Chloe Holstad Mrs. Arvay English 3 16 May 2023 Jay Gatsby’s American Dream In a world where success and wealth are often equated with happiness and fulfillment, Jay Gatsby’s story serves as a as a cautionary tale about the dangers of the American Dream. Throughout the Great Gatsby, his pursuit of wealth and success is closely tied to his desire for Daisy. His parties and extravagant lifestyle are all a part of his attempt to win her back. His belief in the American Dream fuels his ambition. However, despite this wealth and power, Gatsby is unable to achieve these dreams and his tragic flaw leads to his downfall. Jay Gatsby’s American Dream is the idea that anyone, regardless of their social background can achieve success, wealth, …show more content…
“He is truly great by virtue of his capacity to commit himself to his aspirations” (Fitzgerald 10). He worked extremely hard to accumulate a fortune through illegal activities such as bootlegging. Gatsby’s actions are motivated by his desire to win back Daisy. He becomes obsessive with this idea and uses his new wealth to try and impress her. “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…No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart” …show more content…
He believed that if he could just win her back, he would be happy and fulfilled. “He confuses the American Dream, he’s betrayed by it”(Fitzgerald 10). However, his dreams were unattainable. As Daisy was already married and would not leave her husband Tom. His obsession blinded him to the reality of the situation, he was unable to let go of this dream and move on in his life. Gatsby’s involvement in illegal activities and organized crime eventually caught up with him, leading to his downfall. Describe his tragic flaw. How his past and association with criminal activity contributed to his
There is a controversy over whether Jay Gatsby is a good man with pure intentions or a corrupted man with evil intentions. Jay Gatsby uses all his wealth only for pure intentions. He is willing to do anything to be with his love of his life Daisy. He will go to any means to ensure a future of love and happiness with the girl of his dreams. There are those who would argue that Jay Gatsby never intended to be a good honest man.
Although Jay Gatsby had Daisy in his grasp towards the end of his life, his ambition wasn’t enough for him to obtain it in the end. Macbeth’s ambition and strength was enough for him to succeed in gaining what he wanted, which shows how he was more successful in achieving his ambition. Macbeth’s goal was to seize power, and he was able to do that, he became King, drove away or killed anyone trying to gain power, and fulfilled his prophecies. Macbeth’s main goal was to become more powerful, and he accomplished this by being crowned King of Scotland.
He spent years obtaining money to create a life that would exceed her expectations. Gatsby’s love for Daisy is what motivates him to gain wealth and status through illegal means ultimately leading to his downfall.
Chase Odom Mr.West 10H English 7 March 2023 Great Gatsby Essay Life is truly an astonishing thing. Everyone has a purpose or motive that makes their life meaningful. But for some who went through hardships and achieved success, they are still not complete without it.
Gatsby is essentially an innocent victim (romantic idealist) who is destroyed by his inability to accept reality. Gatsby had always knew that he wanted to be wealthy and successful since a young age. To himself “he was a son of God”( Fitzgerald 98). He was always hard-working and dedicated.
It is like a story that has been heard. This boy liked a girl so much in his class that he never did anything but focus on her. When finals came he was failing that class so bad he’d have to retake it. It is the same situation with Gatsby. But instead of failing in class he failed in his own
But with every word she was drawing further and further into herself… ‘PLEASE, Tom! I can’t stand this any more’” (Fitzgerald 103). She looks to Tom for support, signifying her re-established faith in Tom. While Daisy never directly develops power, her marriage to Tom
The importance of reading The Great Gatsby is shown through how the women were treated in the 1920s through their status of the women caring about wealth and acceptance, and how the women use their beauty as an advantage in order to live a better life, and their unique personalities and attitudes of the women reflect and construct the American Dream. All ranks of social status are read in the novel from the women in the novel, there is a gap of wealth and acceptance. How their differences creates hope within citizens of Americans that the dream is possible. How Daisy was born into a wealthy family and her status represents the goal of the American Dream that everyone wants to achieve. This also interpret the American dream by not working hard for it, and how Daisy is lucky to be born into a wealthy family and she did not have to do the hard work.
Gatsby’s (In)corrupt American Dream The definition of the American Dream is; the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American. Jay Gatsby’s “American Dream” is almost the exact opposite. His dream of wealth is fueled by an incorruptible love for Daisy. He winds up pursuing money through shady schemes which only leaves him depressed and disconnected from his past.
In the book, Jay Gatsby who came from modest roots and was able to gain a huge fortune through working hard, is the embodiment of the American dream. The term American dream is usually associated with a dream owning of money and property. However, when we see the American dream through Gatsby’s dream, its different. He has
Jay Gatsby has made himself millions and is always seeking more, but never seems to find that ultimate source of contentment. He never lacks what is necessary, only what he wants. Increases in wealth and greed, such as those seen in the 1920s, often corrupt the American Dream and prevent its permanent attainability. The American Dream is essentially that one has the ability to rise up on their own and gain wealth, power, and social status.
In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses Jay Gatsby’s and Daisy Buchanan’s motivations to illustrate that people are driven by their greedy natures, specifically being greedy for love and wealth. For the duration of the novel, Gatsby’s need for Daisy steers him through his life. Daisy is also driven by her need for Gatsby, but also by her need for wealth. Both Gatsby and Daisy have similar motivations, which demonstrate that people are driven by either wealth or love (or both). Despite having similar and different motivations, Gatsby and Daisy are simply human in their needs.
Gatsby is rich, powerful, and influential, but that was never enough for him. He has everything that everything that people covet and wish for but to him it is only the things that exist to enable him to get what he wants. It is because of his fantasies about the American Dream with Daisy that everything he tried to build for years has been destroyed by those bad things that he did. Gatsby’s desire for money and social status led him to exhibit his negative qualities such as involvement in crime, dishonesty, and delusions about his life with a married woman.
The tragic flaw that causes the hero’s fall is also a custom to the story of the tragic hero, this is known traditionally as a harmantia. Eddie Carbone’s harmantia lies in his denial to accept his incestuous attraction for his niece Catherine. Due to a suppression of his unnatural desire, Carbone now feels that he is justifiable in his struggle against Rodolpho. It may even be possible that Eddie has managed to convince himself that his objections to his niece’s marriage is purely innocent and is just out of worry, however “it becomes clear to everyone but Eddie that his own motives have more to do with lust than with law and order” (Charles McNulty). If Eddie was able to acknowledge unreasonable desires it is possible that he could have
Perhaps I made a mistake with Gatsby and Daisy. She's all he ever thought or talked about. His obsession was becoming quite more obvious and I always feared that the outcome would not be great. Daisy was always too busy liking the attention and crying over designer shirts to realize that she and Gatsby were in danger. Instead she let the affair go too far and it cost the life of Jay Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson.