The Great Gatsby
...to get there. In the1920's the American Dream was something that everyone
strived to have. Having a family, money, a big house, and a car meant that someone had
succeeded in life. A very important aspect was money, and success was determined
greatly by it. This was not true in all cases however. Jay Gatsby was a poor boy who
turned into a very wealthy man, but did he live the American Dream? Money is actually
the only thing that Gatsby had a lot of. Jay Gatsby tries to live the life of The American
Dream, but fails in his battle.
From his early years Gatsby has his eye one Daisy and throughout his life he is
deeply in love with her, but he never marries or even has a life with her. Another one of
Gatsby's goals in life was to be an extremely successful, just like his model Dan Cody,
but that plan ends up failing as well. As a part of what Dan Cody taught him, Gatsby
attempted to go into business with a man named Meyer Wolfsheim, but failed at that
also. For such a long time Gatsby has had his eye on Daisy and has been in love with
her, but this does not develop. Gatsby has always gazed at the green light on Daisy's
porch. Jordan Baker says, "Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be across the
bay." The color green is traditionally a symbol of hop and youth and that is what Gatsby
is hoping to find beyond it. When Gatsby and Daisy meet, he tells her about how he has
watched the green light that burns at the end of her dock. For so long that light has been
a symbol of his dream, of something he has wanted more than life itself. Gazing at it so
much, Gatsby must have believed that if he could only have Daisy he would be eternally
happy. In chapter four he suddenly has her and the light is just a light again. It doesn't
seem that Daisy could ever be as wonderful as Gatsby's dream of her. Dreams, sadly for
Gatsby...
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