Many authors use irony to question the reader or to emphasize a central idea. A literary device such as irony can only be simplified with the help of examples. Irony can help a reader better understand certain parts of a novel. F. Scott Fitzgerald helps the reader recognize and understand his use of irony by giving key examples throughout The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby's lush parties, Myrtle's death, Gatsby's death, and the title of the novel to demonstrate how irony plays a key role in the development of the plot. Gatsby flaunts his new money by throwing big, extravagant parties. The old East Egg money establishment thinks Gatsby is doing this to show off his new money, but his motive is different. Jordan says, “I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties” (Fitzgerald 64). This shows that even Daisy's friends know what the parties are about. Gatsby waits for Daisy to come in one night, wanting her to see everything he has become, but she never does. He does everything for her: the money, the house, the cars, the criminal activities, everything. Gatsby has to find Daisy to bring him there. Gatsby told a panicked Nick, “She didn't like it,” he insisted. “She didn’t have a good time” (Fitzgerald 87). Ironically, Daisy doesn't enjoy parties as much as Gatsby would like too. She loves her new wealth, but it still isn't enough for her. Gatsby's lack of understanding regarding the allure of his money is described as follows: As a romantic, Jay Gatsby does not understand how money actually works in American life. He believes that if he is rich, then Daisy can be his. This is shown most powerfully and poignantly in the scene where Gatsby shows Daisy and ...... middle of paper ......e of Gatsby is what ultimately gets him murdered. There is much more to the novel than irony: lost hope, the corruption of innocence by money and the impossibility of recovering the past are essential elements of the story. Fitzgerald uses these elements to combine the story with the American lifestyle. The multiple examples of irony throughout the novel aid in successful plot development. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004. Heims, Neil. “CRITICAL CONTEXTS: Paradox, Ambiguity, and Challenges to Judgment in The Great Gatsby and Daisy Miller.” » Critical Insights: The Great Gatsby 2010: 58-71. Kellman, Steven. ed. Magill Survey of American Literature. California: Salem Press, Inc., 2007. SparkNotes Publishers. “SparkNote on The Great Gatsby. » SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Internet. April 9. 2014.