Sacrifice In The Great Gatsby

The American Dream is an emphasis on hope and devotion, but the cause of great sacrifice. In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald creates a world where the American Dream comes with many sacrifices. This story is told through the eyes of Nick Carraway. Nick is the neighbor of Jay Gatsby and his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan. As well as his sacrifices in pursuing wealth and high social status otherwise perceived as the American Dream. Through Nick, Gatsby could reconnect with his love Daisy Buchanan. However, being with Daisy will not be easy because she married Tom Buchanan. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the literary elements of symbolism and conflict to explore the sacrifices of the American Dream. The symbolism of East Egg and West Egg is fairly apparent throughout the novel.

Meanwhile, West Egg symbolizes those of new money like Gatsby and Nick. At the beginning of the novel, Nick states, “I lived at West Egg, the - well, the less fashionable of the two.” (5) This quote tells us how West Egg is seen as compared to East Egg. This allows us to grasp the idea that the West Egg might not be as glamorous or as good as the East Egg. Another quote is “-assumed to itself the function of representing the staid nobility of the countryside - East Egg condescending to West Egg.” (44) This quote uses the word condescending which can lead us to infer that those in East Egg were/are superior to those in West Egg. Another literary element that Fitzgerald uses throughout the novel is conflict. Conflict is shown in various characters throughout the novel, some more than others. In chapter 4, we see Daisy experiencing conflict on her wedding day. The following quote is from Jordan Baker's perspective, “.. Say Daisy’s change her mine! She began to cry - she cried and cried.” (76) This quote gives us some insight into the conflicting feelings that Daisy was experiencing in this