Since the beginning of time, man has written himself into history. Whether on cave walls or in writing, men wanted to leave a legacy. One of the best known men is the author F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald had always wanted to write the greatest American novel and so he created The Great Gatsby. While not the greatest American novel, it is studied by high schools and has several film adaptations. However, he had to go on a great journey to create this story about Jay Gatsby and his never-ending hope. Despite his creative mind, the characters and conflicts in this story do not come from his imagination. In the novel The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald reflects the dramatic life he shared with his wife through the characters Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. Ever since he was a child, F. Scott Fitzgerald wanted to be a writer. He wanted to leave a great legacy and found that one way to do so was through writing. While he was writing his first novel, Fitzgerald met a woman named Zelda Sayre and fell in love with her. Because she had high standards, she was not very impressed with Scott. From there, he became determined to publish his book. Before doing so, he proposed to Zelda, but she refused. Because Fitzgerald was so madly in love, he rewrote the novel and titled it This Side of Paradise. Once the book was published, she accepted his proposal. The funny thing was that he inserted them directly into the story. The two main characters, who fall in love, were obviously based on them. In the documentary Sincerely, F. Scott Fitzgerald by Jay McInerney, a man interested in creating a film adaptation of the book asked Scott and Zelda to star in it (McInerney). .....in this book, the only description of Gatsby is his smile. “It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance that you might encounter four or five times in a lifetime” (Fitzgerald 52). In McInerney's documentary, he said that every time Fitzgerald looked in the mirror, he saw Gatsby. He certainly wasn't joking. Gatsby is Fitzgerald and Daisy is Zelda. The similarities between these people and these characters are certainly no coincidence. Works Cited Bruccoli, Matthew J. "A Brief Life of Fitzgerald." A Brief Life of Fitzgerald. University of South Carolina, December 4, 2003. Web. March 14, 2014. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Collier, 1992. Print.McInerney, Jay. "Sincerely, F. Scott Fitzgerald." The spectacle of culture. BBC Two. London, Web. 20 February 2014. Willett, Erika. "F. Scott Fitzgerald and the American Dream." PBS. PBS. Network. February 20. 2014.