Dreams and desires drive people to achieve greatness every day. It is a common belief that when one achieves greatness, they automatically become successful and happy. However, this is almost never the case, as shown in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is unable to look beyond illusions and traps he creates to become successful and find happiness. Despite his big, fresh reputation in West Egg, he has unfulfilled desires, an inability to progress, and constant dissatisfaction with his position in life. To Jay Gatsby, being successful means being happy and obtaining what he desires most: Daisy. Jay Gatsby fell in love with Daisy Buchanan five years prior to striking it rich. From the moment they met, he knew exactly what he wanted: Daisy. In his eyes, Daisy was a greater being, a goddess - someone who would make him happy. However, he knew that she would never accept him if he were poor. Since that day he worked …show more content…
He failed to see Daisy for who she actually was, refused to accept the motion of time, and was hungry for attention from the East Egg. Overall, he put chasing an ideal version of Daisy above all his personal ideals, and didn’t take enough time to explore his own values and beliefs. From the moment he met Daisy, he spent all his time chasing after an illusory goal in an illusory manner. He chased after what he believed Daisy was, not who she actually was, and he did it through attempting to repeat the past, refusing to progress. He spent every moment up until his death desperately trying to be accepted by East Egg and Daisy, that he forgot about himself, and never truly found out who he was. Since Gatsby fell victim to illusory dreams and desires he created, he never managed to fulfill them. Overall, he was unsuccessful and unhappy, and he never got to experience life’s joys and pleasures - all thanks to illusory