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The Great Gatsby Research Paper

961 Words4 Pages

The infamous novel, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald explores many themes but primarily delves into the concept of the American Dream, Appearances vs. Reality, and the Wealth. Throughout the text, the narrator Nick witnesses the destruction and glory of those he meets in the East and West Eggs, a hub for the rich and hollow. The novel traverses how the Egg inhabitants exercise the declaration of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”, but just how far do these people go in the name of this pursuit? Soon after he arrives at the West Egg, Nick notices the towering and slightly garish mansion next door, along with its peculiar owner. Nick’s neighbor, Jay Gatsby, is portrayed as a charismatic dreamer, a man who certainly defies most rumors spread about …show more content…

At Gatby’s parties, the upper echelon of society mingle with each other, but all connections made are severed by the time the sun rises the next morning. Nick was Gatsby’s only true friend, because although his house was full of eclectic guests and electric fun, when the liquor stopped flowing, as did their compassion. They, along with Gatsby, were empty people. Gatsby roamed his big house and blue garden, trying to attain “just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end.”(76) Meaning that Gatsby conceived a version of himself that would accomplish everything he was looking for. With his flashing pink suits and his gaudy mansion, Gatsby lives in a golden cage of his own making. This further shows how even though Gatsby appears to be the epitome of the American Dream, he is unhappy and morally suspect in the name of wealth. This is what every other affluent member of Long Island Sound is like. They are a vacant and fickle society, that flits from one place to another in search of immediate gratification, indulging in the worst traits of

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