FREE ESSAY ON DOWN WITH WELL FARE

DOWN WITH WELL FARE

Gatsby meets a woman and falls in love with her. However, Gatsby does not have the fame
and fortune a classy lady like Daisy desires. Gatsby decides to devote his whole life to
achieving the material goods with which to satisfy Daisy. He lives in the past on a
moment of absolute happiness hoping he can relive that state of emotion sometime in the
future.
F. Scott Fitzgerald published the book in 1925 using the actual time in history, the
Roaring Twenties to help create Gatsby's character. Gatsby's participation in the
bootlegging business, the extravagant parties he throws, and the wealthy, careless
lifestyle the Buchanans represent, are all vivid pictures of that time frame.
Fitzgerald's portrayal of the time period creates lifelike characters in the novel. By
creating these personable characters, Fitzgerald is allowing the reader to associate
himself with Gatsby, and letting him use his imagination, so that in the end, the reader
can decide if the Great Gatsby is truly 'great'. Fitzgerald allows the reader to
incorporate the story into their own past and past relationships, ultimately putting the
reader in Gatsby's shoes and seeing what the reader would do in the same
situation. It raises a great debate; should people live their lives yearning for
something in the past? Is it acceptable to live one's whole life on a past experience or
memory hoping to reach back in time and pull the past to the present. Is it healthy?
In this case, Fitzgerald is saying no its not healthy. He says it ruins a person and
things change. Is Gatsby great? In some ways he is, you have to admire a man who
lives his whole life devoting himself to his passion and never getting sidetracked. But
you also have to realize
that some things are foolish to live a dream upon, because nothing ever stays the same.
Things change and when you reach a goal you realize it wasn't what you
remember. Fitzgerald tackles a issue that everyone canrelate to and has to deal with
sometime in his life. Fitzgerald presents a likable character, a likable story and time
period to the reader. At the end he has the reader contemplating what he himself would do
if a similar situation would arise in his life. Fitzgerald raises a great philosophical
question, making the book enjoyable to read and think about.