The Great Gatsby Got Goals Essay

"Got Goals?" – Brady Kagean's T-shirt.
Setting goals is crucial to personal growth and development, requiring us to consider the future, persevere through adversities, and find meaning in our pursuits. Whether our goals revolve around acing a test, building a career, or making a difference in the world, striving towards something greater propels us forward. This desire for something more lies at the heart of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, The Great Gatsby. Written during and about the 1920s: a time of economic prosperity and increased introspection, the book explores the theme of purpose and its manifestation. In his novel, Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s endless pursuit of the impossible to explore the human obsession with purpose, proposing

Blue is often associated with royalty, as it was a rare and expensive pigment. Thus, this color of cloth could only be obtained by the wealthiest, most powerful of families. Gatsby’s decision to present his chauffeur in blue is not only a subtle way of showcasing his immense wealth, but perhaps more importantly, he makes an apparent attempt to associate the Gatsby name with the type of aristocratic, old-money wealth that is synonymous with royalty. Gatsby’s desire to obtain the status of blue blood is seen again through the “monograms of Indian blue” found on his shirts (92). In spite of Gatsby’s wishes, Gatsby did come from a poor background, making him a perfect suitor for the American Dream’s classic “rags to riches” cliche. However, Gatsby’s attempt to conceal his humble beginnings, and change his identity to that of a mere inheritor of wealth, reveals that what he truly desires is not to pursue the American dream– as the marketing of non-exclusive and achievable is unimpressive– but instead is attracted by the impossibility of rewriting his history. This unattainable desire is personified through Daisy. As established,

After a tense dinner, Gatsby steps outside for a brief moment allowing his mind room to think, as “[his] eyes [lift] over the rosebeds [he sees that] slowly the white wings of the boat moved against the blue cool limit of the sky” (118). The imagery of the “white wings” of the boat in context with the overall feeling of serenity and peacefulness from this passage suggests that the white wings of the boat are best interpreted as the wings of an angle. This angelic and unworldly image of an angel moving amongst the blue sky (a color already established to represent Gatsby’s unrealistic longings) reinforces the otherworldly/unreachable nature of Gatsby's aspirations. The fact that an angel, a divine being, is limited by Gatsby’s reality affirms that his pursuit of changing his lineage-- replacing it with a pedigree of power, prestige, and prosperity-- is far beyond his reach. Furthermore, the fact that Gatsby’s gaze lingers on this image suggests that Gatsby is aware of the impossibility of his dream. While the idea of actively chasing an unachievable goal may seem absurd, Nick observes Gatsby's endless pursuit of Daisy personifies his desire for the unattainable and "found that [Gatsby] had committed himself to the following of the grail" (149). The “grail” alludes to the