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The Great Gatsby: Jay's Background and His Downfall


Adam Shane
English 11-1
1-28-96

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby did not fit into the
lifestyle of Daisy and her friends. Because of his background, his dreams
were destined to be shattered even before he tried to achieve them. Jay
Gatsby's nouveau riche lifestyle was not of the ways of the old rich.
Jay Gatsby killed James Gatz at the age of seventeen as he boarded Dan
Cody's yacht. It was "...James Gatz who had been loafing along the beach that
afternoon...but it was already Jay Gatsby who borrowed a rowboat...and informed
Cody that a wind might catch him and break him up..." (ch. 4, pp. 98-9). When
he got on the yacht he was forever known as Jay Gatsby. Gatsby thought he left
his past behind him.
James Gatz came from North Dakota. His parents "...were shiftless and
unsuccessful farm people..." (ch. 4, p. 99). Gatsby made his money very
mysteriously, while the rest of the group inherited......

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Approximate Word Count: 335
Approximate Pages: 2 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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