Elements Of Idealism In The Great Gatsby
Jay Gatsby himself is an illusion, whose loyalty and naive personality make him a victim of senseless people who lack morals. Given the name James Gatz at birth, he “invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent” by taking his hopes and dreams and molding them into his new identity. He even goes as far as creating a new name, Jay Gatsby. He lived, and continues to live, the dreams of a seventeen year old boy. In reality, Gatsby creates a new, substantive persona from nothing. Parented by poor farmers in North Dakota, Gatsby relinquished his past by leaving his parents, poverty, and the limitations of being poor behind in order to become a successful, wealthy gentleman who desires to win over the
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His previous romance with Daisy failed because Gatsby was not wealthy. As a consequence, he is determined and driven to reinvent himself by creating a new identity which will then impress and provide Daisy with all she longed for. Under the new persona of Jay Gatsby, along with an abundance of extremely substantive paychecks, Gatsby believes he can make amends with Daisy and the troubles in their previous relationship, and then create a future together by revitalizing their past relationship. Throughout the novel, Gatsby is of the flawed illusion that one can repeat the past, and when Nick tells Gatsby that it is simply impossible, Gatsby incredulously implies, “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!” (100). It is this immature and fruitless mindset which ultimately leads to Gatsby’s demise. He is asking Daisy to erase the past five years of her life with her husband, Tom. He wants her to tell Tom she never loved him, and finally relive the years with Gatsby as they did in Louisville. Because Gatsby believes money can repair their previous problems and win over Daisy’s heart for the second time, Gatsby quickly begins to truly believe that money can buy happiness. He is convinced their relationship will blossom again and ultimately lead to happiness once Daisy recognizes how much wealth Gatsby has acquired. However, in most cases money cannot buy happiness. Therefore, though Gatsby is an illusionist himself, he is also a victim of illusion. He is completely blinded by his own illusions and, as a result, is unable to recognize the reality that Daisy has changed and is not the same girl she was five years
His previous romance with Daisy failed because Gatsby was not wealthy. As a consequence, he is determined and driven to reinvent himself by creating a new identity which will then impress and provide Daisy with all she longed for. Under the new persona of Jay Gatsby, along with an abundance of extremely substantive paychecks, Gatsby believes he can make amends with Daisy and the troubles in their previous relationship, and then create a future together by revitalizing their past relationship. Throughout the novel, Gatsby is of the flawed illusion that one can repeat the past, and when Nick tells Gatsby that it is simply impossible, Gatsby incredulously implies, “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!” (100). It is this immature and fruitless mindset which ultimately leads to Gatsby’s demise. He is asking Daisy to erase the past five years of her life with her husband, Tom. He wants her to tell Tom she never loved him, and finally relive the years with Gatsby as they did in Louisville. Because Gatsby believes money can repair their previous problems and win over Daisy’s heart for the second time, Gatsby quickly begins to truly believe that money can buy happiness. He is convinced their relationship will blossom again and ultimately lead to happiness once Daisy recognizes how much wealth Gatsby has acquired. However, in most cases money cannot buy happiness. Therefore, though Gatsby is an illusionist himself, he is also a victim of illusion. He is completely blinded by his own illusions and, as a result, is unable to recognize the reality that Daisy has changed and is not the same girl she was five years