For my ISP, I wanted to pick a topic that I felt I could personally connect with (the role of women), and as a result, I selected the novel “Fall on Your Knees” by Ann-Marie Macdonald. I personally found the novel to be very interesting, albeit quite long. The complexity and intensity of this book is what truly sets it apart from any other book I’ve read. The book spans three generations of the Piper family, beginning with the elopement of James and Materia all the way to the meeting of their great grandchildren, Anthony and Lily. What I think sets this book apart from others is the superb plot; the pain and secrets that all the characters endure, such as accidental drowning, secret births, illegal business, and thievery, gives the book a haunting, thrilling aspect. Despite being an overall good read, I found the early parts of the novel, parts concerning Materia, her eldest daughter Kathleen, and the young childhood of Mercedes and Frances to be less interesting than the parts centred around the upbringing of Mercedes, Frances, and Lily. The latter half of the novel seemed more …show more content…
In TGG, Gatsby is desperately in love with Daisy and tries to gain her affection but despite all his efforts and wealth, Gatsby cannot attain his dream and never ends up with Daisy. Virtually all characters in this novel had dreams that were eventually crushed; Kathleen wanted to become an opera singer but was raped, became pregnant, and died in childbirth, Mercedes wanted to attend University but had no money and had to take care of her family, Frances wanted to be able to raise her son but was lied to by Mercedes who sent him away as his father was black. Though the crazed and almost fantastic nature of Gatsby is not present in these characters, the idea of unattained dreams and potential being stunted is definitely a prominent idea in this
Gatsby’s explanation of this dream focused on money and social status. He has always yearned for this, even when he was a child. Fitzgerald frequently emphasises Gatsby’s desire, throughout the entirety of this novel. Though, Fitzgerald accentuates this desire when Nick discovers the truth of Gatsby’s past. During this elucidation, Nick explains that “his [Gatsby’s] parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people-his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all.” (Fitzgerald, 98) This shows the reader Gatsby’s lifelong determination for wealth and power. Even in his adult life, he strives for more than what he has. In John Steinbeck’s essay, he explains that “we [Americans] go mad with dissatisfaction in the face of success” (Steinbeck, 1) This is exactly how Gatsby feels, he is not content with his success, the amount of money he has, or the height of his social status and is constantly wishing for more than he has. Though, once he meets Daisy he no longer strives for wealth, but rather for her. As shown in this novel, even though Gatsby has achieved all he had wanted when he was growing up, he will not be content until he is able to call Daisy his
When the book begins, it is assumed that his dream is fortune and “fame,” but as the book continues, it reveals his dream is love. He has a love, Daisy for many years, she is the reason he lives where he does and has the parties he has, just to impress Daisy. Daisy never even showed up to one of his parties until the end. Gatsby bought a big house right across the river from Daisy’s house and and throws extravagant parties to get her to come, all he wants was love. Although he never truly achieves it, he is able to work hard to try to achieve it. That is a part of the american dream, it may not be attainable and Gatsby might be working hard for something that just is impossible for him to achieve . “―I thought of Gatsby‘s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy‘s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could barely fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night” (p. 180,
Gatsby is unrealistic. He believes he can relive the past and rekindle the flame he and Daisy once had. He is lost in his dream and accepts that anything can be repeated, "Can't repeat the past…Why of course you can!" (116, Fitzgerald). For Gatsby, failure to realize this resurrection of love is utterly appalling. His whole career, his conception of himself and his life is totally shattered. Gatsby's death when it comes is almost insignificant, for with the collapse of his dream, he is spiritually dead.
The Great Gatsby is an emotional tale of hope of love and “romantic readiness”(1.2) that is both admirable and meritorious .Yet, the question of Daisy ever being able to measure up to Gatsby’s expectations is one that reverberates throughout the course of the novel. Be that as it may, Daisy is never truly able to measure up to Gatsby’s expectations because the image of Daisy in Gatsby’s mind is entirely different from who she actually is. Even during his younger years, Gatsby had always had a vision of himself “as a son of God”(6.98) and that “he must be about his fathers business, the service of a vast, vulgar and meretricious beauty”(6.98). Gatsby’s desire for aristocracy, wealth, and luxury is exactly what drives him to pursue Daisy who embodies everything that that Gatsby desires and worked towards achieving. Therefore, Gatsby sees Daisy as the final piece to his puzzle in order realize his vision. Gatsby’s hyperbolized expectation of Daisy throws light on the notion if our dreams as individuals are actually limited by reality. Since our dreams as human beings are never truly realized, because they may be lacking a specific element. Daisy proves to be that element that lingers in Gatsby’s dreams but eludes his reality.
Dreams can be powerful and inspiring, yet when taken too far, they can be toxic to one’s happiness and even fatal in Gatsby’s case. Reality, on the other hand, is always trustworthy, and it is wiser to simply accept and adjust to the faults and imperfections of a society rather than to try to fight them like Holden and Gatsby did. Both men were unwilling to relinquish their precious dreams, yet in the end, that no longer mattered because society took them anyway and annihilated them. The downfall of both these characters demonstrates the importance of staying grounded and never veering too far off the path of reality, because dreams alone cannot serve as a sufficient foundation on which to build a prosperous, fruitful life.
