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How Is Jay Gatsby Selfish

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“The Great Gatsby” opens with Nick Carraway reflecting on his past, including his move to West Egg, Long Island, where he becomes neighbors with the mysterious and wealthy Jay Gatsby. As time passes, Nick meets Gatsby’s extravagant parties, as well as his lifestyle, he becomes drawn into a world of wealth, excess, and unfulfilled desires. Through Nick’s narration, we are immersed in the glittering yet superficial society of the Roaring Twenties, where appearances often mask deeper truths and where the pursuit of the American Dream takes on a darker, more elusive quality. Jay Gatsby was a bumbling fool, as his obsession took him nowhere. Jay Gatsby is portrayed as a mysterious figure, whose persistent pursuit of wealth and status is fueled by his desire to win the affection of Daisy Buchanan. …show more content…

He ran away in the middle of the night “in search of that life” (Study.com). The moment he changed his name to “Jay Gatsby” was the beginning of his pursuit for the wealth that he yearned for; the American Dream, his belief was that he could convert himself as whoever and achieve whatever. “Gatsby started off as a poor nobody and ended up becoming exaggeratedly rich, even if it was through illegal means; his naivety led him to overlook the consequences of his actions and the emptiness of his achievements” (Erika Times). Gatsby could not succeed in winning Daisy’s love because of the wrong perception of the American dream and the decline of the moral values. Jay Gatsby is held back from reaching his goals because of his too high expectations for himself and Daisy. As ordinary people lose their direction to their American Dream in the stalemate trend, Jay Gatsby continues pursuing his spiritual level of

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