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Hard work, determination, and initiative can earn someone success, right? For almost all people, their life goal is to achieve success for themselves however it may be. People want the best for themselves and try to accomplish this wherever they are in life, whether poor, rich, or somewhere in between. This process, in other words the American dream, has been and still is believed to prevail in all situations. This all seems perfectly agreeable until it does not succeed. The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, has something to say against this belief as well. In his well known book, The Great Gatsby (1925), Fitzgerald tells a lively story about riches, lavishness, hopes, dreams, and ultimate failure. Throughout his book, the author communicates to …show more content…
his readers the unachievability of the American dream in all classes through the situational irony of the plot. This is most obviously seen through the failure of Gatsby, a man in between class, but also through the unsuccessful lower class and the limited life options for Daisy, an upper class character. Primarily, Jay Gatsby, the self-made wealthy character who dreams of riches and marrying the golden girl, represents a prime example of how Fitzgerald uses situational irony to convey the failure of the American dream. As a young boy, Jay Gatsby always wants to be rich and important, and has the determination to make it happen. He also disowns his parents for being too poor and devotes himself to “the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty” (Fitzgerald, 98). These things demonstrate Gatsby’s determination to be wealthy, which make the reader think that Gatsby may be able to eventually reach his goals. As most people know, Gatsby does actually become wealthy and throws huge parties every week. Although it seems like Gatsby does partially obtain the American dream, it is all an illusion. For one, he never actually receives acceptance into the wealthy class, and it all gets ripped away from him when he is violently murdered near the end of the book. All that he had worked for and dreamed of becomes minimized in one instant. To add to that, his importance and popularity to his so-called friends and party-goers is an illusion as well, which the author conveys through his funeral when “nobody came” besides a few people (174). This presents Fitzgerald's connection of the situational irony in Gatsby’s life to the American dream. To the reader, achieving his goal seems very possible and likely to happen because of his determination, but Fitzgerald does this intentionally to mislead the reader in order to portray this aspect of the American dream: that fulfilling the American dream seems very possible but in the end will never happen. Another way in which Gatsby’s dream ends up incomplete is through Daisy. She is the first girl he actually fell in love with, and she embodies the image of the “golden girl” who he would always desire. He hit many roadblocks on the way like going to war, being too poor for her, and her getting married to Tom. His efforts seem to prevail when he finally meets her again when he has become wealthy, and they fall in love, which gives the reader a hope for him. Daisy eventually arrives at the choice of Gatsby or her current husband Tom, and she chooses Tom. This devastates Gatsby once “he [knows] he had lost that part” of his dream, “the freshest and the best, forever” (153). This situational irony becomes apparent to the reader even more after Gatsby dies and “Daisy hadn’t sent a message or flower” (174). One of his major goals, which he tries so hard to accomplish, to get the girl, is ultimately a complete failure. These examples display how Gatsby’s dreams of being wealthy and getting the girl are seized from him like he never had them, This opposes the reader's expectations that Gatsby would succeed, and show his achievements to be like “little ripples that were hardly the shadows of waves” and like a “small gust of wind that scarcely corrugated the surface” (162). The situational irony in this illustration repeats Fitzgerald’s message that the American dream is insurmountable. From his own experiences of going to war, not getting his dream girl, and being too poor for his girl, Fitzgerald tries to show his readers what he really thinks of the American dream by portraying these things through the Gatsby’s failures in his book. Because Gatsby comes out of the lower class, but does not reach full acceptance into the upper class, Fitzgerald uses this character to represent the in between or the middle class, and shows how it is even impossible for this class to fulfill the American dream. In addition to the situational irony of Gatsby’s life, Fitzgerald uses situational irony to prove the falsehood and unachievability of the American dream through the lower class, namely Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle was born in and lives in the lower, working class, which the author uses her as a direct representation of the lower class by Fitzgerald. Myrtle is a woman who lives in the “valley of ashes” in the book, which is supposed to represent her poverty. She always thinks that she is better than the lower class and dreams to escape it. There are two ways she plans on escaping it: through her relationship with Tom or through actual hard work. These both seem to the reader like ways that might possibly be successful for Myrtle to complete her dream. When the character is first introduced as Tom’s mistress, it appears as though this relationship might actually go somewhere serious and this might be her escape route when it says that they would “get a divorce” from their current spouses “and get married to each other right away” if it were not for Tom’s wife who “[doesn’t] believe in divorce” (33). This builds the expectation that Myrtle might actually have a way out of the lower class, which heightens the situational irony at the end of the novel. Another thing that builds hope for Myrtle is her hard work and “vitality that [is] so remarkable in the garage” (30). This makes the reader think that by pumping gas and working hard she might actually make it out of the lower class. Both of these possibilities are destroyed when “her life [was] violently extinguished” when she gets hit by a car, ironically driven by Daisey (137). This tragic turnaround that no one expects it is the way in which Fitzgerald uses situational irony to make his readers realize the falsehood of the American dream. Fitzgerald wants his readers to snap out of their own dreams of believing that they can do anything they dream of. Since Gatsby also comes out of poverty, he also represents the lower class. Since both of these characters represent lower class, Fitzgerald uses them to convey how the American dream is impossible for people from this class especially. Corresponding Gatsby with the middle class and Myrtle and Gatsby with the lower class, Fitzgerald shows the death of the American dream in each class, and to add the final class, he utilizes the life of Daisy in the upper class. Finally, Fitzgerald includes all the classes in the death of the American dream by adding the incomplete dream of Daisy, an upper class woman.
