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Essay About The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

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Essay About The American Dream In The Great Gatsby
The idea of the American dream brings tremendous promise and opportunity, however it also brings heartbreaking failure. A character like Jay Gatsby seems to have achieved the American dream with his wealth, power, and lifestyle; however, he is restless and is constantly searching for something more. One is never truly happy, when they are chasing after the unattainable. In this case, Gatsby has been living his life with the hope that one day, he and Daisy could return to the times that they had been together all those years ago. The failure of Gatsby in achieving the elusive American Dream is a symbol for the difficulties in obtaining true happiness. Jay Gatsby is a puzzling character to comprehend. One may wonder how it is possible he has not achieved his dream. He lives the most wealthy lifestyle imaginable and throws parties that are the talk of the town. The reason Gatsby has not achieved his dream is because he is not truly happy. Before he went to war, he was in love with Daisy; however, while he was away he received the news that Daisy was marrying Tom Buchannan. After this, Gatsby’s entire life is …show more content…
He begins to see things as they are, and not just for Daisy. For example, had he seen a flower before, he might have associated it with Daisy. Now, however, he would just see it as it is: a nice flower. When Nick is visiting Gatsby in the morning, Gatsby mentions to Nick that: “‘I’ve never used that pool all summer.’” This is a symbol that he has changed in this last portion of the novel (Fitzgerald 153). He is going to go for a swim for the first time all summer. While he is in the pool, he realizes that he has wasted his life on Daisy. In this moment, Gatsby can finally see clearly. It is impossible to know what Gatsby was thinking as he was shot, however one may speculate that he was ready to die. His entire dream was destroyed and he knew there was no way to salvage
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