‘The Great Gatsby’ Essay Topics for Students

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The magnum opus of Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, “The Great Gatsby” is a magnificent work that leaves no one indifferent. Every year this novel becomes more consonant with the present times. Young students observe these reflections today and find more and more interesting essay topics on “The Great Gatsby.”

We collected 50 topics which bring student of any discipline new ideas related to this work of literature. Learn how to become passionate about well-known American literature and increase your college achievements.

The Main Ideas of “The Great Gatsby”

“The Great Gatsby,” an opus penned by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was initially published in 1925. The narrative revolves around the life of Jay Gatsby, a well-to-do man who orchestrates grandiose soirees to recapture the heart of his beloved Daisy Buchanan.

The novel’s backdrop is the 1920s, an epoch defined by major societal transformations in America. It dissects several topics, including wealth, influence, romance, and the corrupting force of the American Dream.

A central theme that “The Great Gatsby” expounds upon is that of the American Dream. Gatsby embodies this ideology, having emerged from indigent beginnings and toiled tirelessly to amass a fortune. Nonetheless, the book implies that this pursuit can foster depravity and a lack of contentment.

Moreover, the book highlights love and interpersonal relationships as another prominent theme. Gatsby’s fixation with Daisy drives him to build a make-believe world around her, and the narrative unravels the destructive potency of unreciprocated affection.

Finally, the book critiques the excessive and superficial nature of the affluent class in 1920s America. The personalities within the novel are portrayed as shallow and materialistic, with little interest in individuals outside their social strata.

Points to Include in a Great Gatsby Essay

The Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties

“The Great Gatsby” is a novel that depicts the cultural and social changes in the United States during the 1920s, a period referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties. This time was marked by economic prosperity, social liberation, and artistic experimentation, which are reflected in the novel’s characters, setting, and themes.

The 1920s saw a significant shift towards individualism and hedonism, exemplified in the characters primarily focused on their desires and pleasures. The parties at Gatsby’s mansion highlight the idea of excess and indulgence, which were prevalent in this era.

The Jazz Age was also a time of artistic experimentation and a rejection of traditional values, which is reflected in the novel through Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy, which goes against the societal norms of the time. Jazz music and dance styles are also represented in the novel through the parties at Gatsby’s mansion.

The American Dream

The 1920s was a period of prosperity and consumerism, but this was built on inequality and corruption. The novel portrays the American Dream as both attainable and unattainable, as exemplified by Gatsby, who rose from humble beginnings to become wealthy and successful. However, his pursuit of Daisy reveals the darker side of the American Dream, as he cannot attain the one thing he desires most. On the other hand, the character of Tom Buchanan represents the opposite of the American Dream as he has inherited his wealth and social position and has not had to work for it.

Love and Relationships

“The Great Gatsby” explores various relationships, including romantic love, infidelity, and friendships, which reveal much about the characters and their values. Gatsby’s love for Daisy is the central focus of the novel, but their relationship is ultimately doomed by their different values and the societal expectations of the time. Tom and Daisy’s relationship, on the other hand, is characterized by infidelity and a lack of emotional connection.

The friendship between Nick and Gatsby provides insight into Gatsby’s true character, but Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy ultimately mars their friendship. Love and relationships are portrayed as complex and often fraught with societal expectations and conflicting values in “The Great Gatsby.”

“The Great Gatsby” Psychoanalysis Essay Topics

1. The similarity and difference between Warren Pryor from the cognominal poem by Alden Nowlan and Jay Gatsby from “The Great Gatsby.”
2. The character of Jordan Barker from “The Great Gatsby.” Would she ever change her inquisitive, self-centered, and hypocritical behavior?
3. The theme of prohibition in “The Great Gatsby.”
4. The way A Streetcar Named Desire and “The Great Gatsby” portrayed desire as a destructive feeling.
5. Compare characters from “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “The Great Gatsby.”
6. “Guys vs. Men” by Dave Barry compared with characters of “The Great Gatsby.”
7. How does the motif of solitude develop the novel’s themes?
8. The jealousy motive in “A Separate Peace” and “The Great Gatsby.”
9. What does it mean to be rich and responsible in “The Great Gatsby”?
10. Gatsby’s dream and its impact on the characters.

“The Great Gatsby” Literary Analysis Essay Topics

1. Comparison between “The Great Gatsby” and John Updike’s novel “The Rabbit Run.”
2. Three symbols in “The Great Gatsby”: the books, eyes, and valley of ashes.
3. Differences between “The Great Gatsby” and Charles Dickens’ novel “Great Expectations.”
4. The failure of the American Dream in John Steinbeck’s novel “The Grapes of Wrath” and in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.”
5. The theme of the American Dream during the Great Depression in John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.”
6. The description of the Great Depression in the novel “The Great Gatsby.”
7. An analogy between the decadent American Dream and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” with its main character who is destined to be killed.
8. Why “The Great Gatsby” novel is an accurate portrayal of the 1920s regarding the pursuit of the American Dream and corruption.
9. “The Great Gatsby” 2013 edition.
10. The meaning of the valley of ashes in “The Great Gatsby.”

“The Great Gatsby” Research Paper Topics

1. How does “The Great Gatsby” novel relate to the 21st century?
2. If “The Great Gatsby” would be written in a different place, time, language, or for a diverse audience, how might it differ?
3. Is “The Great Gatsby” a real indictment of the importance of money in American culture?
4. Comparison of social class significance during the times of “The Great Gatsby” and today.
5. The roaring ’20s and skyscrapers.
6. Social mobility in “The Great Gatsby.”
7. How do the themes of loneliness and wild lifestyle relate to the literary period when “The Great Gatsby” was written?
8. The gender roles are described in the film “The Great Gatsby.”
9. The impact of the people on Gatsby’s life.
10. How does the film “Atonement” describe social and economic contrast between classes comparing to “The Great Gatsby” film?

Persuasive Essay Topics for “The Great Gatsby”

1. The important ideas of public and private transport in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. What does the author want to say to readers with symbols of trains and cars in the novel?
2. Daisy’s character as a symbol of the American Dream.
3. Jonathan Swift says: “A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart.” How does Swift’s claim relate to the characters from “The Great Gatsby”?
4. How does Fitzgerald’s life relate to his novel “The Great Gatsby”?
5. Cynical and romantic manifestations of characters in “The Great Gatsby.”
6. “The Great Gatsby” is a novel about immortality and privilege.
7. “The Great Gatsby” is an indictment of post-war America, for its attitudes and values.
8. Jay Gatsby is a minor character who serves as a foil to the main character. Analyze the relation between him and Nick in the novel.
9. The superficiality of marriage as presented in “The Great Gatsby” and “Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf.”
10. Unreliable characterizations in “The Great Gatsby” novel.

Argumentative Essay Topics for “The Great Gatsby”

1. What’s better: the book “The Great Gatsby” or Luhrman’s movie?
2. “The Great Gatsby” characters exist in a state of moral confusion.
3. Is Jay Gatsby really a great person?
4. “The Great Gatsby” is a novel about American society that is based on dreams rather than reality.
5. The evidence Jay Gatsby had hamartia.
6. “The Great Gatsby” as an autobiographical novel.
7. Signs of feminism in the jazz age based on “The Great Gatsby.”
8. Is the theme of love described as an ethical or vicious feeling in “The Great Gatsby”?
9. How would the novel “The Great Gatsby” change if it was written in a voice other than Nick’s?
10. The symbol of the house in “The Great Gatsby.”

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