F. Scott Fitzgerald's literary masterpiece "The Great Gatsby" explores the issue of seeking and achieving happiness.
The book, which is set in the 1920s, takes us on a journey through the lives of affluent and privileged people who seek happiness through material prosperity.
We see the effects of the American Dream and how it may result in unhappiness and a lack of true happiness via the story of enigmatic and affluent guy Jay Gatsby.
The story opens with the narrator, Nick Carraway, relocating to New York City to work in the bond industry.
He rents a small house in West Egg, a district populated by the newly rich, including his neighbor, Jay Gatsby.
Through his interactions with Gatsby, Nick learns about his past and his obsession with his former love, Daisy Buchanan.
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Why, of course you can!"
(Fitzgerald 110).
This quotation demonstrates Gatsby's unwavering confidence in his ability to find pleasure as a result of his material prosperity, and how the American Dream may inspire others to work towards their goals.
However, Gatsby's enormous fortune and status do not lead to fulfillment or happiness.
The parties he throws are filled with superficial people, and he is unable to win back Daisy's love.
Gatsby realizes that the American Dream he has been pursuing is an unattainable illusion.
Fitzgerald writes, "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.
It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther..."
(Fitzgerald 180).
This quotation demonstrates that the American Dream is a myth that is never truly attained, and that we can never find true pleasure through material achievement alone.
Furthermore, the novel also examines how privilege and riches affect the story's protagonists.
The Buchanans, for example, are a wealthy and privileged couple who are unhappy despite their lavish