The Best Essay Topics for The Great Gatsby by F.S. Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby themes are enormous. You can explore a whole variety of engaging, controversial and compelling subjects when working on The Great Gatsby paper. Still, it may sometimes be difficult to choose just one — especially when the professor leaves this uneasy choice entirely up to you. The good news is that you get a chance to write about something you feel really strong about, which will reflect positively on your work. So, let’s take a quick look at some of the The Great Gatsby essay prompts you might find impressive.

High school essay topics for The Great Gatsby

Even though it is not quite common to write The Great Gatsby essay in high school, some specialized literature classes may assign you a couple of relatively simple topics that do not dig into too much detail. For example:

1. Describe the representation of money and its influence in the book
2. Compare and contrast the main female characters in the book
3. Compare and contrast the main male characters in the book
4. What is the most favorable character in The Great Gatsby?
5. What is the least favorable character in The Great Gatsby?
6. How does Nick Carraway, the narrator, go through any changes in the course of the novel?
7. Analyze the relationship between Nick Carraway and Gatsby
8. Choose a morally ambiguous character and analyze it
9. Can the ending be considered expectable? Just?
10. The concept of disillusionment in The Great Gatsby
11. The concept of broken hopes in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
12. What part does Nick really play in the story?
13. The representation of the rich in the novel
14. The representation of the poor in the novel
15. The role of the invisible middle class in The Great Gatsby
16. The concept of social injustice in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
17. Happiness in the book: can any of the characters be considered happy?
18. Who is the loneliest character in The Great Gatsby? Prove your point.
19. How does the author describe the concept of isolation?
20. Is Nick a part of the rich society? Poor people? Middle class? Justify your choice.

Argumentative essay topics for The Great Gatsby

There are plenty of good essay topics in this category — after all, every literary work leaves a lot of space for imagination and potential argument. Fitzgerald’s novel can be analyzed from a variety of different perspectives, which makes it a perfect fit for an argumentative paper. Here are some of the most impressive argumentative essay topics for The Great Gatsby:

21. Is Fitzgerald really criticising the notion of the American Dream?
22. The real meaning of ‘great’ in the title of the novel
23. Who is the real hero in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby?
24. What does the storyline really tell us about American identity?
25. Can Gatsby be considered a romantic hero? A villain?
26. Can the novel be considered a satirical representation of the society?
27. What is the significance of the Jazz Epoch setting in the novel?
28. Can Gatsby’s feelings for Daisy be considered love?
29. Does love play any part in The Great Gatsby?
30. Jimmy Gatz Vs. Jay Gatsby: who is the real character in the novel?
31. What does Gatsby really live for: the past or the present?
32. Are the rich in the novel really so careless as everyone believes them to be?
33. Does carelessness stand for dissatisfaction in the novel?
34. Can we really blame anyone for Gatsby’s death?
35. Are there any moral characters in The Great Gatsby?
36. Fidelity and infidelity in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
37. What part does sex play in the narration? Love? Affection?
38. Can Daisy and Jordan be considered a perfect role model for the American upper class?

The Great Gatsby literary analysis essay topics

These are one of the most complicated examples for the college level. You might have to write one of those if you are an English or a literature major. However, some of your professors might assign literary analysis paper even in one of the minor classes so you might want to get ready for what’s coming. Here are some of the most creative The Great Gatsby literary analysis essay topics you might have to write about:

39. Discuss female characters and their significance in the novel.
40. Analyze the way Fitzgerald uses imagery to convey his ideas.
41. What is the metaphorical meaning of color in the novel?
42. How does the author use geographical setting to create the contrast between rich and poor?
43. Modernism in The Great Gatsby
44. The symbolic meaning of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
45. Analyze how the author conveys a notion of the American Dream through symbols and metaphors
46. The green light in Daisy’s window: what does it represent?
47. What part does alcohol play in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby?
48. The metaphorical meaning of the Valley of Ashes
49. How does the author manage to align the storyline and the symbolism used in the narration?
50. What is the meaning of time in the novel?
51. What is the hidden meaning of the novel’s title?
52. The role a New York setting plays in the storyline
53. How do secondary characters add up to the storyline?
54. What are the central themes in The Great Gatsby?
55. Critical comparison of the movie and the novel
56. What role does the money play in Fitzgerald’s novel?
57. A voice full of money: what other traits does the author convey in Daisy’s character?

The Great Gatsby essay prompts

Essay prompts for The Great Gatsby are usually more subjective, since your time to complete them is quite limited. And, given that you will be writing them in the classroom, you will not have to include any direct quotes — neither from the original nor from secondary sources. So, it’s ok to get a bit personal here and convey your point of view. Here are just some of the The Great Gatsby essay topics you might have to write as a part of your English exam:

58. Come up with an alternative ending for the novel and justify your choice
59. Do you agree with Fitzgerald’s representation of the society? Would you prefer to live in the Jazz era? Why? Why not?
60. Image Nick’s future life. Will he become more cynical? Less cynical? Why?
61. Describe the relationships between sexes in the novel. How do men and women of different class treat each other?
62. Analyze the concept of lies in the novel. Why do the characters deceive each other?
63. Do you believe a relationship between Gatsby and Daisy to be love? Why? Why not?
64. Compare and contrast Nick and Gatsby
65. Can Nick Carraway be considered an impartial narrator?
66. Does the author connect the concepts of wealth and education? Prove your point.
67. Analyze the relationship between people who are born rich and people who became rich in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
68. Education Vs. Experience in The Great Gatsby. How does Fitzgerald contrast the two?
69. Is there any place for forgiveness and compassion in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby?
70. What effect does the opening (Nick father’s advice) have on the plot line?

All of those are fantastic essay topics for The Great Gatsby, and you can choose and analyze whichever you want. If however, you feel that the task is a bit too much for, there is no shame in contacting the professionals. Here, at ChiefEssays, we will gladly take any academic writing assignment off your hands and ensure you get the highest grade you deserve so much.