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American Dream in American Literature
American Dream in American Literature
How does gatsby's character develop through the story
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The Great Gatsby In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, there are multiple affairs. The affair that drives the novel is between married Daisy Buchanan, and her former lover Jay Gatsby. After being acquainted two years after Daisy had married Tom Buchanan, the two of them rekindled a love they had begun five years ago. Little did either of them know that their affair would lead to catastrophic consequences: a heartbreak, multiple deaths, and many ruined relationships. Throughout the novel, readers are shown how diverse characters interact and quickly become aware that Gatsby's infatuation for Daisy Buchanan is much stronger than her feelings will ever be for him. Daisy Buchanan is a selfish woman who for Gatsby, represents the American …show more content…
Dream and everything that comes along with it. Gatsby's love, or infatuation, for Daisy is the foundation for the plot of the novel. The pair first met five years before the novel takes place; Gatsby was stationed in Louisville, Daisy’s hometown during World War One. There he met Daisy, who at the time was a beautiful, young heiress. Daisy easily mistook Gatsby as a man of prestige and privilege, and he managed to keep up the illusion during the duration of their one month romance. Along with falling in love with Daisy’s beauty and wit, Gatsby managed to fall in love with her wealth and A-list family as well. Daisy was the incarnation of all of Gatsby’s hopes and dreams, he wanted nothing more than to be a wealthy man of high stature. Daisy fell in love with him too, but not to the same 2 extent that Gatsby did. Gatsby soon left for the war, and once he returned, he found Daisy married to an extremely rich man, Tom Buchanan. From that moment on, Gatsby embarked on a quest to win back all of Daisy's love and affection. From the beginning of the novel, the affair began on uneven ground. Daisy and Gatsby have feelings for each other; however, Gatsby's emotions are definitely stronger. The idea of Daisy Buchanan is all Gatsby can think of after fulfilling his goal of becoming a successful man. His infatuation goes so far that he purchases a mansion in West Egg, just across the bay from Daisy’s home in East Egg. Gatsby has lavish parties served with illegal alcohol every day in an attempt to catch her attention and impress all who attend. On the other hand, five years had past and Daisy built a life for herself, not thinking once about Jay Gatsby. When the two reunite in Chapter 5, the scene exemplifies Daisy’s casual tone during the first words they say to each other, "'We haven't met for many years,' said Daisy, her voice as a matter-of-fact as it could ever be. 'Five years next November.’" Gatsby knew the exact day they were separated, while Daisy had been thinking of him more abstractly. After their reunion, Nick describes Gatsby as radiant and glowing, but doesn't note any transition in Daisy's personality. All these instances show that the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby was never mutual from their first meeting. Daisy was Gatsby's reason for everything he did, while he simply remained a memory for Daisy. It is not until the couple, along with Tom Buchanan, Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker are in The Plaza Hotel that we truly get an insight to what Daisy is feeling, "'Oh, you want too much!' She cried to Gatsby. 'I love you now - isn't that enough? I can't help what's past...I did love him once-but I loved you too.' Gatsby's eyes opened and closed. 'You loved me too?' He repeated." Daisy loved Gatsby, but she couldn't do what he demanded and say that she never loved Tom. It 3 becomes clear at this point that no matter what Gatsby plans for them, Daisy won't leave Tom for him. This is a huge blow for Gatsby; he spent years obsessing over how he and Daisy's life would look like together. But, Daisy moved on and eventually fell in love with someone else. Once they left the Plaza, Daisy runs over and kills Myrtle Wilson, Tom's mistress, while driving Gatsby's car. Gatsby tells Nick about the incident, "'Was Daisy driving?' 'Yes,' [Gatsby] said after a moment, 'but of course I'll say I was.’” When Nick is speaking to Gatsby, he doesn't seem to feel much guilt about what had just happened, even though Myrtle had been killed. He's too wrapped up in protecting Daisy from the murder that she had just committed. Gatsby stands outside Daisy's window for the rest of the night, waiting to see if Tom does anything to harm her. The next morning, after everything that had happened, Gatsby refuses to leave town, waiting to see what Daisy’s final decision would be. Little did he know that he would never get the chance to hear her choice. In Chapter 8, Gatsby explains that Daisy's wealth and the world that opened up to him as he got to know her is what truly drew him to her.
