Failure of the American Dream in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

Daisy and Jay had fallen in love with each other in spite of knowing that they could not marry because of the difference in their social status. For the first time in Jay?s life he was truly happy. During their courtship, Jay was sent off to war. Upon returning from the war, Jay found out that Daisy had married a wealthy man by the name of Tom Buchannon. Jay then spends his life acquiring wealth to reach her economic standards, in hope that he can marry her and rekindle the happiness that he once had.

Gatsby and the Death of a Dream In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald creates the roaring twenties by showing the division of society. The Buchanans live on one side, East Egg, and Jay Gatsby lives on the other side, West Egg. The Buchanans belong to the socialites, yet their lives have no meaning. Gatsby tries to chase the American Dream, yet his idea is tarnished. He throws parties to try and fit in with the socialites.

That his only motive for the things that he does, for the massive parties that he throughs, for working to become incredibly wealthy, is to have Daisy fall in love with him. Gatsby’s life is one that is incredibly lavish. It is full of expensive amenities many would only dream of having. But Jay Gatsby is not living this fabulous lifestyle for himself. He is living it for Daisy, and only for Daisy.

Ed. Henry D. Piper. Charles Schribner's Sons, New York: 1970. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby.

Wealth is the key to a happy life along with love, however, love alone cannot provide happiness in marriage. Despite having loved Gatsby, Daisy has ended their relationship because Gatsby cannot provide her luxurious gifts, like the pearls that Tom bought her. After five years, Gatsby and Daisy have met and he has been changing his life in order to please her. Gatsby used Daisy as a motivation to become the man he is now, a prosperous man. We can see this in his house.

The reason he wishes to relieve the past is because he had a love affair with the rich Daisy Buchanan, who he had, fell deeply in love with. However, he knew they could never get married due to their difference in economic and social statuses. He wants to marry her, but because of this problem he leaves her in order to gain wealth and social status in order to reach her standards. Once he reaches this goal, he buys a house close to her in which he tries to "impress her." Jay thinks money will take care of everything, in which he realizes it doesn’t make life out like it ought to be.

In my opinion, true love or unconditional is a love that does not take races, religions and social class into account. People who are deeply in love tend to do something that is out of their control. They are willing to die and sacrifice their life for the people they love. I believe that The Great Gatsby is a love story because Jay Gatsby has put too much effort in winning Daisy’s heart. He buys a house that cost a lot of money, spends his entire lifetime waiting for Daisy and dies because of Daisy’s mistake.

The purpose of this research paper is to expose Gatsby’s fakeness, and the phony environment around him in The Great Gatsby. It will also show how Gatsby used everyone for only one purpose, which is Daisy’s love. Gatsby has been in love with Daisy for years, but while he was away at war, she married the rich Tom Buchanan. By striving to have her back, he devotes his wealth to parties, hoping that she would come in one day and would notice him. When she finally does, everything goes shockingly wrong.

However as optimistic as it was, Gatsby was ignorant to the truths hovering around him. Although Gatsby’s intentions were good many times he became confused in what he really wished for. Gatsby believed that if he overcame the poverty of his early life and became someone new he would be able to capture the heart of his beloved Daisy, a woman whose materialistic outlook on life led Gatsby to extremities. Gatsby threw around large amounts of money as if it was nothing in an attempt to win over the heart of his beloved Daisy. He even threw incredibly lavish parties in hope that Daisy would attend one giving him t... ... middle of paper ... ...kest way possible.

In both the movie, The Lucky One and The Great Gatsby, they reveal how staying determined will lead to accomplishments; Logan in The Lucky One, ends up getting the girl, however, Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, fails to keep the heart of Daisy. Determination is “The act or an instance of making an important decision and not giving up” (“Determination”). In The Great Gatsby, the main character Jay Gatsby is a succesful business man who will go to extremes to win the heart of the woman of his dreams, Daisy, hoping she would leave her husband for him. Gatsby threw extravagant parties with an abundance of alcohol and a variety of people. People would drive hundreds of miles to attend one of Jay Gatsby’s parties.