157 The Great Gatsby : Best Topics and Examples

Looking for some creative titles for The Great Gatsby essay? There are many themes to explore about this novel. We offer you The Great Gatsby essay examples about symbolism, character analysis, the style of the novel, and many other topics.

📙 The Great Gatsby – Essay Writing Tips

The Great Gatsby, the masterpiece written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, will help you dive into the Roaring Twenties’ wealth atmosphere. This is a story of a millionaire Jay Gatsby and his passion for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan

Your professor may ask you to analyze topics such as decadence, money, American Dream, or symbolism in your The Great Gatsby Essay. But what if you have no idea what to write? Well, below, you can find some tips and essay samples that you may use to compose your papers

Tip #1. Analyze symbolism in The Great Gatsby

First, let’s define what symbolism is. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, symbolism is “practice of using symbols, especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible using visible or sensuous representations.” The Great Gatsby story is full of symbols. And here are just two examples of them:

• The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg painted on a billboard in the Valley of Ashes. You can find a lot of The Great Gatsby essay samples that draw the conclusion that Eckleburg represents God. However, let’s ask a few more questions. Why do these eyes have no mouth or arms, or legs? Does this mean that Eckleburg can only watch people transgressions without any ability to punish them as a God-like entity? Does this billboard mean anything?
• Use of color in Fitzgerald’s story. If you carefully read the novel, you might notice the use of a few colors throughout the book. They are green, gray, gold, and yellow. Think, what do these colors can symbolize and represent these ideas in your paper.

Tip #2. Think about point of view in The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is written in the first-person point of view. Nick Carraway, one of the main characters, tells us about the life and thoughts of Gatsby. In your writing, you can imagine how different the novel would be if it were told in the third-person point of view.

You also can provide some examples if the story was told from Gatsby’s perspective.

Tip #3. Assess how the book relates to the American Dream

If you look through the vast majority The Great Gatsby essay titles, you can find out plenty of samples that address the validity of high society or the social class divide. Gatsby had achieved the American Dream by building his wealth. However, he’s still not satisfied with the shallowness of the upper class and wants something more.

In your paper, you can argue why does one can never attain the American Dream, and why dreamers always want more.

Tip #4. Analyze the characters and their relations

Fitzgerald put each character into the novel for a particular reason. And your job is to analyze what they represent and why they are in the story. For example, Tom represents evil, while Daisy represents innocence. Another aspect you should examine is relationships between Daisy and Gatsby, Tom and Daisy, Nick and Gatsby.

Tip #5. Examine the tone of the novel

When we talk about the tone of the story, we mean how the author describes the events and characters. In your paper, decide what the tone of the novel is and analyze how it affects the readers’ attitude to characters and events.

Now, check The Great Gatsby essay examples below and use the acquired ideas to write your own paper!

