Success In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

736 Words2 Pages

Politician Bob Dole once said, “The difference between possible and impossible is hard work and commitment.” Success is not only achieved through hard work and commitment. Factors such as privilege, social connections, and sometimes luck play a role in an individual's success. During the 1920s, Americans experienced significant social and economic change. In the Roaring Twenties era, Jay Gatsby, a newly wealthy young man, came to learn the false promises of social mobility. While he was known for throwing lavish parties at his Long Island Mansion with the hope of winning back a lost love, Gatsby comes to find the moral dissolve of society over the desire for prosperity. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzerald uses Nick’s favorable comparison …show more content…

When Gatsby’s father shares with Nick Jimmy’s (Gatsby) motivational agenda he illustrates his early determination: “‘Look here, this is a book he had when he was a boy,’. And underneath: Rise from bed 6:00 a.m. Dumbbell exercise and wall-scaling 6:15 - 6:30 Study electricity, etc. 7:15 - 8:15 Work 8:30 - 4:30 p.m. Baseball and Sports 4:30 - 5:00 Study needed inventions 7:00 - 9:00,” (Fitzgerald 105 - 106). Gatsby’s schedule highlights his commitment to working hard to achieve his dream and achieve the success of the East Egg High Society. Working hard develops a strong sense of appreciation and value, whereas the hand-outs given to the high-society people are not seen as …show more content…

The idea of remaking himself in an attempt to not only turn back time but to illustrate how Gatsby is serious about fulfilling his American Dream even with Nick’s reasons saying, “‘I wouldn’t ask too much of her,’ [Nick] ventured. ‘You can’t repeat the past.’ ‘Can’t repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’” (Fitzgerald 69) Gatsby’s dedication to Daisy demonstrates how he can change and reinvent himself to reach his goal. Gatsby's ability for human connections and empathy contrasts the privileged's detached ways, which are seen as superficial. Fitzgerald’s description captures how Daisy was more interested in marrying for money rather than love when he writes, When “[Daisy] vanished into her rich house, into her rich, full life, leaving Gatsby-nothing. He felt married to her, that was all, she demonstrates how people with inherited money receive many extravagant things, while people with new money were grateful for lesser things because they worked harder for them. Page 92 of the book. To have his new identity validated by the old money society, particularly Daisy, Gatsby finds that his romantic pursuit of rekindled love is crushed by her desire to live the upper-class lifestyle. Daisy is an example of how the wealthy elite are portrayed as shallow and materialistic, versus

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