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The Great Gatsby Personal Response

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The Great Gatsby Literary Essay Noah Kim The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in the year 1925. It is a story that criticizes the so-called “American dream”. The common meaning of the American dream is a romantic belief that through hard work and dedication, one can receive the earthly pleasures and live a happy life. This is not the kind of American dream F. Scott Fitzgerald had in mind when writing the novel. The Great Gatsby has a rather eccentric narrator, known as Nick Carraway. He is both an observer and a participant in the events of the story. Because of this peculiar structure, readers have to piece the story together. The disapproval of the American dream is evident all …show more content…

Nick hears about Myrtle being killed in a car accident after the lunch at the Buchanan’s. We later find out it was Daisy who killed Myrtle and ran away. Wilson goes absolutely nuts after learning about this. Daisy does not confess to the public, and this makes Gatsby, for unclear reasons, think he should take the blame for Daisy. The furious husband of Myrtle tracks down Gatsby and shoots him. He then kills himself. Nick helps prepare the funeral for Gatsby. He finds out he is the only one who is preparing his funeral. The others simply left without any notice. Nick is shocked at what he sees. Nick finally becomes conscious of the fact that beliefs based on materialism bring more harm to the American dream than good. He moves back to the Middle West away from the materialistic East. We can see the impact of Gatsby’s actions in pursuit of the American dream and the impressions he makes on the readers in this scene. Gatsby’s end is tragic. He is rejected by Daisy and is shot by an insane man. Gatsby not only ruined his life by seeking to make his dream a reality, but also showed how ghastly F. Scott Fitzgerald’s version of the American dream …show more content…

Scott Fitzgerald put in The Great Gatsby to show how the American dream corrupts itself when it is polluted by materialistic beliefs. She is beautiful and rich, her words rings with money, describes Gatsby. She was born into wealth (traditionally rich), so she does not know of financial problems. Daisy is a very greedy person. She loved Gatsby even after he left for the war, but she still chose to marry Tom, solely because of his extensive wealth. Because of her greed, she can’t part with Tom for Gatsby. Her ability to love and be compassionate is corrupted by wealth. She does not believe one can enjoy their life without wealth, which is why she shatters Gatsby’s dream. Materialistic beliefs being the foundation of a life leads to only more desire for wealth, which is clearly shown through Daisy in The Great

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