🏆 The Great Gatsby Essay Titles – TOP 15

1. Daisy Buchanan: “I Did Love Him Once, but I Loved You, Too”
   Another scene shows Daisy’s immoral behavior when she is in the room with Gatsby, Jordan, and Nick. This view shows Daisy’s lustful side in that she pushes Jordan to do the same and is out […]
2. Analysis of the Shirt Scene in “The Great Gatsby” Film
   Although the shirts mean nothing to Gatsby without Daisy, the audience watches Gatsby’s facial expression display a great deal of empathy and love whenever Daisy seems distressed, especially in this scene when she begins to […]
3. The Great Gatsby Reflection Paper
   Throughout the novel the major character Nick who was the narrator managed to bring out the main themes of the novel as well as developing other characters.
4. The Clock as a Symbol in “The Great Gatsby”
   By incorporating metaphorical elements that allude to the fleeting nature of time, “the Great Gatsby” emphasizes the idea of the futility of life and the inescapability of the past and its mistakes.
5. Tom and Gatsby: Compare and Contrast Essay
   In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald pays attention to the relationships between both Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan and Daisy Buchanan. Scott Fitzgerald’s book is mainly focused on the relationship of Daisy with Gatsby and Tom, […]
6. Silver & Gold: Color Symbolism in The Great Gatsby
   Although the color palette presented in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is rich, the problem of differing social status is most vividly described in the novel through the use of golden and silver colors that stand […]
7. Nick as the Narrator in The Great Gatsby
   Therefore, his connection with the Gatsby’s story is that he is depended upon to serve as the mouthpiece of the older generation as he metaphorically transcends through time to retell the Great Gatsby tale accurately […]
8. American Culture in the Novel “The Great Gatsby”
   In The Great Gatsby, Scott Fitzgerald documents these changes through an in-depth exploration of cultural changes such as the rise in consumerism, materialism, greed for wealth, and the culture of loosening morals in the 1920s […]
9. Autobiographical Elements in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s
   The story is set during the roaring twenties, a period of significant social and cultural change, and it incorporates many of the author’s personal experiences, feelings, and perceptions of the time.
10. The Great Gatsby: Analysis and Feminist Critique
    The feminist critique is an aspect that seeks to explore the topic of men domination in the social, economic, and political sectors.
11. The American Dream in The Great Gatsby
    After spending some time in this neighborhood, Nick finally attends Gatsby’s exuberant parties only to realize that Gatsby organizes these parties to impress Daisy, Nick’s cousin, and wife to Tom.
12. Daisy’s Character Study in “The Great Gatsby”
    The argument is that the author attempts to describe her as a pure and innocent female to ensure that the reader understands the perspective of Jay, but particular aspects of her true identity are revealed […]
13. The Great Gatsby and Winter Dreams by Scott Fitzgerald
    In this analysis, the researcher will try to confirm the argument that the Great Gatsby was a continuation of the Winter Dreams.
14. The Great Gatsby
    All these characteristics of America during 1920 are evident and inherent in the main character, Jay Gatsby, in the novel The Great Gatsby. This is one of the themes in the novel The Great Gatsby.
15. Time as a Theme in The Great Gatsby
    The embodiment of these negative aspects comes in the form of Gatsby and his life, which in the end is seen as hollow and empty, just as the morals and values of the characters seen […]

