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Gatsby's Pursuit Of The American Dream - Essay

Gatsby's Pursuit Of The American Dream

The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about the American Dream, and the downfall of those who attempt to reach its illusionary goal. The attempt to capture the American Dream is central to many novels. This dream is different for different people, but in The Great Gatsby, for Jay, the dream is that through wealth and power, one can acquire happiness. This happiness is something for which he must reach into the past to have and for which he must revive and old dream.
Jay Gatsby, the central figure of the the story, is one character who longs for the past. Suprisingly he devotes most of his adult life trying to recapture it and, finally, dies in its pursuit. In the past, ...

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happen, he asks around casually if anyone knows her. Soon he meets Nick Carraway, a cousin of Daisy, who agrees to set up a meeting, "He wants to know...if you'll invite Daisy to your house some afternoon and then let him come over (83)."Gatsby's personal dream symboli! zes the larger American Dream where all have the oppurtunity to get what they want.
Later, as we see in the Plaza Hotel, Jay still believes that Daisy loves him. He is convinced of this as is shown when he takes the blame for Myrtle's death. "Was Daisy driving?" "Yes...but of course I'll say I was." (151) He also watches and protects Daisy as she returns home. "How long are you going to wait?" "All night if necessary." (152) Jay cannot accept that the past is gone and done with. Jay is sure that he can capture his dream with wealth and influence. He believes that he acted for a good beyond his personal interest and that should guarantee success.
Nick attempts to show Jay the folly of his dream, but Jay ...

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Gatsby's Pursuit Of The American Dream. (2004, January 6). Retrieved January 22, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Gatsbys-Pursuit-Of-The-American-Dream/1047

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 1/6/2004 04:05:19 AM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 535
Pages: 2

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