Answer:
The Great Gatsby
Explanation:
I cannot write the whole essay for you, but I would like to give you some ideas according to the instructions:
- Novel: The Great Gatsby
- The character you are going to analyze: Jay Gatsby, the protagonist (but not the narrator, who happens to be Nick, a different character)
- How he deceives others: Gatsby lies about his origins as well as his wealth's. He wants people to believe that he comes from a wealthy family, that he inherited his parents' money, that he traveled around the world and attended Oxford, that he is a noble and educated man.
- What the truth is about him: his real name is James Gatz, he is the son of very poor farmers from North Dakota. He did attend college (not Oxford) for a few weeks, but quit. He has always hated being poor and, ever since meeting a millionaire named Dan Cody, has dreamed bigger. Cody did leave Gatz his money, but his family prevented Gatz from receiving it. He became a criminal, selling fake bonds and illegal alcoholic beverages to make his fortune.
- Why he lies: Gatsby wants people to believe in what he thinks is a better version of himself. He also wants to have Daisy back, the woman he fell in love with. Daisy belongs to the upper class and has married a very wealthy man.
- How his lies contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole: "The Great Gatsby" revolves around the corruption of the American Dream and the superficiality of the upper class. Gatsby wants to belong among the wealthy, he wants to be accepted by them. He believes in the American dream, but he is not willing to work hard and honestly to achieve it. He cheats his way into the upper class and comes up with a facade about his past, but his true intentions are good and, somehow, innocent. He naively believes money is all it takes to be seen as one of them, one of the rich and glamorous. However, he is harshly judged by the very people whose morals are more than questionable. The same ones who lie and cheat on their spouses, who lead a vapid and empty life, who are judgmental of others' mistakes while trying to sweep their own under the rug, are the ones to despise Gatsby.