Though it seems like Daisy has everything worked out for her, she actually has a dilemma on her hands. Daisy only has the option of love or security, and the author shows the elusive nature of fully completing the American dream of having both of these things. Though some readers may not see it, Fitzgerald presents the disparity of her life through situational irony. Daisy, a wealthy woman married to Tom, lives a very luxurious and carefree life. As an upper class woman, it seems to the reader like she has everything she could want and has her dreams fulfilled. Her dream of love and security is first killed when “she only marrie[s Tom] because [Gatsby] was poor and she was tired of waiting” (130). Fitzgerald shows that even though she wants Gatsby, she cannot have both love and money, so she must to pick one while rendering her dreams incomplete. Another time Fitzgerald portrays the continued incompleteness of Daisy’s dream is when Gatsby returns after five years with much more wealth than before. This appears to give Daisy the choice of love and security, but all of this becomes . After being given the choice of Tom or her true love Gatsby, Fitzgerald establishes the situational irony when Daisy cannot actually choose Gatsby because he is “a common swindler” (133) and she would not be secure with him. The author portrays the deception of being able to fulfill one’s dreams by Daisy never achieving hers, which conveys his point that the American dream is unreachable. An additional instance when Fitzgerald shows the incompleteness of Daisy’s life occurs when her life receives the description of something “that wealth imprisons and preserves” (150). Though her wealth preserves her, she is also imprisoned by the fact that she cannot have both love and security. Fitzgerald knows that many readers believe that the American dream
is achievable, but he uses this instance to show them how incorrect they are. Fitzgerald adds the upper class to the list of all people who cannot actually complete the American dream, which finalizes its death through all the classes. Throughout his novel, Fitzgerald continually depicts the impossibility of the American dream through all classes through Gatsby’s, Myrtle’s, and Daisy’s failures in their life. Through the expectations set up by Fitzgerald for these characters, he uses situational irony of their unexpected failures to bring his message to the surface. The author establishes a complete death of the American dream throughout all classes with Myrtle as the lower class, Gatsby as the transitional class, and Daisy as the upper class. Though many people believe that anything can be done through hard work, Fitzgerald uses this story to convey his message that no one can actually fulfill their dreams through hard work.
Fitzgerald demonstrates how a dream can become corrupted by one’s focus on acquiring wealth and power through imagery, symbolism, and characterization. First, Fitzgerald’s use of religious imagery shows how the American dream is corrupted. Gatsby changes his name, creating himself a new one, this makes his life more like that of God. Daisy Buchanan is compared to the “Holy Grail” and Gatsby’s dream is like a knight’s quest, showing once again the goal of the dream of having her. After the car accident, Gatsby looks over Daisy from her yard and tries to protect her.
