Unfulfilled Dreams

Unfulfilled Dreams

Everyone has dreams of being successful in life. When the word American comes to mind one often thinks of the land of opportunity. This dream was apparent with the first settlers, and it is apparent in today’s society. In F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925), he illustrates the challenges and tragedies associated with the American dream. By examining Jay Gatsby, Tom Buchanan, and Myrtle Wilson through the narrator Nick Carraway, I understand the complex nature of the American dream. Jay Gatsby represents the cost complex of them all.

Gatsby overcame many obstacles in order to accomplish is dream. Born to shiftless and unsuccessful farmers (104), determined to make something of himself he legally changes his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby. In his youth he worked along the shores of Lake Superior, as a fisherman. There he meets Don Cody a self made millionaire. Cody made Gatsby his personal assistant and together they made several voyages. When Cody dies Gatsby inherits $25,000 however, he is unable to claim it, due to legal issues and Cody’s wife Ella.

Gatsby and Daisy meet when he was in the army. Although the love they had for each other is strong, they did not marry due to his financial status. He goes overseas and she later marries Tom Buchanan. Throughout the years he never stops dreaming about Daisy, he knows wealth and status means everything to her. Gatsby leaves college because he finds his job as a janitor degrading.

Gatsby’s dream is to win the heart of Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby is a handsome, youthful man, who lives in West Egg. West Egg represents “new money”, those who recently became rich but, lack an established social position. His mansion sits on “more than forty acres of lawn and garden”; he drives a yellow car of enormous length. This location was intentionally chosen in order to be closer to Daisy who lives in East Egg. He reinvents himself as a millionaire, only to win her heart. Gatsby is well known for his elaborate parties; where there is an abundance of food, live Jazz musicians and unlimited liquor. Gatsby never attends his parties. He is merely and absorber; watching instead of taking part. They are thrown with one purpose, to attract Daisy. Those who attend his parties never really know who he was. Their sole purpose was for attending is the abundance of liquor; which was prohibited during this era (1920’s). This is significant evidence that Gatsby is involved in bootlegging, one of the many rumors about the mysterious host. Nicks first sees Gatsby reaching towards the mysterious green light, which he later realizes is the light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He calls himself an Oxford man, and speaks with a visible fake English accent. Gatsby befriends his neighbor Nick with the sole purpose of using him in order to get closer to daisy. With Nick and Jordan’s help, the two are reunited on a rainy afternoon in Nick’s house. Blindly in love, Gatsby acts like a foolish little boy, knocking down Nick’s clock. The long awaited reunion is later moved to Gatsby’s mansion. There he displays his wealth to Daisy. When he exhibits his imported shirts “suddenly with a strained sound Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily” (98). Daisy’s tears are not because the shirts were beautiful; her tears signify her obsession for wealth and money, which is all she cares about.

In understanding the complex nature of the American Dream, Tom is the most egotistical of them all. His family has enormous wealth. Tom represents “old money” and the intergeneration transfer of wealth; which he offensively exploits. He lives in East Egg where the old aristocrats live. Tom is also a hypocrite, and his constant use of racist comments towards other ethnic groups and those less fortunate than himself indicate to me the reader that he feels he is superior.

His wife Daisy describes him as “a brute of a man, a great big hulking physical specimen of a ___” (16). He uses his size to dominate others. This behavior is clearly exhibited in his attitude towards Daisy, and his mistress Myrtle. One night while drinking Myrtle felt she had a right to mention Daisy’s name; this notion was quickly dismissed when “making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand” (41). His racism and hatred towards those he considers inferior to him is also clear. At a dinner party at his home, where Nick, Jordan Baker a professional golfer, and his wife were in attendance he dominates the conversation. By speaking about a book called “The Rise of the colored Empires”, which encourages white supremacist ideas. This racism is also evident when he finds our Gatsby’s occupation he says “I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him and I wasn’t far wrong” (141).

Despite