Hey AI, help me outline The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Certainly! Let’s take a classic work: “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Origin Scene: Young Jay Gatsby falls in love with Daisy, a beautiful and wealthy woman. She represents a world he yearns to be a part of. However, due to his financial situation and social status, he believes he’s not good enough for her.

Protagonist’s Worldview: To be deserving of love and respect, one needs wealth and social status.

Primary Desire: To win back Daisy’s love.

Personal Significance of Desire: Daisy isn’t just a love interest for Gatsby. She’s the embodiment of all his dreams, the symbol of a life he’s always wanted – a life of wealth, luxury, and respect.

Misbelief: If he becomes wealthy and successful, he can recreate the past and win Daisy’s love again.

Unavoidable External Force: Gatsby returns from World War I and discovers Daisy has married Tom Buchanan. He then amasses a great fortune through dubious means and buys a mansion on Long Island, right across the bay from Daisy, to be near her. He throws extravagant parties in hopes she’d attend one.

Story’s Challenge to Misbelief: Despite his immense wealth and social gatherings, Gatsby learns that he cannot recreate the past or buy genuine affection. Daisy’s loyalties lie with her husband Tom, and the world he idolized is shallow and unfulfilling.

Novel Blueprint:

Scene: Gatsby’s Party

• Alpha point: Nick Carraway, the novel’s narrator, is invited to one of Gatsby’s lavish parties.
• Daisy subplot: Gatsby asks Nick to invite Daisy to his next party.
• What happens:
  • Nick attends the party and observes the extravagance.
  • Nick meets Gatsby for the first time.
  • Gatsby expresses interest in seeing Daisy again.
• Why it matters:
  • Nick learns about Gatsby’s mysterious character and his obsession with a past love.
• The consequence:
  • Nick agrees to invite Daisy to a tea.
• The realization:
  • Gatsby is trying to reconnect with a past love, hinting at his ulterior motives for his lifestyle and parties.
• And so?:
  • Gatsby and Daisy reunite at Nick’s place.

Scene: Gatsby and Tom’s Confrontation

• Alpha point: Gatsby confronts Tom about his relationship with Daisy.
• Daisy subplot: Daisy is torn between her love for Gatsby and her commitment to Tom.
• What happens:
  • In a New York City hotel, Gatsby demands that Daisy tell Tom she never loved him.
  • Daisy can’t do it.
  • Tom exposes Gatsby’s dubious means of wealth.
• Why it matters:
  • Gatsby’s dream of being with Daisy starts to shatter.
• The consequence:
  • A devastated Gatsby loses hope as Daisy chooses to stay with Tom.
• The realization:
  • Money and success can’t change the past or make someone love you.
• And so?:
  • Gatsby’s life spirals downward, leading to his tragic end.

AHA! moment:

Scene: Gatsby’s Death

• Alpha point: George Wilson, believing Gatsby killed his wife Myrtle (when it was Daisy driving Gatsby’s car), shoots and kills Gatsby.
• Daisy subplot: Daisy leaves with Tom, abandoning Gatsby even in death.
• What happens:
  • Gatsby dies in his pool.
  • Very few people attend Gatsby’s funeral.
• Why it matters:
  • Gatsby’s life and sacrifices, made for the illusion of a dream, are rendered futile.
• The consequence:
  • Gatsby dies still holding onto his dream, showing the tragedy of his misbelief.
• The realization:
  • The superficiality of the upper class and the hollowness of the American Dream are exposed.
  • Nick loses his faith in the people of the East and returns to the Midwest.
• And so?:
  • The novel concludes with Nick’s reflections on dreams, wealth, and the passage of time.

This is a simple and streamlined blueprint of “The Great Gatsby”, and the book certainly contains more layers and nuances than what’s laid out here. However, the blueprint does help in understanding the novel’s structure in the given format.

What might the author’s underlying motivations or purposes be for writing the novel?

In “The Great Gatsby,” F. Scott Fitzgerald delves deep into the complexities of the American Dream and the human obsession with the past, success, and socio-economic ascension.

Assuming Fitzgerald intended to change how readers think about the American Dream by changing how they feel about it, the most likely changes he intended are:

1. Reevaluation of the American Dream: By painting the opulence and superficiality of the Jazz Age, Fitzgerald evokes feelings of disillusionment and skepticism. Gatsby’s tragic tale forces readers to question whether achieving the American Dream, in the traditional sense of wealth and social status, truly equates to happiness and fulfillment.
2. Reconsideration of Material Success: Gatsby’s vast wealth, extravagant parties, and luxurious lifestyle initially create an image of success and happiness. However, as the story progresses, it’s clear that these material possessions cannot replace genuine human connection or correct past mistakes. The hollowness of Gatsby’s life, despite his riches, evokes feelings of pity and sadness, pushing readers to rethink equating wealth with true happiness.
3. Emphasizing the Power of the Past: Gatsby’s constant yearning to recreate the past evokes feelings of melancholy and longing. This evocation pushes readers to reflect on the impossibility of truly recreating past moments and the pain of being trapped in bygone memories.
4. Exposing the Superficiality of High Society: The stark contrast between Gatsby’s lavish parties and his sparsely attended funeral evokes feelings of disgust and disillusionment. It compels readers to recognize the fleeting and fickle nature of societal acclaim and to challenge their beliefs about the genuineness of high society.

In essence, through the tragic tale of Jay Gatsby, Fitzgerald might have aimed to make readers feel the hollowness and ultimate emptiness of pursuing superficial dreams. By evoking feelings of pity, disillusionment, and melancholy, he challenges the romanticized notion of the American Dream, encouraging readers to value genuine human connections over material success.