Nothing is more important, to most people, than friendships and family, thus, by breaking those bonds, it draws an emotional response from the readers. Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan had a relationship before he went off to fight in the war. When he returned home, he finds her with Tom Buchanan, which seems to make him jealous since he still has feelings for Daisy. He wanted Daisy “to go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you” (Fitzgerald 118) Gatsby eventually tells Tom that his “wife doesn’t love [him]” and that she only loves Gatsby (Fitzgerald 121). But the unpleasant truth is that Daisy never loved anyone, but she loved something: money. Daisy “wanted her life shaped and the decision made by some force of of money, of unquestionable practicality” (Fitzgerald 161). The Roaring Twenties were a time where economic growth swept the nation and Daisy was looking to capitalize on that opportunity. Her greed for material goods put her in a bind between two wealthy men, yet they are still foolish enough to believe that she loved them. Jay Gatsby is a man who has no relationships other than one with Nick Caraway, so he is trying to use his wealth to lure in a greedy individual to have love mend his
He writes, through the voice of Gatsby, that “her voice is full of money” (127), implying that Daisy speaks with an eloquence and elegance found only in the voice of those born wealthy. Gatsby inherently connects Daisy with the idea of wealth and money, and shows a desire to be seen as one born with money. Hence, the reader can conclude that Gatsby is in love with what Daisy represents: wealth and the high class. By associating Daisy with the high society, Fitzgerald indirectly reveals his attitude towards America of the 1920s. He implies that similar to how Daisy chooses material pleasure and societal benefit as opposed to a real feeling that brings true joy, the people of the 1920s prioritize wealth and fleeting pleasure over concrete feelings that bring true happiness. He even takes his commentary a step further, as the “true” feeling represented in The Great Gatsby is love. Ironically, the love depicted in this society is corrupt and fake. Thus, Fitzgerald states that the ideologies and values of the American 1920s will result in its downfall, just as the corrupt and fake love between Gatsby and Daisy results in the downfall of Gatsby. Furthermore, through his portrayal of Daisy’s inadvertent cruelty towards both Myrtle and Gatsby, Fitzgerald parallels the unconscious depravity of the high society and its negative impact on America. This is seen
Gatsby’s love for daisy first went back a long time ago, and Daisy’s parents rejected of Gatsby because he wasn’t “pomp and circumstance”, like Tom Buchananand in result, Gatsby reinvents himself by becoming a financially successful man. Fitzgerald purposely has Gatsby state that Daisy’s “voice is full of money”, this illustrates that Gatsby is still trying to impress her and win her back; but on the other hand, the irony of the situation is that Gatsby can afford almost any materialistic, but can’t win Daisy. Also, when Jordan elaborates that Daisy never desired to attain love “, yet there’s something in that voice of hers”, she demonstrates not only that she is elusive, but also explains that she can manipulate her persona. This excitement and distraction, which is what Daisy provokes on Gatsby, is the what caused by the illusion of attaining Daisy, and thus fulfilling the American Dream. Daisy is personified as the American Dream throughout The Great Gatsby
Jay Gatsby had the biggest dream of his life which was to turn back time to the way it was with Daisy in his life . But is Gatsby really trying to recreate the past, of course not he is constantly trying to create a better future. A type of future where his one true love Daisy could be in it with him. But also there is a problem, and that problem is the fact that Daisy is married. What were the efforts given by Gatsby to recreate the past.
Fitzgerald, like Jay Gatsby, while enlisted in the army, fell in love with a girl who was enthralled by his newfound wealth. After he was discharged, he devoted himself to a lifestyle of parties and lies in an attempt to win the girl of his dreams back. Daisy, portrayed as Fitzgerald’s dream girl, did not wait for Jay Gatsby; she was consumed by the wealth the Roaring Twenties Era brought at the end of the war. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald presents the themes of wealth, love, memory/past, and lies/deceit through the characters Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom.
It is not surprising then, that Daisy Buchanan views herself as an elevated individual - in part due to her aristocratic lineage - and attempts to portray herself as such. However, her image progressively deteriorates in the eyes of Nick, and Fitzgerald herein captures his contempt towards the aristocracy, as despite having once been “the golden girl”, Daisy is now described as the embodiment of “vast carelessness”, Furthermore, Fitzgerald extends the “quality of distortion” to all classes in contemporary American society, as both Gatsby and Myrtle attempt to reject their impoverished dispositions, and portray themselves as elevated individuals. Gatsby’s attempt is ultimately futile, as despite his ostentatious displays of wealth, none of those who formerly attended his parties, attend his funeral, and he is thus left to die alone. Myrtle’s death, similarly reflects the futility of attempting to escape reality, as in an attempt to literally escape her disposition, she throws herself in front of Gatsby’s car. Thus, Fitzgerald effectively - yet quite pessimistically - expresses that it is futile to portray one’s self in an elevated manner, and living out one’s
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald conveys how Jay Gatsby’s ambition is the root of his success and death. When Gatsby, a man of humble beginnings, meets Daisy, her wealth and high status allures him. They fall in love, but due to Gatsby’s low financial and social position, Daisy feels insecure and leaves him. Gatsby’s optimism and obsession to win Daisy prompts the ambition that ultimately drives him to his noble yet tragic ending.
