In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald created a protagonist who was a staunch believer in the agrarian myth espoused by Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, yet was simultaneously entrenched in the corruption and materialism of American society during the 1920s. This dual nature of the title character has commonly been viewed as a thinly disguised reflection of Fitzgerald himself, who, as reviewer Allen claimed, maintained no) a "catholic sensibility" his whole life despite well-known episodes of public drunkenness and debauchery. Fitter agreed, perceiving in Fitzgerald a "deep-seated conservative quietism" not dissimilar to Jay Gatsby's adherence to the principles of ns) honorable living dictated by Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richard's Almanack. The parallels were so apparent to Mencken that he regarded the book as little more than a "glorified anecdote." Other critics have rejected this narrow, egocentric interpretation acy and given far more credence to the novel as shrewd social commentary. Trask, for example, considered the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, featured prominently on a billboard in the novel, not those of an all-seeing god evaluating Gatsby's personal shortcomings, but those of Thomas Jefferson mourning the collective American abandonment of his belief in hard work and integrity as the paths to fortune. Even Trask, though, conceded that the hedonistic Fitzgerald spoke clearly through the character of Nick Carraway in an ironic plea for the preservation of a more austere way of life.

Select the sentence that best defines one of the two contradictory facets of Jay Gatsby's character.





According to the passage, which of the following statements about The Great Gatsby cannot be shown to be accurate in the estimation of at least one critic?

A. The novel was merely a description of an episode from Fitzgerald's life.
B. The symbolism in the novel sometimes reflected Fitzgerald's lack of self-worth.
C. The novel provided insight into American culture of the 1920s.
D. Fitzgerald used the novel as a vehicle to voice his opinions about changes in America.
E. The novel's main character provided a truthful depiction of the author.




Which of the following situations is most analogous to Fitter's belief about the character of Jay Gatsby?

A. A job candidate in an interview mimics the actions of the interviewer in an unconscious effort to establish rapport and familiarity.
B. A photographer chooses to repeatedly use a model who has many of the same mannerisms and facial expressions as the photographer.
C. A character in a movie written by a health-conscious playwright has a gym membership and buys only organic foods.
D. A college student relates strongly to a character in a novel and begins to take an interest in that character's hobbies.
E. An actor improvises many of his character's lines in order to add depth to the role.