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Research Paper | English Language and Literature | Turkey | Volume 9 Issue 5, May 2020 | Rating: 6.4 / 10
The Great Gatsby: An Ostensibly Fulfilled Dream in an Unfulfilled Society
Abstract: The Great Gatsby is about the efforts of this one man, Jay Gatsby, to reinvent himself. He is an irrepressible dreamer. Gatsby has a really extravagant lifestyle and throws incredible parties. In order to rub shoulders with the people of High Society, he even changes his name from James to Jay to gain a new identity. Gatsby is mesmerized by the ostentatious life of the high class people and does everything in his power even through illegal and criminal activities to be just as affluent as they are to be just like one of them. Although he is cognizant of the fake and phony nature of this sort of lifestyle, he still insists on it. His destitute past and social inferiority complex drive him to the point that he would rather be well-to-do by hook or by crook. As a truly American dreamer, he just seeks wealth, high social status as well as beautiful woman. Despite fortune making with which Gatsby's quite familiar, he fails to win the heart of Daisy with whom he's in love head over heels. In other words, his naivety holds him back from knowing the women of high society. Daisy represents such a woman. Finally, he becomes the escape goat for this ostentatious life. He loses his life due to both his unrealistic perception of the seemingly elegant life of the rich and his obsession with the past. As a matter of fact, Gatsby's attraction to Daisy stems from what she represents as more money and the upper class. He seems to think by winning Daisy, he can prove to himself that he belongs to the upper class. Therefore, even his understanding of love and romantic relationship is not genuine, but it acts as an instrument for him and drives him to fly above his past. In a nutshell, he embodies this very American idea that no matter where you come from, even though you are poor, you can become anything you desire. All in all, he was craving for a life that was fake and phony and ultimately was murdered pursuing his dream, to be exact.
Keywords: Gatsby, American Dream, romance, affluence, naivety
Edition: Volume 9 Issue 5, May 2020,
Pages: 1196 - 1202