Gatsby desired to be rich and successful, and he thought that if he was with Daisy, she could give him that life. He developed an image of her in his mind that no human could ever live up to, associating her with wealth, fame, and success. Before Gatsby's death readers learn that his longing for Daisy was actually a parallel of his longing for the American Dream. Gatsby clutches to the dream that Daisy would come back to him until the moment he dies. His last moments are spent floating in his pool, looking up at the sky and waiting for Daisy to call when he's shot by George B. Wilson, Myrtle's husband. Tom Buchanan had previously told George Wilson that Gatsby had been having an affair with his wife, and that it was he who 4 had killed her. This fabrication led to Wilson murdering Gatsby, and then committing suicide afterward. George B. Wilson and Gatsby share many parallels throughout the novel: both of them had been destroyed by women who didn't love them back, and both strived for a better life. Gatsby is a 'successful' dreamer, having acquired all the material wealth he desired; on the contrary, George Wilson is a failed dreamer who had sunk deep into
poverty. The most heartbreaking sequence of events occurs after Gatsby’s death. After Nick learns of Gatsby's death, he tries to call Daisy, only to find that she and Tom had left town, "'Left no address?' 'No.' 'Say when they'll be back?' 'No,'" (164). Daisy doesn't send so much as a flower to the funeral for the man that she had claimed to love once. Ultimately, Daisy’s actions led to Gatsby’s death; if she admitted that she had accidentally killed Myrtle, George Wilson would have never shot Gatsby. Nick Carraway describes Tom and Daisy’s character best, "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their moment or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they made..." (179). Daisy's actions, or rather her silence, after her lover's death depict how cold-hearted and selfish she truly is. Each character brought an important insight to the hollowness of the upper class. Gatsby teaches readers that the American Dream is simply a dream. Gatsby had all of the material wealth he desired, cars, servants, fancy clothes, and a mansion, but the only thing that could have made him happy was ultimately something that money couldn't buy: Daisy. Daisy’s selfishness and obsession with having the best and in her case, Tom Buchanan’s old money was far superior to Gatsby’s new money, is what ultimately brought Gatsby’s young life to an end. Then there are characters like George B. Wilson who never had the pleasure of having wealth, and seem to be 5 living in a separate world in the Valley of Ashes. In both cases, Fitzgerald shows readers that whether you have it all or nothing at all, relying on a single person for your ultimate happiness with eventually kill you while trying.
George Wilson, who is married to Myrtle, and Tom Buchanan, married to Daisy, are most responsible for Gatsby's death. Wilson went up to Tom asking who owned the yellow car that killed his wife. Tom revealed that it was Gatsby’s car, knowing that Wilson had intentions of killing whoever owned the car, yet Tom didn’t add to the fact that Daisy was driving. Gatsby did have a relationship with Daisy, and Tom knew about it. Tom allowed Daisy to go in Gatsby’s car back to West Egg to prove that he did not care if Daisy and Gatsby were together, had Tom not let Daisy go in Gatsby’s car, both Myrtle and Gatsby would be alive.
