Gatsby’s Quest For True Love

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Have you ever been in a situation where you have almost met your goal, but something in the way is preventing you from fully accomplishing it? Jay Gatsby, one of the protagonists in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, loses the love of his life, Daisy, due to years of separation and is trying to win her back. Daisy’s husband, Tom, however, won’t let her go that easy. Gatsby fights his way to get back the lover he waits so many years for. Preceding Gatsby’s risky quest, his main goal in life is to obtain a great wealth in order to impress the beautiful Daisy. He only thinks about Daisy and their life together. He will do anything to be reunited, no matter the consequences. Jay’s shadow side is revealed and anima is present throughout his journey. Gatsby appears to be an altruistic, benevolent, stately young man. Upon close scrutiny, it’s unveiled that he is malicious and selfish because he wants Daisy for himself and he is wiling to ruin a family for her. But, his anima shows how caring, romantic, and vulnerable he really is through his devotion and passion for Daisy. Gatsby is unsuccessful in completing a traditional hero’s journey, but he does create his own unique version of the archetype. In this unorthodox interpretation, Gatsby learns the repercussions of wanting what you can’t have and dishonesty throughout the course of his battle for his lover. The enigmatic Jay Gatsby is an unconventional hero. Despite that, Jay does have characteristics that follow the archetype. In congruency with the Hero’s Journey archetype, Gatsby’s origin is mysterious. Even his closest friends don’t know about his questionable past. He definitely has imperfections, but he is not a fool. He experiences an internal call to adventure, ... ... middle of paper ... ... a magnificently wealthy young man for years only to be shocked that he is a fraud. Furthermore, Nick is tricked into thinking that the East is some magical place where everybody’s dreams come true. He is disturbed when he uncovers that the East is the complete opposite. If you judge something solely on looks, in will be in for a rude awakening in the end Works Cited Coughlin, Kathleen. “Hero’s Journey Archetype—The Protagonists a.k.a. Types of Heroes.” Course handout. AS English I. Dept. of English, Woodside High School. 22 October 2013. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2013. Print. "The Great Gatsby." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. . “The Hero’s Journey.” Ariane Publications, 1997. Course handout. AS English I. Dept. of English, Woodside High School. 26 October 2013.

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