Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

Mckenna Corso
Mr. Mennenoh
English III Honors
10 February 2023
The Impossible Dream The American Dream: a set of ideals that seemingly anyone, regardless of their background, can succeed through determination and perseverance. What was once that of equality and opportunity quickly became a dream of status and material possessions in the 1920’s. Living in York during the social revolution, it is expected that most Americans will do anything to experience the American Dream. Jay Gatsby, a man of wealth and prosperity, is determined to pursue this dream to achieve his ideal lifestyle. Upon discovering his past lover, Daisy Buchanan, lives just across from him on the East Egg on Long Island, he longingly gazes at a green luminescence at the end

Primarily, the light symbolizes his fundamental aspirations and initial hopes to recapitulate his love with Daisy. Gatsby’s ideal dream is a life of luxury and wealth with her. The mere sight of the light reminds him of her presence, which he so desperately longs for. Gatsby still holds hope that he will someday win back the love of his life; however, until they meet again, he must longingly watch the green hue across the water. As if seemingly just out of reach, he “[stretches] out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way” (Fitzgerald 20). The green hue also represents new beginnings, for it brings him back to his old memories while still giving him hope that there is a possibility with her. When Gatsby first met Daisy, he was stationed at Camp Taylor in Louisville. His love was so immediate and substantial that it never died. The light brings

Gatsby begins to realize that the idea of recapitulating his love with Daisy is not possible, and that he will never attain his true desires. The green light once represented his fantasies of a new life with Daisy. The light has now transformed,as he faces reality, rather than his ideal life he created. After admitting to Daisy that he watches her light from his home, he realizes what he has just said, as “the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever... now it was again a green light on a dock” (Fitzgerald 93). Daisy is Gatsby’s idea of a true American Dream. With the transformation of the light, from what once was a symbol of hope and a new beginning, it has now become a representation of broken dreams. His belief in the green light reveals the American Dream’s most important quality is its inaccessibility. Though he has great aspirations, Gatsby’s desire for the perfect life is unrealistic and unattainable. He “[believes] in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before [him]” (Fitzgerald 180). Despite Gatsby’s numerous efforts, he is never able to achieve his ideal version of the American Dream. The green light represents his shattered hopes and aspirations once possessed. His trivial attempts to have Daisy admit she loves him more than Tom leaves him desperate and hopeless, illustrating the