Great Gatsby Analysis

Avery Marti

3/7/16

American Literature

Gatsby’s Dream’s

The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald set in the 1920s, it tells the story of Jay Gatsby, a self-made, extraordinarily wealthy man who his notorious for throwing massive parties in West Egg Long Island in the 1920s. Nick Caraway, Gatsby’s new neighbor, is quickly fascinated by Gatsby’s mysterious character. Nick is reunited with his long-lost cousin, Daisy Buchanan and her husband Tom Buchanan who live on the wealthier and much more fashionable side of Long Island called West Egg. Although Daisy and Tom are married, Tom has a mistress in New York City, her name is Myrtle Wilson and she is also married. The relationships soon get even more complex when it is discovered that Gatsby and Daisy were in a relationship before the war. Gatsby hopes to reconnect with Daisy by using Nick to become close to her again. Gatsby has many dreams for him and Daisy and these dreams greatly impact his life. Although Gatsby appears to be ‘great’ nevertheless his capacity to dream ruins his life because it holds him in the past, isolate him from forming other relationships and cause him to make rash and reckless decisions that eventually end Gatsby’s life.

Gatsby’s love for Daisy has gone through many setbacks, but his capacity to dream that their love can survive all of these is one that holds him in the past. Because of his great love for her, he tends to reminisce the past and becomes unrealistic as to where their relationship stands. As Nick Caraway and Gatsby become better friends Nick begins to offer some advice to Gatsby about Daisy. In a conversation about how to rekindle their relationship, Nick says, “I wouldn’t ask too much of her,’ I ventured. ‘You can’t repeat the past.’ ‘Can’t repeat the past?’ he [Gatsby] cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’” (Fitzgerald, Chapter 6). His lack of being able to let go of their past relationship and look at their life in the now proves how he is obsessed with what could have been, so Gatsby’s dream of being with Daisy is holding him back in life.  

Throughout the novel, we learn what a lonely life Gatsby lives when he isn’t with Daisy. Before he and Daisy reconnect, Gatsby is known for throwing fantastic parties, but they can be lonely. Nick describes one party by saying, “The bar is in full swing, and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside until the air is alive with chatter and laughter, and casual innuendo and introductions forgot on the spot, and enthusiastic meetings between women who never knew each other's names.” (Fitzgerald Chapter 4). This shows that although the parties are full of enthusiastic people eager to meet, none of these relationships mean anything and the guests go home as lonely as they have arrived. The same goes for Gatsby, although he should have many friends from throwing this party, he continues to isolate himself waiting for daisy. We later discover the parties are thrown only in hope that Daisy will attend them