👍 Interesting Topics to Write about The Great Gatsby

1. ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ Literature Comparison
   Stella is a devoted wife struggling to make her marriage work, even though her husband Stanley, subjects her to a lot of pain and suffering.
2. Gatsby & Nick in The Great Gatsby
   The Great Gatsby is a novel of vibrant characters, and paradox is one of the main themes of the book. Even though Daisy and Tom are married, Nick agrees to help Gatsby be with the […]
3. Fairy Tale Traits in The Great Gatsby
   Basing on the several evident parameters, for instance, the character traits, the behavior of prince and princess, and gender distinctions amongst others, Fitzgerald’s masterwork stands out as a variation and sophisticated version of the fairy […]
4. “The Great Gatsby” Film by Baz Luhrmann
   The Great Gatsby is a film that stars Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, and the Southern Belle Daisy. The influence of the past comes out throughout the course of the film.
5. Why is Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby a Satire?
   Another aspect of satire in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is the wealth associated with Gatsby, as the reader observes in chapter two.
6. Female Characters in A Streetcar Named Desire & The Great Gatsby: Comparative
   It can be seen in the case of Stella and Daisy wherein in their pursuit of what they think is their “ideal” love, they are, in fact, pursuing nothing more than a false ideal that […]
7. The Corrupted American Dream and Its Significance in “The Great Gatsby”
   The development of the American dream and its impact on the society of the United States is a pertinent topic of discussion for various authors.
8. Women’s Role in “The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald
   Though the women in the novel are depicted as careless, treacherous, and selfish, the author uses them to underscore the power of the will to rebel against societal norms in pursuit of happiness.
9. Tom and George in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
   At the same time, the motives of Tom and George’s behavior differ due to their backgrounds, origins, and belonging to different social classes.
10. Jay Gatsby: The Great Fool or the Unfortunate Genius
    The main idea of the work is to show the unfairness of the fate of a poor young man who cannot marry the girl he loves.
11. “The Great Gatsby” by Scott Fitzgerald
    Who will take care of the dead creatures seems not to be in Tom’s order of what to bother him and together with the wife is comfortable enjoying their wealth while the creatures are rotting […]
12. Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’, Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ and the American Dream
    “The America Dream’ is a longstanding common belief of the American population that in the United States, people are free to realize the full potential of their labor and their talents and every person in […]
13. Babylon Revisited & The Great Gatsby: Motifs & Themes
    When he pleads his case to the guardians of Honoria, his sister-in-law Marion, and her husband, he continually evades his escapades of the past and recounts his hard work and sincerity of the present.
14. Jay Gatsby and Valjean in ‘Les Miserables’: Comparative
    Valjean’s life contains a series of misfortunes in the sense that he has to hide his true identity. Most of the people in his life were there just for convenience and for the fact that […]
15. Fitzgerald’s American Dream in The Great Gatsby & Winter Dreams
    To my mind, Winter Dream is a perfect example of the American Dream, since the main hero, Dexter, implemented each point of it, he was persistent and very hard-working, he was a very sensible and […]
16. Characters in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” and Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”
    The author presents challenges faced in the society as a result of the mixture racial and gender discrimination that a young black girl goes through in search of her dream and personal identity.
17. The Idea of Love in The Great Gatsby and the Parallels or Contrasts That Can Be Drawn With the Presentation of Love in The Catcher in the Rye
    Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Jerome Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, it is possible to state that the notion of love is presented there similarly even though the texts are absolutely different and […]
18. The Dilemmas of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby
    The Great Gatsby is a story of a young man in the early twentieth century who seems to know what he wants in the way of that dream and what to do to achieve it.
19. Architecture in “The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald
    From this perspective, the case of Gatsby’s mansion is a symbolic call for leaving behind the anachronistic ideas of aristocracy and embracing American ideals.
20. The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald Review
    Gatsby’s dream to become wealthy to gain Daisy’s attention “is simply believable and is still a common dream of the current time”. However, Gatsby is the story’s main character and is a “personification” of the […]
21. Fertile Questions: “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
    The two fertile questions arising from the novel are: what are political and economic impacts of the World War I? and what are the challenges faced by American students born from poor families post-World War […]
22. “The Great Gatsby”: The American Dream in the Jazz Age
    The Jazz Age is a period in the history of the United States of America from the end of World War I to the beginning of the Great Depression due to the remarkable popularity of […]
23. “The Great Gatsby Directed” by Baz Luhrmann
    This is due to the fact that the film is an indirect adaptation of Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald’s book “The Great Gatsby”.

