The Great Gatsby Research Paper

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Throughout your life you have almost certainly heard of someone pursuing or chasing the American dream, but is the American dream what it once was? The Great Gatsby a realistic fiction by F. Scott Fitzgerald revolves around Jay Gatsby a ostentatious and mysterious young man who lives on a part of Long Island, New York called West Egg. He pursues his love Daisy from before he went off to fight in a war by using immense wealth he acquired through gambling and selling illegal liquor during prohibition to purchase a ginormous, gothic mansion and throwing elaborate parties in hopes she will attend so he may show off his wealth to her. He believes being wealthy will once again make Daisy fall back in love with him. However, he is later killed in …show more content…

Tanfer Emin Tunc, a critic of The Great Gatsby conveys in his criticism "The Great Gatsby: The Tragedy of the American Dream on Long Island's Gold Coast." (2009) that “despite all of their obvious wealth, the nouveau riche are imposters—cheap materialistic imitations of the American Dream.” The people who live on East Egg were born rich and they do not associate with the newly rich living in West Egg. Tunc also explains “while members of the East Coast aristocracy possess understated sophistication, refinement, and breeding, they do not embody the American Dream.” This is further evident when Nick describes Tom and Daisy by stating “they were careless people… they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness” (Fitzgerald 187-188 ). Gatsby longs to be accepted by the people of East Egg, specifically Daisy. This will never happen though because he was not born into the socially elite class. When Daisy visits Gatsby’s party she does not seem to like it which leads Mary Joe Tate a critic of The Great Gatsby to suggest in her criticism, "The Great Gatsby." Critical Companion to F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion (2007) “his display of wealth fails to impress her, and she is "offended" and "appalled" by the "raw vigor" of West Egg” (84). Daisy will never want to be with anyone outside of her elite social

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