F.
Scott Fitzgerald’s
The Great Gatsby
About the Author
Born-September 24, 1896
Died-December 21, 1940
Married Zelda Sayre
Famous works include The Great Gatsby
The Beautiful and the Damned
This Side of Paradise
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Impact on
Society
Fitzgerald named the
1920’s “The Jazz Age”
Wrote screenplays for
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Created the The Great
Gatsby which is said to
be the most accurate
description of the
1920’s
The Jazz Age
Prohibition was in effect
Dances such as the Charleston were popular
Popular sayings included 23 Skidoo, Bee’s
Knees
Economy was in a “Boom”
The Flappers
Flappers were women
who rebelled against the
fashion and social norms
of the early 1900’s.
They married at a later
age and drank and
smoked in public
Flappers were known for
their carefree lifestyles.
Flapper Fashion
Flappers dressed in
shapeless dresses that
came to the knee.
Dresses were made to
look “boy-like”
Gender bending was
common. Women would
try to make themselves
look more man-like.
Characters of The Great Gatsby
Jay Gatsby- The self-made wealthy man who
lives next door to Nick Carraway and loves
Daisy Buchanan
Characters of The Great Gatsby
Nick Carraway- the narrator, Daisy’s cousin,
Gatsby’s neighbor
Characters in The Great Gatsby
Daisy Buchanan- married to Tom, Gatsby’s
love interest before the war, socialite
Characters in The Great Gatsby
Tom Buchanan- Daisy’s husband, has an affair
with Myrtle
Myrtle Wilson- Tom’s woman in the city,
married to George
George Wilson- owns the gas station
Jordan Baker- Daisy’s friend, professional
golfer
Settings in The Great Gatsby
West Egg- where Nick
and Gatsby live,
represents new money
East Egg- where Daisy
lives, the more
fashionable area,
represents old money
Settings in The Great Gatsby
The City- New York City, where the characters
escape to for work and play
The Valley of Ashes- between the City and
West Egg, where Wilson’s
gas station is
Symbols in The Great Gatsby
Green Light- at the end of Daisy’s dock and
visible from Gatsby’s mansion. Represents
Gatsby's hopes and dreams about Daisy.
Symbols in The Great Gatsby
The Valley of Ashes- the area between West
Egg and New York City. It is a desolate area
filled with industrial waste. It represents the
social and moral decay of society during the
1920’s. It also shows the negative effects of
greed.
Symbols in The Great Gatsby
The Eyes of Dr. T. J. Ekleburg- A decaying
billboard in the Valley of Ashes with eyes
advertising an optometrist. There are multiple
proposed meanings, including the
representation of God’s moral judgment on
society.
Important Quotes
“I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a
girl can be in this world, a beautiful little
fool.”
Daisy’s description of her daughter
“So we beat on, boats against the current,
borne back ceaselessly into the past.” –the last
line of the novel
Important Quotes
"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy-
they smashed up things and creatures and then
retreated back into their money or their vast
carelessness or whatever it was that kept them
together, and let other people clean up the
mess they had made." – Nick’s description of
Tom and Daisy
The American Dream
Gatsby is the ideal
image of one who has
achieved the American
Dream.
What is the American
Dream and who has
achieved it in our time?
Old Money Vs. New Money
New Money: Old Money
Someone who has Money from family
achieved the American wealth
Dream Born rich
Not as respected in the Not earned through
1920’s work done by yourself
Respected above all in
the 1920’s
Movie Trailer
The Great Gatsby
Watch the trailer of the 2013
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