In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the title appears to be ironic to the readers, as Gatsby doesn't actually seem to be that “great” by the end of the book. At the beginning of the book outsiders see Gatsby as this glamorous, rich, and powerful man who throws extravagant parties. Also, when reading the title at first you have a preconceived notion of Gatsby being “great”. But, as the reader gets deeper into the book, Gatsby proves to be a very insecure man and readers start to perceive Gatsby as weak. In the book, The
Great Gatsby, the title is meant to be ironic and reflects the contrast between how Gatsby appears to outsiders with how he truly is.

At first sight, Jay Gatsby is shown as magnificent and dazzling, but towards the end of the book …show more content…
From the beginning of the novel, the readers can see the light in which Nick portrays Gatsby. In Nicks mind, "[Gatsby] represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn...foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men" (6). It is clear that Nick does not approve of Gatsby’s way of life but he uses the word temporarily because at first he did see some intriguing things about
Gatsby. But, as he got to know Gatsby he realized that Gatsby has a futile side and that was much more interesting to Nick. It is obvious that Fitzgerald perceives the rich as arrogant people and he uses the title “great” as irony, because he obviously does not approve of
Gatsby’s sole goal: to become wealthy. Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby as ultimately powerless and desperate human. Nick narrates as Gatsby is shown trying to rekindle an old love and describes Gatsby as, "pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets... standing in a puddle of water glaring tragically into my