both from old money, causing them to look down Gatsby's newly rich crowd (and for Tom to look down at Gatsby himself).

Meanwhile, Tom is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson , the wife of mechanic George Wilson . Through the Wilsons, we see the struggles of the working class in dismal Queens , NY. As if they didn't already have it hard enough, Myrtle is killed in a hit-and-run accident (caused by Daisy Buchanan), and George, who's manipulated by Tom to believe that Jay Gatsby was both his wife's lover and her murderer, ends up shooting Gatsby and then himself.

The whole story is told by Nick Carraway , a second cousin of Daisy's and classmate of Tom's who moves in next to Gatsby's mansion and eventually befriends Jay -- and then comes to deeply admire him, despite or perhaps because of Jay's fervent desire to repeat his past with Daisy. The tragic chain of events at the novel's climax, along with the fact that both the Buchanans can easily retreat from the damage they caused, causes Nick to become disillusioned with life in New York and retreat back to his hometown in the Midwest.

body_swimmingpool-1.jpg

Aside from having a very unhappy ending, the novel might just ruin swimming pools for you as well.

The fact that the major characters come from three distinct class backgrounds (working class, newly rich, and old money) suggests that class is a major theme. But the rampant materialism and the sheer amount of money spent by Gatsby himself is a huge issue and its own theme. Related to money and class, the fact that both Gatsby and the Wilsons strive to improve their positions in American society, only to end up dead, also suggests that the American Dream -- and specifically its hollowness -- is a key theme in the book as well.

But there are other themes at play here, too. Every major character is involved in at least one romantic relationship , revealing that they are all driven by love, sex, and desire -- a major theme. Also, the rampant bad behavior (crime, cheating, and finally murder) and lack of real justice makes ethics and morality a key theme. Death also looms large over the novel's plot, alongside the threat of failure.

And finally, a strong undercurrent to all of these themes is identity itself: can James Gatz really become Jay Gatsby, or was he doomed from the start? Can someone who is not from old money ever blend in with that crowd? Could Gatsby really aspire to repeat his past with Daisy, or is that past self gone forever?

In short, just by looking at the novel's plot, characters, and ending, we can already get a strong sense of Gatsby's major themes. Let's now look at each of those themes one by one (and be sure to check out the links to our full theme breakdowns!).

The 7 Major Great Gatsby Themes

Money and Materialism : Everyone in the novel is money-obsessed, whether they were born with money (Tom, Daisy, Jordan, and Nick to a lesser extent), whether they made a fortune (Gatsby), or whether they're eager for more (Myrtle and George). So why are the characters so materialistic? How does their materialism affect their choices? Get a guide to each of the characters' material motivations and how they shape the novel.

Society and Class: Building on the money and materialism theme, the novel draws clear distinctions between the kind of money you have: old money (inherited) or new money (earned). And there is also a clear difference between the lifestyles of the wealthy, who live on Long Island and commute freely to Manhattan, and the working class people stuck in between, mired in Queens. By the end of the novel, our main characters who are not old money (Gatsby, Myrtle, and George) are all dead, while the inherited-money club is still alive. What does this say about class in Gatsby? Why is their society so rigidly classist? Learn more about the various social classes in Gatsby and how they affect the novel's outcome.

The American Dream : The American Dream is the idea anyone can make it in America (e.g. gain fame, fortune, and success) through enough hard work and determination. So is Jay Gatsby an example of the dream? Or does his involvement in crime suggest the Dream isn't actually real? And where does this leave the Wilsons, who are also eager to improve their lot in life but don't make it out of the novel alive? Finally, do the closing pages of the novel endorse the American Dream or write it off as a fantasy? Learn what the American Dream is and how the novel sometimes believes in it, and sometimes sees it as a reckless fantasy.

Love, Desire, and Relationships : All of the major characters are driven by love, desire, or both, but only Tom and Daisy's marriage lasts out of the novel's five major relationships and affairs. So is love an inherently unstable force? Or do the characters just experience it in the wrong way? Get an in-depth guide to each of Gatsby's major relationships.

Death and Failure: Nick narrates Gatsby two years after the events in question, and since he's obviously aware of the tragedy awaiting not only Gatsby but Myrtle and George as well, the novel has a sad, reflective, even mournful tone. Is the novel saying that ambition is inherently dangerous (especially in a classist society like 1920s America), or is it more concerned with the danger of Gatsby's intense desire to reclaim the past? Explore those questions here.

Morality and Ethics: The novel is full of bad behavior: lying, cheating, physical abuse, crime, and finally murder. Yet none of the characters ever answer to the law, and God is only mentioned as an exclamation, or briefly projected onto an advertisement . Does the novel push for the need to fix this lack of morality, or does it accept it as the normal state of affairs in the "wild, wild East"?

The Mutability of Identity: Mutability just means "subject to change," so this theme is about how changeable (or not!) personal identity is. Do people really change? Or are our past selves always with us? And how would this shape our desire to reclaim parts of our past? Gatsby wants to have it both ways: to change himself from James Gatz into the sophisticated, wealthy Jay Gatsby, but also to preserve his past with Daisy. Does he fail because it's impossible to change? Because it's impossible to repeat the past? Or both?

How to Write About The Great Gatsby Themes

So now that you know about the major themes of The Great Gatsby , how can you go about writing about them? First up: look closely at your prompt.

Sometimes an essay prompt will come right out and ask you to write about a theme , for example "is The American Dream in Gatsby alive or dead?" or "Write about the relationships in Gatsby. What is the novel saying about the nature of love and desire?" For those essays, you will obviously be writing about one of the novel's major themes. But even though those prompts have big-picture questions, make sure to find small supporting details to help make your argument.

body_treebranching.jpg

For example, if you're discussing the American Dream and arguing it's dead in the novel, don't just make that claim and be done with it. Instead, you can explore Gatsby's past as James Gatz, George Wilson's exhausted complacency, and Myrtle's treatment at the hands of Tom as examples of how the American Dream is treated in the novel. Obviously those examples are far from exhaustive, but hopefully you get the idea: find smaller details to support the larger argument.

On the other hand, many essay prompts about Gatsby will look like a question about something specific, like a character or symbol:

  • Explore Tom and Daisy as people who 'retreat into their money.'
  • What does the green light at the end of Daisy's dock represent? How does its meaning change throughout the novel?
  • Show how Fitzgerald uses clothing (and the changing of costumes) to tell the reader more about the characters and/or express theme(s).

These prompts are actually a chance for you to take that detailed analysis and connect it to one of the larger themes—in other words, even though the prompt doesn't state it explicitly, you should still be connecting those more focused topics to one of the big-picture themes.

For example, if you talk about Tom and Daisy Buchanan, you will definitely end up talking about society and class. If you talk about the green light, you will end up talking about dreams and goals, specifically the American Dream. And if you discuss clothing to talk about the characters, you will definitely touch on money and materialism, as well as society and class (like how Gatsby's pink suit makes him stand out as new money to Tom Buchanan, or how Myrtle adopts a different dress to play at being wealthy and sophisticated).

In short, for these more specific prompts, you start from the ground (small details and observations) and build up to discussing the larger themes, even if the prompt doesn't say to do so explicitly!

What's Next?

Now you're an expert on themes, but what about symbols? If you need to write about the important symbols in The Great Gatsby, check out our symbols overview for a complete guide.

Want a full analysis of Jay Gatsby and his backstory? Not sure how his story connects with the American Dream? Get the details here .

Want to go back to square one? Get started with Chapter 1 of our Great Gatsby plot summary.

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?   We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download them for free now:

Trending Now

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

ACT vs. SAT: Which Test Should You Take?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Get Your Free

PrepScholar

Find Your Target SAT Score

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect SAT Score, by an Expert Full Scorer

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading and Writing

How to Improve Your Low SAT Score

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading and Writing

Find Your Target ACT Score

Complete Official Free ACT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer

Get a 36 on ACT English

Get a 36 on ACT Math

Get a 36 on ACT Reading

Get a 36 on ACT Science

How to Improve Your Low ACT Score

Get a 24 on ACT English

Get a 24 on ACT Math

Get a 24 on ACT Reading

Get a 24 on ACT Science

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Follow us on Facebook (icon)

Halle Edwards graduated from Stanford University with honors. In high school, she earned 99th percentile ACT scores as well as 99th percentile scores on SAT subject tests. She also took nine AP classes, earning a perfect score of 5 on seven AP tests. As a graduate of a large public high school who tackled the college admission process largely on her own, she is passionate about helping high school students from different backgrounds get the knowledge they need to be successful in the college admissions process.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

The Great Gatsby Essay TDA Writing Prompts, Grading Rubrics, & Prewriting Tasks

Description.

In this resource, students will conduct a literary analysis of  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald  and write a  TDA Essay  using textual evidence to support their responses.

There are TWO writing options students can choose from for this Response to Literature/TDA essay.

Included in this product you will get one copy of the following each as PDFs  (ready to print)  as well as one copy of the following each as WORD Documents (as to be  editable   for teachers ).

  • Essay Prompts for two different topics on the novel  The Great Gatsby
  • Two Prewriting Graphic Organizers for students to brainstorm ideas, thesis, examples, and textual evidence
  • TDA Essay Rubric broken down into categories: content, focus, organization, style, conventions, and format
  • Comparative Literature Research Topics Topics: 302
  • The Necklace Paper Topics Topics: 83
  • Beowulf Topics Topics: 106
  • Heart of Darkness Paper Topics Topics: 50
  • Beloved Topics Topics: 47
  • A Streetcar Named Desire Topics Topics: 49
  • Oedipus the King Research Topics Topics: 73
  • Medea Research Topics Topics: 50
  • A Rose for Emily Paper Topics Topics: 101
  • Harper Lee Topics Topics: 51
  • The Things They Carried Essay Topics Topics: 108
  • Night by Elie Wiesel Essay Topics Topics: 140
  • Edgar Allan Poe Research Topics Topics: 94
  • The Yellow Wallpaper Research Topics Topics: 148
  • A Good Man is Hard to Find Research Topics Topics: 84

149 The Great Gatsby Essay Topics

Let’s travel to the roaring 1920s with our collection of The Great Gatsby essay prompts! F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel, set amidst the luxury and decadence of the Jazz Age, thrills readers with its exploration of love, wealth, and the elusive pursuit of the American Dream. In the Great Gatsby essay topics below, you will find titles about the complex characters and their entwined destinies.

🪩 7 The Great Gatsby Essay Topics

📝 best the great gatsby essay prompts, 🎓 interesting the great gatsby research paper topics, 👍 great gatsby essay & thesis ideas, 💡 simple the great gatsby essay topics, 📌 more the great gatsby essay prompts, ❓ the great gatsby essay titles – bonus.

