Final answer:
The parties in 'The Great Gatsby' reflect themes of wealth, love, and identity, with each party illustrating different aspects of society and the characters' desires. Fitzgerald's exploration of these gatherings reveals a critique of the American Dream and the era's moral confusion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The differences and similarities between the three parties in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby revolve around the themes of money, unattainable love, and individual identity. Tom Buchanan's party represents old wealth and aristocratic arrogance, with a polished exterior that belies the emptiness and moral decay beneath. Myrtle Wilson's party, by contrast, exemplifies the aspirational yet tragic striving of the working class for the elusive glamour and success represented by Tom and his circle. Jay Gatsby's lavish soirees, meanwhile, mirror his own grandiose but ultimately unfulfilled desire to reclaim a lost love, while also highlighting the performative nature of social status and wealth in the 1920s.
Similarities across these parties, including the pervasive sense of dissatisfaction and the shallow hedonism of the attendees, paint a broader picture of the era's moral directionlessness. Each setting also reflects Fitzgerald's interest in matters of geography, with each location—a refined East Egg home, a New York apartment, and Gatsby's West Egg mansion—commenting on the social divisions and cultural attitudes of the East, Midwest, and West respectively. Yet, despite the decadence on display, these social gatherings serve to illuminate the inherent disillusionment with the American Dream and its promise of happiness and fulfillment through wealth and material success.
In examining Fitzgerald's work, it is clear that his characters are meant to represent the individual rather than an entire class or group. Gatsby's great tragedy is portrayed as both a personal journey and a universal tale of aspiration and downfall, which is essential to understanding Fitzgerald's narrative style and his critique of the American experience in the 1920s. It also highlights the essential differences of the rich that fascinated both Fitzgerald and his readers, as seen through his exploration of these themes in his short stories and novels.