After Myrtle was hit and killed by a car, Tom told George, her husband, that the person driving the car was Gatsby. It was actually Daisy who killed Myrtle, but Gatsby paid the price for her mistake. George Wilson went to Gatsby’s mansion and shot Gatsby while he was in the pool. After killing Gatsby, George took the gun and commited suicide. Then, Tom took Daisy and their child and moved away and left Nick Carraway without his cousin or his friend. Tom did not care about Gatsby’s death, even though he was someone his wife
The first impression that the reader gets of Gatsby is Jay’s initial explanation of him. Nick describes Gatsby as having an “extraordinary gift for hope” (2) or the ability to always be hopeful for the best outcome. This “ability” directly correlates to Gatsby 's platonic conception of himself and the world. Gatsby’s gift was not that he was able to see the best out of the worst situation but rather assume that the best situation would always occur for him. This “ability” lead Gatsby to take many risks especially the risk of believing that Daisy had only loved him. Gatsby also hopes that Daisy would call him back, leaving the phone lines open for Daisy when swimming in his pool. These acts only further lead to Gatsby becoming enemies with Tom, who gave Gatsby’s life up to Myrtle’s husband whose final act was shooting
Even though at first when they finally got together after all those years and everything seem great and romantic but good things always come to an end. The affair effected Gatsby in his life by having him back the old love he first had for Daisy even hoping for a lifetime future together. His dream is very much vivid about his romantic hopes about Daisy in his mind, “There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams, not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion” (95). He seems to be falling deeper in love with her even maybe more than the love she really had for him even though through the end of the chapters her love that she claims to have for him seemed not truly. In New York, the truth comes out more about she feels about Gatsby by being questioned and feeling guilty when Tom gets to the fact that she loves him and not Gatsby but Gatsby rejects his sayings and tells Daisy to say how she truly feel about him. Over all the excitement, Daisy tells how she truly feel about the whole love affair, “I did love him once but I loved you too” (132). It is possible that the leading of Gatsby’s death was caused from Tom’s jealousy of his wife’s confessed love for Gatsby. Tom would had told Wilson that Gatsby was the driver of the car that killed Myrtle and her secret
Eventually Gatsby is waiting. Waiting for that fate changing phone call from Daisy. He wants to go in the pool to pass the time while waiting for said phone call. George, Myrtle’s husband had found out that it was Gatsby’s car that hit his wife so he goes out for revenge. In that fateful evening three souls were lost that day, George’s, Jay Gatsby’s, and James Gatz’s. The lost of those two lives were completely unnecessary. Gatsby always seemed to be right and knowledgeable, yet the one thing he was the most incorrect about was he could not repeat the past. No matter how hard he tried to rewind the hands of time and change his fate he could not. He learned the very hard lesson of life. That nothing in life will work out perfectly for anyone. Learn this lesson and live life to the fullest potential.
Tom had money, Daisy knew this. She acknowledged that his money was inherited and that held the love in their relationship. She found that Gatsby grew up underprivileged, and he was supposed to inherit money from a man by the name of Dan Cody, but that opportunity fell through. Gatsby attempts to depict his life as though he inherited his money, but “even Daisy appears unable to cope with the reality of Gatsby’s lower class background”(W) Everyone that attends Gatsby’s lavish parties realize, “Gatsby is never truly one of the elite—his dream is just a facade”(W). As hard as Gatsby tried, everyone could see through his fabrications and lavish parties, most importantly Daisy. She knew his true background and didn’t love him because of it. She wanted a man whose money was inherited, not earned like Gatsby’s. “Both Gatsby and Tom Buchanan, Daisy's husband, possessed wealth. Gatsby at least used his wealth to seek out beauty and claim it for himself. Buchanan the lecher lacked any larger goals. In the end, Daisy chooses to remain with Buchanan, and Gatsby is murdered by the deranged husband of Myrtle Wilson, Buchanan's mistress, who had been accidentally run down and killed by Daisy. Buchanan serves as Gatsby's executioner; he allows George Wilson to believe that Gatsby had killed Myrtle” (Trask). Since his love for Daisy was steadfast, Jay Gatsby took the blame for killing
Tom Buchanan was the wealthy husband of Daisy Buchanan. Tom figuratively loaded the gun that shot Jay Gatsby. After Tom found out about the affair that Jay Gatsby was having with his wife Daisy, he furiously looked for a way to seek revenge on Gatsby. He told Wilson that Gatsby was driving the car that hit and killed Myrtle, Wilson's wife. As if killing Wilsons true love Myrtle was not enough Tom Buchanan accused Ga...
In the same way that Daisy was the reason for Gatsby to acquire everything he had, she was the reason he lost it all. He based his whole life into the dream and expectancy of Daisy coming back to his arms, living only on a dream. Gatsby’s love for Daisy was pure and real, it was a self-giving love which ultimately lead him to his death. It is clear that he gave up everything for the girl he loved; he tried everything he could to win her back, and unfortunately, died trying.
