Utchel 1

Sarah Utchel
Mr. Ozias
1st hour
English 12
8 December 2014
The Great Gatsby, an Autobiography?

The Great Gatsby was written in 1923 by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was published in 1925

by Charles Scribners Sons. Even though the book is about a man named Jay Gatsby, the book is
narrated by the character Nick Carraway. The story is told by Carraways point of view and on
what observes. The setting of the story is in two fictional towns named East Egg and West Egg
both located in New York. East Egg is made up of people that came from old money. West
Egg is known for the newly rich people. The tale takes place in the summer of 1922. There
are several themes throughout the book. One theme is the differences in the social classes of the
wealthy. Another theme is the decline of the American dream. The theme of lies and deceit is
also seen throughout the book. The 1920s were a time of wealth and growth for the United
States, but it was also a time of corruption and crime. Fitzgerald showed his readers a glimpse of
the post-war life in the United States known as the Jazz Age. Many of the events in the book The
Great Gatsby follow the real life drama of Fitzgerald leading the public to believe it may have
been an autobiography.
F. Scott Fitzgerald was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. Fitzgerald was smart, but
was sent to boarding school because he was doing poorly in school. Just an average student he
somehow was able to get accepted at Princeton but later quit. After quitting Princeton,

Utchel 2

Fitzgerald enlisted in the army just when World War I was wrapping up. Fitzgerald worked his
way up to second lieutenant and was stationed in Montgomery, Alabama. He met a girl named
Zelda Sayre and they fell in love the only problem was that Zelda would not marry him until he
was wealthy for her needs. After Fitzgerald published the book This Side of Paradise in 1920, he
became a well known author and had earned enough money and recognition to persuade Zelda to
marry him. After rising to fame and marrying Zelda, Fitzgerald began throwing parties
extravagant parties to please his wife. During this time Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby but it
was not as successful as he hoped. After the excitement of the 1920s Jazz Age came the sadness
of the approaching Great Depression. Zelda Fitzgerald had a nervous breakdown and was
committed to an institution. Meanwhile Fitzgerald was battling alcoholism and his writing
suffered. Although his book were not selling well he managed to make enough money selling
short stories. While writing his last book, The Love of the Last Tycoon, Fitzgerald suffered a
heart attack and died at the age of forty four.
The book The Great Gatsby leading character, Jay Gatsby, was born and raised on a farm
in North Dakota. Gatsby attended St. Olaf College in Minnesota but almost immediately
dropped out. His family was not wealthy and he had to pay for his college by being a janitor.
Gatsby despised being poor and hated everything about poverty. After quitting college, Gatsby
enrolled in the army in 1917. While in training for the war, Jay Gatsby met and fell in love
wealthy girl named Daisy Fay. Daisy from old money and was later described by Gatsby to Nick
Carraway as Her voice is full of money meaning Daisy was born into money and was not new
money( Fitzgerald 120). Gatsby went off to war and later attended Trinity College in Oxford.
Gatsby often bragged of a time at Oxford. He was quoted as saying Heres another thing I

Utchel 3

always carry. A souvenir of Oxford days. It was taken in Trinity Quad - the man on my left is
now the Earl of Dorcaster.(Fitzgerald 67) Gatsby also bragged about his time at Oxford while
talking and clearly lying to Nick Carraway saying I am the son of a some wealthy people in the
Middle West-all dead now. I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford, because all my
ancestors have been educated there for many years. It is a family tradition.(Fitzgerald 65)
During his time in Oxford, Daisy married a wealthy man named Tom Buchanan. After hearing
the news of the wedding Gatsby devoted his life to becoming a prominent, wealthy man to try to
win Daisys love back. Gatsby quit Trinity College and headed to New York. He was willing to
do anything, including criminal activity, to win Daisy again. Making a fortune in illegal
activities, Gatsby moved to West Egg in a huge mansion. He moved specifically to this mansion
because it was directly across the water from Daisys house in East Egg. In a conversation
between Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker it was brought to the readers attention that Gatsby
moved into that mansion on purpose. Nick was quoted as saying, It was a strange coincidence.
Jordan replied, But it wasnt a coincidence at all. Nick asked Why not and Jordan replied
Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay(Fitzgerald 78). Gatsby
threw extravagant parties in hopes that Daisy would attend. Because Daisy never attended his
parties Gatsby had to come up with another way of reuniting with her. Gatsby asked his new
neighbor Nick Carraway a cousin of Daisys to invite her over for tea. After being reuniting
Daisy and Gatsby begin an affair. When the affair becomes known, arguing between Tom,
Daisys husband and Gatsby. Eventually Daisy and Gatsby leave and head home. Daisy is
driving and accidentally kills a women who just happens to be Toms girlfriend Myrtle. This is
when chaos breaks out and trouble arises. Eventually, Myrtles husband George Wilson, tracks