  • The American Dream in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
  • Love in Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”
  • Old and New Money in The Great Gatsby
  • Gender in The Great Gatsby & The Yellow Wallpaper
  • The Great Gatsby Themes
  • How Money and Wealth Depicted in the Fitzgerald’s “Great Gatsby”
  • The Sun Also Rises and The Great Gatsby: Comprare & Contrast
  • The Great Gatsby: Book Review The Great Gatsby involves the story of Jay Gatsby. In this book the character being played, namely Jay, is a character that is in the conquest of win back his only and first love.
  • Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan: Character Comparison The Great Gatsby is a story that is centered on three main characters in a love triangle, Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan and Gatsby is Daisy’s old flame since collage days.
  • “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Beliefs and Values This paper uses “The Great Gatsby” book to describe the major events and experiences that influenced Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s beliefs and values.
  • Examples of Racism in The Great Gatsby Tom Buchanan’s racism reflects the ideas and situation in the country in the 1920s when the fight for white supremacy could still be observed.
  • Analysis of The Great Gatsby (2013) This work highlights the possible readings of the film The Great Gatsby according to rhetoric, semiotics, the gaze, and queer theory.
  • Benjamin Franklin vs. Jay Gatsby: Character Comparison The paper aims to consider the character traits of Gatsby through the portrayal of Ben Franklin, discuss their aims and features.
  • Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” as a Deconstruction of the American Dream One way in which the movie deconstructs the idea of the American Dream is by showing that prosperity does not necessarily come in hand with virtue.
  • The Great Gatsby: Illusions in Human Existence The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is often analyzed from the point of view of opposing dreams and reality, the spiritual and material world.
  • The Great Gatsby: Gatsby and the Decline of the American Dream This paper will research the decline of Gatsby’s American dream by summarizing the novel, defining the discussed notion, and providing several supporting examples from the story.
  • Scott Fitzgerald “The Great Gatsby”: Literary Devices In the book Fitzgerald applies literary techniques such as dramatic irony, allegory, exposition, personification, and foreshadowing to accord the story a smart finishing.
  • Green Light in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby of F. Scott Fitzgerald is known for its symbolism which is very mysterious and intricate as a lot of details.
  • “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald “The Great Gatsby” is a recognized classic of American literature with the characteristic idea of that era – a dream that transforms into a tragedy eventually.
  • Symbolism in The Great Gatsby In The Great Gatsby there are several symbols but the most powerful appears to be the eyes that overlook the valley from a bill board.
  • The Great Gatsby as a Reflection of American Culture The protagonist, Jay Gatsby, was the forerunner of an entire literary dynasty of rich personalities with a mysterious past.
  • The Deception of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald’s magnum opus The Great Gatsby raises an important question about the legitimacy of the American Dream. The novel centers on Jay Gatsby, a millionaire who came from humble beginnings and spends his time trying to reunite with his former lover, Daisy. Gatsby’s warped perception of success makes him see…
  • “The Great Gatsby” and “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”: Examination of Material Wealth The paper examines Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” and Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” focusing on the theme of materialistic wealth and its impacts on human life.
  • The Great Gatsby: Analysis The main character Jay Gatsby returns after the overpast of World War I. As we see, he is a respectable veteran being newly wealthy. He settles in “West Egg”.
  • Ethics in The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald In The Great Gatsby, many of the characters have questionable ethics. The story, written by Scott Fitzgerald, reflects a society where moral decadence thrives
  • The American Dream: Jay Gatsby’s Illegal Wealth The American Dream is a happy way of living believed in the US that anyone has a chance for success and can also rise to a higher social or economic position by working hard.
  • The Great Gatsby: How Money and Class Create and Destroy Relationships Money and class always played a huge role in the life of any society. Since ancient times, people have been marrying for money: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
  • Nick Carraway in “The Great Gatsby” by Scott Fitzgerald In contrast to other characters in The Great Gatsby, Nick goes through a number of changes from the beginning to the end of the novel.
  • Imagery in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Fitzgerald The principle imagery of the novel lies in its locations. There are three key locations, which signify different social classes of the American society at the time.
  • Owl Eyes in “The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald This paper discusses and examines the significance of the minor character Owl Eyes in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel “The Great Gatsby”.
  • “The Great Gatsby”: What Makes Daisy So Attractive?
  • Nick and His Experiences of Materialism in “The Great Gatsby”
  • The Confrontational Relationship Between Tom and Gatsby in F Scott Fitzgerald’s, “The Great Gatsby”
  • How Women Are Portrayed in “The Great Gatsby”
  • What Techniques Does Fitzgerald Use to Convey the Main Themes in “The Great Gatsby”
  • Contrasting Western Morals and Eastern Corruption in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”
  • “Love Conquers All: Analyzing Romance and Relationships Within “The Great Gatsby”
  • “The Great Gatsby”: Morals and American Idealism
  • Fitzgerald’s Personal Background Paralleled With the Character in “The Great Gatsby”
  • What Makes One Great? “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • How the Lost Generation Is Represented in “The Great Gatsby”
  • The Careless Gaiety and Moral Decadence of the Rich in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”
  • Jay Gatsby´S American Dream in “The Great Gatsby”
  • The American Dream Turned Nightmare in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Greed, Lust and the American Dream in “The Great Gatsby”, a Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Ambition and Its Negative Effects: “The Great Gatsby” and Macbeth
  • The Deconstruction Post Modern Criticism of “The Great Gatsby”
  • Morals and American Idealism in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Gatsby’s Unrealistic American Dream in “The Great Gatsby”
  • American Culture During “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • The East Egg and the Corruption of the American Dream in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Superficial Love and Realistic Love in “The Great Gatsby” by F Scott Fitz
  • The Great Gatsby: A Book Review and Summary The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is highly evaluated among literary critics and perceived to be one of the most prominent novels ever written.
  • Relationships in Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun vs. Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” are two novels that explore the complexities of human relationships in different contexts.
  • Money and Wealth in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” The paper discusses what money means for Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway and how this theme is essential for developing topics like the American dream and love.
  • Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” Book Review The central thesis of the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is that American society in the Roaring Twenties is disillusionment and moral decay.
  • The Novel “The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald This paper attempts to trace the peculiarities of the protagonist of the novel “The Great Gatsby” and argues that Fitzgerald has transferred some of his own peculiarities to him.
  • Failure of American Dream: “The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald Review Despite the seeming glamor and wealth, the character of Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald is deeply and inherently tragic.
  • The Film “The Great Gatsby” and the American Dream The film “The Great Gatsby” is just one example, which leaves hope for people that the American Dream in any of its interpretations is attainable for the majority today.
  • Jay Gatsby by F. S. Fitzgerald and the American Dream The American Dream means the individual’s striving for success, material well-being, and other kinds of achievement, implying an ascent to recognition, wealth, and fame
  • The American Dream Discussion Based on the Film “The Great Gatsby” In “The Great Gatsby”, Franklin’s assertion the American Dream is available to all people is incorrect – Gatsby achieved wealth by fraud, but it didn’t fulfill his American dream.
  • Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” Book and Movie Comparison “The Great Gatsby” can be called a faithful interpretation, however, it still has some personal analysis of the director.
  • “The Great Gatsby”: The American Dream Is Not Feasible for All “The Great Gatsby” declares that the American Dream is not feasible for all because neither virtuous character nor hard work leads to prosperity, and hope remains unrewarded.
  • “The Great Gatsby” Is the Best Fitzgerald’s Novel “The Great Gatsby” is practically the most successful book of Francis Scott Fitzgerald as it has been translated into many languages.
  • “The Great Gatsby” by F.S. Fitzgerald Hero Review Nick Carraway by “The Great Gatsby” by F.S. Fitzgerald is the novel’s narrator and protagonist who undergoes considerable personal change.
  • Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age Perception in “The Great Gatsby” The purpose of this paper is to analyze the features used by Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby in terms of its contribution to the reader’s impression and the work’s status.
  • Pursuit of Daisy Buchanan in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” “The Great Gatsby” is a novel by F. S. Fitzgerald. The purpose of this essay is to examine whether Gatsby should have sought Daisy and the reasons why this pursuit was justified.
  • The Great Gatsby: Chapters’ Review Chapter 1: Nick Carraway decides to move from Minnesota to New York. He starts his story by mentioning that his father told him not to judge others.
  • American Dream in Fitzgeralds’s “The Great Gatsby” Among the many concepts explored in Fitzgeralds’s The Great Gatsby, American Dream is one of the most notable ones.
  • The Great Gatsby: American Dream Concept The movie, The Great Gatsby, satirizes American Dream by showing that it is an illusion that cannot be attained: wealth is not always a product of hard work.
  • Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”: Gatsby’s Impossible Dream In The Great Gatsby, the story concerns a mysterious character named Jay Gatsby. He is exceptionally wealthy, hosting parties at his manor attended by many people.
  • Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway: Character Analysis This paper compares and contrasts two characters from “The Great Gatsby”, which are Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway, who represent the novel’s protagonist and narrator respectively
  • The Role of Love and Women in Great Gatsby and the Sun Also Rises Love is inextricably linked to women in both Fitzgerald’s “Great Gatsby” and Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” so much so that a serious discussion of one cannot be complete without the other.
  • Color Symbolism in The Great Gatsby The novel Great Gatsby depicts the unique vision of the American dream and its impact on the life of a person during the 1920s.
  • Infidelity in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” The Great Gatsby is the story of materialism, its pursuit, symbolism on those who possess it at different stages of life, and how the majority may decline morally in its lure.
  • Society in The Great Gatsby The novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a bitter satire to the American dream, which according to the ideas of the majority implies the heap of the happiness.
  • In the Time of the Butterflies and The Great Gatsby: Compare & Contrast Essay The settings of both stories help us understand the canvasses upon which the authors paint their pictures and contextualizes the actions of stories’ characters.
  • Money & Wealth in The Great Gatsby In The Great Gatsby, Jay wants to win back the only girl he ever felt he loved. It’s hard to blame Gatsby for attempting to win Daisy by impressing her with his material wealth.
  • Jazz Age in “The Great Gatsby” by Scott Fitzerald The topic of changes in the American society in 1920s, in the book “The Great Gatsby” by Scott Fitzerald, and the change of the concept of the American Dream.
  • Masculinity in The Great Gatsby and The Breakfast Club The paper demonstrates how the American culture depicts masculinity as reflected in media (movies) and American literature in the course readings.
  • “The Great Gatsby” a Novel by Francis Scott Fitzgerald The novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is set up in the 1920’s, an era during which new liberties were being discovered in fashion.
  • Difference Between Illusion and Reality in “The Great Gatsby”
  • “The Great Gatsby” Through the Lens of Feminist Criticism
  • How Money Widens the Gap of Loneliness in “The Great Gatsby”
  • What Part Does Social Class Play in “The Great Gatsby”?
  • Broken Dreams and Fallen Themes: The Corruption of the American Dream in “The Great Gatsby”
  • Dreams the Main Theme in “The Great Gatsby”
  • Connection Between Saint Hedwig of Silesia and “The Great Gatsby”
  • Imagination and Its Effects on the World of “The Great Gatsby”
  • Love Lust and Obsession in “The Great Gatsby”
  • Beauty and Foolishness: The Role of Pammy Buchanan in “The Great Gatsby”
  • Discover the Hidden Reality in “The Great Gatsby”
  • Equating Money and Prosperity to the Power of Love in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • What Going From West to East Meant for the Characters in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • America and the Decay of Morality: “The Great Gatsby” and “The Sun Also Rises”
  • How Does the Author Use Theme, Setting, and Character to Instil in the Reader a Desire to Read on “The Great Gatsby”?
  • Why Has “The Great Gatsby” Been Hailed as the Ultimate Testament to the Glamorous Side of the Jazz Era?
  • “The Great Gatsby” Displaying the Corruption of the American
  • “The Great Gatsby”: Fitzgerald Tying Is Life to the Book
  • Pure Happiness and Self-Satisfaction in the Pursuit of the American Dream in “The Great Gatsby”, a Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • “The Great Gatsby”: Evidence of Insecurity and Ambiguity That Question Nick Carraway’s Heterosexuality
  • Ambition and the American Dream in “The Great Gatsby”
  • Existentialism, Jungian Analysis, and Marxist Criticism in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • “The Great Gatsby”, Their Eyes Were Watching God and Grapes
  • Man’s Dreams for Elite Social Class in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”
  • Similarities Between “The Great Gatsby” and Julius Caesar
  • Lying and Its Consequences in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Emotion Over Reason: Frankenstein and “The Great Gatsby”
  • Dreaming Can Bring Misery in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitgerald
  • The Thin Line Between Dreams and Reality in “The Great Gatsby”
  • Beneath the Surface Glitter, ‘“The Great Gatsby”’ Is a Profoundly Pessimistic Novel
  • “The Great Gatsby”: Wealth Allows People to Be Careless and Dangerous
  • Women’s Intentions Towards Men in “The Great Gatsby” by Francis Scott Fitzgerald
  • Breathing Dreams Like Air in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • East and West Egg in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Overview How Fitzgerald Presents Marriage as a Dysfunctional
  • Affairs, Wealth, and Murder in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”
  • American Dream and Materialism in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • How Does Great Gatsby’s Morality Apply to Modern Society?
  • Achieving Hopes and Dreams in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Idealized Love Hope and Mortality in “The Great Gatsby”
  • Death and the Relief of “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Analysis and Literary Interpretation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”
  • Greed for Success and Wealth in “The Great Gatsby”
  • How Is the American Dream Corrupted in “The Great Gatsby”?
  • What Characters in “The Great Gatsby” Represent the American Dream?
  • How Did the Author Elicit Sympathy for the Character of Great Gatsby?
  • What Are the Major Themes in “The Great Gatsby”?
  • Does Money Buy Happiness in “The Great Gatsby”?
  • Who Is the Most Tragic Character in “The Great Gatsby”?
  • How Is Illusion Mistaken for Reality in “The Great Gatsby”?
  • Is “The Great Gatsby” Movie Accurate to the Book?
  • Does Money Cause Problems in “The Great Gatsby”?
  • How Is Happiness Portrayed in “The Great Gatsby”?
  • What Is the Main Message of “The Great Gatsby”?
  • Should “The Great Gatsby” Still Be Read in Schools?
  • How Does Money Affect the Characters in “The Great Gatsby”?
  • What Makes Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” a Timeless Classic?
  • How Is Violence Shown in “The Great Gatsby”?
  • Does the Novel “The Great Gatsby” Relate to Modern-Day Society?
  • How Has Fitzgerald Presented the Character of Daisy in “The Great Gatsby”?
  • What Does Great Gatsby Say About Society?
  • How Does “The Great Gatsby” Show That Money Can’t Buy Love?
  • Why Does “The Great Gatsby” Criticize Society?
  • How Is Social Class Presented in “The Great Gatsby”?
  • What’s the Difference Between “The Great Gatsby” Movie and Book?
  • How Does Fitzgerald Portray Class at the Start of “The Great Gatsby”?
  • What Is Fitzgerald Ultimately Trying to Say About Money and Materialism in “The Great Gatsby”?
  • Why Is Gatsby Known as Great?

Cite this post

  • Chicago (N-B)
  • Chicago (A-D)

StudyCorgi. (2021, November 12). 149 The Great Gatsby Essay Topics. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/the-great-gatsby-essay-topics/

"149 The Great Gatsby Essay Topics." StudyCorgi , 12 Nov. 2021, studycorgi.com/ideas/the-great-gatsby-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . (2021) '149 The Great Gatsby Essay Topics'. 12 November.

1. StudyCorgi . "149 The Great Gatsby Essay Topics." November 12, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/the-great-gatsby-essay-topics/.

Bibliography

StudyCorgi . "149 The Great Gatsby Essay Topics." November 12, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/the-great-gatsby-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . 2021. "149 The Great Gatsby Essay Topics." November 12, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/the-great-gatsby-essay-topics/.

These essay examples and topics on The Great Gatsby were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on June 24, 2024 .

The Great Gatsby: Analysis and Feminist Critique

  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment

The Great Gatsby: Abstract

Introduction, the great gatsby: summary and analysis.

This Great Gatsby essay explores one of the greatest novels written in the 1920s. It was created in the days when the society was by far patriarchal, and the concept of the American dream was different. Essays on The Great Gatsby usually explore how much men had dominated society, which led to women discrimination and objectification; the novel will help us understand the concept of feminist critique.

The feminist critique is an aspect that seeks to explore the topic of men domination in the social, economic, and political sectors. It aims to expose how much women characters have been discriminated in the society through the study of literature. This sample essay on The Great Gatsby will apply the concept of feminist critique with reference to the F. Scott Fitzgerald’s work to expose some of the aspects of patriarchal society as revealed in the novel.

The Great Gatsby starts by bringing in a male character, Nick Carraway, as the narrator. First, the narrator is just from the First World War and seeks to settle and takes a job in New York. Searching for wealth and happiness, he rents a bungalow in West Egg next to a generous and mysterious bachelor Jay Gatsby, who owned a mansion.

Nick describes the mansion as “a colossal affair by any standard – it is an imitation of some Hotel de villa in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden” (Fitzgerald 1).

The introduction analysis brings out a theme of male occupying a more significant portion of wealth. These two men were relatively young and yet so rich to own such property at their age. The mentioned women, Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle, are just an attachment to the men in the society since they all at some level depict an aspect of lack of independence since men dominate every aspect of life.

Socially, men seem to dominate in the relationships in The Great Gatsby. Tom’s financial power sets him way ahead of that he can afford to have an affair outside marriage. That’s what he does in an open way as he invites Nick, Daisy’s cousin, to meet his mistress Myrtle Wilson. Nick’s reflection on the relationship between Tom and Daisy, Tom, and Myrtle shows a break of social norms.

Tom’s relationship with the two women is abusive and of so much control. He abuses Myrtle publicly in the name of making her straight by even beating her. Tom comes out as a man who has so much power to bully everybody, including Myrtle’s husband Wilson, he also has so much control in Daisy, his wife.

Usually, one will expect that Nick being a cousin to Daisy, will resist seeing their close relatives get involved in extra-marital affairs. Nick being a man, supports other men, Tom and Gatsby, in their moves. After knowing that Gatsby had been in love with Daisy before she got married, he allows reconnection to happen in his own house although Gatsby’s credibility was still in question to him.

He admires Gatsby’s having “an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness he had never found in any other person and which it was not likely he could ever find again” (Fitzgerald 1). This admiration overpowered his questions on Gatsby’s character and that of his company. This shows that men’s dominance was critical since women were to follow what the men wanted them to, not their choices.

The novel was written in a time when men could batter women if dissatisfied by their actions, absolutely ignoring women’s rights. In the meeting with Myrtle, when an argument ensued between Tom and the mistress, Tom broke her nose to shut her up. The whole thing looks normal and even when George complains to him, he is not moved by his cry.

Tom is the dominant character in the novel. He harasses people starting with his wife, his mistress, George and even Gatsby. Tom is seen doing the same thing Gatsby does, dating a married woman, but he has the guts to confront him on his affair with Daisy. When Myrtle died, he fires a battle between Gatsby and George by convincing him that Gatsby had an affair with Myrtle.

George kills Gatsby before killing himself as a sign of revenge. The revenge was purely egotistic to reclaim his position as Myrtle’s husband since his status as a man on top of the relationship had been invalid. This leaves a mark in moral decadence, which only happens in a patriarchal society that cannot be controlled by any other voice than the male voice.

The novel has so much influence geographically and culturally due to the approach used and the structure itself. Tom Buchanan’s treatment of his wife and mistress and Gatsby’s manipulation of Daisy, Tom’s wife, brings out the aspect of male domination. The male has a dominant part in the exploitation of power in the relationships, and marital status is nothing of a worry when one wants to pursue their mistresses. Men in the text have idolized women, and they justify their reasons for the exploitation of women.

For example, Gatsby’s life is made true by the fact that he managed to have a relationship with a lady he had loved before. He does everything to get her, which include him “buying a house in West Egg just so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (Fitzgerald 1). This was a crucial sport in being strategic in his plans.

Tom, on the other hand, uses his physical and financial powers to prove that he is in control. He and Gatsby set social structures that attract women to them. However, Nick, the narrator, was not able to relate with the unpredictable and manipulative Jordan Baker. Jordan Baker’s character of believing that she could do as much as a man could do scared him away. She is unlike Daisy, who chose to stay with Tom, although she was in the relationship for financial gains.

Gatsby describes her as one with “voice is full of money” (Fitzgerald 1). For Jordan’s belief in herself, Nick later blames his failure to cope with her on her partying, smoking, and drinking character without really revealing that he had the same character as being pragmatic.

Women in the great gatsby had been accustomed to so much submission; an example is in Daisy’s character. She has a complacent kind of character that makes it difficult to make her own decisions.

She exhibits incapacity to have an independent sense of self-will that Gatsby takes advantage of to win her by flattering her with words like “You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock” (Fitzgerald 1). The fact that she had a relationship before with Gatsby was enough to lead her in deciding to have an affair with him.

Myrtle also belongs to the same types of women as Daisy as she engages in a relationship with another woman’s husband just because they met and liked each other. This aspect manages to bring out a clear definition of gender roles and identity in the earlier days when the novel was written. Men ask, and women respond without looking at what could be affected in their decisions.

The Great Gatsby sample essay shows how the novel brings out an aspect of both genders reclaiming their positions in society in terms of gender relations. Though the male has dominated, and the female has proven to be dependent on men, they both need to redefine themselves as the victims of social norms.

The male gender has dominated the economic and social part of the society making sure that the role of women is reduced to being subjects to the male exercise of power. This has been shown clearly by women getting trapped in the misogyny and manipulation set by men hence making it hard for them to stand by their choices. Their gender nature dictates the character choice in the male-dominated world.

The male exercise their power over the significant female characters by ensuring that they remain the sole financial sources, and the women exercise their dependence by remaining in their marriages despite their involvement in affairs outside marriage. Though there are men like George, who have lost their position, they still exhibit their ego by defending their marriages.

Fitzgerald, Scott. The Great Gatsby. University of Adelaide, 2005. Web.

  • Short Summary
  • Summary (Chapter 1)
  • Summary (Chapter 2)
  • Summary (Chapter 3)
  • Summary (Chapter 4)
  • Summary (Chapter 5)
  • Summary (Chapter 6)
  • Summary (Chapter 7)
  • Summary (Chapter 8)
  • Summary (Chapter 9)
  • Symbolism & Style
  • Quotes Explained
  • Questions & Answers
  • F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Biography
  • The Book of Unnamed Midwife
  • Jem's Character in the "To Kill a Mocking Bird" by Harper Lee
  • The Corrupted American Dream and Its Significance in “The Great Gatsby”
  • Tom and George in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
  • Nick as the Narrator in The Great Gatsby
  • Poetry analysis and Comparison
  • Pamela: The Way She Lives
  • Titles, Class and Identity as the Peculiarities of Ransom by David Malouf
  • Should the Obama Generation Drop Out? by Charles Murray
  • Comparison of the Opening Scene of Macbeth by Orson Welles and The Tragedy of Macbeth by Roman Polanski
  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2018, June 9). The Great Gatsby: Analysis and Feminist Critique. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-great-gatsby/

"The Great Gatsby: Analysis and Feminist Critique." IvyPanda , 9 June 2018, ivypanda.com/essays/the-great-gatsby/.

IvyPanda . (2018) 'The Great Gatsby: Analysis and Feminist Critique'. 9 June.

IvyPanda . 2018. "The Great Gatsby: Analysis and Feminist Critique." June 9, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-great-gatsby/.

1. IvyPanda . "The Great Gatsby: Analysis and Feminist Critique." June 9, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-great-gatsby/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "The Great Gatsby: Analysis and Feminist Critique." June 9, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-great-gatsby/.

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy .

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy .

one pixel image

Home — Guides — The Great Gatsby — Uncovering Key Themes in The Great Gatsby

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

  • Introduction
  • All Plot summary
  • By chapters
  • All Characters
  • Nick Carraway
  • Daisy Buchanan
  • Tom Buchanan
  • Jordan Baker
  • Myrtle Wilson
  • George Wilson
  • Klipspringer
  • Meyer Wolfsheim

The American Dream

Social class, money and wealth.

  • All Literary Devices
  • Foreshadowing
  • By character
  • All Infographics
  • Character Map
  • Old Money vs New Money
  • Biography of author

The Great Gatsby: Themes

Table of contents.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald explores several main themes including the American Dream, social class, love, and money and wealth. The American Dream is presented as an ideal of self-made success, but the novel also shows the disillusionment and corruption of the Dream. Social class is another major theme, with characters from different classes struggling to navigate their relationships and achieve their goals. Love is portrayed as a complex emotion that is often influenced by societal expectations and wealth. Money and wealth are also important themes, with characters pursuing and using their wealth in various ways to achieve their goals, but ultimately finding that it cannot bring them happiness or fulfill their desires. 