🍸 Catchy Essay Topics for The Great Gatsby

1. Novel Analysis: The Great Gatsby and Siddhartha
   Hesse’s Siddhartha seems complementary to The Great Gatsby as Brahman, the main role in Siddhartha, finds contentment in self-realization and not in money, sensuality, and love.
2. Greene’s “Our Man in Havana” and “The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald
   It is imperative to realize that the purpose of the paper is not to carry out a critical analysis of the plays but to carry out a comparison of the attributes in which they relate […]
3. What Money Cannot Buy: ‘The Great Gatsby’ Book by F. S. Fitzgerald
   The Great Gatsby is a book that unveils the instrumental role of the social aspect of life among people; which not only concentrates on the economic part of it.
4. “The Great Gatsby” by Baz Luhrmann
   The filmmakers never stop depicting Gatsby’s wealth and his otherness. He throws money around and he is a topic of heated debates in the society.
5. First-Person Narrative in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” Joyce’s “The Boarding House,” Bowen’s “The Demon Lover”
   In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Joyce’s short story “The Boarding House,” and the Scottish poem The Demon Lover, the first-person narrative is used differently to achieve the authors’ objectives and create a comprehensive picture of […]
6. First-Person Narrative in Bowen’s ”The Demon Lover,” Updike’s ”A&P,” Fitzgerald’s ”The Great Gatsby”
   In this work, the unworked, repressed experience of the First World War is personified and embodied in the image of the ghost of a person who died in this war.
7. “The Great Gatsby” by Fitzgerald: Betrayal, Romance, Social Politics and Feminism
   This work seeks to outline the role of women in the development of the plot of the book and in relation to the social issues affecting women in contemporary society.
8. Jay Gatsby, Jean Valjean and Henry Fleming: The Compare and Contrast Analyses of the Characters
   The way the characters of the main protagonists are revealed in the novel is one of the most important things in every piece of literature.
9. Alvarez’ “In the Time of the Butterflies” & Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”
   The shallowness, the injustice, the strive for wealth and power, brutality, and greed are the common themes, developed and explored in the books by Julia Alvarez “In the Time of The Butterflies” and by F.
10. “The Great Gatsby” Novel by Francis Scott Fitzgerald
    However, what the reader should acknowledge is that the author manages to present a wholesome and clear image of the issues and occurrences that defined the United States throughout the 1920s.
11. The Great Gatsby’ by Scott Fitzgerald Literature Analysis
    This is one of the details that can be identified. This is one of the issues that can be singled out.
12. Political Satire in American Literature
    Scott Fitzgerald was one of the more famous satirists of the time, particularly in his production of the work The Great Gatsby.
13. The Great Gatsby – Love, Wealth, and Illusion
    In the novel, the fictional village of West Egg is perhaps one of the key items that symbolize the life of the new millionaires in the city.
14. ‘The Great Gatsby’: Tom and Blanche
    Like Tom, Blanche in the book of Street Car Named Desire, is loyal to her sister who is the only member of her family that we come across.
15. Gatsby & Jean Valjean
    He is a mysterious person, and no one exactly knows his origins and the ways he used to acquire his fortune.
16. The Ethicality of an Action Jay Gatsby
    As well, an action is “wrong” if it results in the opposite of happiness to the people. Mill’s utilitarian theory can be used to assess the ethically of Jay Gatsby’s action, as presented in the […]
17. Francis Scott Fitzgerald & His American Dream
    In the novel “Tender is the Night,” Fitzgerald describes the society in Riviera where he and his family had moved to live after his misfortune of late inheritance.
18. Jay Gatsby & Eponine From Les Miserables: Compare & Contrast
    Gatsby is the main character in the book “The Great Gatsby,” while Eponine is one of the characters in the book “Les Miserables”.
19. Jay Gatsby & Gean Valjean: Characters Comparison
    This essay compares and contrasts the characters of Gatsby and Jean Valjean in the Les Miserable novels and films. Gatsby strikes the readers as a na ve and lovesick individual though his character is negative.

