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The Great Gatsby Research Paper

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Sawgoto Dey Mr. Ritchie English III 23 May 2024 Different Perspectives of the American Dream Dreams lure souls adrift to the endless trail of hope. The so-called American Dream throughout history has captivated people from all walks of life, embodying the belief that determination and hard work can lead to success. This theme is explored in both Gabriele Muccino’s 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic book The Great Gatsby. The movie depicts the real-life struggle of Chris Gardner and his rise from homelessness. The book portrays the life of Jay Gatsby and his obsessive pursuit of wealth and status. While both delve into the American dream and the desire for a better life, they do so from different perspectives …show more content…

From an early age he was after fancy things in life and moved from job to job “...despising the janitor’s work...he was still searching for something to do,” (Fitzgerald 99). Gatsby dreamed of a better life, but he scorned the reality of only getting menial jobs. He wanted a way to hop to the top, rather than climbing the stairs. He slipped up when he told Nick, “‘It took me just three years to earn the money that bought it.’...I was in the drug business and then I was in the oil business’” (Fitzgerald 90). Gatsby was proud of himself for achieving his goals almost instantly, even though he knew morally what he did to earn that money was illegal. He tried covering it up by saying he worked in different fields, but even that mentality shows his lack of consistency. Chris Gardner's journey shows his unyielding positive human spirit and the hard working nature of the American Dream. He throws himself into his unpaid internship at Dean Witter with unparalleled commitment, “‘So I'm gonna stand out in my program’”(The Pursuit of Happyness). He was painting his apartment as a form of payment for his rent and he was forced to stay the night in prison for all his parking

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Ryan Gerhart Mrs. Frantzen 11 Honors Block 3A 25 March 2024 Analysis of The Great Gatsby: Historical Events and Impacts All across the United States, the great experiment with prohibition failed miserably. The ratification of the 18th amendment, also known as the prohibition, was caused by efforts to address alcohol-related issues such as crime, poverty, and domestic violence, all of which were significant problems in America during the 1900's. Prohibition was a nationwide ban on the production, distribution, and sale of alcohol. Ironically, as shown in F. Scott Fitzgerald's book, The Great Gatsby, many people benefited from the prohibition by breaking the laws. A historical lens highlights how Jay Gatsby benefited from the prohibition laws

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As a young man, Gatsby worked jobs all along Lake Superior in order to continue paying his expenses and to acquire money. These jobs were clearly not elegant but Gatsby was a daring young man who made money however he could. However, a different side of Gatsby can be seen when he “pulled out to the Tuolomee and informed [Dan] Cody a wind might catch him and break him up in half an hour” (Fitzgerald 98). This image of a hardworking young man shows that Gatsby is also a true soul. With his true spirit, he was able to befriend anyone and everyone in order to complete his goal of extreme wealth.

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F.S. Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby contains many people and events that triggered the death of the protagonist, Jay Gatsby. The death of Jay Gatsby is like a snowball because it keeps adding up and eventually it took Jay. However, Daisy was the biggest contributor to the snowball. On the other hand, George is the one who murdered Gatsby. Although George is the one who physically Gatsby, it was Daisy who could not choose between Gatsby and Tom, and Daisy who ran over Myrtle that led to Gatsby’s death.

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“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic piece of American literature, which ironically demonstrates how, for most, the American Dream will never become reality. In “The Great Gatsby”, the titular Jay Gatsby, a wealthy man of working class origins, seeks out the love of Daisy, an even wealthier heiress who is already married. To get what he wants, he befriends the main character Nick Carraway and uses their friendship to get close to Daisy. Eventually, they do get together and have a relationship, even if not for long. Soon, Tom takes notice and steps in, competing with Gatsby over Daisy’s love.

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Gatsby envisioned a God-like status for himself. “The most grotesque and fantastic conceits haunted him in his bed at night. A universe of ineffable gaudiness spun itself out of his brain.” (Fitzgerald 98) For six years, Jay Gatsby grew into manhood, studied what it meant to be a millionaire aboard a yacht, and sharpened the ideas behind his new self.

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Most would agree that money buys happiness, but only to the extent of what you can buy. While almost any asset can be purchased, some items such as romance must be earned through work and dedication. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s play The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby's relentless pursuit to use his wealth to gain the approval of Daisy Buchanan. Through the lens of Nick Carraway, we witness Mr. Gatsby spends as much of his wealth only for his one sole goal, disregarding the multiple consequences that come along. Growing up on a rural, struggling farm, his family had difficulty making ends meet.

