The Great Gatsby Really Great Analysis

In the book, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick calls Jay Gatsby “great” because that is how Nick and a bunch of other people see him. Everyone seems to know the name Jay Gatsby. Jay Gatsby lives a life that about anyone would want to live in, because he has a lot of money, and before his death wins back the girl of his dreams. But there are also some ways where Gatsby is not so “great.”

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby was born into a life of poverty and as he grew up he became more aware of the possibility of a better life. He created fantasies that he was too good for his modest life and that his parents weren’t his own. When he met Daisy, a pretty upper class girl, his life revolved around her and he became obsessed with her carefree lifestyle. Gatsby’s desire to become good enough for Daisy and her parents is what motivates him to become a wealthy, immoral person who is perceived as being sophisticated.

After the war, Gatsby’s only goal was to posses enough wealth to bring Daisy back. He acquired millions of dollars from businesses he did. “Gatsby bough this house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (78). His love for Daisy was the only thing that made him the man he was. He was intelligent, rich and even famous, all because of her. He threw big parties were many celebrities went and were thousands of dollars were spent in liquor and food just to call Daisy’s attention. “I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night…” (79), recalled Jordan, Gatsby’s friend, one night. All that Gatsby possessed was only and exclusively to show Daisy he could give her the life she wanted.

Being great is something that a lot of people have different perspectives on. Perhaps to some people a person who is great is someone who cares about the wellbeing of others and always has hope. There are many different key points in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald that make Jay Gatsby great. Gatsby is a poor man who had nothing to offer to Daisy, this woman that he had fell in love with. Ever since Gatsby has been trying to work his way up to win Daisy back by doing everything in his power to be wealthy. Gatsby is deserving of the title “Great” because of his optimism and ambitions to grow in his wealth.

Gatsby’s story, to many, is one of perseverance and determination at its finest. He devotes all his money and energy to the relatable dream of making life as fulfilling as possible. Gatsby is named “great” because of the desirable prosperity that he accumulates in a short time. Despite this material accomplishment, he should be condemned for turning into a criminal to actualize his dream. Secrets about his money are only revealed later in the book, horrifying readers who were kept in suspense about his past. “He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter” (Fitzgerald 133) is one example of confirmation that Gatsby was involved in illegal activities. He is an immoral man. There is an absence of discretion or guilt when Gatsby spends his unlawful earnings on lavish parties and a mansion. Clearly, he is not ashamed. Readers understand the statement

“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

Finally, Jay Gatsby’s delusions draws more pity for him. Daisy comes from a rich family and chances of her ending up with Gatsby, a poor soldier, is totally unrealistic. Furthermore Gatsby wants Daisy to “ go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you’” (105) but Daisy asserts that “ [she] can’t say [she] never loved Tom…It wouldn’t be true.”(126) Jay cannot grasp the present reality that Daisy could not leave Tom permanently, especially when the fruit of their love is already three years of age.

Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is a very inquisitive story and leaves many people questioning small details. In this novel, death, love and loyalty are key elements. In the summer of 1922 strangers had met once again feeling the love they felt years ago. Gatsby and Daisy were once lovers until war came between them and their love came to an end. Years passed and Gatsby and Daisy met once again feeling the same about each other but not being in the same positions. Gatsby is now rich and lives in a fancy house while Daisy is now married and has a child with Tom Buchanan. Not all partners are loyal and in this novel Tom is cheating on Daisy with another woman named Myrtle who is married to George Wilson. Daisy knowing about his infidelity

Gatsby dedicates his entire life to Daisy. He accumulates his fortune, throws extravagant parties every weekend, moves his entire live to West Egg, and distorted utopia that is liable to collapse at any moment all in the hopes of wooing Daisy (Fitzgerald 46). Daisy’s main reason for choosing Tom over Gatsby was because “ (Gatsby) ...was poor and she was tired of waiting” (Fitzgerald 130). Gatsby believed that Daisy would only notice him if every aspect of his life reputable and “In order to be reputable, it must be wasteful” (Veblen 11). Gatsby does everything in his power to become a suitable husband for Daisy, but attempts to control his fate ultimately conquer him in

Purposely and thoughtfully concluded, the author encompasses a comprehensive reunion between Daisy & Gatsby to highlight their individual character traits; to portray Daisy as addled with love & materialistic, and Gatsby as a wistful and foolish young man. The reunion aids in fulfilling the missing element, whose lack of presence left mystery to the reasoning behind Gatsby’s actions and purposes. By shining a light on his underlying goal to ultimately captivate Daisy’s ardor, he endeavors to rekindle their idyllic love belonging to years prior. Gatsby desperately grasps onto the past, not “once ceas[ing]” his “looking at Daisy” while he attempts to quickly bind the severed ties in their relationship.

