Dear AP students:
In the Great Gatsby we find our second book--Catcher in the Rye being the first--that uses New York City as a setting. In Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield uses New York City as a place where he undergoes a journey. In the Great Gatsby,the characters venture out of East Egg and West Egg to New York City, or have certain New York City people visit them.
In Chapter 4, we find the narrator saying the following as he and Gatsby head toward New York City...Anything can happen now that we've slid over that bridge," I thought, "anything at all...Even Gatsby could happen, without any particular wonder."
In other parts of the story a number of different things--some very dramatic--occur in New York City. After reviewing those New York City scenes, and the scenes in which New York City people visit East Egg/West Egg, explain what New York City symbolizes in this novel.
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To many people, New York City could mean the beginning of where they can achieve the American Dream. Some of the many teenage-romantic movies' settings are in New York City-- the person comes to New York City to become something (famous), and ends up falling in love with the perfect stranger which leads to this big romantic drama.
I've been to New York City before just the feel of the air and surroundings makes you feel like a star, or someone with a chance at being something great. At night you feel more cautious of your surroundings cause of what you see; people on te street, men who are drunk off their mind, and the littlest happy thoughts crushed at the fear of terror. Which all makes New York City that perfect setting for any movie that has to deal with romance in it. A place where if you get fired from your job you can could snatch one up somewhere else (it's not the best job), but whatever to get you away from the one who broke your heart.
I forgot to say what New York symbolizes in the novel. I believe that it symbolizes the greatest place where you can have the biggest success and falls in your life from finding love to starting a life from nothing but the goal you set yourself.
New york is just a place for adventure and drama.... think about all the great "Drama Plays" , Movies , etc that take place in New York. Its been engraved into our heads that NY is that way. adventure , drama , danger ( 9/11 ) ... seems like NY is the place to be.
it has nothing to do with the american dream.... ( unless ALL mexicans and Indians migrate to New york ) the american dream starts anywhere in america... if such dream exists.
New York city being played as a setting could probably be used as a place where many things people wished for in those days could come true. For example in the 1920's many lived in New York City espcially those with a lot of money and the famous Broadway. It plays an imporatant role because it emphasizes the Gatsby in Gatsby making him a wonderful man and wealthy and one whom many would really like to meet considering that when he throws his party many that go are from New York City. Being well known there is like being famous back then and even now.
Sunny Avila
New York City has a connotation of being an exciting and adventure-filled location. Every movie set in New York City has to do with some kind of journey and revelation. This is also true for Catcher and the Rye and The Great Gatsby. New York City is a completely different environment than anywhere else in America, which provides opportunities for experimentation and vast hopes for the future, as shown in Catcher and the Rye. As Sunny said, New York's Broadway and 'uptown' areas provide an appropriate setting for the 1920s scene.
In this novel, New York symbolizes the greed and the pleasure of money, turning New York into a luxury and spectacle rather than a traditional place like the Midwest (mentioned in the book. Connecting to the East, where the ideas of working hard shows the perfectness of a person and the West, the social decay, in other words, the easy way to be rich. The drastic change of these East characters to the West signify how Americans view how their own, cheating their way up to be rich while others suffer the struggle to work hard to get up.
New York City is more often than not associated with the American Dream, where the dream is corrupted by society and the separation of wealth. It is a setting that presents the potential of unlimited adventure and the rat race propelled towards making money. New York City is a testament to the luxury of life and a city where dreams are relentlessly sought after.
LauraLee Johnson
New York City is one of the most significant cities in the world and its where many peopole go in hopes of achieveing the American Dream. Usually in stories, the big climx will usually take place in New York City. New York also seems to hold all of the drama, romance, and violence in major stories. New York is significant to Gatsby because it is where he ends up making him wealthy and actually a very extradionary man. It shows how New York is the one place to become all u can become.
New York symbolizes the spontaneity of freedom among individuals where "anything can happen." When individuals such as Ms. Wilson, Daisy, Tom, Gatsby, Nick reach New York City, they let their true intentions ring true. For example, Tom takes his secret mistress, Ms. Wilson out to New York where she admits how she should have never married Mr. Wilson because he had no money. Later in the novel, Daisy proclaims her love for Gatsby. Tom, Daisy's husband then gets infuriated and lets loose his anger on Gatsby questioning his illegal bootlegging. As a result, I inferred that New York City symbolized the freedom among individuals to reveal their true intentions.
