The Epitome Of The American Dream In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

Christopher Tan

Dr. Hines

The Great Gatsby Essay

English 11

Due: October 23nd 2012 Determination makes us great whether through what we accomplish or how we accomplish our goals. We strive to improve ourselves in order to give ourselves identity and our lives meaning. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is the epitome of the American dream because Gatsby’s belief that he cannot fail, although unrealistic, allows him to refine himself and achieve the impossible. Gatsby is driven by his desire to improve which is why he aims for difficult goals in order to create an identity for himself. Our social identities are cardinal; however, our determination separates the great from the ordinary. Gatsby desires to improve because

The nights young Gatsby is in bed, he dreams vivid images of the luxuries he will one day possess. Gatsby’s fantasy is a “promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy’s wing” (99). A rock founded on a fairy’s wing is a paradox, for a rock, which represents the realities of the world, rests on a fragile wing bound for heaven, a place of imagination. Gatsby is the bridge between reality and imagination because his imagination allows him to mold reality. During Gatsby’s reunion with Daisy, Gatsby loses his suave demeanor because after five years of waiting to reunite with her, he fears he cannot meet her expectations. The expectation is that everything will go perfectly and Gatsby will have absolute control over the situation. In reality, however, nothing can fully equal one’s expectations. Having not seen Daisy in five years, Gatsby becomes completely infatuated, which is why he acts like a boy. Since Gatsby acts like a timid boy, he wants to avoid the harshness of reality. At Nick’s house, the clock began to “tilt dangerously at the pressure of his head, whereupon he turned and caught it with his trembling fingers and set it back to

The American Dream is the ideal that we can achieve our dreams if we aim to improve ourselves and get rid of our fear of failure. For over a century, people have been consumed by materialism and have lost sight of their imagination. But with Gatsby’s fulfillment of success, he redefines the American dream. If Gatsby were alive, he could change reality with his determination and create the world as he imagines it. Gatsby has enough passion to pursue anything he wants, a characteristic which relates to the “Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha. The message of the song is to persevere no matter how difficult the goal is, for if we do not succeed we can rest assured knowing that we tried everything we could. Gatsby represents the impossible dream because he never gives up when he comes across any difficulties; instead they motivate him and make him