The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

1052 Words3 Pages

The concept of one’s journey to reach the so called "American Dream" has served as the central theme for many novels. However, in the novel The Great Gatsby, the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays the American Dream as so opulent it is unrealistic and unreachable. The American Dream is originally about obtaining happiness, but by the 1920's, this dream has become twisted into a desire for fame and fortune by whatever means; mistaken that wealth will bring happiness. Fitzgerald illustrates that the more people reach toward the idealistic American dream, the more they lose sight of what makes them happy, which sends the message that the American dream is unattainable. The continuos yearning for extravagance and wealthy lifestyles has become detrimental to Gatsby and many other characters in the novel as they continue to remain incorrigible in an era of decayed social and moral values, pursuing an empty life of pleasure instead of seeking happiness. GATSBYS DREAM “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. And then one fine morning— So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” (180). Situated at the end of Daisy’s East Egg dock and barely visible from Gatsby’s West Egg lawn, the green light represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future. Gatsby associates it with Daisy, and in Chapter 1 he reaches toward it in the darkness as a guiding light to lead him to his goal. Fitzgerald illustrates Daisy as a symbol of wealth, success, dreams, beauty, marriage, motherhood, and she ultimately encompasses the idealistic American Dream. However, t... ... middle of paper ... ...sm is obvious when Nick and Gatsby try to distinguish the charm in Daisy's voice. Gatsby says, "Her voice is full of money", and Nicks reaches a revelation about society: "That was it. I'd never understood it before. It was full of money-that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals' song of it…. High in a white palace the golden girl…." (120). With this realization Nick finally sees that when Daisy's charm and beauty is stripped away then only an ugly selfish personality is left. He becomes so wrapped up in the drama and parties around him that he looses sight of his original reason for moving out East, which is ultimately one of the reasons why the American Dream is no longer a realistic goal for Nick. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. Three Novels: The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1953. Print.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
705 Words | 2 Pages
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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
377 Words | 1 Pages
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754 Words | 2 Pages
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1236 Words | 3 Pages
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1097 Words | 3 Pages
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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
1859 Words | 4 Pages
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F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
655 Words | 2 Pages
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F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
1422 Words | 3 Pages
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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
997 Words | 2 Pages
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Significance Of The Green Light In The Great Gatsby
1561 Words | 4 Pages
It winds up doubtlessly obvious that this green light is not Daisy, yet rather a picture addressing Gatsby's dream of having Daisy. The way that Daisy comes up short concerning Gatsby's goals is plainly obvious. Knowing this, one can see that paying little respect to how hard Gatsby tries to experience his fantasy, he will never have the ability to fulfill it. Through close examination of the green light, one may find that the oblige that empowers Gatsby to take after his dependable craving is that of the American dream. Fitzgerald uses the green light as a picture of desire, money, and yearning. Gatsby respects the American dream and tails it so he can be the photograph romanticize man that every young woman needs. Gatsby contemplates how people see him, and his appearance towards others. He needs everything to look perfect for Daisy, as he needs Daisy to view him as a flawless man. "We both looked down at the grass – there was a sharp line where my ragged out garden completed and the darker, well-kept district of his began. I estimated he suggested my grass." (Fitzgerald, 80) This demonstrates the subject of appearance versus reality and how Gatsby needs everything to look tolerable and sufficient for when he gets together with Daisy unprecedented for quite a while. Gatsby winds up perceptibly demolished in light of the way that his essential goal is to have Daisy. He needs a gigantic house so he could feel adequately beyond any doubt to endeavor and get Daisy. Gatsby was blinded by the American dream and in like manner, cause devastation of Gatsby himself. He didn't end up getting what he required in light of the way that the American dream accepted control who he really
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The Truly Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald
863 Words | 2 Pages
Hopes and dreams are needed to give man's efforts a meaning, or a purpose. Pushing towards some ideal is how man can feel a sense of his own identity. In the novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is a man with tremendous and "infinite hope" (Fitzgerald, 6). To be able to accomplish a life long dream, one must have strong determination that can in no way be weakened by any obstacles one might face. It is the hope of achieving your dream that keeps you from wandering away from it and guides you to the right path. In order to achieve his dream, Gatsby was motivated, optimistic and brave. Whether or not he eventually was able to accomplish this dream, having these qualities in a person certainly indicate that this person, or Gatsby, is a hopeful person who has "some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life" (Fitzgerald, 6).
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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby