When one thinks of performing an act of great sacrifice, their immediate thought would be to surrender an item of close personal attachment: one’s earnings, his/her place of residence, even a treasured family possession. However, by definition, sacrifice does not necessitate a loss of a physical entity; rather, one could surrender upon an emotional level, such as sacrificing one’s personal happiness for the sake of another, or surrendering one’s hope in a project’s potential, in order to pursue a different route. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, the titular Gatsby sacrifices a great deal; however, such sacrifice is not conducted upon a physical plane, and Gatsby remains a social and economic success throughout the course of the story. Rather, it is Gatsby’s sacrifice of his own potential that illuminates his moral values, and provides readers with a deeper understanding of Fitzgerald’s novel as a whole. Jay Gatsby, more an enigma than a man, known for his great foresight and ambition, sacrificed his desire for success in hopes of rekindling his romance with the beautiful socialite Daisy Buchanan. To him, she was a fascinating specimen, a member of an elite class of which he had never been welcome. A perpetual outsider in the land of the wealthy, Gatsby channeled his …show more content…
To some, sacrifice is of material possession, such as one’s wealth, their place of residence, or perhaps a family heirloom. To others, a sacrifice is the surrender of an emotion, letting someone else enjoy life at his or her personal expense. In the case of Gatsby of Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, there was little material or emotional sacrifice. Rather, it was the loss of potential and promise, for the sake of rekindling lost love, that Gatsby suffered greatly for. There is much to be learned from one who has sacrificed. What is most important, however, is to understand what they were sacrificing