The American Dream in the Great Gatsby

Then Gatsby won a glance at happiness with Daisy when she fell in love with him. There was no hope though, his poor youth kept him from being an aristocrat. Daisy only wanted to be with an aristocrat. Finally when Faulkner said “without pity or compassion” this relates to The Great Gatsby in how Tom and Daisy packed up and moved far away without even showing their faces at Gatsby’s funeral. The Plot of the novel, is based on the fact that the newly rich, (those who were not born into money, but have acquired it over time), will never have the power of those who were born in to family wealth.

She says, “The onl... ... middle of paper ... ...ike his true self, the one she had fallen in love with before everything, things would have worked out in the end. In the end of the book, no one gets what they want. Daisy stays with Tom in the end because of his wealth and because the real Gatsby she fell in love with is no longer there- he is simply a poser now. Myrtle had no hope of marrying Gatsby because he did not love her and only used her for sex. She couldn’t appreciate what was real, like the love of George.

Daisy is a woman that Jay had a love affair with when he was younger, but he could never have her because he was not in her social class. Jay then began to do anything to get the money that it would take to get in her class, even illegal activities. Once he reached this level of wealth, he moved close to Daisy to try to get her. “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay”(83). The only thing that really mattered to Jay was Daisy.

She was so aristocratic that she wouldn’t marry Gatsby while they were in love after the war. All that Daisy seemed to care about was having so comfortable of a life that I believe she forgot what love was until Gatsby showed up again. But this isn’t all true, Daisy was so impressed by Gatsby’s wealth that her greed once again took over her and she was almost prepared to leave Tom for Gatsby. Also, I don’t think that she loved her daughter. Daisy’s daughter was just a little plaything for Daisy’s enjoyment.

For instance the way in which Katherina is treated doesn’t always seem to be funny; instead it is quite cruel and degrading. “She eat no meat today, nor none shall eat; last night she slept not, nor tonight she shall not.” (Page 62, act 4 scene 1 line 182-183) Men saw marriage as a way to get rich; love didn’t even enter the equation. Padua is a rich area and therefore many suitors fled there in the hope of becoming wealthy. “I come to wive it wealthily in Padua,” says Petruchio. He asks outright, “Then tell me – if I get your daughter’s love, what dowry shall I have with her to wife?” (Page 37, act 2 scene 1, line 119-120) The husbands were given a dowry by the father of the daughter when they became married.

Daisy thought she would have love when she married Tom but she didn’t. That love was corrupted by money and power. She never ended up happy, she only ended up with money and that didn’t make her happy. Daisy also realized that she could’ve also married Gatsby for money and she would’ve also gotten the love and happiness she dreamed of from him. Daisy’s goal of living the American Dream and happiness was destroyed and so was her happiness.

He felt that with money came many other advantages to life. Gatsby’s sole purpose for acquiring wealth was to win back his old love. When Gatsby first met Daisy he was underprivileged and considered unworthy because of his lower class status. He knew that while he was poor there was no chance of them ever uniting as a couple. “I was poor”, Gatsby had no money and he thought that Daisy “was tired of waiting around for me” (131).

He felt that with money came many other advantages to life. Gatsby’s main reason to change his life and become rich was to get his old love Daisy back. When James Gatz first met Daisy he was poor and he was not good enough because he was a lower class than her. He always knew that as long as he’s poor he should forget about her, because there was no chance of them being together. He says “I was poor”, he had no money and he knew that Daisy won’t wait for him for too long, as he states “She never loved you, do you hear?” “She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me.

She married him only because she had to for his wealth and reputation. Daisy finds out that Tom has an affair with another woman in New York, but she does not leave him when Gatsby gave her the chance to. Tom also seems abusive towards her both physically and mentally, and he does not show much affection to her. When Nick visited the gorgeous Buchanan’s mansion, Daisy kept asking stupid questions and making useless comments: “Do you always watch for the longest days of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day of the year and miss it” (16).

While Jay Gatsby was in World War I, he was in love with Daisy. They were a loving couple, but Daisy left him because he was away at war and was also very poor. Daisy decides to leave him and marry Tom Buchanan because she wants a man who is wealthy. Gatsby is so determined to get Daisy back in his life that he moves to West Egg, a town next to New York City, to be near her. One reason that Gatsby's dream is never accomplished is because his wealth takes over his integrity.