AnnaMarie Pyne
Mr. Jennings
HON AP ENG LANG & COMP
25 February 2015
Oxymoron in the Great Gatsby
In Oxymoron in the Great Gatsby, ITALICCIZE OR PUT QUOTATION MARKS
AROUND TITLES OF ESSAYS, UNDERLINE OR ITALICIZE BOOK TITLES Peter
Hays argues that there are compelling paradoxes throughout The Great Gatsby, which
are represented by the use of oxymorons. Hay credits Gatsby as the symbol of the
elusive American dream because Gatsby embodies the contradictory qualities of our
country. As a whole, the people in the Great Gatsby tend to spend money just to make
themselves look good in the eyes of their peers. In this article, Hays establishes the
motives of the characters and how their actions are symbolic of society, and how they
deal with their struggles and internal conflicts. Fitzgerald recognized the prevalence of
how contradictory our society is, especially in the 1920s, and as a result, she
demonstrated how the people from the book can symbolize certain characteristics of
people in real life. The notion of Gatsby as a paradox comes from the idea that with
hard work one can accomplish anything and that America is a classless society.
During the 1920s many people believed in meritocracy, which was a social
system that recognized social status based upon wealth. Hays wanted to demonstrate
the importance of meritocracy during the 1920s, which is shown most prominently
through Jay Gatsby. He believes that since he has money he can close the social gap
that separates him from other people. From Gatsby's perspective, Daisy is perfect. “The
unreality of reality” (Hays). This shows that reality can truly seem to be an illusion and
that appearances can be deceiving; he realizes that even the prettiest and richest are
capable of horrible actions. An example of this is shown through Daisy. Although a
beloved character, she ?DAISY? was hit by a bystander. ?--> HAYS QUOTING HAYS?-> “Hays and many others credit Fitzgerald with perfectly portraying the American
Dream, with its paradoxes, oxymorons, and the ideals that many strive for that are so
far off from reality." It's apparent that he believes that oxymorons and paradoxes are
imperative in presenting the tone of the novel, and I completely agree. For example,
although Gatsby's library has tons of books, none of them have been opened.
DEVELOP YOUR RESPONSE MORE HERE
Although I completely agree with Hay's representation of Gatsby, I think that Nick
is not as obsessive about money as the others. “Nick, too, has his doubleness...and a
belief that qualifies Nick very much as a snob” (Hays). I feel as though this is an
inaccurate representation of Nick because he lives in a normal house with a normal job.
He is brought into all this madness because Daisy is his cousin. If he had a choice, I
feel as though he wouldn't have been involved. WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THIS?
Hay's establishes the idea that Nick is another prime contradiction in the book. Although
it mentions that he talks poorly of others, and does what he hates, I don't think that this
is the case. Nick did what he thought was the best for his friendship with Gatsby. For
example, he tried to please Daisy's visit with Gatsby, but not everything turned out right.
He tries to live up to other people's expectations I believe that is why he runs into so
many conflicts because he tries to bear the burden of many people.
I believe he changes throughout the book as a person because Nick initially
showed that he wasn’t as appreciative as he is at the end. “All the people in this world
haven’t had the advantages you’ve had” (Fitzgerald 5). Although pretty straight forward,
I think that he interpreted it differently. Nick believed that he was lucky that he was born
into a rich family. As the book goes on, Nick grows as a character. Nick starts to show a
lot of maturity when he says, “I’m five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor”
(Fitzgerald 177). He starts to realize that people can be happy without money, and that
money doesn’t buy happiness. I think he really noticed this when no one showed up to
Gatsby’s funeral. Nick was furious when not even Mr. Wolfsheim would attend the
funeral. Although their aspirations were within their grasps, no one got what they
wanted. This just proves that just because you have money, it doesn't necessarily get
what you want. Rather, it could lead to one's downfall if used unreasonably.
TIE THIS LAST PARAGRAPH BACK INTO HAYS’ CLAIM ABOUT NICK.
ANNA: Strong critical reading of a complex work of literary criticism. Your
response hinges on disagreeing with Hays’ claim about how oxymoron
characterizes Nick. To fully engage this argument, bring Hays’ evidence and
show how additional evidence undermines or counters his claim. This can be the
bulk of your response but if so make sure to directly show how your evidence
interacts with Hays’ evidence and make the claim your evidence is stronger. You
can concede Hays’ analysis of Nick is accurate while showing how other
evidence complicates it or how Hays’ analysis of the evidence he presents is
lacking but you’ll want to claim directly which is true. See me if you have further
questions about revision.
Works Cited
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925. Print.
Hays, Peter L. "Oxymoron in "The Great Gatsby." Papers on language & literature: PLL..
Edwardsville, Ill.: Southern Illinois University, 1966. 318-325. Print.
"Oxymoron in "The Great Gatsby."." EBSCO. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=65999945&site=eho
st-live">Oxymoron in "The Great Gatsby.">.