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The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

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The Great Gatsby is a book that has changed the lives of many through it's riveting and captivating storyline. The characters are full of life and adventure that make it a very memorable piece of literature. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby should be considered a great American novel because it shows what impact power and wealth can have on a person. People who are driven by money and power can do erratic things without reasoning behind them, especially when it comes to situations revolving around love. To illiterate, as Gatsby is willing to go above and beyond in throwing a party for Daisy, “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (Fitzgerald 63). Fitzgerald displays how Gatsby is willing to go beyond reach in order to please and impress Daisy. Being so close in living promotes a growing bond between the two in their relationship. To exemplify, “He felt married to her, that was all. …show more content…

The Great Gatsby highlights this in the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy and the lengths Gatsby is willing to take for her. During the story Gatsby would go to extremes: “...he says he'd read a Chicago paper for years on the chance of catching a glimpse of Daisy's name” (Fitzgerald 64). Gatsby is willing to invest hours and hours to please Daisy and just to catch a glimpse of her face. Gatsby has the resources of wealth and power that he feels as though he is on top of the world and can woo any girl he comes across. Daisy is viewed as a trophy and one of his most prized possessions. Gatsby is also putting the effort towards the benefits of Daisy, to exemplify, “ "'I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night,' went on Jordan” (Fitzgerald 63). Gatsby throws extravagant parties just to catch the attention of Daisy. These parties scream wealth and Daisy’s attention is caught by Gatsby and the way he uses his power and

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After realizing he lost her love when he came back from war, he devoted his whole life to winning her back, and reviving the relationship and feelings they used to have for each other. For example he, committed himself to the sense of obtaining and having money, which used to be his real dream, before he met Daisy. The problem was Gatsby wanted a lot of money fast, so instead of being a true honest gentleman, Gatsby received his money through selling liquor illegally, and teaming up with the con, “Meyer Wolfshiem”. Gatsby's intense desire also drove him to acquire a house presently near Daisy and Tom’s home, a place where Gatsby can gaze and praise from. Then Gatsby starts to throw very popular parties in hopes that Daisy may notice and come to one, but she never does.

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He will make her notice him. He buys an ostentatious and elaborate mansion directly across the water from Daisy. Every weekend, “gleaming, dazzling parties” thrown by Gatsby are expected (Fitzgerald 179). Each just as extravagant as the week before. Everyone that is anyone attends.

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1057 Words | 5 Pages

Gatsby’s failure to see the truth about relationships leads to his downfall; he doesn’t understand that people change and love isn’t like it always was in the past. Additionally, Gatsby’s inability to deal with relationships is worsened by his relentless pursuit of the American Dream. In Gatsby’s mind, achieving success and wealth is linked to winning Daisy’s affection, therefore achieving happiness for himself. However, Fitzgerald suggests that Gatsby’s narrow definition of success blinds him to the true meaning of human connections. “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (5) Gatsby’s fixation on material wealth rather than approaching the girl himself shows his belief that love and happiness can be attained through material possessions.

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Gatsby's undenying love for Daisy explains his motives for the parties and his fancy house yet, they are not enough to fulfill Gatsby's dream. For Gatsby’s dream

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832 Words | 4 Pages

Gatsby had the idea in his head that without Daisy he was not able to be happy and that the key to his happiness was success and her. Nick Carraway, the narrator, says, “He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God”(Fitzgerald 85). When Gatsby kisses Daisy, he feels like his dreams and aspirations are tied to her and the reality of their relationship. As much as he believes she is what makes him happy, he also has the urge to be as successful and high class as possible, so when he learns that Daisy is a well known wealthy woman of high social class, it makes him want her even more. In chapter 7, Gatsby states, “Her voice is full of money”(Fitzgerald 92).

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492 Words | 2 Pages

Additionally, Gatsby runs off of insincere motivations to impress. In chapter 5, Gatsby shows Daisy around his lavish home, reuniting following years spent apart. Fitzgerald writes, “He hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes” (Fitzgerald 91). This shows that Gatsby’s sole interest is to impress Daisy with his possessions, rather than genuine love and connection. This is prevalent throughout the entire book from Gatsby.

