The American Dream of Love and The Great Gatsby

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There is a special someone for everyone. Every man (or woman) hears this at least once in their life. They go through life searching for this special someone, sometimes destroying their own lives along the way. It can be a person 3000 miles away, or it can be the next door neighbor. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby has a second chance at the love of his life. As he stands next to the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan, the light across the lake that shines her house is now covered by the mist, sealing away his life’s darkness of being alone. However, there are just too many obstacles standing in the way of this relation ship which include Daisy’s child and husband and even possibly her obsession for money. As Gatsby’s fantasy comes closer to him, the chance of this dream becoming reality fades away.

Jay Gatsby is in love with Daisy for five years. However, the war makes him go to fight, leaving Daisy behind. When he is leaving her, he promises to himself that he will come back to Daisy as an opulent man and win her heart. It is easily assumed that Jay never stops to think about her during the war, college, or at any other point in his life. Even five years later, when Daisy is already married, Jay reveals his obsession with her: "Look at this," said Gatsby quickly. "Here’s a lot of clippings -about you” (93). This quickly shows the reader that even though he was separated from Daisy by distance, he can never separate her from his heart. However, even if Daisy did truly love him, it could never be a realistic relationship as Gatsby finds out for himself. “Afterward he kept looking at the child with surprise. I don’t think he had ever really believed in its existence before” (117) is the first time that ...

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...completely overwhelmed by Gatsby’s money because it makes her husband’s fortune look like nothing. From the looks of her expressions, it seems that money is her driving force to be with Gatsby even though she “put her arm through his abruptly” (93) suggesting some sort of a romantic interest.

Gatsby has found the love of his life again. However, Daisy’s intentions have changed since the last he saw her. Not only is she married with a family, but her greed for money may also represent an obstacle. Jay thinks that he has finally dimmed the light that separates the two forever. However, Daisy clearly has other plans. Jay’s lack of ability to see past the beautiful smile of Daisy just may lead to the greatest disappointment of his life.

Works Cited

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Ed. Matthew J. Bruccoli. Toronto: Simon & Schuster Inc, 1995. Print.

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