I don't think that New York represents the American Dream as much as it represents the materialistic ways of our society. In the Great Gatsby, mostly the luxurious parts of New York are mentioned, such as when Mrs. Wilson gives away her dress simply because she is "through with it". It can also represent the corruption of society to achieve wealth, because it is where Tom accuses Gatsby of being a "bootlegger"--a corrupter.
-Kimberly Parra
In City's there are obvious gaps between people. There are personal gaps and economic gaps. Everyone seems to mind their own business and lack personal relationships because the majority of the people you see you will probably never see again. New York seems to be the prime example of city life. People are free to adventure out and do whatever they want because no one is there watching or caring about what you do. There is also the economic gap where you see the booming business workers and one foot away there is a homeless that everyone just passes by. To me it symbolizes the emptiness of the heart and greed when people go to the city only to make money and spend it on useless fads advertised everywhere in cities.
In this novel I feel that New York is a place where options are unlimited. The characters always want to travel there because it is a land of opportunity. Even in today's society New York is look upon as a place of opulence and wonder. New York serves as an escape for the characters in the novel a place free of consequences, that they have to face once they return home. For example, it is not until the journey home from New York that Myrtle is killed.
New York is a different setting than most places because its where great things could happen and it is portrayed as where adventures and such exciting things can happen. In this novel i think New York symbolizes the success and also it symbolizes what can happen to you during that pursuit of success like Gatsby how he started from the bottom and he started doing all this illegal things just to be rich and after all that he's still not happy and wants more and the greediness comes out.
Kevin Mendoza
I think the significance of New York in this novel is that it represents adventure, opportunity, and also emphasizes the status of the wealthy. The main characters are wealthy and of power and look to New York city to do something, to have some fun, a place where they can spend their money.
-Christine De Lara
I think New York symbolizes adventure/opportunity, everyone wants to go to new york because they believe that they will find excatly what they are looking for, usually for wealth because you can find some of the most luxurious thing there and with alot of people there you have many things you can do be it start a buisness or do illegal things.
-Daniel Hernandez
In this novel New York symbolizes opportunity, adventure and excess. The reason for this is that whenever the main characters travel to New York there is always some sort of adventure. It is in New York where Tom takes Nick and Ms. Wilson at the beginning of the novel. When in New York the buy a relatively expensive dog as if it where no trouble and they have a small gathering at Toms apartment where everyone drinks to excess. Then all of the people who visit Gatsby's parties from New York celebrate, drink and eat to excess. It seems in the novel that whenever New York is involved there is either money being thrown around or a vice is occurring. For this reason it can be considered a place of vice and adventure. However it is also said that Nick works as a stock broker in New york. By working with Wall Street Nick has the opportunity to exceed, however he also runs the risk of being sucked into the excess and adventure.
To some, New York city can be the gateway to becoming successful and becoming one step closer to achieving the American Dream. Since this story deals with finding love and becoming rich I think New York City is the perfect setting only because many love movies are based in NYC and New York is thought to be one of the high end states.
Myzel Esguerra
To many, New York City is the place where "anything can happen". it's the place where those without real life intentions go in order to potentially achieve success. well in this novel, its slightly different. not only do those who go to this city, or receive visitors from it but others are effected by its negative qualities. The city is used as an escape from the areas of East and West eggs, and also the habitat for corrupt behavior. The affairs of Tom and his secret lover, Ms. Wilson, take place in this City. so to conclude my thoughts, this city is a symbol of the negatives that must take place in order to achieve that "American dream"
New York symbolizes the possibilities and opportunities that are out in the world. New York symbolizes the "big" city where everything is. Where you can find adventure. Also it is a place where you can fall in love.
New York City is a fast pace place where many things can happen at a fast pace. I see it as a city that never sleeps. Something is always going on in the daytime; businesses, hardworking men and women, and people looking for their opportunity of luck. At night the people of new york either get some sleep, go out to parties, or are participating in another type of activity.
Jillian Buenviaje
New York is where the excitement is. New York is one of the greatest places for night activities. In the day its hustle and bustle but when the night comes its a time for fun and lights. Its not hard to imagine 1920's New York City and the luxary but danger associated with it: the parties, bootlegging, fashion, crime. New York City in the book literally symbolizes as it says where anything could happen. A sense of uncertainty and surprises.
