The Great Gatsby Essay 1319w

Tracy Yang 5/12/2015 Mrs. Franks English II

The Great Gatsby Essay The novel of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald suggest that if it’s worthy to pay the price of life for chasing a dream? In 1920’s New York reached the pinnacle of social statue and wealth, many people believed they had reached the American dream, they make a spectacle of their wealth with fancy and fashionable proprietorship of incredibly luxuries, but behind the flashy appearance the true value of humanity and a simple dream are abandoned. The American dream believed in equality and freedom of pursuit happiness, but it ends up being materialism, segregation of classes, selfish pursuit of one’s desire, blindly pursuing dream and suffering. The idea of American dream has been twisted and misunderstanding to fill full self’s pleasure, Mr. Fitzgerald create the theme by using symbolism to represent the counterfactual of the society. The examples that proves the American dream had become obsession of materialism. Said by Daisy Buchanan describing Jay Gatsby’s shirts “‘They’re such beautiful shirts,’ she sobbed………..’It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such – such beautiful shirts before.’” (Chapter 5, Page 59). Daisy’s realization of Gatsby’s wealth making her emotion empathy toward the lost years of her life and Gatsby’s latent love, representing one’s love and emotion can be effect by the wealth and obsession of material. Another example is Said by Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway about the indiscreet voice of Daisy Buchanan “’Her voice is full of money,’ he said suddenly. That was it, I’d never understood before. It was full of money..........king’s daughter, the golden girl…” (Chapter 7 Page 76). Daisy’s voice suggested she is from a wealthy

Tracy Yang 5/12/2015 Mrs. Franks English II

family and may had been properly educated, with her linguistic markers of wealth and privilege of society status her sort of high and musical voice sound like money had built up to it. Second example that stand out throughout the book is the segregation of classes that end up being negative turning point of the story. On the way with Tom Buchanan to see his mistress, Nick Carraway described “This is a Valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wet into ridges and hills and geotactic garden……….crumbling through the powdery air.” (Chapter 2 Page 16) The Valley of ashes, a desolate area of the land in between West Egg and New York, represent the moral and social decay hidden by the wealthy and industrial hard working lower class people whose environmental suffering representing symbols of dead. Another way to look at this is through Nick Carraway describing Daisy and Tom Buchanan “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money………clean up the mess they had made…..”(Chapter 9 Page 114) Daisy and Tom Buchanan’s wealth and no sense of obligation to others allow them to lie and run away from difficulties and left the wreckage behind for someone else with integrity and honor to clean up. Another strong indication throughout the book is people’s selfishness of pursuit their desire, they please themselves to have an ecstatic and gleeful life with all the materiality and wealth they can possibly get. In the apartment of Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson, Nick Carraway described “’Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!’ shouted Mrs. Wilson………. Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand.” (Chapter 2 Page 25) Tom's explosive anger is revealed as frustration of the lie he told Myrtle Wilson about Daisy Buchanan and the selfish intention that he

Tracy Yang 5/12/2015 Mrs. Franks English II

wouldn’t leave Daisy Buchanan for Myrtle Wilson but he also want to last the forbidden relationship with Myrtle. Another strong example is when Nick Carraway tried to reason with Jay Gatsby that he cannot repeat his past with Daisy Buchanan. “’I wouldn’t ask too much of her,’ I ventured. ‘ You can’t repeat the past.’ ‘Can’t repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’”(Chapter 6 Page 70) Gatsby’s selfish imaging of literally repeat the past within his illusion through his force, Daisy will tell Tom she never loved him at all so he and Daisy can escape memory and go back and begin their relationship again. The most conclusive of example that proves the American dream had been abandoned and becoming blindly pursuing dream is through Nick Carraway describing Jay Gatsby’s unreachable dream, “Gatsby believe in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us……….Stretch out our arms farther.....And one fine morning – So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past “(Chapter 9 Page 115) It is too simplistic to say green light is symbolic of Gatsby’s hope, and he’s longing for Daisy. The green light proves Gatsby’s inability to move on from the past, shows Gatsby has been trying to goes against the current situation to recreate the past, and Gatsby has spent his whole life longing for money, success, acceptance from the society, and Daisy’s love, but with all the luxurious he can possibly reach, the gaping hole inside of him never feels complete. The unreachable dream that feel just off in the distance is what green light really represent. The most conclusive of examples that proves the American dream had been abandoned and becoming suffering is through Nick Carraway describing the terrible crash that killed Myrtle Wilson. “A moment later she rushed out into the dusk, waving her hands and

Tracy Yang 5/12/2015 Mrs. Franks English II

shouting……….choked a little in giving up the tremendous vitality she had stored so long.”(Chapter 7 Page 88) Myrtle Wilson’s death reveal the truth that she had endeavor to fit in the society and craving to be accepted, at the end she pays the price of death. Another example is through Daisy Buchanan response to the way society seek women in the roaring twenties. “And I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”(Chapter 1 Page 13) Daisy’s truthful comment toward the women status in the society, does not only shows she’s clever but also imply that the life of an ignorance woman is more joyful. Reason being a fool doesn’t have to realize the harsh realities of the real world. Daisy is treated as a beautiful pawn, it suggests that beauty is an essential strength a woman can use to barter for a wealthy husband. And lastly, As Nick Carraway explain about Gatsby’s torment "The truth was that Jay Gatsby...sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God...he invented...Jay Gatsby...and to this conception he was faithful to the end." (Chapter 6 Page 63) Gatsby is the one who endures the most of suffering, he could never possibly feeling belonged on either side of the social status. Gatsby has went through an extraordinary path to make himself appear to be completely different person, Gatsby throws luxurious and elaborate party that creates an entire image of himself as an educated and capable man who to try to win Daisy’s favor. At the end Gatsby lose his life because of his love for Daisy Buchanan representing his idea of the American Dream. The American dream that millions has been chasing is the prefect idea of pleasant and worth living life, but The Great Gatsby novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald has suggested differently. Materialism, segregation of classes, selfish pursuit of one’s desire, blindly pursuing dream and

Tracy Yang 5/12/2015 Mrs. Franks English II

suffering had been mistaken and confused the idea of American dream. The idea had lose its true value, and become the excuse for degenerates and fallen society. F. Scott Fitzgerald had giving a harsh criticized of the American society through the novel of The Great Gatsby, it could be described as the harsh and bitter truth of the American society through the American dream, but no one could argued that the hard to swallow truth presenting in The Great Gatsby is the best reflect of the abominable and outrageous of the American society.