F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby Truly Great?

Owen Hedlund Mr. Millford 5/13/24 Is Gatsby Turly Great? In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, one mysterious character is implied to be great: Jay Gatsby. In the context of the novel, what does it mean to be great? The novel portrays being great to be well respected, having multiple qualifications, and ease when finding a wife; being great is being the person people dream to be. Throughout the novel, the reader continually learns more about Gatsby, but to truly understand him, one needs to understand who he wants to be. Gatsby portrays himself as a man who comes from a family of great wealth. His parents died when he was in his early 20s, leading him to move out and explore the world. Gatsby then attended Oxford University and volunteered

Most normal people would certainly not. Gatsby also had other qualities that made him seem not great. Another aspect of Gatsby’s life that made him not great was his inability to find love. Every weekend, Gatsby is surrounded by parties and plenty of women whom he could marry, but he only wants Daisy Buchanan. As described in the quote from Fitzgerald (1995), “He had waited five years and bought a mansion where he dispensed star-light to casual moths so he could 'come over' some afternoon to a stranger's garden.” (p.83). Earlier in Gatsby's life, he met Daisy and fell in love with her, then he went off to war, and once he came back, she was all he could think about. When he became wealthy, he wanted Daisy to be his wife, but this dream never became a reality. Thereon in the book, Gatsby tries to have Daisy leave Tom and become his wife, but she will not do it; no matter what he tries, she still loves Tom. According to Fitzgerald (1995), “‘Oh, you want too much!’ she cried to Gatsby. I love you now—isn’t that enough? I can’t help what’s past.’ She began to sob helplessly. ‘I did love him once—but I loved you too’” (p. 139-140). In this quote, Gatsby is with Tom, Nick, Jordan, and