Similarities Between The American Dream And The Great Gatsby
“The road to success is not as easy to navigate, but with hard work, drive and passion, it’s possible to achieve the American Dream.” - Tommy Hilfiger. Or is it? The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates the final years of the life of a hopeless romantic, Jay Gatsby, and his unrequited love for Daisy Buchanan, an already married young woman with a beautiful little girl. Gatsby longs to be with Daisy, only to realize that it is not at all possible. Gatsby’s ideal dream and Daisy’s American-Dream-like qualities are very different, yet so similar at the same time - both possess the inability to be entirely achieved. Daisy’s representation of the failure American Dream is portrayed as an illusion of Gatsby’s, one that he tries to
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When Nick returns from his mini reunion with Daisy and Tom, he notices that his secretive neighbor, Gatsby, “stretche[s] out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way,” and as Nick glances at what Gatsby is looking at, “distinguish[es] nothing except a single green light” that is “minute and far [a]way” (20-21). Gatsby reaches out so hard for something he can never get. This mysterious green light, Daisy, is a part of Gatsby’s American Dream, but she has already moved on, while Gatsby is stuck in the past, thinking about what he could have done with her. Speaking of time, when Nick invites Daisy for lunch unknowingly with Gatsby, Gatsby knocks over Nick’s clock because he is extremely nervous about meeting Daisy after such a long time. As Gatsby begins his conversation, a slight pause takes place, interrupted by the “clock [that] took this moment to tilt dangerously at the pressure of [Gatsby’s] head” (86). This clock represents time and the overwhelming role it plays in Gatsby’s life. Moreover, Gatsby dropping the clock symbolizes his realization that time is gone and he does not have the ability to go back and retrieve it, similar to how all three of them, Nick, Gatsby, and Daisy, just assumed that the clock smashed into thousands of pieces. Consequently, Gatsby fails to realize the total absence of his dream and never ends up getting the girl, his ultimate
When Nick returns from his mini reunion with Daisy and Tom, he notices that his secretive neighbor, Gatsby, “stretche[s] out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way,” and as Nick glances at what Gatsby is looking at, “distinguish[es] nothing except a single green light” that is “minute and far [a]way” (20-21). Gatsby reaches out so hard for something he can never get. This mysterious green light, Daisy, is a part of Gatsby’s American Dream, but she has already moved on, while Gatsby is stuck in the past, thinking about what he could have done with her. Speaking of time, when Nick invites Daisy for lunch unknowingly with Gatsby, Gatsby knocks over Nick’s clock because he is extremely nervous about meeting Daisy after such a long time. As Gatsby begins his conversation, a slight pause takes place, interrupted by the “clock [that] took this moment to tilt dangerously at the pressure of [Gatsby’s] head” (86). This clock represents time and the overwhelming role it plays in Gatsby’s life. Moreover, Gatsby dropping the clock symbolizes his realization that time is gone and he does not have the ability to go back and retrieve it, similar to how all three of them, Nick, Gatsby, and Daisy, just assumed that the clock smashed into thousands of pieces. Consequently, Gatsby fails to realize the total absence of his dream and never ends up getting the girl, his ultimate