Examples Of Hope In The Great Gatsby

Hindrance of Hopes and Dreams Harriet Tubman once stated that “Every great dream begins with a dreamer”. Like Tubman, some individuals argue that one cannot succeed without hope. However dreams can lead to one’s downfall as can be seen in novels such as The House on Mango Street, The Great Gatsby, and Les Miserables. Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street is another novel that explores the theme of dreams. Esperanza is the protagonist whose name in Spanish means hope. She perceives beauty to be a major source of feminine power, and she has the goal of becoming one of the girls whose beauty is envied. Esperanza describes trees as the “only ones who understand me” (Cisneros 64) because she is unable to relate to the “beautiful” girls and sees herself and someone dull. She tries to be like Sally, a beautiful girl, But she also notices that beauty is not an infallible weapon, and that it can backfire because the beautiful women in the novel are often the ones who suffer the most at the hands of men. When she meets Sally, she sees the reality of

Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby has an opulent lifestyle with extraordinary parties. He owns everything from a beach to a hydroplane and a Rolls-Royce which was his dream. He aspired to become rich like his friend Dan Cody whose wealth he believed “represented all the beauty and glamour in the world” (Fitzgerald 100). However, Gatsby lacks happiness. Gatsby's corrupt dream of wealth is motivated by an incorruptible love for Daisy. He believed his money could buy him anything including Daisy’s love. He wanted to repeat the past and “wanted nothing less of Daisy” (Fitzgerald 109). Gatsby’s dream ends up leading to his downfall. He loved Daisy but she was a selfish woman who only loved money. Also, Gatsby took the blame for Myrtle’s death when it was truly Daisy, which led to his Gatsby’s murder. She chose Tom over him which demonstrates how Gatsby’s dream turned into his tragic