Overall, these themes in The Great Gatsby are intricately woven together to paint a picture of the Jazz Age and its excesses, as well as the human experiences and struggles that transcend time and place.

The American Dream

The American Dream is a central theme in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. The story takes place in the 1920s, a time of great prosperity and opportunity in America. The American Dream is a belief that anyone can achieve success and prosperity through hard work and determination, regardless of their social background or circumstances. However, the novel portrays a more complex and darker side of the American Dream, where success is not always earned through hard work and morality, but through corruption, deceit, and immorality.

Throughout the novel, Gatsby is portrayed as the epitome of the American Dream, as he is a self-made man who has achieved wealth and success through his own efforts. However, Gatsby’s pursuit of the American Dream is ultimately flawed, as he becomes consumed with his desire for wealth and social status, which he believes will enable him to win back his lost love, Daisy Buchanan.

The novel portrays the corruption and moral decay that underlies the pursuit of the American Dream. The characters in the novel are driven by their desires for wealth, social status, and material possessions, which they believe will bring them happiness and fulfillment. However, their pursuit of these goals leads them to engage in deceit, corruption, and immoral behavior. For example, Tom Buchanan’s wealth and social status allow him to get away with his infidelity and abusive behavior towards his wife, Daisy.

Furthermore, the novel also portrays the emptiness and disillusionment that can result from the pursuit of the American Dream. Gatsby’s wealth and success do not bring him happiness or fulfillment, as he is still consumed with his desire for Daisy. Similarly, Daisy’s wealth and social status do not bring her happiness or fulfillment, as she is trapped in a loveless marriage and yearns for the passion and excitement of her youth.

The theme of the American Dream is also reflected in the setting of the novel. The story takes place in the fictional towns of West Egg and East Egg, which represent the new wealth and old wealth of America, respectively. West Egg is home to the nouveau riche, including Gatsby, who have acquired their wealth through business ventures and bootlegging. East Egg, on the other hand, is home to the old aristocracy, including Tom and Daisy Buchanan, who have inherited their wealth and social status.

In conclusion, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is a critique of the American Dream , which is portrayed as flawed and corrupted. The novel illustrates the moral decay, emptiness, and disillusionment that can result from the pursuit of wealth and social status, and the corruption and deceit that are often involved in achieving these goals. The characters in the novel are consumed with their desires for wealth and status, but their pursuit of these goals ultimately leads to their downfall. The novel serves as a cautionary tale against the dangers of the American Dream and the moral compromises that are often made in the pursuit of success.

Social Class

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, social class is a prominent theme that pervades the entire narrative. The story is set in the Roaring Twenties, a time when the United States was undergoing major changes, including economic prosperity, social and political upheavals, and a widening gap between the rich and poor. The characters in the novel are divided into different social classes, and Fitzgerald portrays their interactions and conflicts as a critique of the class system in America.

At the top of the social hierarchy are the wealthy, who are portrayed as shallow, selfish, and morally corrupt. The protagonist, Jay Gatsby, is a self-made millionaire who throws lavish parties in his mansion, but is ultimately unable to win the love of his former lover, Daisy Buchanan, who is married to Tom Buchanan, an arrogant and brutish member of the elite class. Tom and Daisy are presented as the embodiment of the decadence and superficiality of the wealthy, and their carelessness and lack of concern for the consequences of their actions leads to tragedy for the other characters.

On the other end of the spectrum are the working-class characters, such as George and Myrtle Wilson, who are struggling to make ends meet. They live in the Valley of Ashes, a desolate area between West Egg and New York City, and are shown as victims of the greed and corruption of the wealthy. Myrtle, who is having an affair with Tom Buchanan, represents the desire for upward mobility, but her attempts to escape her social class ultimately lead to her demise.

The character of Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel, represents the middle class, caught between the worlds of the rich and the poor. He is initially drawn to the glamour and excitement of Gatsby’s parties, but eventually becomes disillusioned with the shallow and immoral behavior of the wealthy. His growing awareness of the class divisions and the corruption of the elite is reflected in his admiration for Gatsby’s dream of upward mobility, even as he recognizes the impossibility of achieving it.

Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald highlights the arbitrary nature of social class and the illusion of the American Dream. Gatsby’s success and wealth are presented as a result of his determination and hard work, but also as a product of luck and criminal activities. His pursuit of Daisy is a representation of his desire to belong to the elite class, but it is ultimately doomed because of the social barriers that separate them.

Fitzgerald’s critique of the class system in America is not limited to the characters in the novel, but is also reflected in the setting and symbolism. The Valley of Ashes represents the decay and despair of the working class, while the mansions and estates of the wealthy are presented as hollow and false. The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, which Gatsby obsesses over, symbolizes the unattainability of the American Dream, and the idea that the pursuit of wealth and status can lead to ruin and tragedy.

In conclusion, social class is a dominant theme in The Great Gatsby, reflecting the social and cultural changes of the 1920s. Fitzgerald’s portrayal of the elite class as immoral and corrupt, and the working class as victims of their greed, highlights the arbitrary nature of the class system and the illusion of the American Dream. The novel is a critique of the social divisions and the pursuit of wealth and status at the cost of morality and humanity, and serves as a reminder of the dangers of a society that values material wealth above all else.

Love

Love is a central theme in The Great Gatsby, with multiple characters experiencing love in different ways throughout the novel. Fitzgerald portrays love as complex and often unfulfilled, highlighting how it can be driven by desire, social status, and material possessions.

One of the most significant love stories in the novel is between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby’s love for Daisy is all-consuming, and he has spent years building his wealth and reputation in the hope of winning her back. However, their relationship is ultimately doomed, as they are from different social classes, and Daisy is unable to fully commit to Gatsby. Their love is also overshadowed by Gatsby’s obsession with the past and his desire to recreate it, leading to his tragic end.

Another love story in the novel is between Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson. Their relationship is based on desire and physical attraction, and Tom uses his wealth and social status to control and manipulate Myrtle. This relationship is also doomed, as Tom is unwilling to leave Daisy and is ultimately responsible for Myrtle’s death.

Nick Carraway is also involved in a love story, albeit a less conventional one. His infatuation with Jordan Baker is based on her confidence and independence, qualities that he finds attractive in a woman. However, their relationship is ultimately superficial, and Jordan’s dishonesty and lack of morals are incompatible with Nick’s values.

Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald also explores the idea that love can be corrupted by materialism and social status. For example, Gatsby’s love for Daisy is intertwined with his desire for wealth and status, as he believes that only by achieving these can he win her back. Similarly, Tom’s relationship with Myrtle is based on his desire for physical pleasure and his need to exert power over someone from a lower social class.

Overall, Fitzgerald portrays love as a complex and multifaceted emotion that can be both transformative and destructive. Love is often driven by external factors such as wealth and social status, and it is frequently unfulfilled due to these same factors. The novel suggests that true love requires more than just desire and attraction, as it also needs honesty, trust, and a willingness to overcome societal barriers.

In conclusion, love is a central theme in The Great Gatsby, and Fitzgerald portrays it as a complex and multifaceted emotion that is often driven by external factors such as wealth and social status. The novel suggests that true love requires more than just desire and attraction and highlights how love can be both transformative and destructive. The doomed love stories between Gatsby and Daisy, and Tom and Myrtle, highlight how love can be corrupted by external factors and ultimately lead to tragedy.

Money and Wealth

One of the major themes in The Great Gatsby is money and wealth, which is closely related to social class and the American dream. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald explores the corrupting influence of wealth and the pursuit of material success on characters’ lives and relationships.

The characters in the novel are obsessed with money and status, and they believe that wealth is the key to happiness and success. Gatsby, for example, throws lavish parties in the hope that he will be able to win back Daisy’s love, and he spends a great deal of money on expensive clothes and jewelry in order to impress her. Similarly, Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s marriage is based on wealth and social status rather than love, and their extravagant lifestyle is a symbol of their power and privilege.

However, the pursuit of money and wealth also has a dark side, as it leads characters to engage in immoral and unethical behavior. For example, Meyer Wolfsheim, Gatsby’s business partner, is involved in organized crime and corruption, and he is rumored to have helped fix the 1919 World Series. Tom, meanwhile, has an affair with Myrtle Wilson, who is married to a working-class mechanic, and he shows little regard for her feelings or well-being.

Furthermore, the pursuit of wealth ultimately proves to be empty and unsatisfying. Despite his immense wealth and success, Gatsby is unable to find happiness or fulfillment in his life, and he remains haunted by his past and his unrequited love for Daisy. Similarly, Tom and Daisy’s marriage is revealed to be hollow and loveless, and their wealth and privilege cannot shield them from the consequences of their actions.

Fitzgerald uses symbols throughout the novel to reinforce the theme of money and wealth. For example, the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock represents Gatsby’s longing for wealth and status, as well as his hope for a future with Daisy. Similarly, the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg on a billboard in the Valley of Ashes represent the moral decay and corruption that accompany the pursuit of wealth and success.

In conclusion, the theme of money and wealth in The Great Gatsby is a complex and multi-layered one. Fitzgerald portrays the destructive power of money and materialism, as well as its corrupting influence on characters’ lives and relationships. The pursuit of wealth ultimately proves to be empty and unsatisfying, and characters who prioritize money and status over love and morality are unable to find true happiness or fulfillment in their lives. The novel serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of materialism and the importance of finding meaning and purpose beyond the pursuit of wealth and success.

Our writers will help you with any type of work on the topic of "The Great Gatsby"

article

Dive Deeper into The Great Gatsby

Free essay examples database

Questions & Answers

Featured Essays

3 pages / 1176 words

4 pages / 1897 words

2.5 pages / 1249 words

2 pages / 759 words

1 pages / 661 words

2 pages / 736 words

Recommended for You

item

by William Shakespeare

item

by Franz Kafka

item

by Flannery O'Connor

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

  • Instructions Followed To The Letter
  • Deadlines Met At Every Stage
  • Unique And Plagiarism Free

thesis ideas for the great gatsby

How to Write a Thesis Statement for "The Great Gatsby"

Shelia odak.

Learn more about the classic American novel,

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel “The Great Gatsby” is a classic of American fiction and a staple in the literature classroom. The tragic story of Jay Gatsby plays out against the opulence of the 1920s. The text offers a range of subjects from which to create a thesis statement, including the book’s symbolism, the pursuit of the American dream, the clash of social classes and even the novel’s title. By learning why these ideas are important components of the book and understanding the purpose of a thesis statement, you can create the foundation for a successful essay.

Know that a thesis statement announces the topic and viewpoint of your paper in a succinct, direct manner. Place it at the end of the introduction in a single sentence.

Understand the meaning and purpose behind the book's symbolism. Concentrate on the purpose of the symbolism, not just one or two examples. If, for instance, several of the novel’s symbols deal with problems of materialism, determine why Fitzgerald would want to highlight materialism in his novel.

Know how the book deals with the American dream, through the character of Gatsby or the other characters in the novel. As above, determine how Fitzgerald feels the American dream through the imagery he employs.

Understand Fitzgerald's point of view about the various social classes that the characters in the novel represent. To narrow the topic, choose to write about how Fitzgerald deals with one class.

Decide what is meant by the novel’s title, "The Great Gatsby," and tailor your thesis statement around the adjective “great.” Be sure to consider if the title is ironic.

  • The thesis can alert you when you go off track during the writing process: If anything in the body of your paper does not support the thesis, it should be deleted.

About the Author

Shelia Odak has over 10 years writing and editing experience for consumer and trade publications including "Radio/TV Interview Report." She has worked for over nine years in education and holds a Ph.D. from Georgia State University. Odak writes on a range of topics including education, literature and frugal living.

