Corrupt Dream In The Great Gatsby

“He looked around him wildly, as if the past were lurking here in the shadow of his house, just out of reach of his hand.”(Fitzgerald). “The Great Gatsby” was a great literary piece that has conjured numerous meanings. Some might say that the meaning of the novel is focused on the consequences of obsessive love; Or it might be focused on a dark depiction of the world and maybe the novel defines something essential about American cultural values. However, I believe that the true denotation of “The Great Gatsby” is that our desire to recapture the past holds a deep allure, but this desire is both unachievable and self-destructive because of the actions and dreams that Gatsby had

     In the text, The Great Gatsby, the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald leads us to sympathize with the central character of the text, Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald evokes our sympathy using non-linear narrative and extended flashbacks as well as imagery, characterization and theme. Through these mediums, Fitzgerald is able to reveal Gatsby as a character who is in an unrelenting pursuit of an unattainable dream. While narrative and imagery reveal him to be a mysterious character, Gatsby's flaw is his ultimate dream which makes him a tragic figure and one with which we sympathize.

Jay Gatsby, taken in by a bittersweet fruit, drags himself through filth. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby becomes wealthy to achieve his American Dream, but he fails to achieve it because of the corruption and disillusioning effects of materialistic society.

Through Gatsby, Fitzgerald displays a wistful tone by illustrating Gatsby's yearning to start over, contradicting the compelling nature normally associated with the “Roaring 20’s.” For instance, Gatsby’s regretfulness is shown in his “want[ing] to recover something, some idea of himself,” contrasting the glamorous and thrilling view of the “Roaring 20’s” (110). This reveals how Gatsby longs for a chance to be with Daisy once again. In addition, a wistful tone is established by Gatsby’s longing to start over. Nick notices that Gatsby’s “life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place” he could find the missing piece he was searching for (110). This description of his life signifies that

The Elusive Dream The American Dream is the fantasy of how through hard work, thrift, and dedication, one can attain their goals and dreams. In the novel “The Great Gatsby” the characters relentlessly search and chase their dreams with no avail resulting in nothing but heartbreak and failure. The idea that their selfish wants are within their reach puts them through an unrelenting pursuit of an unobtainable dream. “The Great Gatsby” illustrates throughout the length of the book how this dream remains as an elusive enchanted idea that is not always what it seems to be.

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby provides the reader with a unique outlook on the life of the newly rich. Gatsby is an enigma and a subject of great curiosity, furthermore, he is content with a lot in life until he strives too hard. His obsession with wealth, his lonely life and his delusion allow the reader to sympathize with him.

Dreams can empower individuals to achieve their goals and illuminate the path towards great success. Although these dreams can deeply inspire an individual to persevere, they also taint the reality of that particular situation. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby the main characters are greatly enthralled by their vision of love and the American dream. The protagonist, Jay Gatsby is fuelled by his tremendous love for Daisy Buchanan and, constructs a life of mystery, wealth and, luxury. George Wilson is an important character who portrays a lower-class lifestyle. He is powered by his faith and love towards his wife, Myrtle Wilson. Both Gatsby and George

“That locality is always vaguely disquieting, even in the broad glare of afternoon, and now I turned my head as though I had been warned of something behind. Over the ashheaps the giant eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleberg kept their vigil, but I perceived, after a moment, that someone’s eyes were regarding us with peculiar intensity from less than twenty feet away”(Fitzgerald 124). The eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleberg watches over all the characters while they live in what they consider the “American dream”. The Great Gatsby, a historical fiction novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, speaks to the readers about the illusion of the American dream. Gatsby’s life and death is a product of an illusion because of Gatsby’s determination for wealth in his youth, the unlawful money he receives, and Gatsby’s love for “old money”.

