Committee Chair

Shaheen, Aaron

Committee Member

Hampton, Bryan Adams; Stuart, Christopher J.

Department

Dept. of English

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

This thesis is about the way humans cope with death through the lens of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby in the wake of war. The thesis contains three chapters all of which work in succession to build a picture of various characters’ death denial. Chapter 2 considers how Nick’s narrative is an attempt to deny death through the ritual of mourning. Chapter 3 analyzes wealth in the novel and its role in striving for immortality. Gatsby transcends the limits of an ordinary life with his interest in opulence, while Nick’s wealth provides a level of privilege that allows for his avoidance of hardship. Chapter 4 examines the novel’s three main female characters: Jordan, Daisy, and Myrtle. The primary goal of this thesis is to demonstrate how the text of Gatsby serves as a piece of meta-fiction that functions in concert with its characters to transcend the limitations of mortality.

Acknowledgments

This thesis is for my mother, Lesa Lynn Talley.

Degree

M. A.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts.

Date

5-2023

Subject

Death--Psychological aspects; Fiction--Technique

Name

Fitzgerald, F. Scott (Francis Scott), 1896-1940. Great Gatsby; Fitzgerald, F. Scott (Francis Scott), 1896-1940--Criticism and interpretation

Keyword

Great Gatsby; death; Freud; Nick Carraway; Pearl James

Document Type

Masters theses

DCMI Type

Text

Extent

v, 55 leaves

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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