About The CoverThere are various elements on our book cover that are relevant to the story. The blue background eludes to the infamous billboard in the "City of Ashes" in the book. There is a heart and within in it is a picture of Gatsby's house. This represents the love that Gatsby had for Daisy that he put into all of his life decisions, including that of the way his house looked and where it was located. It is also symbolic of the beautiful, albeit short-lived, love story that existed there between Gatsby and Daisy. Most of the plot also centers around his house and events that take place in it. Also included on the cover are various symbols with the names of their respective characters. There is a hand accepting money to represent Gatsby and all of the underhand dealings he made. It's also representative of how giving he can be to those around him. For Myrtle, Tom's mistress, there is a silhouette of young girl with one hand on her hip and her other hand placed flatly in front of her as if expecting some kind of gift or payment. We know that Myrtle, when she was with Tom, acted as if she was much better than she was. Nick is represented by a single briefcase. We know that Nick came to New York to be a business man. Tom is a blank man's face with a mustache. This is representative of his lack of joy or happiness with anything in his life. Daisy is represented by a silhouette of a young woman speaking to a young girl. The woman is Daisy and the child is her daughter. At the very bottom of the cover is a dimmed silhouette of a grand city skyline. This is representative of New York City, the setting of the entire story, as well as the vast opportunities that await any of those who are willing to take the risk.
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Dedication |
Zelda was Fitzgerald's wife. Zelda, Judy, and Daisy all look for "love" interests based on their wealth, fame, and success.
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Exposition |
The story takes place in Long Island, New York in the roaring twenties. This is realistic because it was write after World War I, which makes sense because Gatsby says he was in the war, it was during the Harlem Renaissance, which Tom complains about in the book and movie, and it was right before the stock market crash of '29, so a lot of people were buying up stocks and working for Wall Street. Fitzgerald also wrote the book in the actual twenties.
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