     F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a tragic tale of love distorted by obsession. Finding himself in the city of New York, Jay Gatsby is a loyal and devoted man who is willing to cross oceans and build mansions for his one true love. His belief in realistic ideals and his perseverance greatly influence all the decisions he makes and ultimately direct the course of his life. Gatsby has made a total commitment to a dream, and he does not realize that his dream is hollow. Although his intentions are true, he sometimes has a crude way of getting his point across. When he makes his ideals heard, his actions are wasted on a thoughtless and shallow society. Jay Gatsby effectively embodies a romantic idealism

Futility and despair are common themes that overwhelm many tragedies. “The Great Gatsby” is a novel that follows this precedent. Regardless of the efforts of the protagonist to have happy endings, unexpected events direct them back into misfortune. In the novel, “The Great Gatsby” Francis Scott Fitzgerald creates the tone of hopelessness. This is achieved through the specific use of diction, the dissatisfaction of characters and unfaithful marriages.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel about the American Dream. In the Great Gatsby, the dream is that one can acquire happiness through wealth and power. To get his happiness Jay attempts to reacquire the love of his lost sweet heart, Daisy. The main problem with Jay's dream is that Daisy is married. Gatsby's personal dream symbolizes the larger American Dream 'The pursuit of happiness'.

Jay Gatsby, the protagonist in The Great Gatsby, is faced with the struggle of achieving his dream against the reality of the world (Sanders 109). He acquired his wealth through bootlegging and relations with corrupt individuals. However, he tries to preserve his innocence by recreating his past with Daisy (“Fitzgerald F Scott”). The reality of the world leaves Gatsby with the feeling of emptiness and desperation because his life was consumed with overwhelming wealth and a passionate devotion to a relationship with Daisy, only to have it disappear (Dubose 75). Similar to the Lost Generation, at the end of the novel Gatsby realizes the world is full of deception and cruelty, even after earning great wealth (“Lost Generation”). A Lost Generation is defined as having “developed the idiosyncratic and personal manners” and feeling emotionally and spiritually alienated from the previous generations (Stegner 184). Jay Gatsby symbolizes the Lost Generation which F. Scott Fitzgerald connects to the changing social attitudes such as wealth, love, and the corruption of innocence in The Great Gatsby.

Where do dreams fit inside of man’s understanding if they do not exist within either time or space? Yet truly dreams are not dependant on time, and so it is irrelevant whether they exist in the future, created from present thought, of are deeply rooted in the past; it fives people their fundamental drive to move forward. Furthermore, it can be found propelling a protagonist in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby; James Gatz’s drive lies within his dream of the future founded by his memories. Therefore it is neither Jay’s dreams of the future nor his memories of the past, but both in a possibility for the future based upon him past; to rekindle the burnt ashes into a roaring passion with his former lover: Daisy.

There are times when reality falls short of expectations, and when individuals fail to live up to their ideals. This struggle can come in the form of one specific event, or an overall life philosophy. The quest to attain what we really want can be an all encompassing one, requiring all of our devotion and effort. It is especially painful to see others possess what we cannot have. For the characters in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby these problems are all too real. Gatsby works for a lifetime to gain back what he feels is rightfully his, while all the while facing the crushing realization that he may be too late. Fitzgerald uses this futile search to introduce the idea that the idealized America Gatsby fought for has been corrupted over

Facades are a central element of ‘The Great Gatsby’ as they are used by a number of characters as a weapon to conceal their sorrow. Arguably, one may say that Gatsby’s entire life is a facade. It can be argued that “He chose to become someone new, someone unfettered by his past...” (The Daily Beacon). Gatsby’s facade is used as a form of escapism from reality – a reality which causes him sorrow which he wants to forget. Through describing Gatsby’s parents as “shiftless” and “unsuccessful”, Fitzgerald suggests to the reader that Gatsby was hoping for a life that was distant and beyond the reality of poverty his parents may have faced in the world, signifying why Gatsby may have been drawn to his “green light”. Moreover, Fitzgerald tells us that “his heart was in a constant, turbulent riot,” which suggests an internal conflict and unhappiness existing inside of him. The noun “riot” conflicts with the “majestic hand” of Gatsby that we see through