Q3 Research Essay/Paragraph Topics for The Great Gatsby
LMC Research days start March 16th---have a topic ready
1. “Wealth destroys even as it creates”, writes Roger Lewis in an essay about The Great Gatsby.
What part does the desire for wealth and the materialism/consumerism it fosters, play in
Fitzgerald’s story? Compare the attitudes toward wealth in the 1920’s to the materialism and
greed characterized by the “Me Generation” of the 1980’s. Include possible causes and
outcomes of each era.
2. In The Great Gatsby there are many references to illegal activities, World Series fixing,
bootlegging, police complicity in crime. Research criminal activity in the 1920’s, including
speakeasies, the Teapot Dome scandal (and others under the Harding Administration) and The
Valentine’s Day Massacre. What were some possible catalysts that promoted white collar and
organized crime to flourish?
3. Between 1920 and 1929, automobile registration rose from eight million to twenty-three
million. What effects have automobiles had on the lives and attitudes of American people?
Address issues such as mobility, pollution (compare to pollution of horse powered vehicles),
industry, roads, affordability, etc. And finally, discuss the symbolism of the automobile and how
it is used, in The Great Gatsby.
4. One theme of The Great Gatsby is established society vs. the social newcomer and the
delineation between “old” and “new” money. Immigrants began coming to the United States in
large numbers after World War I. Research the history of immigration, especially in the 1920s.
How did the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the Immigration Act of 1924 characterize a new
“Era of Restriction”? From your research, what would you say prompted these changes in
immigration law? Compare the attitudes towards ‘newcomers’ in the story to those of the U.S.
at that time.
5. For the most part, Fitzgerald paints his women as being maintained by men who work, in The
Great Gatsby. But women were becoming emancipated in many ways in the 1920s. The
Nineteenth Amendment was made effective in 1920. Trace the history of the women’s suffrage
movement. What arguments were made for against women’s suffrage? Were any of these
ideals/worries realized? How has the woman’s right to vote changed the United States? Were
any of the Gatsby women “emancipated” in any way? Explain.
6. In 1899 Thorstein Veblen published his book, The Theory of the Leisure Class which espoused the
belief that, “because the leisure class is sheltered from pressures of subsistence, its members
have no urgency to change and so retain their old habits of living.” He also coined the terms,
“conspicuous consumption” and “conspicuous leisure.” Give an overview of Veblen’s rationale
for his theory and illustrate how it is reflected in the essence of the 1920s and specifically in
characters’ attitudes in The Great Gatsby.
7.
Leisure time in the 1920s promoted the growth of professional sports. It has been called the
“Golden Age of Sports” and the “Golden Age of Spectators”. Polo, golf and baseball are
highlighted in The Great Gatsby, and are tainted by cheating in some way. What
accomplishments were made in sport in the twenties? Who were involved in these
accomplishments? What scandals occurred? Were minorities and women included in this
“Golden Age of Sports? Why do think Fitzgerald included those sports in this story?
8. Discuss and research modernity (railroads, cars, jazz, billboard and magazine advertising,
“disaster” journalism etc.) and analyze its role in establishing and developing a key theme in The
Great Gatsby. Think about the different meanings and connotations of modern items such as
automobiles (speed, danger, mobility) then analyze the way the text engages these ideas as a
part of its larger symbolic engagement.
9. Write an essay that analyzes the role of gender in The Great Gatsby. How are the traditional
gender codes blurred or inverted, on some level, in the novel? Think about Jordan Baker, Daisy
Buchanan, Myrtle and George Wilson, Jay Gatsby, and Nick Carraway. Look for places in the
novel where gender rebellion or gender confusion is revealed, either through implied meaning
or through Nick’s perspective.
10. How do all or some of the characters/events in The Great Gatsby represent the disillusion and
cynicism that followed WWI?
11. Analyze and evaluate the accepted social and moral behaviour exhibited by the wealthy people
in the novel? What was Fitzgerald criticizing? In what ways do you see the same behaviours
being exhibited by the wealthy people in today’s society?
12. How does The Great Gatsby capture the essence of the 1920s?
13. Analyze and discuss one of the themes that we have discussed in class and its relation to the
book as a whole:
-The American Dream and the reality of it as seen through the novel and the 1920s
-The corruption of the American Dream---how its idealism has been replaced by materialism and greed.
-The corruptive nature of wealth and power
-Social status
-Dishonesty
-Other ideas….