Month: October 2023

It is no secret that clothes were a big part of the The Great Gasby. The 1920’s is notable for its fashion. During the 1920’s an era of “fast fashion” began to emerge. More and more people were buying ready-to-wear clothing and started filling their wardrobes with more simple, casual, and practical items. While this was true for most people, there was still groups of people that dressed above and beyond what they needed to, to show their class. 

 During the 1920’s is when women started gaining more freedom, and with that came a change of clothing. Women started weaning more straight, loose, short, and flowy clothing items. One of the most notable articles of clothing from the Roaring 20’s is the flapper dress. Flapper dresses had no shape to them with fringe making the article of clothing “fun”. Flapper dresses were usually worn for a night out on the town. 

Not all dresses were flapper dresses, though. Most womens wore casual sundresses while at home. The dresses were usually loose in style with colorful patterns including stripes, gingham, florals, and solids. As the 1920’s went on and women gained more and more freedom, they started wearing fancier work dresses most of the day. 

Mens fashion did not change as drastically as womens fashion did. As a whole, their outfits became a little more casual. Unless men were working or doing activities, they would wear suits while out. These suits were usually slim fitting and accompanied by a hat. As the decade went on, mens suits became longer and more loose paried with a flashy tie and luxury suit fabric. 

Men’s sportswear also become more popular during this time. This included things like khaki wide-legged pants, sweaters and sweatervests, “plus-fours”, and flannels could be seen worn more often. 

Clothing can describe someones personality, and the changes of clothing that was made in the 1920’s is a tribute to how that generation was and some of the major things that happened. 

Jay Gatsby is a name on everyone’s tongue. He is known among New Yorkers for having the most lavish, extravagant parties; but where did this mystery man come from? The thing is, no one truly knows. Gatsby told Nick that he came from a wealthy family in the Midwest. Gatsby also says that he was educated at Oxford, which we found out later on was only a tiny portion of the truth. Gatsby also tells Nick that he inherited all of his wealth from the death of his family members. He then uses this money to travel around Europe. A little later on Gatsby gets enlisted in the military and serves during World War I.

When Gatsby tells Nick his backstory, Nick is certain that Gatsby is lying to him. He sees that Gatsby can barely keep a straight face while spitting out what Nick assumed to be lies. Nick had also heard many outrageous theories as to how Gatsby had gotten his wealth. Gatsby proves his backstory to Nick by showing him proof. He shows Nick a picture of him at Oxford and a war medal he had earned. Nick was astounded and after being charmed over by Gatsby, he has no choice but to believe him. 

Gatsby’s stories did have many inconsistencies in them. For example, he said he was from the Midwest but then tells Nick he is from San Francisco. I’m not that great at geography but I’m pretty positive San Francisco is not in the Midwest. Another inconsistency in Gatsby’s story is that he “hunted big game” in Europe. I went to Europe over the summer and there was definitely no one hunting big game in the cities. Some of Gatsby’s stories were not complete lies. For example, Gatsby did attend Oxford but only for 5 months.

Although Gatsby’s backstory may never be one-hundred percent known, it is no secret that Gatsby did live a luxurious life.

Jay, Gatsby, Pinterest, Accessed October 16, https://pin.it/6tfBQX8.

It is no secret that The Great Gatsby has served as an inspiration for writers for generations. From books to movies and TV to songs by everyone’s favorite artist, Gatsby has surely left his mark. 

The Fault in Our Stars is a classic novel by John Green. Just like The Great Gatsby, it was also turned into a movie. In the novel, Green writes about a green light. When interviewed about it, he admits that it is, in fact, a reference to The Great Gatsby. Green also writes about a green car, which he correlates back to the blinking green light. While it does not have as great a meaning as it does in The Great Gatsby, it is still a reference worth noting. 

A TV classic, The Gilmore Girls, had its Gatsby moment, too. In one episode of the show, a character called Sookie runs into an old friend, Joe, from earlier in her career. Joe had been dreaming of her for years, just like Gatsby had dreamed of Dasiy. He then asks Sookie out on a date. Sookie contemplates the idea of getting back with the man from her past, but she has to tell Joe she is married, just like Daisy was. While this reference was not a big part of the show, it still referenced back to the novel.

Another television classic that references The Great Gatsby is Pretty Little Liars. The entire plot of Pretty Little Liars revolves around a murder. The teacher in the show is named Mr. Fritz, short for Fitzgerald. On top of the name, the students of the class are also required to read The Great Gatsby. In season two of the show, there is a billboard with a creepy pair of eyeglasses; this is definitely a reference to T.J. Eckleberg’s eyes in the novel.

Taylor Swift uses many Gatsby references in her songs. One of the most well-known references is the song “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.”  In the song, Taylor talks about throwing magnificent parties where everyone is going absolutely crazy; they are throwing things around, jumping from balconies into the pool, and breaking things. During the song, Taylor says, “feeling so Gatsby for the whole year. In Taylor’s song “Happiness,” she says, “I hope she’ll be a beautiful fool.” This references Daisy saying that the best thing in life to be is a beautiful fool. 

F Scott Fitzgerald created a novel so great that others just can’t help but use it as a reference in their own works.

Jay Gatsby, Pinterest, Accessed October 8, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/6825836923777751/

Is The Great Gatsby overhyped, or does it live up to its claim? This weekend I made my family watch the movie The Great Gatsby. At the end of the movie, my dad says, “That was so close to being great, but it just wasn’t there.” This got me thinking, is The Great Gatsby really a great topic, or is it just something that has been around for centuries that it can’t get out of the spotlight? 

Let me start with all of the reasons it is a great novel. First off, Fitzgerald does a great job with his use of figurative language. As a reader, I am able to picture every scene in the book through his descriptive words. This also helped the novel be turned into a movie not once but twice. Second, Fitzgerald wrote Nick Carraway as the perfect unreliable narrator. Throughout the whole novel, it is up for interpretation by the reader whether everything we are reading is true or if it is being filtered through Nick’s mind. The characters are also extremely well-written. I feel as if they are real-life characters and actually grow an attachment to them throughout the novel. Jay Gatsby’s character comes across as a hopeless romantic who would do anything to get the woman he loves, including dying. Nick Carraway comes across as a true friend who would stick up for anyone. Daisy comes across as a hopeless fool who does not truly know what she wants in life. All the characters’ points are able to be read easily, which I think, in turn, makes The Great Gatsby an amazing novel.

On the other hand, there are some downsides to the novel. For example, it is rushed. The book, in all, is only nine chapters. The first two chapters are slow. We are getting to know a little of Nick’s backstory and meeting Tom, Daisy, and Jordan. We don’t even meet Gatsby till chapter three, and he is dead by chapter eight. That means that he and Daisy reunite, they get together, and Tom finds out what happens in just five chapters. 

Another downside is we don’t get a happy ending. Most romance novels end with the couple getting together, but in this case, they definitely don’t. We start to fall in love with Gatsby and Daisy as a couple after we see everything he has done to get her back and how badly she is treated by Tom. Gatsby would’ve done anything for Daisy, but by the end of the novel, we see that is not reciprocated as Daisy lets Gatsby take the blame for her killing Myrtle which ultimately ends in his death. As a romantic myself, I think the novel would have been better if Gatsby and Daisy had ended up together. 
While there is no right answer to whether The Great Gatsby is “Trash or Gas,” it is still a classic novel that everyone should read at least once in their life. You will thank me later.

Dinner Party, Pinterest, Accessed October 1, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/18788523439193389/