What is the idea of a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald “The Great Gatsby”?

“The Great Gatsby” is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald that is set in America in the 1920’s when there was a lot of exploitation within society. The author creates a clear representation of the “Roaring Twenties” and shows the social and political change. Fitzgerald does this through the narrator, Nick Carraway, a former Yale student and soldier who moved to New York to learn about the bond business. He also explores the corruption of the American dream through the character of Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire. The writer includes several techniques to convey these themes such as setting and characterization.

The novel truly captures the idea of wealth and status during the Jazz Age, especially through the character of Gatsby who has earned his own success and popularity in hope to win over Daisy Buchanan. However, Gatsby is simply too naive for the disloyal world he is living in and is dramatically shot at the end.

From the moment Jay Gatsby is introduced, the reader is made aware that he is a man of wealth. Nick Carraway has just recently moved into a small house located in West Egg, New York which is less fashionable than East Egg. He describes his house to be a “small eyesore” that he rents for around eighty dollars a month. Nick’s house is situated in the center of two large mansions, one of which belongs to Gatsby. He compares the quality of both houses and gives a detailed description of Gatsby’s mansion.

“The one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard- it was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy.”