The Great Gatsby Research Paper

True wealth is not measured in status or power. It is estimated in the legacy we leave behind for those we love and those we inspire. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the character Jay Gatsby to explore the American Dream and how its corrupting influence impacts the people who pursue it. Through the eyes of Nick Carraway, we see how Gatsby’s love for Daisy, Wealth, and social status ultimately leads to his downfall. And how other characters in the novel have similar experiences throughout the story. A key detail in the novel is the role of selfish desires. Gatsby’s love for Daisy is the driving force behind his desire for money and valuables. Gatsby was willing to go to extensive lengths to get Daisy back. However, his love for Daisy in the end was destructive, as it blinds him from reality and

"It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart, she never loved anyone except me." (Fitzgerald 137) Gatsby is overly confident that he is the only one Daisy ever truly loved. Gatsby may love Daisy, but his love quickly turned into an awful obsession. He thinks of her as a possession rather than an actual person. By this point in the book, Gatsby has become infatuated with the idea of Daisy and the things that come with her. The author used Jay Gatsby to demonstrate how the destructive influence of his love for Daisy, his possessions, and his wealth is not as great as it seems to the naked eye. Gatsby thought he could win Daisy over with wealth. However, he was wrong. Daisy did not meet his expectations and he set himself up for failure without even realizing it. Even though it was quite obvious his efforts were fruitless he continued to obsess over her hoping he would win her back which sends him into a downward spiral, ultimately, leading to his own death. “Obsession is the single most wasteful human activity because with an obsession you keep coming back and back and back to the same question and never get an