F. The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald Throughout time and space the world has seen many writers who have changed life as we know it. The world continues to change as an ever-moving sphere of culture and intellect. The history of man has given us writers like Shakespeare, who is still misunderstood today, and Homer, a man who made many Americans think of a cartoon character with no intelligence. Francis Scott Fitzgerald is far from being one of these gentlemen, or ladies, who changed the way we think. His use of symbolism and his critical view of the "rich and famous" are the subject of much controversy. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald continually uses symbolism in many ways to express the corruption of the upper class in the United States. Fitzgerald's writing is deeply influenced by his life. He was born in 1896 (The Great Gatsby, back of book) in Minnesota. He studied at Princeton University. He became wealthy after college and married a woman named Zelda. He lived in the upper class, spending much of his time in New York and Paris, much like Gatsby's life. After living in the central United States, both studied at excellent universities. Then they became rich and traveled often to New York. Even though the way they earned money was very different, they still went from rags to riches. This may be why Fitzgerald chose to place Gatsby in West Egg, with the "nouveau riche", because Fitzgerald himself would have known how to write from his point of view. Fitzgerald lived his life to the fullest. After graduation he acquired qualities very similar to Gatsby. “…the same qualities that made him successful: his innocence, his restlessness, his incessant dreaming, his sense of indestructibility, led to his downfall.” (Weaver 99) This quote is about Fitzgerald but can easily be used for Gatsby. His reluctance to give up Daisy led to her death. They have countless similarities, “…in the act of recording Gatsby’s experiences, he discovers himself.” (Samuels 4) Gatsby is truly Fitzgerald's image of himself. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism to show the corruption of the upper class and the constant need for money. In the novel Wilson, "...a blond, spiritless, anemic, and slightly handsome man" (Fitzgerald 29) is callous and sad.