Examples Of Greed In The Great Gatsby

To be a tragic hero is to be a “failed pragmatist,” which means that one lives guided by one’s dreams rather than reality (Phillips). Consequently, being led by dreams can make a person absurd because he or she is wildly unreasonable and endlessly unfocused. While pursuing imagination is impractical, it can also make one aim for a higher goal as well as reach for a larger success. Jay Gatsby, the tragic hero in Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, lives life based on his perceptions of wealth and love. To achieve his desires, Gatsby chooses a path of illegal activities, his impractical way of life, displaying the dangers of greed. Furthermore, his delusions relate to the American dream, which when he dies delineating its corruption. In

Gatsby’s ambitions cause him to commit iniquities, believing that if he is rich enough Daisy will finally love him. Meeting Daisy as a poor soldier, Gatsby gets rejected, therefore he then believes that by becoming wealthy, Daisy will accept him. His avid need to be part of the higher class starts from their first encounter believing that it makes him no longer a pariah. To become wealthy, he is involved with bootlegging and with Wolfsheim, a dangerous man, in order to get money. His illegal activities are one way he evades the law, however, he another way is when Daisy hits Myrtle with a Gatsby’s car. They drive away and Gatsby hides her from reality and the punishment, by taking the blame. His illegal actions and errors in judgment become the reasons for his tragic fall, which evince the dangers of

The green light, which the author uses to symbolize Gatsby look towards with desire, also symbolizes the unattainable dream about the future. Gatsby “stretch[es] out his arms toward the dark water,” reaching toward the green light that to him, represents Daisy and their love (20). The future that the green light represents was a hazy future because it connects to his past. Gatsby holds the green light as “the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before [them],” which he uses it as his path to achieve aspiration (180). Gatsby’s specific goals drive his actions, using his goals to identify who he is and what he does. His goals and ambition for the future give him a purpose. Gatsby’s specific goals encourage his actions, using his goals to identify who he is and what he does. Gatsby also symbolizes the emptiness of the American dream through “his attempt to achieve his aspirations, which leads to his demise (“The Great Gatsby”). His need for Daisy’s love and what he goes through to achieve his goal eventually lead to his death. He dies without achieving his dreams, losing his wealth, and not getting acceptance, symbolizing how the American dream is