How Realistic was the Great Gatsby to Scott Fitzgerald and his Real Life?

Introduction

The Great Gatsby is one of the well-known novels in the world and has formed thoughts and opinions among the various people who have read it. Therefore, there have many materials that have been written on the Great Gatsby. The novel was written by the renowned author known as Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. One of the most exciting factors about the novel is its setting, which is in the 1920s and is representative of the life of Scott Fitzgerald.

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The Setting of "The Great Gatsby" and Fitzgerald's Life

The most pivotal aspect of the novel The Great Gatsby is its background which is Gerald Fitzgerald's life. An individual named Nick Carraway conducts the narration in the background. Carraway is said to have moved from the mid-west to New York. He specifically moved to the West Egg, which was majorly populated by the newly rich and lives next to Jay Gatsby (Long, 7). In the East egg, Nick had a cousin named Daisy Buchanan. At one point, Nick organized a reunion of Daisy and Gatsby upon learning about their previous love affair, and it leads to the rekindling of their love. Upon learning of this affair, Daisy's husband confronts Gatsby, who admits his crime. On the way back, Gatsby killed Myrtle, a fete that ultimately leads to his death.

One of the most vital aspects that showed the similarity between the events in The Great Gatsby and Fitzgerald's life is the setting of the Novel in the 1920s. It was during this period that Scott Fitzgerald lived. The 1920s formed a crucial point in the life of Fitzgerald, as it did in the novel. The significant things about the period are not the similarity in The Great Gatsby and life of Fitzgerald; it greatly helped in the shaping of the story (Piper, 13). The author lived during this time, hence used it as the setting of the novel due the insight and convenience the time gave him. The period is known as the rowdiest in the history of the United States. Therefore, Fitzgerald hoped to use his experience in the 1920s to tell the story of Jay Gatsby, which would not have been possible in another period.

Nick Carraway's Background and Its Relation to Fitzgerald

Another factor that shows the relation between Scott Fitzgerald's life and The Great Gatsby is the background that Nick Carraway was given in the novel. Fitzgerald and Carraway had a background that matched. The most fundamental aspect is that both Nick Carraway and Scott Fitzgerald were initially from Minnesota. Both the individuals were sent to Ivy League schools by their parents. While Nick Carraway went to Yale University, Fitzgerald attended PrincetonUniversity.

However, upon failing, Fitzgerald joins the army as a second lieutenant in the infantry. Fitzgerald living school and joining the military is similar to how Jay Gatsby joined the United States Army at the beginning of the world war. Another significant similarity is that both Fitzgerald and Gatsby fell in love with a lady, there are they were stationed (Fitzgerald, 45). The only difference is that Fitzgerald fell in love with a woman named Zelda, while Gatsby fell in love with Daisy. They both tried to impress their respective ladies and each used unique styles to achieve their goal.

Conclusion

However, the difference between the characters arises when it came to drinking. Although Scott Fitzgerald wrote Gatsby as a similar man to himself, he ensured that the character did not drink (Meyers, 29). The two can be said to be at two different extremes on the matter of drinking. It is noted that despite the involvement in illegal activities that are associated with liquor, Gatsby did not drink. In the end, they both have their downfalls.

One of the crucial aspects that showed the similarity with Fitzgerald's real life is the setting of the story in the 1920s, which plays a vital role in the novel. Had the period been not the 1920s, numerous elements of the story would be lost. It was essential that the story is set after the Great War as well as during the prohibition era.

Works Cited

Fitzgerald, Francis Scott. The Great Gatsby (1925). na, 1991.

Long, Robert Emmet. The Achieving of The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1920-1925. Associated Univ Pr, 1979.

Meyers, Jeffrey. Scott Fitzgerald: a biography. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.

Piper, Henry Dan, and Francis Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby: the novel, the critics, the background. Scribner, 1970.