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Great Gatsby Essay

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In The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald, dreams, goals, and ambitions have a way of enticing and enchanting the characters. A goal becomes more than a goal; it becomes something into which the characters submerge themselves and by which they define themselves. These dreams then set up impossible expectations which are detached from what can realistically be achieved. Gatsby dreams of love with Daisy, a dream which eventually consumes his life. It seduces him into giving himself up entirely for its attainment. Similarly, Tom's ambitions to control every aspect of his life end up consuming him. It might be considered this fundamental tendency of human dreams to seduce the dreamers into dedicating themselves completely to those dreams …show more content…

It is likely that the Grail doesn't even exist, and it is this which is the point Fitzgerald attempts to make through this allusion: it is an objective certainty that Gatsby cannot win Daisy (who is his Grail) back, but because he has been completely seduced by the prospect of the outcome, he cannot see that truth, deceiving himself into believing that it is possible. As foils for Gatsby and Daisy (and in some respect Tom as well) we are presented with Nick and Jordan. Of Jordan, Nick says that she is “too wise ever to carry well-forgotten dreams from age to age”(135). In this single quote we have proof that neither of them is susceptible to the seductive nature of dreams: Jordan does not carry on with long-dead memories, and Nick deems her “wise” because of it. This contrast with the other characters allows their naïve pursuit of impossible dreams to be all the more apparent, especially because Nick is the narrator of the book. It would be quite hard indeed to present a book about the enchanting characteristics of dreams if the narrating voice itself was susceptible to the enchantment; that is, it is always easier to explain from an outside perspective.

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