Related Articles

How to Write a Book Summary for 5th Graders

How to Write a Book Summary for 5th Graders

APA Format for Graphic Novels

APA Format for Graphic Novels

How to Write an Essay About a Novel

How to Write an Essay About a Novel

How to Write a College Book Analysis

How to Write a College Book Analysis

Reading Projects for 4th Grade

Reading Projects for 4th Grade

How to Embed Video in iBooks for an iPad

How to Embed Video in iBooks for an iPad

How to Write a Motif Essay on

How to Write a Motif Essay on "The Great Gatsby"

How to Make a Children's Book With Construction Paper

How to Make a Children's Book With Construction Paper

The Exposition of

The Exposition of "The Alchemist"

Games to Teach Symbolism in Literature

Games to Teach Symbolism in Literature

The Goals & Objectives of American Literature Studied in High School

The Goals & Objectives of American Literature Studied...

Cute Ways to Give a Love Note

Cute Ways to Give a Love Note

How to Keep Track of the Books You've Read on an iPhone App

How to Keep Track of the Books You've Read on an iPhone...

The Importance of the Preschool Library Corner

The Importance of the Preschool Library Corner

How to Teach a Picture Book Walk for Grade Two

How to Teach a Picture Book Walk for Grade Two

Book Awards for

Book Awards for "To Kill a Mockingbird"

How to Write a Book Analysis Paper

How to Write a Book Analysis Paper

The Great Pumpkin Quiz

The Great Pumpkin Quiz

Bible Study Lessons on the Book of Romans

Bible Study Lessons on the Book of Romans

Research Paper Topics for 'The Catcher in the Rye'

Research Paper Topics for 'The Catcher in the Rye'

Regardless of how old we are, we never stop learning. Classroom is the educational resource for people of all ages. Whether you’re studying times tables or applying to college, Classroom has the answers.

  • Accessibility
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright Policy
  • Manage Preferences

© 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Based on the Word Net lexical database for the English Language. See disclaimer .

Art Of Smart Education

The Extensive Guide to Analysing ‘The Great Gatsby’ for English: Summary, Context, Themes & Characters

The Great Gatsby Book Aesthetic - Essay Analysis Featured Image

The Great Gatsby explores themes of the American Dream, wealth, love, and disillusionment through the tragic story of Jay Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy Buchanan and their complex relationships.  Stay tuned for the full Great Gatsby summary, characters, context, themes and more!

We’ve even got a step-by-step guide on how to write Band 6 analysis for The Great Gatsby that’ll blow your teachers away! 

And here’s a bonus for you — we’ve also created an analysis table (aka a TEE table ) and a sample paragraph that’s all free for you to download.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s start the party!

Summary of The Great Gatsby Key Characters Historical Context The Great Gatsby Themes Sample Band 6 Analysis of The Great Gatsby

Summary of The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story that revolves around Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire who strives to rekindle his relationship with his old flame, Daisy Buchanan.

It takes on the narrative of Nick Carraway, who witnesses the events between Gatsby and Daisy to tell a tale about doomed love in the world of the wealthy. 

Meet Nick, Daisy, Tom and Jordan

In 1922, Nick Carraway moves to a modest home in Long Island, New York in hopes of claiming his own American Dream. He lives next to the famous Jay Gatsby, who had his own mansion and threw lavish parties every weekend. 

One day, Nick travels to the other side of Long Island to visit his cousin, Daisy Buchanan and her husband, Tom whom Nick had known since their university days at Yale. They introduce him to Jordan Baker , who tells Nick about Tom’s mistress.

Later on, Daisy confides in Nick about her unhappiness in her marriage. Nick returns home to see his neighbour, Jay Gatsby, in front of his mansion, stretching his hands across the bay and towards the green light at the end of the Buchanan residence. 

Green Light from the Great Gatsby

Image sourced from LitHub

Meet Myrtle

Nick is then invited to visit the city with Tom and his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, who is married to a repairman named George and lives in an industrial wasteland nicknamed “valley of ashes”.

They party at Tom’s apartment, where an argument about Daisy breaks out between Tom and Myrtle, which ends in Tom breaking Myrtle’s nose. 

Meet Gatsby

As the summer passes by, Nick receives an invitation to one of Gatsby’s extraordinary parties. Nick attends the party and bumps into Jordan.

He then meets the Great Gatsby himself, who turns out to be a remarkable young man who looked like he was longing for something as he peers over his own party. 

As the party winds down, Gatsby speaks to Jordan privately. Jordan would later tell Nick about how Gatsby had met Daisy in Louisville back in 1917 and fell in love with her then.

Gatsby is still deeply in love with Daisy, so he hosts many extravagant parties in hopes to see her again. 

Great Gatsby summary - gala

Gatsby and Daisy reunited 

As Nick and Gatsby become closer, Nick accepts Gatsby’s request to invite Daisy over to Nick’s house , with Gatsby arriving unannounced. Daisy is surprised to see Gatsby after five years apart.

Although awkward at first, Gatsby and Daisy warm up to one another, and begin a love affair. 

Tom gets suspicious 

After a while, Tom starts to suspect something fishy between his wife and Gatsby, so he invites them over for luncheon . At the table, Gatsby responds in a manner that reveals his love for Daisy, which Tom picks up.

Despite having his own affair, Tom gets extremely angry and forces the party to drive to a suit in the Plaza Hotel, New York City. 

Gatsby insists that Daisy claims her love for him in front of Tom, but she backs out after realising her devotion to Tom . Tom begins to assert his own history with Daisy over Gatsby’s and reveals his own private investigations into Gatsby’s job as an illegal alcohol dealer.

Astounded, Daisy runs away and Gatsby chases after her. Daisy and Gatsby take off in Gatsby’s car.

1920s New York

Image sourced from Curbed New York

Myrtle’s death

The party drives back to the buchanan residence with nick, jordan and tom in another car. as they pass through the valley of ashes, they find out that gatsby’s car had crashed and killed myrtle, tom’s mistress..

When Nick returns to Long Island, Gatsby tells him that Daisy killed Myrtle as she was driving the car and Gatsby was willing to take the fall. 

Gatsby dies 

The following day, Tom informs Myrtle’s husband, George, that Gatsby was the driver that killed Myrtle. A miserable, grieving Tom comes to the conclusion that Gatsby was Myrtle’s secret lover and proceeds to kill Gatsby in the pool of his mansion . Tom then shoots himself. 

Nick arranges a funeral for Gatsby, which no one attends as the world starts to forget about him. Disgusted by the people in Gatsby’s life, Nick moves away from New York to escape the hollowness and moral decline of the higher class.

The novel ends with Nick standing where Gatsby once stood, peering across to watch the green light flicker at the now abandoned Buchanan residence. Although Nick acknowledges that Gatsby was “great” because of his ability to manifest his dreams into reality, he realises that both the pursuit of Gatsby’s and the American dream are, sadly but ultimately, futile. 

Access The Great Gatsby Downloadable Sample Paragraph and Examples of Essay Analysis here!

Preview

Key Characters in The Great Gatsby

Nick Carraway  As Nick is the main narrator, his perceptions and judgements shape how the story is being told. As a young, bright man, Nick attended Yale and fought in World War I before moving from Minnesota to New York City to learn about the bond industry.  Soon enough, he becomes friends with his wealthy neighbour, Jay Gatsby. He also has a cousin, Daisy Buchanan, who lives across the area and happens to be Gatsby’s former lover. He plays a pivotal role in facilitating the reunion between Gatsby and Daisy.  He claims his own character to be honest, open-minded and quiet, so many trust to confide him with their secrets, no matter how scandalous it may be. 
Jay Gatsby Jay Gatsby makes the title of the book as the main protagonist — a mysterious young millionaire who hosts luxurious parties every Saturday night to impress his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.  Born as James Gatz on a humble farm in North Dakota, Gatsby’s strive for his American Dream steered him out of poverty and into the upper class world. During his days training as an officer in Louisville, he met Daisy and fell in love with her. Unfortunately, he had to leave for the army, so he swore to come back to her through acquiring as much fortune as he could. Whether it’d be selling illegal alcohol or trading stolen goods — he would do anything to become rich so he could be back with Daisy.  Although Nick sees Gatsby as a dishonest man, we have to give it to Gatsby and his extraordinary ability to transform his dreams into a reality as he reconstructs an identity for himself as the legendary “Great” Gatsby. 
Daisy Buchanan Daisy Buchanan is Nick’s cousin and Gatsby’s love interest. As a young beautiful socialite, she attracted many men in Louisville, including Gatsby. Although she promised to wait for Gatsby, Daisy longed for love and gratification. So, when Tom (a wealthy, hunky hot mess) asked for her hand in marriage, Daisy decided not to wait for Gatsby and married Tom instead.  Gatsby sees Daisy as the perfect woman for him due to her charm, grace and wealth. In reality, Daisy is sardonic, superficial and cynical — representing the flaws of the aristocratic. 
Tom Buchanan Tom is Nick’s former college mate from Yale who was born into an aristocratic, wealthy family line. He is a big bully who exudes arrogance, aggression and cold-heartedness as he projects racism and sexism onto anyone he interacts with. An outright liar and hypocrite, Tom has no second thoughts about his feelings for Daisy during his extramarital affair with Myrtle, yet becomes enraged at Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship. 
Jordan Baker Jordan is Nick’s love interest and Daisy’s socialite friend. As a professional golfer, Jordan naturally belongs to the upper class of society as she plays a sport exclusive to the wealthy. While Jordan is described as alluring and beautiful upon first meeting, Nick later discovers that she is quite cynical, self-centred and a liar. For example, Jordan’s success is built on lies as she cheated in her first major tournament to win.  Jordan’s sly and self-focussed nature reflects the “new women” of the Roaring Twenties, otherwise known as “flappers” who can be recognised by their bobbed hair, short skirts and makeup that is symbolic of the Jazz Age. The “new women” were open towards sexuality, digressing from the conventional domestic life alike Daisy’s, to welcome a new age of women. 
Myrtle Wilson Myrtle is Tom’s mistress and a married woman, wedded to a mechanic who owns a garage in the valley of ashes. Desperate to escape her social situation, Myrtle enters an affair with the rich Tom Buchanan, who rents an apartment where she can pretend that she belongs to the upper class world. Unfortunately, Tom treats Myrtle as an object, inflicting violence upon her whenever she tries to assert her will. 
George Wilson George Wilson is Myrtle’s exhausted husband, tirelessly working to run his auto shop in the valley of ashes. Despite Myrtle’s ferocity and snappy attitude, George worships the ground that Myrtle walks on. Soon after learning about his wife’s death, George becomes consumed by grief and commits murder to exact his revenge.  In a way, George reflects Gatsby as both were dreamers whose lives were destroyed by their unrequited love for the women who pursue people like Tom — rich, immoral and selfish. 

Context of The Great Gatsby

Coined as the Great American Novel, The Great Gatsby is a classic piece of American fiction that is revered for its reflective take on American social classes during the Jazz era .

With its imagistic prose and rich history, it teleports us to the 1920s post war society, known as the “Roaring Twenties”.

It was a chaotic period in American history in terms of its politics, society and economy. 

To understand The Great Gatsby, it is important to know its historical roots first. Let’s dive into America’s most turbulent time of growth, prosperity and corruption. 

Warren Harding’s Presidency 

After World War I ended in 1919, Warren Harding became the President of the United States and targeted the economy to rebuild America’s morale. It was a time of scandal and corruption as the presidency sided with management in disputes over unions, minimum wage and child labour, which compromised the labourers. 

To make matters worse, Harding and his next-in-line, Calvin Coolidge established tax legislation, which benefited the rich more than the other classes. Further policies also forced people to relocate to urban areas to earn a living, as rural industries such as agriculture, textiles and mining were disadvantaged.

Despite their migration, these people were unable to achieve the better life they sought out for, striving to live in the harsh conditions like that of the valley of ashes in Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby. 

General Strike 1926

Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution: Prohibition 

In 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution: prohibition was approved. This meant that it was illegal to manufacture, sell or transport any type of alcohol. The Americans at that time felt that this was a moral decision, as it would remove any vices associated with drunkenness. 

