Theme Of Courage In The Great Gatsby

Courage, the antithesis of fear, is cultivated from unwavering hope. It is a catalyst to fruition and an ingredient to success. In Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is imbued with not only a charming personality, but also with an infinite hope that drives him to pursue his American Dream. However, financial success is what he only seeks for. After acquiring a fortune, he even intends to rekindle with his past lover, a married and aristocratic woman, Daisy Fay. However, he is unaware that his pursuit is insurmountable. Gatsby is empowered with the courage of hope to achieve his American Dream, an obsession that unfortunately leads to his downfall. To achieve his goal, he creates possibilities in order to meet Daisy, later hoping to

Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock” (Fitzgerald 33).
The green light, a symbol of hope, represents Gatsby’s linger to his hope of getting Daisy’s love. He was not born into a rich family, but worked hard towards realizing his American Dream and finally became wealthy and successful. Believing that wealth can win Daisy back, Gatsby organizes extravagant parties every night, attracting many aristocrats in New York (Fitzgerald 48), and hopes that Daisy would eventually attend the party. Undoubtedly, the hope that derives from his courage is to get Daisy’s attention, and to meet

Courage, in the form of boundless hope, is undoubtedly believed to be a requirement for success. In fact, Gatsby becomes a wealthy individual because of his never-ending hope to achieve his dream. However, his American Dream does not only consist of wealth and success; ultimately, he wants to relive the past by being in love with Daisy again. As Gatsby struggles with the hope of wanting to meet Daisy again, winning her affection and loyalty, and finally realizing that his dream would not come true, the corruption of his American Dream leads to his demise. The cause of his downfall is his association between money and love; he believes that by being successful, he can achieve Daisy. However, money cannot enable him to travel back in time, and it also cannot make Daisy return his unconditional love for her. One needs to be clear about their dreams and aspirations, as an obsession with an unattainable dream will bring one to their