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801 Words | 4 Pages

While Daisy and Gatsby have a passionate history, Daisy values financial stability and the assurance of an expensive, lush life over love. Thus, Gatsby fabricates a persona that would impress her and her surrounding social circle by hosting attractive and extravagant parties with every luxury available (Fitzgerald 32). Even with the knowledge of Daisy's marriage, the millionaire continues to work diligently to offer Daisy a lavish lifestyle. On the other hand, Daisy cannot accept Gatsby's unforeseen wealth and power as she reminisces about the working-class boy she once adored in her youth.

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805 Words | 4 Pages

To Gatsby’s credit he is a prime example of how far a person can get in life by working hard and using their time, effort, and attention towards achieving a single goal. In Gatsby’s case the goal was to amass great wealth in order to impress Daisy. Which he did do thanks to his meticulous attention to learning the manners of the wealthy, polishing his diction and appearance, and by faking an air of importance and self-confidence in order to exude a

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1142 Words | 5 Pages

Gatsby, on the other hand, does things such as throw extravagant parties because he “half expected [Daisy] to wander into one,” however, this proves his limited understanding of her (Fitzgerald 79). He is naive to the fact that money and other materialistic possessions cannot always buy love; image is most important to Daisy. She wants to attain the status associated with Tom, rather than be surrounded by “new money” people. When Daisy and Tom attend one of Gatsby’s parties, Daisy indicates she “was appalled by West Egg . . . by the too obtrusive fate that herded its inhabitants along a short-cut from nothing to

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701 Words | 3 Pages

The reader is glimpsed this as Gatsby uses his power to get closer to Daisy, however he does not succeed. In the story, Jordan tells Nick that “Gatsby bought the house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (137). Wealth is insanely powerful as shown by Gatsby due to him buying a house just to near a woman who he once loved. Jordan also tells Nick that Gatsby expected Daisy “to wander into one of his parties,some night, but she never did” (85). The reason for the parties is an endeavor of Gatsby to get Daisy to come to his party and see him and the power he has now.

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843 Words | 4 Pages

Every nonchalant action of Gatsby’s links him to Daisy in some way, shape, or form. She is someone who he would go to extreme measures for; his house, his parties, and his lifestyle was all a cry for attention from Daisy. Gatsby was an extremely strategic person, more so than what is prevalent on the surface and hindsight is twenty twenty; he did it all for Daisy and trying to be a part of that forsaken Old

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1371 Words | 6 Pages

Gatsby’s infatuation with obtaining power and money conspired for various reasons, his love for Daisy being a prominent one. Gatsby’s search for approval from Daisy after rejection, due to his lack of status and net worth, helps to fuel his fire to become powerful. “‘She never loved you, do you hear?’ he cried. ‘She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me’”

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1422 Words | 6 Pages

As Gatsby pursues her, Fitzgerald demonstrates his pursuit of love through the continuing usage of rhetorical moves. When it comes to having a crush, one might advise to ‘be yourself’. This does not apply to Gatsby. His head is shrouded with disillusioned thoughts that getting rid of his true self will make Daisy fall back in love with him. To him, Daisy represents everything he is not: wealthy, high social status, upper class.

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699 Words | 3 Pages

Gatsby spent their years apart motivated to win over Daisy by gaining wealth. In his eyes, gaining wealth became equivalent to getting Daisy. He stated, “her voice is full of money” (Fitzgerald, 2004, p.120). His life revolved around money and Daisy, who had symbolically chosen Tom’s pearls and wealth over Gatsby’s letter of love. He threw parties in order to attract her with his wealth.

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1873 Words | 8 Pages

Gatsby knows that Daisy is a high-class individual who cares very much about status and wealth, so his entire life has been dedicated to being the best so that she will notice him. When Daisy, Gatsby’s one desire, and Nick, Gatsby’s

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