Yet, things didn’t turn out as planned. Many broke the law and consumed illegal liquor, which boosted demand for illegal alcohol to the extent where organised crime activity took hold of its profitability. This new line of industry generated fortunes for the nouveau riches (newly rich) founders such as Gatsby.

Understanding this part of American law in the 1920s is very important to understand the weight of Gatsby’s crimes, and how amoral his actions were to become one of the filthy rich. 

Materialism

As the economy prospered, the people earned more money and spent more money at a rate that is higher than any other period in history. People also started to spend more time and money on leisure goods and activities, making sports an enjoyable recreational pastime. 

The Roaring 20s

The “Roaring 20s” was a retaliation against the chaos and violence of World War I which left America in a state of shock . A wild, exuberant lifestyle was what the generation needs to drown the trauma they’ve inherited from the cruel war.

The generation also turned away from the worn out conservative values of the past, charging into the wealth, opulence and extravagance that America’s economic prosperity provides them. 

Like Gatsby, Fitzgerald worked hard through writing to please his aristocratic wife, Zelda, who was everything he wanted to become, yet became everything he regarded with contempt . After cycles of endless parties all day and night, Fitzgerald became tired of his luxurious lifestyle as he found himself empty under a fake facade of wealth, longing for the return of his moral crux. 

Flappers Roaring 20s party - Gatsby

Image sourced from History Collection

The Great Depression

In the early 1920s, wealthy Americans got even wealthier through stock dividends, corporate profits and wages. As technology and means for productivity improved, production costs reduced and the economy flourished. 

However, good things must come to an end. In 1929, the stock market crashed and flooded in a new age of financial decline known as The Great Depression.

Personal income, tax revenue and profits dropped, but the ones who were hit the hardest were the lower class. For some countries, its effects lasted until the start of World War II. 

Although Fitzgerald didn’t know this would happen, he did figure that too much of a good thing is a bad thing, hinting that the opulent Jazz Age has its own impending doom. 

The Great Depression

Image sourced from Bushcraft Buddy

The American Dream

The American Dream is an ideal where anyone can achieve success if they work hard in a society that facilitates upward mobility, regardless of which class they are born into.

Simply put, even if you’re poor, the American Dream states that you can get real rich — if you just work real hard. 

The concept of the American Dream began from the Founding Fathers, who established independence from England and started a free America.

However, Americans in 1918 were disillusioned after experiencing the harsh brutalities of war, finding cynicism and emptiness within the Victorian social model. 

Additionally, as the stock market skyrocketed and people gained money from all avenues (legal or not), people from all backgrounds who could make themselves a fortune and become what is known as “new money”, were scorned by those who were born with wealth, coined as “old money.” 

While Fitzgerald first portrays the American dream as a positive ideal of self-discovery and the pursuit of happiness, he reveals the moral corruption of those obsessed with wealth — noting the greed, hunger and selfishness that consumes them.

Despite any sacrifices to achieve this dream, Fitzgerald points out how the goal of obtaining wealth, like Gatsby’s dream of obtaining Daisy, is empty, futile and unworthy. 

As the American Dream fell apart, the 1920s generation sought refuge in the past where their dreams were once meaningful, in a bygone era where the American values remain untainted. 

Themes from The Great Gatsby

1. disillusionment of the american dream.

In “The Great Gatsby,” F. Scott Fitzgerald meticulously portrays the disillusionment of the American Dream through the lives of his characters. Jay Gatsby, the embodiment of this dream, chases the illusion of wealth and success to win back his lost love, Daisy Buchanan. However, as the story unfolds, the hollowness of this pursuit becomes evident.

One significant quote highlighting this disillusionment is when Nick Carraway, the narrator, reflects on the futility of Gatsby’s aspirations:

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.”

Moreover, the tragic demise of Gatsby himself serves as a poignant testament to this theme of disillusionment, highlighting the tragic consequences of chasing an elusive fantasy.

2. Emptiness of the Wealthy

Beneath Tom Buchanan’s immense wealth is a profound lack of fulfilment. As he discusses books with Nick, he demonstrates an attitude of cynicism:

“Civilization’s going to pieces… I’ve gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things.”

The extravagant parties hosted by Gatsby also symbolise the superficiality of wealth. Amidst the glittering festivities, Nick observes the juxtaposing emptiness that lies beneath such lavish displays of affluence:

“I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”

Despite amassing vast riches, Gatsby’s life also lacks genuine substance. Even Daisy, a symbol of wealth and status, cannot fill the void in his life, as seen in his longing for an idealized version of her from the past.

Fitzgerald masterfully weaves these instances throughout the narrative, revealing the hollowness and vacuity that often accompany material wealth, thereby dissecting the emptiness within the lives of the ostensibly prosperous characters.

3. Moral Conflict in Pursuit of the American Dream

Jay Gatsby is driven by an unwavering desire for success, but his methods often clash with moral integrity. As he chases after Daisy, Gatsby becomes entangled in a web of deception and corruption.

One notable instance highlighting this moral conflict is when Nick Carraway, the narrator, reflects on Gatsby’s nature, stating,

“Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.”

This quote underscores Gatsby’s eventual tragic end, emphasizing the ethical dilemmas inherent in his pursuit of wealth and love.

His relentless ambition and compromised morality ultimately lead to disillusionment, exposing the emptiness behind the façade of the American Dream and revealing the price one might pay when morality is sacrificed in the relentless pursuit of success.

4. The Power Struggle Between Social Classes

F. Scott Fitzgerald also keenly explores the power dynamics inherent in social classes, showcasing the stark divisions and struggles between the wealthy elite and those striving for acceptance.

Gatsby, despite his immense wealth, faces continual rejection by the old-money aristocracy. He yearns for Daisy’s acceptance into their world, realizing the limitations imposed by his nouveau riche status. As he laments,

“Her voice is full of money.”

The novel’s portrayal of lavish parties and opulent lifestyles juxtaposed with the struggles of characters like George Wilson also underscores the societal imbalance and the desperation of those outside the elite circles.

Writing Band 6 Analysis for The Great Gatsby in 3 Steps

We know how easy it is just to jump in and answer the question right away when you’re writing your essay for The Great Gatsby. However, we do recommend that you start by building a solid in-depth analysis of the text before you get writing!

This is because a strong foundational knowledge of the text inside and out can help you identify ideas from it and compose a comprehensive thesis !

So, here is a step-by-step guide on how to drill into an analysis for The Great Gatsby!

Step 1: Choose your example(s) 

A pro tip is to choose an example with a technique . Techniques allow you to delve deeper into the hidden messages that the author is trying to communicate. 

Here is a famous quote from the Great Gatsby: 

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year receded before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter- to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther… and one fine morning- So, we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” 

This is a pretty long quote from The Great Gatsby, so when you’re writing this into your essay, remember that you can always chop it up into short excerpts to help your essay flow better. 

Boat in the ocean black and white - great Gatsby themes

Step 2: Identify your technique(s)

The best technique is one that allows you to explore the underlying message behind the text. 

Look out for literary techniques that represent another meaning such as metaphors, symbols and motifs, as this can help demonstrate your depth of understanding. 

If you can find multiple techniques within one quote or example, that’s even better!

For the above quote, there are techniques such as metaphor, symbolism and alliteration. 

Step 3: Write the analysis

When writing the analysis, it is important that you explain what the effect of the technique is and how this backs up your argument . In this example, we are going to analyse how this quote discusses the deterioration of the American Dream, one of the prominent Great Gatsby themes.

The green light is a classic symbol of the unattainable American Dream with its greed, materialism and wealth. As Gatsby reaches out to the green light until his death without ever attaining it, it’s a metaphor of how the American dream is far from our reach.  Furthermore, the alliteration of “b” in “beats”, “boats” and “borne back” elicits the effect of being beaten back, which accentuates Gatsby’s futile pursuit of wealth.  There is also another metaphor with the boats moving backwards into the current. This symbolises Fitzgerald’s reflection on his own generation and their reversion to the past ideals once dispelled of the flawed American Dream. Alternatively, this can be perceived as how pursuit of success beats us back into our humble beginnings, reinforcing that true success in the name of wealth is ultimately unattainable. 

If we put all these together in our analysis, it will look like this:

Although the “green light” represents hope in the beginning chapters, it becomes a symbolic image of the flawed American Dream with its “green” colour reminiscent of money and its greed,  superficiality and materialism. Fitzgerald reinforces the unattainable reality of the American Dream through the “green light” which Gatsby yearns for but never acquires, symbolising how the American dream is far from our reach. The alliteration of “b” in “beats”, “boats” and “borne back” evokes the sensation of being beaten down, which reveals how the American Dream has failed individuals with its empty promise, despite its sacrificial pursuit of success. As the boats, representative of society, are metaphorically “borne back ceaselessly into the past,” Fitzgerald reveals how one’s progress in the pursuit of wealth is worthless, as they are tied to their original socioeconomic roots due to systemic injustice perpetrated by the “old money” clan. 

Need help analysing a different text?

Check out other texts we’ve created guides for below:

  • Romeo and Juliet
  • Run Lola Run
  • In Cold Blood
  • To Kill a Mockingbird
  • The Book Thief
  • The Tempest
  • Blade Runner
  • Things Fall Apart
  • Mrs Dalloway

Looking for some extra help with your essay on The Great Gatsby?

We have an incredible team of tutors and mentors.

We can help you master your essay analysis of The Great Gatsby by taking you through the summary, context, key characters and themes. We’ll also help you ace your upcoming English assessments with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or online!

We’ve supported over  8,000 students over the last 11 years , and on average our students score mark improvements of over 20%!

To find out more and get started with an inspirational tutor and mentor,   get in touch today  or give us a ring on  1300 267 888!

Kate Lynn Law  graduated in 2017 with an all rounders HSC award and an ATAR of 97.65. Passionate about mentoring, she enjoys working with high school students to improve their academic, work and life skills in preparation for the HSC and what comes next. An avid blogger, Kate had administered a creative writing page for over 2000 people since 2013, writing to an international audience since her early teenage years.

  • Topics: ✏️ English , ✍️ Learn

Related Articles

Top 65 quotes you need for your essay from the great gatsby, a step-by-step guide to analysing english texts (textual analysis examples included), the complete guide to writing an analytical essay for qcaa english, 45,861 students have a head start....

Get exclusive study content & advice from our team of experts delivered weekly to your inbox!

AOS Website Asset 2

Looking for English Support?

Discover how we can help you!

AOS Website Asset 1

We provide services in

The Great Gatsby

Introduction to the great gatsby, summary of the great gatsby, major themes in the great gatsby, major characters in the great gatsby,  writing style of the great gatsby ‎, analysis of literary devices in the great gatsby, related posts:, post navigation.

studyingHQ

Topics for The Great Gatsby Argumentative Essay

Avatar of dr. Wilson mn

When it comes to writing an argumentative essay , there are a lot of topics to choose from. However, if you’re looking for something on The Great Gatsby you might want to consider writing about one of the following Topics for The Great Gatsby Argumentative Essay

What You'll Learn

Possible Topics for The Great Gatsby Argumentative Essay

Is Nick a reliable or trustworthy narrator? How does his point of view affect the story?

Is the story of The Great Gatsby believable? Why or why not?

Where is the climax of the story? Explain your choice.

Are the characters in The Great Gatsby stereotypes? If so, explain why Fitzgerald used stereotypes in  the novel. If not, explain what makes the characters individuals.

What is the most essential symbol in the novel? What does it represent?

Analyze Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy.

Are Gatsby’s actions believably motivated? Explain why or why not.

What makes F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writing style unique and/or effective?

As you continue,  thestudycorp.com  has the top and most qualified writers to help with any of your assignments. All you need to do is  place an order  with us

Compare and contrast various characters.

Explain how F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the minor characters–Owl Eyes, Mr. Wolfshiem, Pammy, Michaelis, and George Wilson–in the novel. What does each character add to the story?

Explain how the title, The Great Gatsby, is appropriate.

Why do Daisy and Tom stay together?

What does it mean to be wealthy? Do responsibilities come with money?

