The Great Gatsby: Jay’s Background And His Downfall Essay, Research Paper

The Great Gatsby: Jay’s Background and His Downfall

Adam Shane

English 11-1

1-28-96

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby did not fit into the

lifestyle of Daisy and her friends. Because of his background, his dreams

were destined to be shattered even before he tried to achieve them. Jay

Gatsby’s nouveau riche lifestyle was not of the ways of the old rich.

Jay Gatsby killed James Gatz at the age of seventeen as he boarded Dan

Cody’s yacht. It was “…James Gatz who had been loafing along the beach that

afternoon…but it was already Jay Gatsby who borrowed a rowboat…and informed

Cody that a wind might catch him and break him up…” (ch. 4, pp. 98-9). When

he got on the yacht he was forever known as Jay Gatsby. Gatsby thought he left

his past behind him.

James Gatz came from North Dakota. His parents “…were shiftless and

unsuccessful farm people…” (ch. 4, p. 99). Gatsby made his money very

mysteriously, while the rest of the group inherited their money. This

background put Jay Gatsby on a different level than the group he was trying to

become a part of. Therefore he was never really accepted as one of the group.

In an effort to be accepted by the group, Gatsby tried to show off his

valuables and gave elaborate parties. He tried to make an impression on these

people. Many to these people went to these parties “…without having met

Gatsby at all” (ch. 3,p. 41).

Gatsby did not have a formal education. His background did not support

the background of the old wealth. He lived in West Egg, “…the less fashionable

of the two…” (ch. 1, p. 5). The old rich would not live there.

Jay Gatsby could have never in his life been a part of the old rich. Even

with changing his names and and lifestyle, he could have never changed his

interior. He would always been James Gatz.