What Does The Green Light Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

The Greenlight is a recurring symbol in “The Great Gatsby”, it is first introduced in chapter one as a distant green light across the water that Gatsby fixates on. Nick spots Gatsby reaching beyond his balcony for it, and it comes to represent his longing and hope for Daisy, his old love. As Nick is sitting on the beach, his mind is consumed with thoughts of Gatsby, “ And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. 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” (Fitzgerald 138). Gatsby had reached Daisy at the expense of his life and he failed to hold onto her. The

When Daisy drives off with Gatsby in the car, Daisy accidentally hits a woman running into the street. That woman is identified as Myrtle, Tom’s secret lover and Geroge’s wife. Tom, upset, tells George misleading information that results in George killing Gatsby and then shooting himself. Geroge never realizes Daisy is the driver and Tom was the man who Myrtle was having an affair with. Another factor in Gatsby’s demise was the corrupt society he strived to be a part of. The characters in “The Great Gatsby'' were motivated by greed, self-interest, and desire for high society. They were willing to discard others to save themselves from judgment and conviction. When Geroge tells Tom that Myrtle has been having an affair, Tom chooses to pin the blame on Gatsby suggesting the yellow car is Gatsby’s and he was the man Myrtle was cheating with. In the end, when news of Gatsby’s death broke out, Tom, Daisy, Jordan, and everyone else but Nick abandoned Gatsby at his grave. Although there is not one person or factor to blame for Gatsby’s death, it is clear that a combination of his own unrealistic expectations, the corrupt society in which he lived in, and the role of fate and circumstance all contributed to his tragic

The American dream is thought to be the idealized goal for all Americans and motivates people to pursue wealth, success, and happiness. However, the American dream is oftentimes just an unrealistic concept that drives people to take immoral and corrupt steps in pursuit of this romanticized life. Jay Gatsby is a prime example of a man willing to risk it all for the American dream. Gatsby comes from a humble farming background and reinvents himself as a wealthy businessman. Gatsby is first inspired by Dan Cody, a mining mogul who achieved major success and wealth. Dan Cody was like a mentor to the young Gatsby and sent him down the road of chasing the American dream. When Gatsby and Daisy fell in love this only furthered his pursuit of wealth and status. While Nick is having a hard time describing Daisy’s voice, Gatsby replies “ ‘Her voice is full of money,’ he said suddenly. That was it. I’d never understood before. It was full of money — that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it…” ( Fitzgerald 92). Daisy embodies the American dream of wealth, success, and happiness from said wealth. Although Gatsby does love Daisy, he also loves what she represents in society, which is the hope of achieving the American dream by standing next to her. Additionally, another character that embodies the American dream is Tom