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Dreams In The Great Gatsby And When I Was Puerto Rican

1054 Words5 Pages

As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Dreams are an absolute necessity in life–not only is it a path of guidance, but also the backbone of one’s motivation, ambition, and goals. Not having a dream is like solving a traceless murder or following an invisible shadow. Dreams are fueled by the pursuit of love, the pursuit of a better future, and the pursuit of an identity, as seen in the novels of The Great Gatsby and The Grapes of Wrath, and the memoir of When I Was Puerto Rican. Set in the Jazz Age of The Roaring Twenties in Long Island, New York, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby explores the theme of love and the actions fueled by love. During this time, World War I had permanently changed modern life, inspiring the younger generation to have a live-for-now mentality, an acute awareness …show more content…

Thus, characters in the novel seek pleasure above all else, as seen through the relationships of Tom and Daisy and Jordan and Nick. For Jay Gatsby, his heart belongs to the married Daisy Buchanan and he longs to reignite the fire that once blazed between the two lovers. Gatsby, who was once a penniless soldier and lover to Buchanan, had been absent in Buchanan’s life for five years, but reappears as a self-made millionaire. Gatsby illegally sold alcohol to become rich and did this solely to win back Buchanan’s love. He gloats his affluence to her by throwing extravagant parties and flaunting his luxuries Out of love, Gatsby goes above and beyond to win back Daisy’s love. He even keeps a scrapbook of memorabilia of Daisy, "'Look at this,' said Gatsby quickly. 'Here's a lot of clippings--about you.' They stood side by side examining it" (Fitzgerald 74). Gatsby wants nothing more than the confirmation that

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After realizing he lost her love when he came back from war, he devoted his whole life to winning her back, and reviving the relationship and feelings they used to have for each other. For example he, committed himself to the sense of obtaining and having money, which used to be his real dream, before he met Daisy. The problem was Gatsby wanted a lot of money fast, so instead of being a true honest gentleman, Gatsby received his money through selling liquor illegally, and teaming up with the con, “Meyer Wolfshiem”. Gatsby's intense desire also drove him to acquire a house presently near Daisy and Tom’s home, a place where Gatsby can gaze and praise from. Then Gatsby starts to throw very popular parties in hopes that Daisy may notice and come to one, but she never does.

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F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, explores the idea of the pursuit of dreams and the unattainable desire to recreate the past. People everywhere are motivated by similar dreams that give them meaning to the things they do. Gatsby builds his life around his dreams and they shape his identity while also holding him back from true greatness. He is obsessed with this dream and like many people, can only see that it won’t work out after he has already devoted so much to it.

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In F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece, "The Great Gatsby," the characters of Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan stand as stark contrasts in the social tapestry of the Roaring Twenties. Both men inhabit the glittering world of wealth and excess, yet their origins, motivations, and moral compasses diverge significantly. This essay will delve into the intricate similarities and profound differences between Gatsby and Tom, exploring the thematic nuances that shape their characters. Despite the pervasive negative portrayal of Tom Buchanan throughout the narrative, an intriguing question arises: why does Daisy, caught between the allure of Gatsby's romantic idealism and the stability of Tom's old money security, choose to remain entwined with the latter?

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