Utchel 4

down the owner of the vehicle that killed his wife. Wilson believes that Gatsby ran over and
killed his wife. Not knowing that Daisy was driving, Wilson kills Gatsby and then himself. Nick
Carraway later confronted Tom Buchanan about the killing. Carraway asked Buchanan what he
had told Wilson about the accident. Buchanan said, I told him the truth. He came to the door
while we were getting ready to leave, and when I sent down word that we werent in he tried to
force his way upstairs. He was crazy enough to kill me if I hadnt told him who owned the
car.(Fitzgerald 178)
Many people have often wondered if F. Scott Fitzgerald was writing about himself when
he wrote The Great Gatsby. There were so many similarities between Fitzgerald and the central
character Jay Gatsby. Both men were born in the midwest and came from a poor background.
Fitzgerald and Gatsby both quit prestigious colleges and enlisted in the army during World War I.
They both fell in love with young rich debutantes who rejected them until they made their fame
and fortune. One of the main similarities is the obsessed love the men have for their woman for
Zelda and Daisy. It is almost unhealthy on how hung up Gatsby and Fitzgerald were on their
relationships. Even though both women had many flaws, the men were devoted to winning their
hearts at all costs. Nick Carraway stated, There must have been moments even afternoon when
Daisy tumbled short of his dreams -- not through her own fault but because of the colossal
vitality of his illusion(Fitzgerald 95).
As similar as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Jay Gatsby were, there were key differences in both
men. The major difference was that Fitzgerald married Zelda after he gained his fame and
fortune. In the book, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby never married Daisy even though he became
rich and famous. Gatsby did have an affair with Daisy, but was killed shortly after. Gatsby

Utchel 5

relationship with Daisy was more one sided. Gatsby was more in love with Daisy than Daisy
was in love with Gatsby. Daisy married another man who was from old money. Fitzgeralds
relationship was similar in that Zelda would only marry a wealthy man, but eventually Zelda
married Fitzgerald where Daisy did not marry Gatsby. Lastly, both men died thinking they were
failures but for different reasons. Fitzgerald died thinking he failed at writing because many of
his books were not popular until after his death. Gatsby died thinking he was a failure because
he never won the love of Daisy.
In the end, Fitzgerald seemed to be telling an autobiography of his life with some fiction
thrown in to make it different than his real life story. Both Fitzgerald and Gatsby wanted similar
things: fame, fortune and to win the woman they loved. They both admired the wealthy and
lavish lifestyles they led but were never truly happy. Fitzgerald was telling his story of the Jazz
Age and all the lies, deceit, and corruption that went along with it. Even though Fitzgerald
became wealthy and famous and eventually won the love of Zelda, he ruined his life with
alcohol. Gatsbys life was also ruined chasing fame, fortune and Daisy. His life ended tragically
by being shot for a crime he did not commit. Looking back Fitzgerald did not realize that he was
writing his own biography before his untimely death.

Utchel 6

Resources:
Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014. <http://www.biography.com/
!

people/f-scott-fitzgerald-9296261#synopsis>.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. N.p.: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925. Print.
!

"Gatsby Unravelled." : Jay Gatsby and F. Scott Fitzgerald: Parallels in Character.

N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014. <http://bekindonline.blogspot.com/2011/10/jay-

gatsby-and-f-scott-fitzgerald.html>.