Research Paper On The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald is one of the most classic, yet misunderstood novels of the American Dream, and its stance on American society. We are told from not only Gatsby’s story line, but Nick’s perspective, as we are reading from his very own view that even the most expected things can take a turn for the worst, as conveyed throughout the end of the novel. Anderson's opinion of Fitzgerald’s novel is extremely useful because it sheds insight on how shallow the American Dream has turned to be for people like Gatsby who believe everything can be achieved through wealth. Undoubtedly, Gatsby’s place in society is arguably one of the most realistic, yet deceptionist things an American can do post-war. We see

Fitzgerald bows to his greatness in many ways, one including his enduring duty as a member of the U.S Army, and almost being recruited as major: “I was promoted to be a major, and every Allied government gave me a decoration — even Montenegro, little Montenegro down on the Adriatic Sea!” Little Montenegro! He lifted up the words and nodded at them — with his smile. The smile comprehended Montenegro’s troubled history and sympathized with the brave struggles of the Montenegrin people.” (Fitzgerald 66). This was the beginning of Jay Gatsby’s life before he rose to the top of the social ladder and built undeniable connections that would bring him even closer to his goal, Daisy Buchanan. Moreover, it’s expressed how despite all the trials and tribulations that Gatsby had gone through within his own life experiences, it had not brought him to feel fulfillment as he still had to fight for Daisy’s love more than ever with one person around, Tom Buchanan. Fitzgerald proves to us over and over again that there is no “happy” ending to this grandeur love and commitment story from Gatsby, as his tragic death is another sign that the American Dream has died: “He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could

He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night.” (Fitzgerald 182). The green light at the end of the boat dock was a demonstration of all of Gatsby’s hopes and passions for Daisy, and what he had achieved in his past life to have, but it soon turned out to be a false cling to an illusion and unrealistic dream. In addition, we can denote based on Hephzibah Anderson’s article on, “The world's most misunderstood novel,” that there is a struggle with readers who have read the novel multiple times and can’t seem to tie any meaning to it, including that of Nick’s own narration. As stated, “Reaching the scene in which Carraway suddenly remembers it's his thirtieth birthday, Smith was filled with questions about what kind of a person Gatsby's narrator really was. "It seemed to me that there had been some real trauma that had made him so detached, even from his own self.” The reality of it is that there could be even more to Gatsby’s story than we know, as Nick did have opinions on Gatsby before meeting him, and probably didn’t think that he came from a