New York city is place where social classes are very distinct. At the time of World War 1 it was a huge immigration location for many people seeking the American Dream.
This American dream has been surrounded with the thought of wealth and in New York wealth was such an important role in determining your popularity. Gatsby had this idea that if he gained enough popularity by use of wealth then he can gain the approval of Daisy. When fighting for popularity, people are always seeking the approval of others even if they don't know them.
For example, when Gatsby hold's parties, he doesn't care who comes in, just that they acknowledge his wealth and consider him popular.
New York City is a great setting for any type of entertainment. There is a lot of oppurtunities and a lot of failures. It is a great city to visit and good for a setting.
-Cobrin Humphery
the setting of new york city place an important role on showing the adventure and events that would happened on the wealthy fellows of the story on where hectic and drama is displayed quite well
Imran S. Hoque
New York City is one of the world's most famous cities, definitely one of the United States most recognized places, and a symbol for opportunity. Back when immigrants came to the U.S they passed through Ellis Island and saw the Statue of Liberty. The Big Apple is seen by many as a great place to come in search of a good life and a possible fulfillment of the American Dream.
"Anything can happen." This is a pretty big statement and it fits perfectly with the idea that New York is a place where anything is possible; in various books and movies characters end up going to New York because so many ways of life are possible and accepted there.
When I think about New York, I think of adventure, high fashion, Broadway and city dwellings. In the Great Gatsby, New York symbolizes a place of great adventure. A place where anything can happen, especially in the instance with Nick and Gatsby. It also can be a symbol of wealth. High fashion and Broadway can be a form of a privilege to many people. So New York can be symbolized as wealth here for Nick and Gatsby because its like they can go to New York and have those same advantages.
New York City is a place of opportunity and high hopes. People usually go to New York City to follow a dream of theirs. This is appropriate because the book is all about the American Dream. New York City is also a place of adventure.
New York city symbolizes opportunity, New York is where Daisy proclaims her love for Gatsby, also where Ms. Wilson shares her mistake in marrying Mr. Wilson to Tom. Its also a city of adventure.
New York city symbolizes the unknown and unlimited potential. Unlimited potential for either disaster or success. It symbolizes corruption and two faced individuals in their rise to wealth and fame. Those who come to the parties put on a very bliss front, but at the end their true colors come out and you notice that they're not living in domestic bliss. It represents phoniness, it's beautiful from a distance, but when you get into its interior it is dangerous and can be a horrid environment. New York city can be, at times, simply a mirage.
Josh Rodriguez
New York is a symbol of mystery and adventure in this story. Many of the aspects of this story relate to the American Dream and New York is a major devleopment of the American Dream. Nick says that New York is adventours and racy twoi words that have completly differnent meanings. I feel that the setting of New York means differnent things for differnet people. It can stand for oppurtunity as well as gree and capitalism. It all steems from the presepctive of a certain charcter.
New York City symbolizes opportunity. It is a place where great things can be achieved. However, the city also symbolizes greed because people like Wolfshiem and Gatsby do whatever is neccessary to come out on top. It is a power hungry city. There are many opportunities to become successful and wealthy, but others take it a step further and become lost in it, doing unethical things so long as it means they will be dominant. It is a city. It is full of people, parties, fun, jobs, and crimes, just as any other big city is.
New York is rude, at least that's how I view it. I was there and there was no real proper conduct, there just wasn't time. The wealthy in this book made me think of that, they didn't have time to move in another circle, and why would you want to put the effort fourth in the first place? It is an area with enough opportunities to fulfill the American dream, but it comes with a cost. You lose your sense of decency, and the empathy for your fellow man.
New York City can symbolize the wealthy and materialistic aspects of people in American society. The people represeneted in this book are the people who are always having luxiourious parties, the people who want money and the people just looking for somewhere to "make it." It's all about the clothes you wear, the car you drive and the parites you have. Jay Gatsby and Daisy are the prime examples of this in the book.
-Dominique Rillo
When I first think of New York City I think of high fashion, wealth, and epically opportunities. Opportunities for anything and possibly everything! In both stories the setting is a very important factor to the story because it allows the characters to have a real journey and adventure. Where they are on there own searching for a new home, coming across many obstacles, and new characters.
- Ciara Santos
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