Richard M. Devos once said “Money cannot buy peace of mind. It cannot heal ruptured relationships, or build meaning into a life that has none.” In The Great Gatsby the characters that do not come from a high social class are willing to do anything to reach a higher social standing. They are willing to give up many aspects of their lives in order to achieve the wealth and power that they want. They believe that the money they gain will enable them to have happiness and love.

Daisy, a lovely young former-debutante, is a beautiful, wealthy woman who enjoys many aspects of the flapper lifestyle. Her exotic, free, charming manner are what gained her an advantageous marriage to a millionaire – and are also what caused her to be the object of Jay Gatsby’s secret, long-lasting love and admiration. In her, Gatsby believes he will find everything he has longed for in his life – everything that will bring him satisfaction and happiness. Once they finally meet again – and even carry on an adulterous relationship without her husband’s knowledge – Gatsby believes he has finally attained his goal. But, as their relationship goes on, he begins to realize that she is not the ideal, fulfilling lover he imagined; rather, that she is the same as all the other women in his circles – petty, frivolous, and depthless, who’s glittering outward beauty hides a shallow, self-seeking spirit.

Gatsby, at the time was in the army and was deployed oversees one winter evening leaving his first love behind. A part of Gatsby wished that Daisy would wait for him after the war. As the time came around for Gatsby to return home, he never showed. Daisy waited all she could, but being a young beautiful girl she was bound to meet someone in the time he was away. Daisy was married that next summer to a man named Tom Buchanan, who swept her off her feet with all of the money he had inherited from his family. “In June she married Tom… with more pomp and circumstance than Louisville ever knew before.” (p 75) In ending their relationship (temporarily) Gatsby blamed this upon himself and for the next 5 years he sought out every mistake he made, trying to fix them before he met Daisy again. Gatsby did all he could to change why Daisy wouldn't wait to marry him instead, buying a house across the bay from her, throwing extravagant parties just to see if she’d show up and earning a fortunate amount of money. This event caused Gatsby’s character to constantly think about what he could have done right and how he can get Daisy back into his life.

Returning back to Gatsby, the character of Daisy Buchanan, ironically the love interest of Jay Gatsby and the main driving force for his seeking friendship with the main character, plays greatly on struggling to maintain her life’s own safety. Differing from Gatsby, Mrs. Buchanan grew up affluent and well off with a myriad of suitors waiting for her. Fate pushed her to Jay Gatsby, and the two were in love built on a lie due to Gatsby suggesting he was already wealthy to begin with. Once war had come, and called for Gatsby, Daisy was left alone to wait for him and live her life with someone she was truly infatuated with. However, in fear of losing her comfy and familiar lifestyle or growing past a suitable age for marriage while waiting for her beloved, she decided that the idea of marrying herself off to another man in order to keep a secure life within in her grasps was more appealing and prosperous for her in the long run. For those who hold the prospect of love close to their hearts or minds, her decisions are especially egregious. For Daisy, love was not worth having if not also living the way she was already accustomed to. For the sense of safety in life took priority over happiness in love; for some, a good life and true love cannot exist on the same field- at least, not without a battle

Greatness: of ability, quality, or eminence considerably above the normal or average. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is narrated by Nick Carraway, a Midwestern man who moves to New York to begin a career in the bond business. Soon after he moves into West Egg, Nick becomes reacquainted with his cousin Daisy Buchanan and her abrasive husband Tom Buchanan. Nick begins to hear rumors concerning his neighbor Jay Gatsby, an enigmatic and flamboyant millionaire. After attending some of Gatsby’s infamous parties, Nick fosters a close relationship with Gatsby and learns about Gatsby’s life. Gatsby, originally named James Gatz, is dissatisfied with his humble life and decides to reinvent himself into Jay Gatsby. He then accumulates a