...s with all of the parties and the pursuit of wealth, power, and pleasure in an era of change. The novel shows the relationship of Gatsby and Daisy as a symbol of this pursuit of wealth, power, and pleasure. The reader sees the pursuit of wealth through Daisy wanting Gatsby and Tom, both of whom have money. The pursuit of power is shown through Daisy’s decision of Tom over Gatsby as Gatsby is seen as a lower social status with little power compared to Tom who has tremendous power. Pleasure is seen through the extramarital affairs of Tom and Myrtle as well as Daisy and Gatsby. The Great Gatsby, through Tom and Daisy, reveals the human condition of the pursuit of wealth, power, and pleasure through these examples and shows that the “American Dream” is not possible in a life where one’s surroundings are pushing him/her towards a life of wealth, power, and pleasure.
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, tells the story of a man of meager wealth who chases after his dreams, only to find them crumble before him once he finally reaches them. Young James Gatz had always had dreams of being upper class, he didn't only want to have wealth, but he wanted to live the way the wealthy lived. At a young age he ran away from home; on the way he met Dan Cody, a rich sailor who taught him much of what he would later use to give the world an impression that he was wealthy. After becoming a soldier, Gatsby met an upper class girl named Daisy - the two fell in love. When he came back from the war Daisy had grown impatient of waiting for him and married a man named Tom Buchanan. Gatsby now has two coinciding dreams to chase after - wealth and love. Symbols in the story, such as the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, the contrast between the East Egg and West Egg, and the death of Myrtle, Gatsby, and Wilson work together to expose a larger theme in the story. Gatsby develops this idea that wealth can bring anything - status, love, and even the past; but what Gatsby doesn't realize is that wealth can only bring so much, and it’s this fatal mistake that leads to the death of his dreams.
A woman’s need to pursue society’s expectations of her can corrupt her entire view on relationships and human interactions. In the novel The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald, suggests that an individuals desire to achieve a standard of perfection in society can demoralize them into engrossing only what is best for themselves during conflict. Daisy is the epitome of a woman during the 1920’s, she wants nothing more than the appearance of a perfect family life, so when her future is indefinite she hides behind Tom’s wealth, and certainty to achieve her desires.
Fitzgerald suggests that fantasy never matches reality by looking at the consequences of Gatsby’s confusing dreams and reality. Gatsby creates a high illusionary Daisy, therefore, these expectations of Daisy cannot be met. This can also be seen by noticing how as Gatsby approaches the end of this journey of acquiring Daisy, the journey becomes pointless, and the outcomes in his fantasy differ from those in reality. Countless individuals today make this same mistake of confusing dreams and reality, and looking to Jay Gatsby as an example, this mistake may harm them in the future.
Tom and Daisy Buchanan, the rich couple, seem to have everything they could possibly want. Though their lives are full of anything you could imagine, they are unhappy and seek to change, Tom drifts on "forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game"(pg. 10) and reads "deep books with long words in them"(pg. 17) just so he has something to talk about. Even though Tom is married to Daisy he has an affair with Myrtle Wilson and has apartment with her in New York.. Daisy is an empty character, someone with hardly any convictions or desires. Even before her relationships with Tom or, Gatsby are seen, Daisy does nothing but sit around all day and wonder what to do with herself and her friend Jordan. She knows that Tom is having an affair, yet she doesn't leave him even when she hears about Gatsby loving her. Daisy lets Gatsby know that she too is in love with him but cant bring herself to tell Tom goodbye except when Gatsby forces her too. Even then, once Tom begs her to stay, even then Daisy forever leaves Gatsby for her old life of comfort. Daisy and Tom are perfect examples of wealth and prosperity, and the American Dream. Yet their lives are empty, and without purpose.
The obsession with wealth often blinds people from the potential crisis. The crisis of having everything they worked and struggled for redefined if the reality fails them. Just like strivers who chase the American dream, Gatsby also spend his whole life in persue of his American dream, which Daisy was a major component of it. Gatsby’s “American dream” seems actualized when Daisy comments him “resemble the advertisement of the man(Ch7).” But Daisy eventually betrays Gatsby and went back to the arms of Tom. This is the final nail in the coffin, with Gatsby’s dr...
Gatsby’s obsession of his love for Daisy and wealth prove his dream as unattainable. Throughout the novel, he consumes himself into lies to cheat his way into people’s minds convincing them he is this wealthy and prosperous man. Gatsby tries to win Daisy’s love through his illusion of success and relive the past, but fails to comprehend his mind as too hopeful for something impossible. In the end, Nick is the only one to truly understand Gatsby’s hopeful aspirations he set out for himself but ultimately could not obtain. In the novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald is able to parallel many themes of the roaring twenties to current society. The ideas of high expectations and obsession of the material world are noticeable throughout the history and is evident in many lives of people today.