Does Gatsby’s money bring him happiness?

Interpret one of the novel’s key symbols (the green light, the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg, the valley of ashes, etc.).

Suppose this novel had been written from Gatsby’s (or another’s) point of view. How would the story have changed?

Read a sample The Great Gatsby 46 Essay

Analyze each of the novel’s locations (West Egg, East Egg, the Valley of Ashes, and New York City), and explain how each corresponds to the social position, lifestyle, and personality of its residents.

What traits does Nick find admirable about Gatsby? What traits does he dislike?

Is The Great Gatsby an outdated novel, or is it relevant today? If it is relevant, what specific elements of current society does the book describe or explain?

What motivates Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan? Is there a common thread?

Surprisingly, Tom Buchanan and George Wilson are actually similar in many ways. Be sure to focus on their attitudes toward women, their approach to violence, and their reactions to being cheated on.

How does Fitzgerald use weather in the novel?

How does the state of the current financial markets resemble the economic problems of the 1920s? How does Fitzgerald highlight and predict those problems?

Which characters are static and which are dynamic? Why did Fitzgerald choose to portray them this way?

In the final chapter, Nick describes Tom and Daisy as “careless people.” Are they? Are they each careless in their own way?

Explore ONE of the following themes: alienation, friendship, identity, the American Dream, materialism, corruption, fate, the past, love, hope, etc.

Additionally, feel free to explore your own topic regarding the novel. If you do so, please discuss the topic with me so I can help you verify that it is practical, as well as help you brainstorm how to proceed.

Read more on 5 Tips for a perfect Discussion Post (How to Write a Discussion Post)

Argumentative Essay Topics For The Great Gatsby

How The Novel “The Great Gatsby”, Examine Complex Ideas about Identity, others and The World

Essay Prompts: The Great Gatsby that was published in the year 1925 has been rated as one of the best fiction stories about American during its time. The Great Gatsby was written by one of the celebrated American Authors called F. Scott Fitzgerald.

A Comparison and Contrast of Tom and Gatsby

Essay prompts: Compare and contrast Gatsby and tom. how are they alike? how are they different? given the extremely negative light in which tom is portrayed throughout the novel, why might daisy choose to remain with him instead of leaving him for Gatsby?

Nick or Gates?

Essay prompts: The question pertains to The Great Gatsby story and actually it is more of Nick because he lists down all the attendees of the party that summer. The list includes all of the powerful and rich people in the nation.

Comparison of The Characters of Hamlet and Jay Gatsby

Essay prompts: Hamlet is the main character in the play “Hamlet,” the son of King Hamlet and Gertrude. He was brought up in the palace and his family was wealthy. Jay Gatsby, who is the main protagonist in the novel “The Great Gatsby” is different from Hamlet because he came from a humble background.

When it comes to writing an argumentative essay, there are a lot of topics to choose from. However, if you’re looking for something on The Great Gatsby you might want to consider writing about one of the following Topics for The Great Gatsby Argumentative Essay

The Great Gatsby and The American Dream

Essay prompts: The American dream is essentially dishonest in the Great Gatsby, where Gatsby rises from humble beginnings to be a wealthy man through dubious means. When compared to the ‘old money’ people like Tom Buchanan, who did not flaunt their wealth Gatsby, wanted recognition.

An Analysis Of Gatsby Based On Color Green

Essay prompts: The following analysis will focus on Gatsby as a character from the novel and the analysis will be based on color green.

You can also check out 150+ Top-Notch Argumentative Essay Topic Ideas

Write an Essay analyzing a character from The Great Gatsby, based on one of The colors associated with that character.

The Imagery of a Passage in Great Gatsby

Essay prompts: Scott Fitzgerald writes the book titled The Great Gatsby. It Is appropriate to conclude that Fitzgerald conveys both good and sinister qualities of Gatsby in the passage.

The Role of Women in The Great Gatsby

Essay prompts: The Great Gatsby is novel composed by Scott Fitzgerald around 1922 in New York. It is a love story, loss and scandal during the social unrest.  

The Impact Of The Social Context In Great Gatsby And Elizabeth Barrett Brownings Sonnets

Comparative Themes of Eiger Dreams and The Great Gatsby

Essay prompts: Eiger Dreams is a non-fiction book written from a collection of articles and essays based on rock climbing and mountaineering. It takes place in two different locations. One is the Swiss Alps, the other location is in Alaska (Krakauer, 2012).

The Great Gatsby: The Corrupt Nature of The American Dream

Essay prompts: The focus of this paper is on the nature of the American dream as depicted by Fitzgerald. Therefore, the withering of the American dream is the central thesis of this paper

The American Dream as portrayed in The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald

Essay prompts: Fitzgerald has illustrated American dream by use of several characters to show how elusive the dream has been to some people whilst others are already living it.

How Trauma is Represented in Fitzgerald’s Work “The Great Gatsby”

Essay prompts: Trauma is a motif in The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald published in 1925. The novel narrates the tragic story of Jay Gatsby, who happens to be a millionaire in pursuit of the love of his youth, Daisy, which he lost while serving in the army.

Find out more on  How to Write a Narrative Essay

Best essay topics for the great gatsby

Social Constructs of The American Society on The Narrative “The Great Gatsby”

Essay prompts: The Great Gatsby is a narration about an individual struggling to create an identity for himself that will elevate his status to that of a wealthy man of stature and hence realizing his American dream that takes the form of a woman he so desires to marry.

Analysis of “The Great Gatsby”

Essay prompts: This is just one among many such examples that unravels how a man’s wealth would affect his relationship and social relations as a major theme throughout Fitzgerald’s novel, “The Great Gatsby”.

How would a man’s wealth affect his relationship and social relation?

Franklin’s Almanac: The Way to Wealth vs. The Great Gatsby

Essay prompts: The American dream is the notion that one can be anything they wish to be in the United States. Chance and opportunity are there for the taking, but these are limited to those willing to work hard, and set forth for what they believe.

Similarities between “The Great Gatsby” and The “Generation Wealth”

Essay prompts: We are going to discuss the similarities between “The Great Gatsby” and the film, “Generation Wealth”, while at the same time elucidating on the main theme of money.

Analysis of Fitzgerald use of language and symbolism in Gatsby

Essay prompts: The inability to win Daisy’s love undermines Gatsby’s success. That is why Fitzgerald’s writing language uses irony in explaining how impossible it was for Gatsby to achieve his dream.

Find out more on  Argumentative Essay Topics About Social Media [Updated]

Great Gatsby essay prompts

Masculinity in The Great Gatsby Novel

Essay prompts: Undergraduate Essay: Masculinity in The Great Gatsby Novel…

Gatsby Does Not Truly Love Daisy:

A Misunderstanding Of The American Dream Leads To The Tragedy Of Love

Essay prompts: The American Dream refers to the belief that everybody, disregarding their social class or birthplace, can achieve the success they dream of when living in a society that promotes upward mobility for everyone.

War Trauma in The Great Gatsby

Essay prompts: The casualties of war are not only those who fall on the battlefield but even those that walk away dead from the inside. In the Great Gatsby, the effects of war are felt through Jay Gatsby, who comes back from a different man. His war trauma is worsened by losing his love while he was at war.

The American Dream in The Great Gatsby and The House on Mango Street

Essay prompts: This paper will give invaluable insights concerning how the American Dream as an ideology has been presented in the Great Gatsby and The House on Mango Street.

Great Gatsby Quotes About Money Can’t Buy Happiness

Essay prompts: He quote money can’t buy you happiness is never truer than when viewed through the storylines of The Great Gatsby and Wolf of Wall Street. This conflicts with the notion that living the American dream translates to happiness.

How Manifestation and Materialism are Related to The American Dream

Essay prompts: This article seeks to draw on real-life examples as well as textual evidence to showcase how the American dream is closely associated with manifestation and materialism….

The Great Gatsby vs The Godfather

Love in Th Great Gatsby

Essay prompts: The idealized conception of love is one in which individuals are committed and faithful to each other unconditionally.

The Symbolism of Time in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Essay prompts: Time is of the essence, and it waits for no man. Therefore, humans should concentrate their minds on the present and neither dwell on the past nor dream about the future. In Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald explores the roaring twenties and their American dream. In this novel, the main character, Jay Gatsby.

Representations And Discourses Of The American Dream In Film

Essay prompts: The “American Dream” means that as long as the person starts working hard and follow their dream, thus it can lead to a better life. Equal opportunity is the soul of the “American Dream.”

Symbolism in The Great Gatsby and its significance in modern society

Essay prompts: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s story, “The Great Gatsby,” has used symbolism depicting the city where the story is set. Further, the author has also used symbolism in representing individuals characters and Gatsby’s problems, among others.

The Futility Of Human Dreams: Independence

Essay prompts: The author successfully manages to show how we can dream in vain by demonstrating from the characters. George and Lennie dream of a better life full of freedom and independence.

Representation And Discourses Of The American Dream In Film

Essay prompts: The American Dream can be achieved by individuals who exercise hard work, independence, courage, determination, creativity, and diligence.

“Winter Dreams” and “The Great Gatsby” mirror into S Fitzgerald’s life

Essay prompts: These two novels have been widely read, and The Great Gatsby was even adopted into a movie. Often, people say that the story Winter Dreams was merely a draft for The Great Gatsby. The two are very similar and encompass similar themes.

Comparison Between East Egg and West Egg

Essay prompts: The novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald is narrated by Nick Carraway, one of the main protagonists in the book. Nick lives in West Egg, a new village in New York with upcoming millionaires and billionaires.

Analysis Of Movies That Portray The American Dream

Essay prompts: The paper aims at discussing the American Dream by analyzing films that portray the accomplishment of the dream as well as the factors that make it difficult for individuals to achieve their version of the American Dream.

Representation and Discourses of The American Dream in Film

Essay prompts: This paper aims at conferring the American Dream by analyzing films which portray the accomplishment of the dream as well as the factors that make it difficult for individuals to achieve their version of the American Dream.

Why Economies Succeed or Fail during The Great Depression

Essay prompts: The Great Depression was an austere worldwide financial depression in the 1930s, starting in the United States. One major cause of the Great Depression was the ensuing global crisis. Europe had not settled after the First World War and faced severe consequences.

Start by filling this short order form order.studyinghq.com

And then follow the progressive flow. 

Having an issue, chat with us here

Cathy, CS. 

New Concept ? Let a subject expert write your paper for You​

Avatar of dr. Wilson mn

Post navigation

Previous post.

📕 Studying HQ

Typically replies within minutes

Hey! 👋 Need help with an assignment?

🟢 Online | Privacy policy

WhatsApp us

The Great Gatsby: Essay Topics & Samples

No novel is written for the sake of writing. You can be immersed in the plot and feel sympathy toward the protagonists, but there is something more about every great book. A good The Great Gatsby essay should question the narrative to determine what the text’s broader purpose is.

Are you out of ideas? Our topics and The Great Gatsby writing prompts can kickstart your creative process. They won’t limit the flight of your thought in any way: instead, they’ll show you the right direction to follow. You can also use our essay samples for inspiration or apply for professional writing help .