Gatsby's tragic loss of the American dream has to do with his toxic quest to fall in love with daisy “When he kissed her, She blossomed for hints like a flower and the incarnation was complete. In Daisy, Gatsby's meretricious dream was made
A dream is an intangible paradise. In the heavenly world of a dream, all hopes are within reach, and time knows no defined direction. To dream is to believe in the existence of the limitless realm. To dream is to be consumed by the passion and beauty of life, for although a dream may never become a reality, the true substance of a dream is its place in the heart. Jay Gatsby is a dreamer. He believes that the future can return him to his past and to his love, Daisy. Time blocks Gatsby’s dream, for Daisy has made Gatsby a mere memory by marrying Tom Buchanan. Tom and Daisy have minor conflicts with time that parallel Gatsby’s principal struggle with time, yet Gatsby’s dream emerges as the distinguishing factor of his conflict. When challenging the natural course of time, a dream, created by the intricate workings of the mind, and a simple memory of the past cannot be attained with the greatness of their origin. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s destruction and the death of his undying dream are intensified through the magnification of the conflicts found in the characters of Tom and Daisy Buchanan.
Gatsby’s true dream is made abundantly clear throughout the entire text; winning Daisy back and reigniting the flaming love they once had. Gatsby’s dream of having Daisy divides him from his power at one critical point in the text, “Then I turned back to Gatsby-and was startled by his expression. He looked-and this is said in all contempt for the babbled slander of his garden-as if he had ‘killed a man.’ For a moment the set of his face could be described in just that fantastic way” (134). As Gatsby is arguing with Tom over Daisy and whom she loves, he loses himself to his temper and emotion. He embarrasses himself and soils the image of himself that he's built up for others to see, and loses his perceived power. Gatsby also shows a lack of personal integrity, esteem, and power when he requests for Daisy to say she never loved Tom at any point in time, such as when he says, “‘Daisy, that’s all over now,’ he said earnestly. ‘It doesn’t matter any more. Just tell him the truth-that you never loved him-and it’s all wiped out forever’”
.We become so lost and caught up in the past that we en up letting it take over ourselves. Gatsby has an obvious desire of Daisy’s love but his dream has him living in the past. Gatsby presumably has everything anyone can ask for. He believes in the green light. He allows the green light to bring him opportunity. He thinks of the glass as half full. Sometimes Gatsby’s optimistic approach can get the best of him. We all face tough moments but we recover from them and try to move on from things from the past. Although Daisy will always have a spot in Jay Gatsby’s heart, not all dreams can be reached. Jay got as close as it gets to gain Daisy and her love, but failed. It may be tough, but unreachable dreams need to be suppressed.
Gatsby’s personal dream symbolizes a larger version of the American Dream where everyone has the opportunity to try to get what they want. Later on in the novel,it is shown that Gatsby thinks that Daisy feels the same way about him that he does about her. It proves that he is convinced of this when he takes the blame for the death of Myrtle. He says that he was driving when in reality Daisy was. He also feels the need to watch over her and protest her as she returns home.
Gatsby is a dreamer; he does everything only to pursue the only dream that he had in his life- Daisy, who also stands as a symbol for the American dream in the 1920s.
While this is admirable, Nick wonders if perhaps it is all too consuming. Sometimes “great” dreams can go too far. Though the word “great” typically has a positive connotation, “The Great Gatsby” carries a less than a positive connotation when you realize his “greatness” cost him his own life. He wouldn’t give up, he kept an image alive of Daisy. Not allowing her full self to him, she was ultimately not who he thought she was. As Nick says, there was too much time left to the imagination of Gatsby that Daisy simply could not live up to his expectations , “Almost five years! There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams—not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of [Gatsby's] illusion” (189) . Gatsby has spent years of his life in order to win back the girl of his dreams, only to realize in the end that sometimes the dream does not match the
Dream chasing can be a dangerous hobby. When a person focuses all of their effort too closely on their dream, they will ultimately find that they move further and further away with every one step forward and two steps back. In the novel The Great Gatsby, the character of Jay Gatsby is a vivid and passionate dream chaser. He spends his entire adult life focused on gaining wealth and recognition, in addition gaining the attention of a girl, Daisy Buchanan, who he met earlier in his life. In their time apart, she marries another and has a child with him, making it even more difficult for Gatsby. In attempts to gain the attention of his love, he throws extravagant, large parties that draw in hundreds every night, hoping one day she will too, walk
Gatsby cannot fulfill that dream, he is too deep in that dream, he thinks she is also in the past with him. She has a life, she has a child, she is married. Gatsby thinks she can just leave that all behind to come and live with him, but she can’t. His love, obsession, and dreams are what led him to his downfall.
Gatsby was someone who did achieve this dream. His intense drive and determination to achieve this dream is the love he has for Daisy. Through the process of achieving this dream, he never forgot about Daisy as everything he was doing is for her. After he achieved this dream, he was using his wealth to throw parties in hopes that one day, Daisy would walk in and they would meet again. Regardless of what others say, Gatsby has to marry Daisy and spend the rest of his life with her. When Daisy, Tom, Nick, Jordan and Gatsby were all in New York, Gatsby forces Daisy to say that she has never loved Tom, but she could not because it was not true and Gatsby was unable to accept this fact. This also shows that he has no respect for Tom, regardless of his rank. Gatsby is also very rebellious as he is involved with illegal business and bootlegging. In addition to this, he is socially isolated as he does not have any friends besides Nick Carraway. This demonstrates the trait of him having an intense drive and determination to live out his