The Influence of Fitzgerald's Personal Life on the Great Gatsby Many authors find inspiration through real-life experiences and turn them into literary works to match how they want to portray them . Fitzgerald is no different, in fact his personal life is a crucial factor in his writing style. Fitzgerald grew up encountering an increasing number of difficulties, but he found ways around them and incorporated those experiences into his novels. To achieve his goals, he began to change himself to fit social standards. Fitzgerald's novels are hugely successful because he writes realistic situations that readers can identify with and are interesting enough to keep them engaged. The struggles, conflicts, and obstacles that Fitzgerald went through allowed Fitzgerald to express his inner feelings and distort events according to his preferences through his writing. Fitzgerald's personal life had an irreplaceable influence on the Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald was “a poor boy in a rich town; a poor boy in a rich boy's school; a poor boy in a rich club in Princeton… [who] has never been able to forgive the rich for being rich, and this has colored my entire life and works” (sc.edu). Fitzgerald did not accept the fact that he, like many others, had to work diligently to earn a living; unlike the rich who have had everything on a silver platter since birth. In a similar case, Gatsby, from Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, was a poor boy who never believed he was a poor boy. Fitzgerald was able to go back to his childhood memories to find inspiration for his novels. When he was still in school, Fitzgerald could only dream of becoming popular because his selfishness repelled others and... middle of paper... Inc.Web. April 12, 2014. .Gallo, Rose Adrienne. F. Scott Fitzgerald. New York: F. Ungar, 1978. Print.Greenfeld, Howard. F. Scott Fitzgerald. New York: Crown, 1974. Print. Gross, Dalton and Mary Jean Gross. Understanding the Great Gatsby: A casebook for students on historical issues, sources, and documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1998. Print.Shmoop Editorial Team. "F. Scott Fitzgerald: Childhood." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., November 11, 2008. Web. April 3, 2014. .Willett, Erika. "The Sensible Thing: Biographies." PBS. PBS and Web. April 02, 2014..University of South Carolina. "F. Scott Fitzgerald Quotes. SC. SC and Web. April 12. 2014..