  • 💡 Essay Topics
  • ✒️ Essay Samples

💡 The Great Gatsby Essay Topics & Prompts

  • Did Daisy genuinely love Gatsby, or did she want to return the past feelings? Why was preserving her social class so important? Or did she stay with Tom for other reasons, like the shared experience, stability, and the daughter? Do you think Daisy opted for Tom after a careful comparison?
  • Old and New Money in The Great Gatsby. What did Gatsby lack to feel like he belongs to the Old Money, apart from heritage? What did elevate him above the Old Money representatives and make him more humane? Why didn’t he possess the traits related to the corruption of the upper class?
  • Money and wealth in The Great Gatsby . Money is helpless in matters of love and friendship. Nick Carraway was Gatsby’s only friend. As far as we know, only Daisy loved him, and even this fact is doubtful. Was it the reason why Gatsby’s success did not make him happy? Write an argumentative essay about it!
  • Compare and contrast The Great Gatsby 2013 movie vs. the book in an essay. Does the movie represent the characters as profoundly as the book does? Make the book review from the point of view of a person who watched the film first. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the film?
  • How does Gatsby represent the American Dream ? This essay should start with the historical background that formed the general idea of the American Dream. Is Gatsby’s version of the American Dream universal for all US citizens, or does it have any unique features? “The American Dream in The Great Gatsby ” is a perfect title for this kind of essay.
  • Is Gatsby great? This essay can discuss the strengths and failures of Jay Gatsby. It could also reveal why the novel is titled like this. Is Gatsby great because he has made a fortune without any heritage, or is the title ironic?
  • The Great Gatsby symbolism is a good topic for an essay. It could cover the setting of the novel, the color symbolism in The Great Gatsby (especially the green light , gold, and the color white,) and the small symbolic details like bespectacled eyes of various protagonists and TJ Eckleburg on the billboard.
  • Write The Great Gatsby literary analysis essay , exploring why the author chose these specific characters to convey the main idea to the reader. What is the primary purpose of the novel, and what helped the author to achieve it? Dwell upon the decline of morality as the typical feature of the Roaring Twenties.
  • Time in The Great Gatsby . Throughout the entire novel, Gatsby is trying to recapture his past feelings. Did he succeed, to some extent? Can living in the memories, even recreated in real life, make someone happy? The novel is full of flashbacks. Explain why the time is non-linear in the story .
  • The Great Gatsby themes might also be a great as an essay topic. The novel is multifaceted and profound, with several layers of meaning. Money and wealth, society and class, love and marriage , hope, morality, time, and the American Dream in The Great Gatsby are to be discussed in this essay.

✒️ The Great Gatsby: Essay Examples

Below you’ll find a collection of The Great Gatsby essay examples. Use them for inspiration!

  • Color Symbolism in The Great Gatsby
  • Symbolism in The Great Gatsby
  • Masculinity in The Great Gatsby and The Breakfast Club
  • Imagery in The Great Gatsby by F. Fitzgerald
  • Conception of The American Dream
  • Share to Facebook
  • Share to LinkedIn
  • Share to email

The Great Gatsby Study Guide

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby as a satire of society. Why did the novel appear in the given historical period? Why are there no positive characters in the book? What does it take to fulfill the American dream? The Great Gatsby Study Guide answers these and many other...

The Great Gatsby: Summary

This article by Custom-Writing.org experts contains all you need to know about the summary of The Great Gatsby: synopsis, a timeline diagram, and a detailed overview of the events by chapters. No summary machine would be able to provide you with this much in-depth information about The Great Gatsby plot....

The Great Gatsby: Characters

This article by Custom-Writing.org experts has everything about The Great Gatsby characters, their values, and relationships. Check it out to learn about Jay Gatsby character traits, Nick Carraway, Klipspringer, Daisy and Tom Buchanan, Jordan Baker, Myrtle Wilson, and others. Additionally, in the first section, you’ll find The Great Gatsby character...

The Great Gatsby: Themes

This article by Custom-Writing.org experts provides an explanation of The Great Gatsby themes. The core issues represented in the novel by Fitzgerald are: the American dream, money, social class, love, morality, and time. Keep reading to learn more about the themes of The Great Gatsby! ✉️ What Is the Main...

Symbols in The Great Gatsby

This article by Custom-Writing.org experts explains the symbols in The Great Gatsby. In the first section, you’ll find the information on the color symbolism of The Great Gatsby: the green light, as well as the meanings of yellow and white colors in the novel will be explained. Then follows the...

Wuthering Heights Essay Topics & Samples

Having trouble coming up with decent Wuthering Heights essay topics? No need to struggle anymore since there is a selection of the best topics, questions, and prompts here! This article by Custom-Writing.org experts is here to help you if you don’t know what to write about or have to choose...

Wuthering Heights Themes & Symbols

This article by Custom-Writing.org experts provides a comprehensive analysis of symbols and themes in Wuthering Heights. Emily Bronte’s book is full of gothic symbolism and tragedy. The story of revenge and self-destruction is good by itself, without any explanations. Bronte does great work focusing all the attention of the readers...

Wuthering Heights Characters

This article by Custom-Writing.org experts contains Wuthering Heights character map and the all the information about the Wuthering Heights characters: Heathcliff, Catherine Earnshaw, Isabella Linton, Nelly Dean, Mr. Lockwood. Our article also covers minor characters and their relationships. In the first section, you’ll find a Wuthering Heights characters family tree....

Wuthering Heights Chapter Summaries

This article by Custom-Writing.org experts contains all you need to know about the summary of Wuthering Heights: timeline, a synopsis, and a detailed description of the events by chapters. If you have no time to work with a summary maker but still need a shortened version of this story, check...

Frankenstein: Essay Topics & Samples

Choosing such a masterpiece to write about is a wise choice. Mary Shelley wasn’t even going to create this novel, so it is fair enough to doubt whether there is anything to analyze at all. However, there are so many ideas for essay topics about Frankenstein! The most prominent questions...

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Themes

This article by Custom-Writing.org experts provides an explanation of the themes of Frankenstein. The core issues represented in Mary Shelley’s book are: dangerous knowledge, nature, isolation, monstrosity, and revenge. Keep reading to learn more about the theme of Frankenstein for your class or essay! 🔑 What Are the Major Themes...

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Character List

This article by Custom-Writing.org experts contains the description of Frankenstein’s characters: Victor Frankenstein character traits, the Monster, Robert Walton, Henry Clerval, and others. In the first section, you’ll find a Frankenstein character map. 🗺️ Frankenstein: Character Map Below you’ll find a character map of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. 👨‍🔬 Victor...

IMAGES

  1. Higher English 5x critical essays, tasks and test 'The Great Gatsby' by

    thesis ideas for the great gatsby

  2. Thesis paper on the great gatsby vcc.edu

    thesis ideas for the great gatsby

  3. great gatsby thesis examples

    thesis ideas for the great gatsby

  4. Themes in The Great Gatsby

    thesis ideas for the great gatsby

  5. Gatsby Essay

    thesis ideas for the great gatsby

  6. The Great Gatsby Final Essay

    thesis ideas for the great gatsby

VIDEO

  1. Gatsby Themed Party Entertainment Package HD

  2. IB English

  3. IB English

  4. my history masters degree at the university of edinburgh // chapter 1

  5. Unconventional Thesis Topics for Graduate Architecture Students! #architecture

  6. more or less is more

COMMENTS

  1. The Great Gatsby Essay Examples

    The Great Gatsby Essay Topic Examples. Whether you want to analyze the American Dream, compare and contrast characters, vividly describe settings and characters, persuade readers with your viewpoints, or share personal experiences related to the story, these essay ideas provide a diverse perspective on the themes and complexities within the...

  2. 185 The Great Gatsby : Best Topics and Examples

    The Great Gatsby, the masterpiece written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, will help you dive into the Roaring Twenties' wealth atmosphere. This is a story of a millionaire Jay Gatsby and his passion for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts.

  3. Thesis Statement for The Great Gatsby

    Published: Mar 5, 2024. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic novel that explores themes of wealth, love, and the American Dream. In this essay, we will examine the thesis statement that the pursuit of wealth and status ultimately leads to emptiness and disillusionment.

  4. 20 The Great Gatsby Essay Topics

    Find 20 potential topics for your essay on The Great Gatsby, a classic novel that explores love, betrayal, and the American dream. Learn how to write a thesis, support your claims, and cite your sources.

  5. The Great Gatsby Suggested Essay Topics

    Suggested Essay Topics. PDF Cite. Chapter 1. 1. Consider the references to people in literature or history in the chapter. What purpose (s) do they serve? 2. Write a character sketch of Daisy (or ...

  6. Most Important Themes in Great Gatsby, Analyzed

    The 7 Major Great Gatsby Themes. Money and Materialism: Everyone in the novel is money-obsessed, whether they were born with money (Tom, Daisy, Jordan, and Nick to a lesser extent), whether they made a fortune (Gatsby), or whether they're eager for more (Myrtle and George). So why are the characters so materialistic?

  7. The Great Gatsby Critical Essays

    Gatsby retains the American Dream in its purest form. A. He has the quality of the original seekers of the dream—the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. III. He adheres to the precept of ...

  8. The Great Gatsby Essays and Criticism

    On one level, The Great Gatsby is a romantic novel, or at least romance-driven. The central story of Jay Gatsby's undying hope for the love for Daisy Buchanon, offers a romantic ideal, and the ...

  9. The Great Gatsby Essay Prompts With Rubrics

    Essay Prompts for two different topics on the novel The Great Gatsby. Two Prewriting Graphic Organizers for students to brainstorm ideas, thesis, examples, and textual evidence. TDA Essay Rubric broken down into categories: content, focus, organization, style, conventions, and format. In this resource, students will conduct a literary analysis ...

  10. 149 The Great Gatsby Essay Topics

    149 The Great Gatsby Essay Topics. Let's travel to the roaring 1920s with our collection of The Great Gatsby essay prompts! F. Scott Fitzgerald's iconic novel, set amidst the luxury and decadence of the Jazz Age, thrills readers with its exploration of love, wealth, and the elusive pursuit of the American Dream.

  11. The Great Gatsby: Analysis and Feminist Critique

    Introduction. The feminist critique is an aspect that seeks to explore the topic of men domination in the social, economic, and political sectors. It aims to expose how much women characters have been discriminated in the society through the study of literature. This sample essay on The Great Gatsby will apply the concept of feminist critique ...

  12. The Great Gatsby Study Guide: Themes

    The American Dream is a central theme in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby. The story takes place in the 1920s, a time of great prosperity and opportunity in America. The American Dream is a belief that anyone can achieve success and prosperity through hard work and determination, regardless of their social background or ...

  13. How to Write a Thesis Statement for "The Great Gatsby"

    F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby" is a classic of American fiction and a staple in the literature classroom. The tragic story of Jay Gatsby plays out against the opulence of the 1920s. The text offers a range of subjects from which to create a thesis statement, including the book's ...

  14. The Great Gatsby

    Potential essay topics and thesis ideas for F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Summary: Potential essay topics for The Great Gatsby include the American Dream and its corruption, the role of ...

  15. The Great Gatsby

    Themes from The Great Gatsby. 1. Disillusionment of the American Dream. In "The Great Gatsby," F. Scott Fitzgerald meticulously portrays the disillusionment of the American Dream through the lives of his characters. Jay Gatsby, the embodiment of this dream, chases the illusion of wealth and success to win back his lost love, Daisy Buchanan.

  16. The Great Gatsby

    The story of the novel, The Great Gatsby, revolves around a young man, Nick Carraway, who comes from Minnesota to New York in 1922. He is also the narrator of the story. His main objective is to establish his career in the bonds. Nick rents a house in West Egg on Long Island, which is a fictional village of New York.

  17. Topics for The Great Gatsby Argumentative Essay

    Essay prompts: Trauma is a motif in The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald published in 1925. The novel narrates the tragic story of Jay Gatsby, who happens to be a millionaire in pursuit of the love of his youth, Daisy, which he lost while serving in the army. Find out more on How to Write a Narrative Essay.

  18. The Great Gatsby

    A good thesis statement for an essay on the impact of wealth in The Great Gatsby is: "In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald critiques the corrupting influence of wealth and the American Dream ...

  19. The Great Gatsby: Essay Topics & Samples

    The novel is full of flashbacks. Explain why the time is non-linear in the story. The Great Gatsby themes might also be a great as an essay topic. The novel is multifaceted and profound, with several layers of meaning. Money and wealth, society and class, love and marriage, hope, morality, time, and the American Dream in The Great Gatsby are to ...

  20. The Great Gatsby

    A good thesis statement about symbolism and motifs relating to the American Dream in The Great Gatsby could be: "F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the colors green and yellow as symbols of two aspects of ...