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The Great Gatsby Research Paper

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An American writer and historian, James Adams, claimed the American Dream is “ a life that should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability and achievement.” The American Dream is an ideal and belief that a person can achieve success and power if they work hard enough. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book The Great Gatsby, the author explores the American dream through the use of relationships and unrealistic expectations. He shows how the American Dream can become an illusion for many and can corrupt and destroy lives. The book takes place in the 1920s where people are motivated by the pursuit of the American Dream. But sadly in that pursuit, many characters in The Great Gatsby betray their …show more content…

"Why of course you can!" (Fitzgerald 110). This shows his delusion. Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy is based upon false deceptions. He disregards the fact that she is married to another man and has a child. Daisy tells Gatsby, "I did love him (Tom) once—but I loved you too " (Fitzgerald 132). Daisy cannot faithfully commit to a man. She is incapable of returning the love Gatsby was looking for. Gatsby gets so caught up in the American Dream and his obsession of recreating the past with Daisy, it makes him loose sight of what is actually real.
While in pursuit of the American Dream, Daisy’s priorities become material things, status and wealth. When Gatsby shows off his wealth to Daisy by presenting his many-colored shirts, we see Daisy’s shallowness over material things. She becomes emotional over a senseless display of shirts. “It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such, such beautiful shirts before ” (Fitzgerald 92). She shows little emotion when she sees Gatsby after almost five years, yet becomes emotional over silly shirts. This speaks to her materialism. She also is reluctant to give up her place in society. If Daisy were to be with Gatsby, this would mean giving up her status as the wife of a man with inherited money instead of being the wife of someone who gets his money most likely from bootlegging. If Daisy wasn’t so caught up in the chase of the American dream and the wealth she wants to have, she could

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After this statement is made, Gatsby comments about Daisy’s love for only him. ““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. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved anyone except me!””(Fitzgerald

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Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time” (Fitzgerald 131). Gatsby is expressing his love for Daisy, saying although he may have felt a connection with others, Daisy was always his true love. Gatsby is

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Despite rarely showing true affection for him compared to Gatsby and marrying him for his financial status to begin with, Daisy chooses to ensure the stability of her luxurious lifestyle over her own romantic pursuit. Although she is bound to be happier with Gatsby, she prioritizes her affluence over all else. Her superficiality is also shown during the argument between Tom and Gatsby, in which Gatsby confirms that the reason his and Daisy’s relationship ended was due to him being too poor to maintain her expectations

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The Great Gatsby is an American novel written by Scott Fitzgerald. On the surface, the book revolves around the concept of romance, the love between two individuals. However, the novel incorporates less of a romantic scope and rather focuses on the theme of the American Dream in the 1920s. Fitzgerald depicts the 1920’s as an era of decline in moral values. The strong desire for luxurious pleasure and money ultimately corrupts the American dream which was originally about individualism.

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"Gatsby was overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery that wealth imprisons and preserves, of the freshness of many cloths, and of Daisy, gleaming like silver, safe and proud above the hot struggles of the poor" (150). The pressure amongst him and Gatsby considering that they are both in a path after Daisy. Despite the fact that Daisy is enamored with Gatsby she couldn't leave Tom, in spite of what he's finished. “Although at this point Fitzgerald hasn't yet established the possibility that Daisy might leave Tom for Gatsby, he has clearly shown how miserable Daisy seems within her marriage”(Sutton) Gatsby wants excessively of everything that he needs throughout his life.

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The true meaning behind Gatsby’s lust for Daisy is not about who she truly is or her real character; rather, Fitzgerald leans into the concept of Gatsby’s illustrious dream that could never be achieved. This ties into how countless aspiring citizens who came to America during the 1920s chased after an impossible “American dream” that could never be attained. Daisy Buchanan’s character also dives into the idea of superficiality, much like many other characters, which is particularly evident in her decisions and values. The attractiveness of Daisy is inherently due to her lust for intense wealth, an observation made by Gatsby when he notes, “Her voice is full of money” (Fitzgerald 115). This statement clearly shows how her allure is deeply rooted in her superficial ways, making her appeal more materialistic rather than sincere.

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Additionally, Gatsby ignored Daisy’s new position as “the busy and the tired,” “overwhelmingly aware of the youth…that wealth imprisons and preserves, of the freshness of many clothes, and of Daisy, gleaming like silver” (115). Such an observation alludes to the fact that Gatsby was under the impression that money was a preservative for items as well as people, resulting in him continuously pursuing Daisy with an idealized image in his mind of her past

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Gatsby has done everything right with working hard for what he has provided himself with, but not in the manner that he’s doing it, which is showcasing it all to Daisy and still lingering about their past relationship. With this in mind, it can be concluded that Gatsby places a lot of priority over his growing infatuation and love over Daisy, and how he feels that he must climb to the top of the social branch like Tom Buchanan has without needing to work super hard. Gatsby also enjoyed flaunting everything that he owned to Daisy, even if it wasn’t the most materialistic thing considered by society, but what matter is how focused he was on telling Daisy just how much his life

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Gatsby truly believes that Daisy only loves him, and he can not stand the idea that she does not. During his fight with Tom over who Daisy really loves, he says, ““She never loved you, do you hear?” he crie[s]. “She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved any one except me!””(Fitzgerald 130).

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The American Dream in The Great Gatsby: The Illusion of Prosperity The 1920s, or more commonly referred to as the Roaring Twenties, was a period in American history defined by its burst of economic prosperity and social change with indulgence in new styles of dancing and dressing while rejecting many traditional and societal norms. With the rise of Flappers and Jazz, hedonism became prominent in this era. These qualities that distinguished the 1920s are notable in the memoir of Jay Gatsby, a fabulously and mysterious self-made millionaire who has grandiose dreams for the future. Specifically, he wants to win the love of the girl of his dreams, Daisy Buchanan, his former flame from his past who is now married. Gatsby seeks to win her heart through throwing lavish parties at his

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They both love Daisy in their own way and do not want to lose her. Gatsby states, “Both of us loved each other all that time” (Fitzgerald 138). Gatsby wants Daisy to tell Tom she never loved him so that they can be together, but she cannot because it would not be true. Daisy says to Gatsby, “I did love him once-but I loved you too”(Fitzgerald 140). Daisy used to love both of them but chooses Tom because she is used to life with Tom and does not change.

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The American Nightmare During the 1920s, America experienced a time of postwar excitement, a poorly enforced prohibition, and a party culture filled with the surge of jazz music and the rising role model of flappers. During this,America had begun to go through major changes with its current social and societal values, and with this revolutionary change in the economy and culture began the idea for what was later to become the American Dream. The American Dream is an idea that has been around since the early twentieth century, beginning when Truslow Adams fully defined it in 1931. This concept has been given new meanings by authors and poets who have tackled the subject even before it was fully defined.

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The view of the American Dream is different for everyone. The Epic Journey, by James Truslow Adams, views the American Dream as a dream of attaining one’s fullest stature regardless of one’s social status. Similarly, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s American Dream relates to Adam’s dream but limited to materialistic wealth- a dream that seeks for motor cars, higher wages, and to impress the people of high status. Both Adams and Gatsby believe that everyone has an equal chance of achieving their dream. Adams says “The dream is that dream of land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement”.

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F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby explores the motif of appearance versus reality through the character of Jay Gatsby. Gatsby establishes an identity that is based on his glorified image of the past, rather than the reality of his current life, and his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan reflects his belief in the power of perception to shape reality. This ultimately leads to his tragic downfall. Throughout his novel, Fitzgerald highlights the tension between the idealized image of success and the harsh reality of social inequality through his use of appearance versus reality.

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