The Great Gatsby :: The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald

"Great Gatsby" is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald which takes place in the early 1900's. This book consists of five main characters, Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, Daisy Buchanan, Jay Gatsby and Jordan Baker. When I completed this novel, I came to a conclusion that this is a well - written book. The two main reasons that makes this novel so superior is that Fitzgerald writes from his personal experience and makes good use of his literary elements. Throughout this novel, Fitzgerald's life plays a major part in the scenes and in the story. For example, the conflict in this novel is that Gatsby is trying to get Daisy from Tom, after Daisy turned him down because he wasn't wealthy. Similarly, Fitzgerald and Zelda liked each other, but before they could get married, Fitzgerald needed to earn some money. Obviously, his money came from writing great novels. Another example that portrays Fitzgerald's life in this novel is the vast use of alcohol. In the novel, alcohol is mentioned so often that it changes character's lives. Firstly, Dan Cody, Gatsby's mentor was an alcoholic who died from alcoholism. And secondly, during Gatsby's parties, people were getting drunk (the man in the library saying the books are real!). In Fitzgerald's life, partying and getting drunk was a frequent routine. Coincidentally, Fitzgerald was also an alcoholic who suffered from alcoholism. Not only does Fitzgerald write from his personal experience to enhance his writing, but he also uses good literary elements. Fitzgerald's use of irony and foreshadowing makes his writing so highly - rated. One scene when foreshadowing kicks is when Fitzgerald describes the scene outside the room where Gatsby and Daisy are sitting together. Fitzgerald describes, "Outside the wind was loud and there was a faint flow of thunder along the sound." Thunder is added on purpose; to foreshadow the unstable relationship between Gatsby and Daisy. He uses irony in describing his characters. For example, when Nick goes to Tom's house for the first time and Daisy describes her husband, Tom as being smart and profound. Later on in this novel, we find out how unintelligent Tom is and it takes him great amount of time to figure out that Gatsby and Daisy have something going on.