Great Gatsby and American Drea essays

Great Gatsby and American Drea essays F. Scott Fitzgerald's book, the Great Gatsby, contains a strong theme involving the American Dream. It reveals in the end, the downfall of those who try to achieve this dream, largely at the hands of those who have already obtained it. For James Gatsby, this dream is to obtain happiness through wealth and power. Happiness rests within the reaquirement of his lost love Daisy, who is now married to a man named Tom Buchanan, living in East Eggs. Throughout the text, Gatsby's past is furthered revealed to be completely centered upon this singular goal. He devotes most of his adult life trying to make things as they were, and in the end, dies in such efforts. In earlier years, he had had a love affair with Daisy. He knew that he would be unable to marry her in his current social status and so he leaves her, in his mind temporarily, to generate tremendous wealth with which to reach her economic standards. Having eventually aquired considerable wealth, through questionable method s, Gatsby returns to win his prize. He moves right across the bay from her in East Egg. "Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just acrss the bay (83)." He then commences to through large extravagant parties in the hope that by chance, she will show up at one. While these parties take place, Gatsby, not joining them, watches at a distance, waiting. When his deams his efforts a failure, he goes further by casually asking around about her at his parties, draining everybody for information. Eventually he meets Nick, the narrator of the story, a cousin of Daisy's, who agrees to try to set up a meeting. "He wants to know... if you'll invite Daisy to your house some afternoon and then let him come over (83)." It becomes clear to Nick that Gatsby's money and and wealth are irrelevant to him. "He dismissed all the dances he had given with a snap of his fingers (116)." They are only a means by which to achieve his ideal, Daisy. Gatsby's persona...