Nick's Flaws In The Great Gatsby

Jared Caplan
English 11a3
Mr. Dunton
5/11/15
The Great Gatsby: unit essay In the novel, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the protagonist, Jay Gatsby, portrays the American Dream. Jay Gatsby believed that achieving the American Dream is not complete unless you have the one you love to share it with. It was this part of his American Dream that led to Gatsby’s ultimate tragic failure. Gatsby had it all, he was extraordinarily wealthy, accepted by aristocratic society, surrounded and looked up to by his peers, yet he was alone. Gatsby had all that money could buy physically; a huge mansion, fancy cars and lavish parties. But money, cannot buy everything and it certainly can’t buy love. Gatsby’s success and popularity were all superficial and fleeting. As soon as his life began to decline, he was abandoned by everyone. So of course, Gatsby did not achieve the American Dream. The novel is portrayed through the eyes of a single narrator Nick. Nick spends a lot of time with Gatsby and is his neighbor. Nick sees through Gatsby in many ways and

When Gatsby speaks about Daisy on page 124, Gatsby says,“You loved me TOO?” This is Gatsby being stubborn and stuck in his dream when the dust of reality is that she loves Tom. Throughout the novel, Daisy sides with Tom over Gatsby, and ultimately conspires against Gatsby. Daisy was the rose in Gatsby’s life, she was beautiful yet still very bad for him. The metaphor is appropriate because while a rose looks beautiful you need to be careful of its thorns. Gatsby’s pursuit of the American Dream is not complete until he gets Daisy. Gatsby spends the whole novel in pursuit of something he cannot have, leading to his demise. In Gatsby’s pursuit he strives to win over Daisy but she is not the same Daisy he fell in love with, the Daisy of old. Daisy is the girl of Gatsby’s dreams but in reality they cannot be