The Great Gatsby!

At first glance, The Great Gatsby may just seem like a story of material objects and mixed emotions. However, underneath the surface, it's really a symbolic explanation of why and how the American Dream slowly began to fade away.

F. Scott Fitzgerald did a really good job of helping the reader to understand that the American Dream was originally about new ideas, individualism, and trying to persue happiness. However, fast and easy money, relaxed social values, and lack of good decisions corrupted that dream, mainly on the East coast. Luckily, the main plot line of the story did a great job of supporting this conclusion.

When Gatsby's goal of being able to love Daisy is ruined due to their different social statuses, he resorts to crime to be able to make enough money to impress her. I believe that Gatsby may have thought that at the moment that was the best decision, but in the end it really wasn't. Gatsby was getting attention from Daisy, true, but at the same time he was also digging himself deeper and deeper into a hole of lies. He was trying his hardest to shield the real him and put forth the fake. Unfortunately, Daisy became blinded by the riches, which made it harder for her to quickly move forward and find out the truth.

Different objects and things were placed in the story as meaningful, but only because the characters instilled them with meaning. For example, in chapter 2 Mrs.Wilson randomly asked Tom to buy her a dog---and he did. Now the gesture seemed very kind and sweet at first until the actual meaning made it's way to the surface. Soon after, when Mrs.Wilson arrived back to her apartment, the dog was quickly abandoned and no longer shown any attention. By Mrs.Wilson abandoning her new dog and not spending any time with it, she proved to the reader that she didn't actually want the dog, but the feeling of temporary pleasure and pampering. She knows that Tom is not her husband and that she cannot have him permanently, so she took advantage of the time she did have with him; entertaining herself and trying to make herself feel special by asking Tom to buy her the dog and getting it.

While West Egg represents newly rich and the more harder earned kind of money, East Egg, especially Daisy and Tom, represent the old rich and the more careless and flashy type of money. Fitzgerald strongly portrays the west Egg as not really "hip", more laid back, and lacking a good sense of taste and a well-rounded social life, while the East Egg an it's old money possesses lots of style, grace, and elegance. Unfortunately, what the East Egg possesses in taste and style, however, it appears to lack in heart and sincerity, as the East Eggers prove themselves to be careless, heartless bullies who are so used to turning to money and riches to ease their mind that they rarely even take the time out to take in the feelings and thoughts of others.

For example, at the end of the novel instead of the Buchanans showing their respect and attending Gatsby's funeral, they choose to move to a new house far away and isolate themselves from the funeral as if they didn't even know Gatsby. Gatsby, on the other hand, put forth his loyal heart and sincerity in chapter 7 when he stood outside of Daisy's window until four in the morning to make sure that Tom didn't hurt her.

In the end Gatsby's good qualities, loyalty and love, lead to his death when he takes the blame for killing Myrtle rather than letting Daisy be punished, while the Buchanans bad qualities, selfishness and greediness, help them to remove themselves from the unfortunate event not only physically but mentally as well.
As a whole, The Great Gatsby helped me as a reader to understand that even though the American Dream may be present in certain situations, it's not always a guarantee that there will be walls blocking outside forces, actions, and people, from corrupting the dream.


~Cited Source~

The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald