The Great Gatsby- death and ghosts

Anyone know ANYTHING about the theme of death and ghosts in The Great Gatsby. I really gotta write the essay and have no idea what to do!
Please help.
Thanks.

Reply 1

ebonyphoenix

1

noofruit

Anyone know ANYTHING about the theme of death and ghosts in The Great Gatsby. I really gotta write the essay and have no idea what to do!
Please help.
Thanks.

Seriously, are there ghosts in the Great Gatsby? I don't remember a translucent Gatsby coming back to haunt Tom and Daisy, but maybe I missed this finer point of the reading?

Anyway, all I can offer you to talk about how death in the Great Gatsby is related to greed, wealth, and corruption of the American Dream. What is it ... doesn't Nick say something about how Tom and Daisy are careless people and that's why Gatsby dies? And Myrtle is killed because of greed and jealousy? Wow... I seriously can't remember anything about the plot. But anyway talk about how 1920's society causes all this corruption and death.

Have you tried www.sparknotes.com?

Reply 2

~nat~

1

I can only make a quick post, but hope it sparks some ideas of your own!

I'd definitely relate your essay to the American Dream - the ghosts of killed characters don't go floating around in the novel, but immediately talk of what the Dream embodies (google it if you don't know) and how Fitzgerald stresses its decline and elusive presence within NY society - mention the juxtaposition of the Valley of Ashes (where 'ash grey' men such as George Wilson are of a 'ghostly' existence in their poverty and how they exist in the literal waste of the higher society of New York) with the rich upper classes. Meanwhile, the 'death' of the Dream can be arguably seen in such a higher society - the lavish life of the rich are purely materialistic - look at the descriptions of Gatsby's parties for inspiration. I suppose ghosts also exist in the fact that characters, in particular Gatsby and Daisy, are haunted by their past.... perhaps explore this in your essay? Also relate the deaths that occur in the novel to your essay and what they in themselves symbolise.

Hoep this helps a bit :smile:

Reply 3

Dragonshorts

OP

1

yes, thank you :smile:

Reply 4

silence

16

chapter one or two (can't remember), when nick visits tom and daisy, the two women are floating around... you could say in a ghostly manner? alos, that pale car mechanic looks quite ghostly i suppose.

and still thinking of "ghost" in an abstract sense, you could look at dr. t.j.eckleburg (who not only had the appearance of t.s. eliot with those glasses, but the names sound very alike.

on the other hand, when murtle (sp) is run over, her dead body is described in far from a spiritual or ghostly way. it's very vividly graphic and almost matter of fact.

Reply 5

~nat~

1

silence

chapter one or two (can't remember), when nick visits tom and daisy, the two women are floating around... you could say in a ghostly manner? alos, that pale car mechanic looks quite ghostly i suppose.

Very much so. Talk about how Daisy and Jordan appear to be floating in their white dresses in a very leisured manneron the white sofa, carried by the wind. The breezy element is constantly associated with Daisy, maybe pick a few examples from throughout the novel to support this point.

The Great Gatsby- death and ghosts

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