🔬 Literary Analysis of The Great Gatsby: Essay Topics

1. What Are the Literary Devices Used to Create the Image of Jay Gatsby?
2. Analyze How Fitzgerald Uses Imagery in the Great Gatsby
3. What Do Colors Symbolize in the Great Gatsby?
4. How Does Fitzgerald Use Geographical Setting to Show the Contrast Between Social Classes in the Novel?
5. How Does Fitzgerald Convey a Notion of the American Dream Through Metaphors and Symbols?
6. What Does the Green Light in Daisy’s Window Represent in the Great Gatsby?
7. What Does the Valley of Ashes Symbolize in the Great Gatsby?
8. What Role Does Nick Carraway’s Narration Play in the Story? If We Got It Through an Omniscient Third-Person Narrator, What Would We Gain or Lose?
9. Could the Story Have Been Set in Other Places, Like Chicago or Los Angeles, or Were New York City and Long Island Absolutely Necessary?
10. Look at the Novel’s Opening Lines. If We Accept Nick’s Advice When We Read the Story, Will Our Views of It Change? Or, in Other Words, Does Refraining From Criticism Promote Compassion?
11. Is There a Hidden Meaning of the Title of the Great Gatsby? What Is It?
12. How Is the Color White Used Within the Novel? When Does It Make a False Representation of Innocence? When Does It Truly Represent Innocence?
13. What Is the Role of a New York Setting in the Novel’s Storyline?
14. What Is the Real Meaning of ‘Great’ in the Title of the Great Gatsby?
15. What Significance Do Colors Have in the Party’s Descriptions in Chapter 3?
16. Elaborate on the Green Light as the Symbol of the American Dream
17. What Is the Meaning of the Phrase “Can’t Repeat the Past?.. Why of Course You Can!” What Does Gatsby Really Want From Daisy?
18. What Role Do the Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg Play in the Great Gatsby?
19. How Is the Great Gatsby a Satirical Representation of the Society?
20. Are the Rich in the Novel Really So Careless as Everyone Believes Them to Be?
21. Create an Alternative Ending for the Great Gatsby. Justify Your Choice
22. What Is the Relationship Between Those Born Rich and Those Who Became Rich in the Novel?

🎭 Essay Topics on The Great Gatsby’s Characters

1. Discuss Female Characters and Their Significance in the Great Gatsby
2. Compare Gatsby and Wilson. In What Ways Are They Similar?
3. Who Is the Most Responsible for Gatsby’s Death? Why Is It So?
4. Why Do Tom and Daisy Stay Together at the End of the Novel?
5. Does Gatsby’s Money Bring Him Real Happiness?
6. Can Jay’s Feelings for Daisy in the Great Gatsby Be Considered Love?
7. How Do Secondary Characters Affect the Story?
8. Who Is the Real Hero in the Great Gatsby?
9. Can We Call Jay Gatsby a Romantic Hero or a Villain?
10. What Does Jay Gatsby Really Live For in the Novel: the Present or the Past?
11. Compare Myrtle and Daisy
12. What Does Tom’s Quarrel With Myrtle in Chapter 2 Tell Us About His Personality?
13. Elaborate on How Both Tom and Gatsby Want to Change Not Only the Future, but the Past in Chapter 7.
14. What Was Gatsby’s Power of Dreaming Like? Was Daisy a Worth Object?
15. Is Anyone to Blame for Gatsby’s Death?
16. Are There Any Moral Characters in the Novel?
17. Can Jordan and Daisy Be Considered Perfect Role Models for the Upper Class in America? Why or Why Not?
18. Is Gatsby Really Great? In What Way? How Does His Greatness Evolve as the Plot Unfolds?
19. How Does Nick’s Character Change over the Course of the Great Gatsby?
20. Does Gatsby Deserve the Definition of a Self-Made Man? Why or Why Not?
21. What Role Does Daisy Play in the Conflict Between Gatsby & Tom?
22. Describe How F.S. Fitzgerald’s Life Experiences Influenced the Great Gatsby

🌻 Essay Topics on The Great Gatsby’s Themes

1. What Are the Central Themes in the Great Gatsby?
2. What Roles Do Fidelity and Infidelity Play in Fitzgerald’s the Great Gatsby?
3. What Importance Does Sex Have in the Story?
4. What Role Does Alcohol Play in the Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald?
5. Did Fitzgerald Really Criticize the Idea of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby?
6. Does Love Play Have Any Importance in the Great Gatsby?
7. What Role Does the Relationship Between Geography and Social Values Play in the Novel?
8. What Is the Meaning of Time in the Great Gatsby?
9. How Do the Aristocratic East Eggers, Tom and the Sloanes, Regard Gatsby in Chapter 6? How Is Their Contempt Connected to the Theme of Social Class in the Novel?
10. Analyze the Great Gatsby Through the Prism of Feminist Theory
11. How Are the Themes of Kindness and Compassion Presented in the Great Gatsby?
12. Describe How the Theme of Ambition Is Presented in the Novel
13. Elaborate on How Fitzgerald Contrasts Education and Experience in the Great Gatsby

