The Great Gatsby

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The American dream became prevalent in the “roaring twenties”, when material possessions were the spotlight, social class was essential, and your status in society was all that mattered; society was mesmerized as if they were in a trance. The Great Gatsby takes place during the 1920’s in a culture that craved wealth, sex and fame. Nick Carraway, the narrator, finds himself captivated by the lifestyle that his cousin Daisy Buchanan, her husband Tom Buchanan, and friend Jordan Baker have come to love. Carraway moves next door to the “famous” Jay Gatsby, the protagonist, in West Egg, known for its new money. At first, the implication of a genuine friendship between Gatsby and Carraway is occurring; but, Gatsby’s intentions for this relationship are far from friendly. Throughout the story his true drive is revealed by his actions. Jay Gatsby is chasing the unrealistic dream that one day he will win Daisy and live “happily ever after” with her, and will stop at nothing to attain it. His life has revolved around one day rekindling his old love with Daisy Buchanan, hoping that they are able to pick up where they left off six years ago; however Gatsby’s misguided notions of Daisy, his chase for her heart, and Daisy’s superficial life that she pursues, ultimately destroy any chance of Gatsby’s dreams to prevail.
Jay Gatsby is on a mission to win back the heart of Daisy Buchanan, a well-to-do golden girl of East Egg. Daisy Buchanan is the sought after beauty that every man wishes to call his own. She is married to Tom Buchanan, the man who swept her off her feet after her old love, Gatsby, was sent away to war. From the moment they parted company, Jay Gatsby’s entire life has revolved around the ¬¬ long-awaited moment when his and Daisy’s...

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...ir encounter Gatsby “had come a long way to this blue lawn” to find Daisy and make his dream come true, and he was convinced that it would (Fitzgerald, 180). But because of Daisy’s superficial character and Gatsby’s unreasonable expectations for her, the chance of repeating the past was forever lost. Ultimately, the practical chances of Gatsby’s fantasy coming depended on Daisy’s decision which he so conveniently ignored. It is impossible for Gatsby’s dream to come true because he believed that the past could be repeated, but “he did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in the vast obscurity beyond the city” back when he first left Daisy and went off to war (Fitzgerald, 180). At that moment his dream could never be a reality and would be forever unattainable.

Works Cited

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2013. Print.

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