Ambition In The Great Gatsby

Every character always has a goal they are striving to reach, and after each success, they rise up towards the next objective they face. Just like many characters in the stories we read, people follow this cycle of setting goals, achieving them, then moving on to the next. But what is behind these ambitions that fuel the true stories we read? Ralph Waldo Emerson lays the foundation for ambitions in his theories of transcendentalism in his piece “Self-Reliance”. This speech, which was used to promote individualism from Europe, highlights the necessity to listen to yourself, not what others may convince you to believe. This idea of individuality is seen in both The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Fitzgerald
He was powered by one essential goal of marrying the girl he loved for the past 5 years; the only issue was that this girl, Daisy, was married and out of reach of a realistic goal. But rather than step back from his goal in the face of reality, Gatsby instead powered forward, never turning away from what he wanted. As soon as Nick, the narrator, met Gatsby, he knew he had an ambition that was different, “[He had] one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in a life” (Fitzgerald 48). This quality of “eternal reassurance” is not aimed solely at Nick; Gatsby forever reassures himself that his plan to win back Daisy will succeed. Though this is not the most realistic option for his goals, it is what he aims for, no matter what. He sought to fill the hole in his heart which had been torn years earlier, but rather than seeing solely the obstacles in his way, he instead saw ways around them. Like Emerson explains, Gatsby had been trying and trying and knew his power, and the extent that he could use it. His power was wealth, but unlike many of the other high-members of his society, Gatsby was the only one who really stood out. His main weapon of choice was his parties; ironically he blended in at the extravagant parties that he hosted, but this was because that was his goal. If Gatsby had
But an issue for many is that they know where they are headed, they just are unable to figure out how to reach this end point. Emerson describes one motive which is necessary to succeed; the recognition of failure. “In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts: they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty” (Emerson 2). Emerson addresses the need to not let our “rejected thoughts”, or failures, prevent us from reaching our goals. Instead, he suggests that we should take these failures into consideration in order to eventually reach our goals. Gatsby and Hamilton were always sure to consider their mistakes, but never once did either man allow these faults to control them. In this piece, Emerson also highlights the idea of rational thought, and much like failures, he notes that rational thoughts will not propel you towards greater successes. In the past I have noticed that if a person has a realistic goal, it is almost a let-down when they reach it; where are they supposed to go next? The question that these people face is, now what? But Emerson instead promotes irrationality, both in one’s ideas and goals. Irrationality in one’s thoughts leads them away from the conforms of society, and irrationality in one’s goals leads them to be amazed in themselves. From there, a person will strive towards greater successes in the