📊 The Great Gatsby: Compare & Contrast Essay Topics

1. Make a Critical Comparison of the Novel With the 2013 Movie
2. Make a Comparison of the Novel With the 1949 Movie
3. Compare the Great Gatsby Movies of 1949 and 2013
4. Compare and Contrast Two Classic American Novels: The Great Gatsbyand the Grapes of Wrath
5. How Are Donald Trump and the Great Gatsby’s Tom Buchanan Alike?
6. Compare Miller’s Death of a Salesman and the Great Gatsby
7. What Other Fictional or Non-fictional Character From a Book or Movie Can Nick Carraway Be Compared To?
8. Make a Critical Comparison of the Sun Also Rises and the Great Gatsby
9. Compare the Great Gatsby With a Farewell to Arms
10. Make a Comparison of Daisy From the Great Gatsby With Henrietta Bingham From Irresistible
11. What Pop Stars of Nowadays Daisy Can Be Compared To?
12. Macbeth vs. Jay Gatsby: Make a Character Comparison

❓ Great Gatsby Essay Questions

1. What Destroyed Gatsby’s Dreams in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald?
2. How Far Does “The Great Gatsby” Demonstrate a View of the American Dream?
3. What Is a Good Thesis Statement for“The Great Gatsby”?
4. How Does Fitzgerald Represent the Society of His Time in the Novel? Would You Like to Live in the Jazz Era? Why or Why Not?
5. Is “The Great Gatsby” a Real Story?
6. How “The Great Gatsby” Is a Replica of America?
7. What Are the Examples of Modernism in the Great Gatsby?
8. How Is America Shown in the Great Gatsby? What Values Do the East and the West Represent?
9. How Does “The Great Gatsby” Explore the Ideas of Illusion Versus Reality?
10. How Does “The Great Gatsby” Compare to the Life of Fitzgerald?
11. What Going From West to East Meant for the Characters in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald?
12. How Does “The Great Gatsby” Portray the Death of the American Dream?
13. How Does Tom Buchanan Represent 1920’s Society in “The Great Gatsby”?
14. How and Why Does F. Scott Fitzgerald Use Nick Carraway as His Narrator of “The Great Gatsby”?
15. How New Money and Women Are Marginalized in “The Great Gatsby”?
16. What Part Does Social Class Play in “The Great Gatsby”?
17. How Are Racial Anxieties of the Time Shown in the Novel?
18. Does Fitzgerald Condemn the American Dream in “The Great Gatsby”?
19. What Does the Green Light Symbolize in “The Great Gatsby”?
20. How Does Fitzgerald Provide a Critical Social History of Prohibition-Era America in His Novel?
21. How Women Are Portrayed in “The Great Gatsby”?
22. What Techniques Does Fitzgerald Use to Convey the Main Themes in “The Great Gatsby”?
23. Why Did Fitzgerald Write “The Great Gatsby”?
24. How Does Nick Carraway Narrate “The Great Gatsby”?
25. How Is the Economic Boom of Postwar America Shown in the Great Gatsby?
26. What Social Problems Are Exposed in “The Great Gatsby”?
27. How Multiple Incidents Develop the Plot Line in “The Great Gatsby”?
28. Does Money Buy Love in “The Great Gatsby”?
29. How Has Fitzgerald Used Cars as a Motif in “The Great Gatsby”?
30. Why Did the Great Gatsby Was neither a Critical nor Commercial Success Just After Its Publication? Why Did Its Popularity Grow Exponentially Several Decades After?

🎁 Other The Great Gatsby Essay Titles