Role Of Individualism In The Great Gatsby

The American Dream: the highest goals and aspirations that Americans wish to achieve. Every American’s conception of the American Dream is different. Some idealize financial success, while others pursue individualism. Nevertheless, sacrifices must be made to attain the alluring, yet simultaneously dangerous and misleading power of wealth; something that every American desires, yet very few achieve. In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald follows the journey of Jay Gatsby, an ambitious dreamer who is persistent in pursuing wealth and the intriguing construct of the American Dream. Gatsby’s restless ambition for wealth shows that when someone chases the false promise of the American Dream without a genuine concept of what is in their

The most prominent symbol of wealth in the novel is Gatsby's mansion, which represents the extravagance and luxury of the upper class. As Nick describes it, "It was full of money — that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it" (92). Gatsby’s revelation highlights how wealth is not just something that people have, but also an untouchable force that exerts a powerful pull on those who seek it, having an “inexhaustible charm”. For Gatsby, his mansion is an embodiment of his dreams and aspirations, correlating to his hard work and ambition. However, while Gatsby's mansion is a symbol of the allure of wealth, it also highlights its unattainability for most. As Nick describes the grand parties that Gatsby throws, he notes the extravagance and luxury in the atmosphere. Fitzgerald writes, "the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it… . high in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl" (92). This highlights how wealth is not just a physical object, but also an alluring social currency, evident with the words “jingle”, “cymbals”, and “song” which demonstrate the power and status of those who possess it. For Gatsby, the parties are a way to impress and dazzle his guests, but they also highlight the exclusivity of wealth and how

As the narrator, Nick, observes, “He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city” (138). Fitzgerald chooses to use the color blue, which represents sadness and loneliness, to show the isolation that Gatsby feels without Daisy. Furthermore, the green light is presented as a beacon of hope, evident through the use of the words “dream” and “grasp”, which leads Gatsby on a journey toward his ultimate goal, Daisy’s love. However, Fitzgerald uses the image of the green light to highlight the unattainability of Gatsby's quest for love which can never be understood because all of his attention is pointed toward wealth. This is further emphasized in the scene where Gatsby stretches out his arms toward the green light, as Nick recounts, “he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, [...] I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward — and distinguished nothing except a single green light, [...] When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in