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The Great Gatsby Research Paper

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Is the American dream about love or money? The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald takes place in New York, New York in the 1920s. Daisy Buchanan and her husband Tom Buchanan are stuck in an unhappy marriage, although they are extremely content with their money income. A wealthy man by the name of Jay Gatsby hosts parties every weekend in the hope that Daisy will show up. Gatsby and Daisy used to be a couple before he got sent to war, it’s been years since they’ve seen each other, until one day Nick has Daisy come over to his home for tea. Little does Daisy know Gatsby is there waiting for her. This novel represents the theme of how the American dream is truly unattainable. The main characters of the novel struggle to achieve the American dream. …show more content…

While Nick and Daisy were speaking on the phone, he “had no sight to Daisy’s heart, but [he] felt that Tom would drift on forever seeking”(8). From the very beginning of the story, it was clear love wasn’t a priority for the Buchanans. Although they have lots of money to spare and to the average eye they may seem happy, a deeper look will show that they are unhappy. Relating to The Buchanan’s wealth, they’d simply “[smash] things up and creatures and then retreat back into their money”(137). They weren’t happy; they just relied on their money to make them happy. Money did not buy them permanent happiness, but it did buy temporary happiness; in return, they truly weren’t living the American dream. Despite Gatsby’s wealth, he felt empty, he explained to Nick that “he wanted to recover something”(85). Gatsby’s money didn’t make him happy, Daisy did, though. Daisy was unattainable to him, causing true happiness to become unattainable. Money was always available to these characters, but true love and happiness never were. The American dream is truly unattainable. Despite all of the money and pearls they had, they never had true

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