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Love is the feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection. In the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are many romantic relationships between characters that often do not have a fairytale ending, some only for the looks. The Great Gatsby is narrated by Nick Caraway, who seems to be the middleman in all of the upset and misfortune throughout the novel. Gatsby is a neighbor of Nick who lives in a lavish mansion known for his extravagant parties, in which everyone enjoys attending. It seemed that everyone knew who the house belonged to, but not who the owner was personally.

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The book The Great Gatsby explores the love shared between Gatsby and Daisy, but also delves into Daisy's desire for fame and wealth. Love is a powerful emotion that involves deep affection, intimacy, passion, and commitment. It can be challenging for some individuals to attain these qualities. People often fall out of love due to unrealistic expectations or a lack of feeling appreciated. In such situations, they may begin to consider whether someone else would be a better match for them.

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Zipporah Tran Mrs. Crouson English 22 April 2024 Did Gatsby really love Daisy? Gatsby doesn’t truly love Daisy anymore because the love that Gatsby shows is from the past. Gatsby sees Daisy as a perfect person who can fulfill his desires in life and idolizes her to the point of delusion. It’s an idolized fantasy that Gatsby has convinced himself to be real. Gatsby only loves the past Daisy instead of the real, present Daisy.

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Within the story, Gatsby’s parents are described as “shiftless and unsuccessful farm people—his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all” (Fitzgerald 62). This shows that Gatsby's desire for success stems from a longing to escape his humble beginnings and to distance himself from his family's lack of achievement. Additionally, one of Gatsby's first recorded experiences was when he first met Meyer Wolfsheim, upon said meeting Wolfsheim describes Gatsby as, “A young major just out of the army and covered over with medals he got in the war.” and that because of this, Gatsby's financial situation was, "So hard he had to keep on wearing his uniform because he couldn’t buy some regular clothes” (Fitzgerald 104). Because of this difficult situation, paired with Gatsby’s challenging upbringing, Gatsby was determined to attain a level of success that would allow him the privilege of never having to face such hardships again. These early experiences shape his relentless pursuit of wealth and status as he strives to redefine himself and ascend the economic

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1385 Words | 6 Pages

“I suppose he'd had the name ready for a long time even then his parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people. ”(98) Gatsby is fed glimpses of the lifestyles of the wealthy living the American Dream. Although he was born poor, he knew he was destined to be more than what he'd been dealt with. In order to achieve his pursuits and gain respect from the higher social class, Gatsby went to extreme measures to obtain it such as taking on illegal labor, bootlegging, and even projecting lies about himself to others since they all saw a fancy man with a luxurious education and a wealthy family lineage.

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Gatsby was a man who came up from essentially nothing by gaining his money through bootlegging and other illegal acts in order to gain a reputation in society. Gatsby’s constant desire to accomplish more in his life demonstrates the corruption of the American Dream. It is evident that Gatsby has had a thirst for the American dream since a young age, this is shown when Gatsby’s father says: “Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something. Do you notice what he’s got about improving his mind?

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Gatsby has a fortune, illegal albeit, but still a fortune. Gatsby was the son of a farmer and was inspired by Dan Cody to make a name for himself and achieve his dreams. However the American Dream lost its original meaning in the 1920s, thanks to bootlegging and the mob business that was becoming so popular on the east coast. Gatsby took advantage of this to make a shortcut of the American Dream. At this point Gatsby wasn't concerned with accomplishing anything as long as he felt accomplished.

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Gatsby’s hard work is evident in the efforts he puts into working for Dan Cody, his service in World War I, his work in remedial jobs such as clamming and almost as a janitor, and his brief time spent at Oxford University. Nick’s encounter with Gatsby’s father after Gatsby’s death further demonstrates the effort Gatsby puts into planning his journey of self-improvement by setting a daily schedule of studying, working, exercising and “[practicing] the art of elocution, poise and how to attain it”. Per the American Dream, this would result in his success, however Gatsby does not receive Dan Cody’s inheritance, drops out of Oxford, and only achieves wealth after resorting to illegal business and bootlegging. Gatsby’s character displays how the American Dream is corrupted through lack of morals leading to wealth, while honest hard work does not. This is better portrayed in the novel, which describes Gatsby’s journal of self-establishment in detail – such as Gatsby’s “schedule” – that is not evident in the film.

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