An Analysis Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

One can not depend completely on another person to complete the American dream, even if that person happens to be a part of their goal. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby believes that in order to complete his goal of achieving the American Dream, he needs Daisy’s love, making him completely dependent on her. Gatsby's love for Daisy began at a young age. As Jordan recalls from a memory, “The officer looked at Daisy while she was speaking, in a way that every young girl wants to be looked at sometime, and because it seemed romantic to me I have remembered the incident ever since.” This quotation informs the reader of Daisy and Gatsby’s past relationship. The quote proves to the fact that Gatsby used to love Daisy and it illustrates that despite the fact that Gatsby has an image of an ideal man (having everything he wants), he lacks the one thing that he truly wants: Daisy’s love. His affection for her
All these quotations prove that Daisy is perfection in the eyes of Jay Gatsby. In fact, she can do no wrong in the eyes of Gatsby: her admirer. Gatsby has deceived himself into believing that Daisy is beyond perfect. When she acts against his wishes, he has to convince himself over again that she's flawless and whatever she has done wasn't really her fault. Gatsby can not admit that Daisy has imperfections because that would mean his entire dream is a lie since he relies completely on Daisy to complete his dream. As shown, Gatsby went through a far extent to impress someone he needed to complete his dream. This shows exactly who Gatsby is and highlights his character: he has an impulsive drive, is hyper-ambitious, and demonstrates a lack of self control.