The Great Gatsby Research Paper

David La Force McKinney Language arts 11 03 March 2024 Decline of The American Dream “It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. And one fine morning—— So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” (180). F. Scott Fitzgerald develops the theme of The Decline of The American Dream through literary elements. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald develops the theme of The Decline of The American Dream through the characters of Nick and Gatsby, the symbol of the green light, and the motif of Gatsby’s parties. The character of Gatsby as well as Nick's (the narrator) observations of him convey the theme, such as when Nick says the following while reflecting on his

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.” (180). This references the aforementioned green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, which Gatsby looks at throughout the book. Although the meaning of the light remains somewhat ambiguous, most believe that it represents Gatsby’s dream as well as the American Dream. Throughout the novel, Gatsby chases his dream but it ultimately illudes him and he is left with nothing but the name he fabricated when he turned 17. The story of The Great Gatsby shows us how even for a character like Gatsby, a man larger than life, his dream remains unattainable. However, on his journey, Gatsby does manage to achieve momentary and fleeting happiness in knowing deep down that his dream will stay a

When Nick sees Gatsby for the first time, he is staring at the ghostly green light. This is somewhat ironic because even though we know that Gatsby yearns for his dream and his life with Daisy, he still trembles, presumably in fear for the future and what it holds. Later on in the novel when Gatsby finally meets Daisy again after almost nine years apart, Nick sees them and thinks, “Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy, it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her. It seemed as close as a star to the moon” (98). When Gatsby sees Daisy so close he gets overwhelmed with emotion and fear and as he gets closer to Daisy he simultaneously gets closer to his dream with Daisy and the significance of the green light dims. While it is true that the light is undoubtedly linked to Gatsby’s dream with Daisy and also the American dream, it could symbolize Gatsby’s wanting and yearning for