Daisy broke the promise she made to Gatsby when she told him she would wait for him. She ended up marrying Tom Buchanan, which also became the father of her child. She refers to her daughter as beautiful and gullible. She thinks women are just a pretty pawn in a man’s world (Fitzgerald). Gatsby set a goal that he would win Daisy back and would not give up on it until he achieved it. The attraction between Gatsby and Daisy is what causes her to be the one that allows him to fall into the love of his vision. There is not much detail that there is romance is this book but Fitzgerald allows us to see that she is not really what Gatsby sees her to be (Pidgeon).
At the hotel gathering, Gatsby struggles to persuade Daisy to confront her husband and she responds with “Oh, you want too much! . . . I did love him once--but I loved you too” (Fitzgerald 132). Daisy desperately tries to satisfy Gatsby but his imagination blocks his mind to such a degree that it eliminates his chances of learning how to comprehend reality. After Myrtle’s murder, Nick advises Gatsby to leave town but instead he realizes that “[Gatsby] wouldn’t consider it. He couldn’t possibly leave Daisy until he knew what she was going to do. He was clutching at some last hope and I couldn’t bear to shake him free” (Fitzgerald 148). No matter how hard Nick attempts to help him make the better choice, Gatsby continues to skew his priorities like a juvenile. Unfortunately for Gatsby, Daisy stays with Tom, a more secure and experienced adult, leaving Gatsby alone. As Gatsby’s life loses his vitality, he obviously needs learn how to act like an adult and survive in the world; but unable to accomplish this, Wilson kills him soon
“He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it; he did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in the vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night.” (Fitzgerald, 180). This novel, The Great Gatsby, was written by an insightfully amorous man names F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story was, loosely, based off of his life of love, trouble, parties, and death. The Great Gatsby is a story about an observant unbiased man named Nick Carraway who helps out young proscribed love. But he fails to perceive the foreshadowed future of the two estranged couple that is Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Throughout the entire novel, all the way till the end, Gatsby never gives up on his hope to win Daisy over from Tom. Whenever Gatsby feels that he has won, something happens that brings everyone, including him, disappointment.
In the beginning, Gatsby was a poor army boy who fell in love with a rich girl named Daisy. Knowing from their different circumstances, he could not marry her. So Gatsby left to accumulate a lot of money. Daisy, not being able to wait for Gatsby, marries a rich man named Tom. Tom believes that it is okay for a man to be unfaithful but it is not okay for the woman to be. This caused a lot of conflict in their marriage and caused Daisy to be very unhappy. Gatsby’s dream is to be with Daisy, and since he has accumulated a lot of money, he had his mind set on getting her back. Throughout the novel, Gatsby shows his need to attain The American Dream of love and shows his determination to achieve it. You can tell that Gatsby has a clear vision of what he wants when Nick says, “..he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I gla...
...are shown that Gatsby is prepared to do everything in his power to acquire Daisy’s adoration again, even let her get away with murder and will blindly go to jail for her. This however only leads him to his ultimate doom, as he is killed by Myrtle’s husband, Wilson. He may be a liar, but readers empathize with him as his only fault for being dishonest is his love for Daisy and being so blind to see that she is not worthy of that adoration.
Gatsby, as a child, had a daily schedule that he followed. He knew from childhood that he had to work for his fame. "Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something" (175). Gatsby's ambition lay not only in his future, but as he grew older it would be found in his love. He had an obsession with Daisy Buchanan and tried everything in his power to bring things back to they way they used to be when they first met. He thought he could relive the past. He threw lavish parties to get her attention. He did everything in his power to be near her. " ‘Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay' " (79) He earned his wealth so that they could finally be together.
After the night Gatsby promised to Daisy that he would take the blame if anything would happen, George showed up to Gatsby's house in West Egg. Enraged and tiresome George despised Gatsby because he believed he was the stone-cold murderer that killed his wife Myrtle. Once George arrived at Gatsby’s house he saw him in the backyard looking up at the night sky and instinctively pulled out his gun and without a single thought, his hatred had taken over and he shot a single bullet into Gatsby’s back. Reports came in the next day of a man reported dead in Gatsby's pool and the suicide of George B. Wilson. The name Gatsby had died in the eyes of the people and his name was an unspoken word never used again in Long Island.