Fitzgerald, F. Scott: 1896 - 1940

The Great Gatsby, 1925 - Explanations

Gatsby alludes to gat, a slang term for pistol, which comes from Gatling gun. R.J. Gatling (1818-1903) was the inventor of a now obsolete machine gun.
Gatsby is considered 'great' by the measurement of dreams, his wealth, his larger-than-life personality, the festivities and joviality that, to others in the novel, mark him as a man of high stature and almost god-like in personal proportions..
Chapter 2: Fitzgerald mentions that Dr. Eckleburg's retinas are blue. Yet retinas are at the back of the eye and cannot be seen. Fitzgerald must have meant irises or pupils.
Chapter 4: Fitzgerald mentions Astoria. Yet the Queensboro Bridge connects Manhattan with Long Island and not Astoria. When Fitzgerald's friend reported this error after the book was printed, Fitzgerald told Maxwll Perkins, the editor, "If you made the changes all right - if not let them go."
Chapter 6: "Can't repeat the past? ... Why of course you can!": Throughout his adult life, Gatsby’s goal has been to recapture the past. Specifically, he longs to recapture the past romance he had with Daisy. He believes that money is the key to happiness, reasoning that if you have enough money, you can make even the wildest dreams come true.
Chapter 7: Biloxi, Tennessee is mentioned. Yet Biloxi is in Mississippi; there is no Biloxi in Tennessee
Chapter 9: The Swastika Holding Company is mentioned. This is no indication that Wolfshiem is a Nazi; he is a Jew. At the time Fitzgerald was writing the novel, the Swastika symbol was simply a popular, decortative device, meaning good luck and auspiciousness. Yet it was adopted by the Nazis in 1920.
Depending on the editions Wolfsheim or Wolfshiem are used. The authorized text of the Estate Fitzgerald uses Wolfshiem.
Most of the explanations etc. are from Matthew j. Broccoli, Huffpost, etc.