Essay | Disconcerting Decadence in The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is the story of Jay Gatsby, a man in his late twenties who earns his fabulous wealth through shady business dealings. Since becoming enamored by her over five years ago, Gatsby has never stopped pursuing Daisy Buchanan, a "golden girl" who enjoys luxury and is married to Tom Buchanan. Hoping that Daisy will take him back after originally rejecting him for his lack of wealth, Gatsby flaunts the riches he has come to earn by throwing wild weekend parties throughout the summer, which are attended by people whom he hardly knows. It is at one of these parties that the narrator of the novel, Nick Carraway, a relative of Daisy and colleague of Tom, meets Gatsby. During a particular "party scene," Nick describes the extravagance of various aspects of the party at Gatsby's West Egg mansion. These descriptions reveal how beneath the apparent glamour...
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