American Dream In The Great Gatsby

In the Novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald takes us through the lens of Nick Carraway, who provides his insight and perspective on the life of Jay Gatsby. Throughout the story, we certainly see many aspects regarding the American dream, and the pursuit of the American dream; which seem to be the largest dilemma as well as the strongest purpose in Gatsby’s life. Aspects can be seen in the image of Gatsby’s life such as the endless pursuit of his American dream, the achievement of this dream, and the false illusion that this dream was truly desirable and valuable to Gatsby himself(paying the costs). All of these facets come together to create a laudable, yet controversial, life for Jay Gatsby.

Jay Gatsby is a picture-perfect embodiment

With an arrangement that had been made through Daisy’s cousin and Gatsby’s neighbor, Nick, the two former lovers were able to rekindle through awkward stages, without reproach to Daisy’s relationship with her husband, Tom. “No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart”(Fitzgerald 74). Tom’s acknowledgment shows the true “eternal flame” that burns within Gatsby toward Daisy. “His heart beat faster and faster as Daisy’s white face came up to his own. He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God”(Fitzgerald 85). The vivid descriptions that the author provides helps the reader to paint a picture of the romantic tensions between Daisy and Gatsby, exemplifying that Gatsby had felt that he had achieved his ultimate goal; what he had been longing for, what he had worked so hard for. By representing the entanglement of Gatsby and Daisy, it can be clearly seen that Gatsby believes that his pursuits would no longer be a concern on his mind. Gatsby had not to worry whether his efforts would go unappreciated and unvalued, for now his American Dream was closer to his reach than it had ever