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The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay

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During the early part of the twentieth century, the American culture fantasized about achieving a successful future with financial stability and the opportunity to thrive in a world that it only dreamed about in the past. In the novel The Great Gatsby, the main character Gatsby, is not worried about money, which he has accumulated through the years, but instead has created an intense attachment to a woman whom he had once loved, and never has stopped loving. His “American Dream” does not involve monetary stability; instead the only thing that he wishes to attain is the love and control over Daisy. His fantasy has developed into an unreachable love that destroys his life at the end. In the case of Tom, his attachment to Daisy has also became a way to prove his male dominance, he might love Daisy, but he only needs her to feel secure. This attachment to the past and the love that both Tom and Gatsby is completely contrary to what the “American Dream” many times signifies. Although The Great Gatsby was written during this time, the “American Dream” for both Tom and Gatsby, is not involved with financial stability, instead it is focused on a love fantasy and attachment to Daisy, a fantasy which has been used to prove their male dominance and superiority. From the beginning of the novel the reader understands that the reason for many of the actions taken by Gatsby are influenced by Daisy. The narrator says, “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay”

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