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Archetypes In The Great Gatsby

Decent Essays

Innumerable literary critics are of the opinion that archetypes, which represent the universal patterns of human nature, shape the structure of a literary work. In his world renowned novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald has readers and analysts attempting to understand the truth behind the enigmatic Jay Gatsby. Throughout the story, it is evident that Gatsby is deeply in love with Daisy Buchanan and his actions are mainly focused on winning her over. Much more subliminally, Gatsby buried secrets that accounted for his mysterious persona; nobody knew his true self. Although there is evidence that shows Gatsby could be a variety of distinct archetypes, it is clear that he mainly presents both the qualities of a classic romantic and a sinister gangster. “In his blue gardens men and women came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars” (Fitzgerald 39). In his character, his relationships, and his gatherings, Jay Gatsby epitomized the illusion of a perfect romance. When Gatsby and Daisy met in 1917, he was searching for money, but ended up profoundly falling in love with her. “[H]e set out for gold and stumbled upon a dream” (Ornstein 37). Only a few weeks after meeting one another, Gatsby had to leave for war, which led to a separation between the two for nearly five years. As “war-torn lovers” Gatsby and Daisy reach the quintessential ideal of archetypical romance. When Gatsby returned from the war, his goal was to rekindle the relationship he once had with Daisy. In order to do this, he believed he would have to work hard to gain new wealth and a new persona. “Jay Gatsby loses his life even though he makes his millions because they are not the kind of safe, respectable money that echoes in Daisy’s lovely voice” (Ornstein 36). Gatsby then meets Daisy’s cousin, Nick Carraway, who helps to reunite the pair. Finally being brought together after years of separation, Gatsby stops throwing the extravagant parties at his home, and “to preserve [Daisy’s] reputation, [he] empties his mansion of lights and servants” (Ornstein 37). Subsequent to their reconciliation, Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s husband, begins to reveal sordid information about Gatsby’s career which causes Daisy to

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