In the novel "The Great Gatsby", by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a parallel with the Arthurian Legend, particularly that of the Crusade for the Holy Grail, is shown through the conduct of Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway. Gatsby's desire to attain Daisy Buchanan's love is his crusade. Nick's quest, on the other hand, is for a good life. Both men are on a voyage to uncover something to make themselves better, but each has different means of accomplishing their goal.
Nick Carraway's crusade is practically a copy of King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail. Nick's desire and quest is to live his life by a moral code. This moral code is his holy grail. Coincidentally, this desire to live by a moral code is also similar to the Arthurian round tables" ideals of chivalry. From the beginning of the novel until its conclusion, this moral code is exemplified in the way Nick resists passing judgment upon people. Nick watches out for the other characters by refusing to gossip about them. For example, Nick refuses to make any judgment regarding Gatsby's affairs. Nick is also very concerned with honesty. This is another example of his idealistic adherence to a moral code. At one point he comments, "I am one of the few honest people I know." (p. 64). However, Nick, like Arthur and his knights, is led astray from his quest for his grail. He begins dating Jordan and she becomes a distraction from his true quest. He begins to substitute his ideal of her for his ideal morality. This distraction shows when Nick proceeds to describe Jordan as a grail-like figure; "Daisy and Jordan sat by the couch, like silver idols." (p.122). In a similar way to Arthur's being led astray by Guinivere from his quest for the Grail, Nick begins to waver on his quest. But Nick is only momentarily distracted from his journey, because he realizes dating Jordan is not part of succeeding at his overall goal. Nick is quick to return to his original quest, as did Arthur.
So, to Gatsby, he must prove himself in order to obtain his Holy Grail. ... Gatsby feels that only through Daisy, his Grail, will he be saved. ... Because of Gatsby's criminal activities, he, being no longer pure, is not worthy of the Grail. Gatsby cannot live without Daisy, without being saved by his holy grail. ... Conversely, Gatsby attempts to obtain his grail in an evil way, so his quest ends in tragedy. ...
There are many traditions associated with romance, such as Medieval Troubadors, Courtly Love, and Grail Legend, and F. Scott Fitzerald's novel The Great Gatsby reflects many of these. ... In Courtly Love and also Grail Romance, the woman is often unattainable, but nevertheless, the man vowed allegiance, suffered for her and received inspiration from her. ... Hence, Grail Legend is a romance tradition symbolized in the novel. In conclusion, F.Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby portrays many romance traditions like Medieval Troubadors, Courtly Lo...
It is widely thought that The Great Gatsby by F. ... Gatsby's love for Daisy transforms in to a 5 year obsession that Gatsby dreamed up while in the service. ... Gatsby's resolve to restart the relationship after a 5 year lapse proves to be his grail, the impossible quest that he will waste his life away searching for. ... Nick despises the decision Gatsby made to sacrifice "the incomparable milk of wonder" and "the secret place above the trees" (117) as a slave to the grail of Daisy and the old money she represents. Nick is jealous of Gatsby's ability to dream independent...
The central conflict in "The Great Gatsby," (announced by Nick in the fourth paragraph of the book), is the conflict between Gatsby's dream and the reality that "the foul dust which floats in the wake of his dreams." Gatsby, Nick tells us, "turned out all right in the end"; the dreamer remains as pure, as inviolable, at bottom, as his dream of a greatness, an attainment "commensurate to man's capacity for wonder." ... Gatsby, Nick tells us, is "like an ecstatic patron of recurrent light." ... In his innocence, Gatsby of course sees only the pure light of the grail which he has "...
Gatsby makes an attempt to defend himself, but to no avail. ... Observing the confrontation and seeing that Tom has bested himself over Gatsby, Daisy feels the love she had for Gatsby just that afternoon, totally dissipate. ... No longer searching for his holy grail, the house, the clothes, and the cars mean nothing. ... Scott Fitzgerald proves this fact in The Great Gatsby. Gatsby was considered a bootlegger by Nick, who lost respe...
CENTRAL IDEAS IN THE GREAT GATSBY. ... CENTRAL IDEAS IN THE GREAT GATSBY. ... (p.24.) 4) HOW DOES GATSBY PERSONIFY THE DREAM? ... "No-Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams." Gatsby is destroyed by Tom: " "Jay Gatsby" had broken up like glass against Tom's hard malice." ...
