Examples Of Happiness In The Great Gatsby

In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald shows how everyone wants to be happy, but effort must be put into actually achieve happiness. At first, all of the characters are portrayed as happy people who enjoy where there lives are at. As more is revealed about who the characters actually are, it is made apparent that none of them are actually happy with their lives. When Daisy finally makes her decision on who to stay with it is confirmed that neither her nor Tom are truly happy, but aren't unhappy either. Fitzgerald allows for inferences on Gatsby’s happiness in the upcoming chapters through his description of how he watches over the house. Fitzgerald comments on how many people are neither happy nor unhappy but are not willing to put in the

Gatsby spent the last 5 years of his life devoted to Daisy, even though she was never devoted to him. Gatsby, like Myrtle, tried to give off the facade of being happy by throwing elaborate parties. These parties were so important to the appearance of Gatsby’s happiness that Fitzgerald dedicated an entire chapter to just one of his parties. When talking about Gatsby’s house after one of his parties, Fitzgerald says the moonlight is “making the night fine as before, and surviving the laughter and the sound of his still glowing garden” (55).When surrounded by people who are so happy like the ones that attend Gatsby’s parties, the whole setting becomes happy, making the Gatsby seem happier in turn even if that isn't the case. Towards the end of the novel after Daisy killed Myrtle with Gatsby’s car, he was willing to take the blame for it. When Nick asked if Daisy was driving, Gatsby responded with “‘Yes’...‘but of course I’ll say I was’” (143). At this point in the novel, Gatsby has gotten rid of the “mask” he was wearing to seam happy. He was turning around his life just to get Daisy. He is willing to take the blame for the manslaughter of Myrtle in order to protect Daisy. People are not easily willing to throw away everything in order to protect someone. It takes a strong connection to make someone do that. Gatsby was not happy when he died, but he tried everything he could to become happy. Had he not put in the effort he had, he would not have come close to getting Daisy, in turn not getting close to getting