Preview

The Great Gatsby

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
318 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby Essay
Alaura Gartner

What are personal desires? How do we make the decision to decide between our desires and choosing to conform? When making a decision between desires and conforming it is a difficult choice that we all face in our lives. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzerald it demonstrates the difficult conflict between what we want and conforming. When we have personal desires it can be difficult to conform.
The first way in which Fitzgerald shows the idea of the choice between our desires and conforming is through The Valley of the Ashes. The Valley of the Ashes is a place created by the dumping of industrial ashes where people of a lower class live and work these people who live there have a desire to live "The American Dream". The people in the valley have to chose to either pursue their dream or to conform to the lifestyle. It is a difficult choice to decide to pursue the desire to live a different life style so many choose to conform to the lifestyle that they are living in.
The second way in which Fitzgerald shows the idea of the choice between our desires and conforming is through the green light. The green light is at the end of Daisy Buchanan's dock and it represents Gatsby's love for her. Gatsby has a desire to be with Daisy. Gatsby has the choice between his love for Daisy and conforming to the social norms and accepting that Daisy is now married. The choice between love and conforming to what society sees as right is a difficult choice for Gatsby.
When we have personal desires it can be difficult to conform. This idea is present in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald through the symbols of The Valley of the Ashes and the green light at the end of the Buchanan's dock.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    How Is Daisy Satisfied In The Great Gatsby
    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Is Daisy Satisfied In The Great Gatsby

    What do you want? Name anything; A fantastic car, a new fancy shoes, or maybe a million dollars? Well, we all want something. In the book “ The Great Gatsby “ by F. Scott Fitzgerald, this statement is clear; We all want something. No one is ever satisfied. From wrongful marriages, love, life, and most of all, what they already have. Several years prior to when the book took place, Gatsby and Daisy met and fell in love, but Daisy was not satisfied with Gatsby's wealth, looks, and decision to join the war; So she left him. This is only one of many things this book has to offer! Daisy wanted money, Tom wanted to be in control, and people would do whatever they could do to be satisfied. How far were they willing to go…

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Use Of Green Light In The Great Gatsby
    • 112 Words
    • 1 Page

    Use Of Green Light In The Great Gatsby

    Fitzgerald uses the green light at the end of the dock as a symbol for the unattainable. By stretching his arm towards the green light, Gatsby seemed to be longing for it, so much that he trembles at the thought of it. However, Fitzgerald also describes the light as “minute and far away” (21), suggesting that, although Gatsby knows of the light’s existence, it may be impossible for him to reach. This relates to Fitzgerald’s disillusioned belief that the American Dream is unattainable. Therefore, the green light may symbolize Gatsby’s American Dream. Through the use of a green light as a symbol, Fitzgerald conveys the theme that the American Dream is…

    • 112 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Great Gatsby Green Light Analysis
    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Great Gatsby Green Light Analysis

    In most novels, the rhetorical device of symbolism is used to enhance the depth and meaning of a story. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 American novel, The Great Gatsby, he utilizes the green light, the valley of ashes, and the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg to portray the central theme of the hopelessness of the American dream.…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby
    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Great Gatsby

    Britney Moncada Mrs. Schulman English Honors 11 November 3, 2012 The Great Gatsby Jay Gatsby from the 1920’s novel The Great Gatsby was many things. He was smart, brave, and of course great. However, in the story when he is murdered no one attends his funeral, but his father and only friend Nick. The reason no one shows up is because Jay was great for his accomplishments, not his character. Although he was called the “great” gatsby, he didn’t fit the full description. He wasn’t great for saving children from a burning building, donating money, or helping the poor. He was viewed as great for the things benefited other or his own unwonted accomplishments. He didn’t always have an easy life, but somehow still managed to end up on top for the most part. For example, Gatsby grew up in a very poor family. He wasn’t born into money or had wealthy family members. However, that didn’t stop him from becoming successful. Although he dropped out of college he still landed in a pile of gold. He managed to get hired to multi million dollar company and turn himself into a millionaire. Due to his wealth, people were always in his presence. Once he died, the care people had for him vanished along with his money. There was no need for them to attend his funeral if it wasn’t going to benefit them. Second, Gatsby was able to steal the love of his life, Daisy back after several years. At one point in time daisy and Gatsby were a thing, but it didn’t go as planned. She ended up marrying another…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Myrtle's Death In The Great Gatsby
    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Myrtle's Death In The Great Gatsby

    The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald conveys a strong message about how some people want to reach their dreams so badly that they don’t think of the consequences that could occur.…

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Great Gatsby
    • 1251 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Great Gatsby

    Halfway between West Egg and New York City sprawls a desolate plain, a gray valley where New York’s ashes are dumped. The men who live here work at shovelling up the ashes. The commuter train that runs between West Egg and New York passes through the valley, making several stops along the way. One day, as Nick and Tom are riding the train into the city, Tom forces Nick to follow him out of the train at one of these stops. Tom leads Nick to George Wilson’s garage, which sits on the edge of the valley of ashes. Tom’s lover Myrtle is Wilson’s wife. Wilson is a lifeless yet handsome man, coloured gray by the ashes in the air. In contrast, Myrtle has a kind of desperate vitality; she strikes Nick as sensuous despite her stocky figure. Tom taunts Wilson and then orders Myrtle to follow him to the train. Tom takes Nick and Myrtle to New York City, to the Morningside Heights apartment he keeps for his affair. Here they have an impromptu party with Myrtle’s sister, Catherine, and a couple named McKee. Catherine has bright red hair, wears a great deal of makeup. The group proceeds to drink excessively. Nick claims that he got drunk for only the second time in his life at this party.The ostentatious behaviour and conversation of the others at the party repulse Nick, and he tries to leave. At the same time, he finds himself fascinated by the lurid spectacle of the group. Myrtle grows louder and more obnoxious the more she drinks, and shortly after Tom gives her a new puppy as a gift, she begins to talk about Daisy. Tom sternly warns her never to mention his wife. Myrtle angrily says that she will talk about whatever she chooses and begins chanting Daisy’s name. Tom responds by breaking her nose, bringing the party to an abrupt halt. Nick leaves, drunkenly, with Mr. McKee, and ends up taking the 4 a.m. train back to Long Island.…

    • 1251 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Love and Gatsby
    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Love and Gatsby

    Fitzgerald captures the overall notion of The Great Gatsby with the simple scheme of the final phrases with the use of the green light on the end of Daisy’s dock. To you and me a green light is no more then just a light, but to Gatsby it’s much more. The light first appeared when Gatsby started across the bay towards that light at the end of the dock. The green light signifies hope that motivates Gatsby to chase his love, Daisy. “Gatsby believed in the green light” (180) this quote shows how desperate Gatsby is to win back his love. This conclusion shows that Gatsby was no more that a dedication to chasing a lost love. For this it is ironic that Fitzgerald named the novel “The Great Gatsby” since Gatsby was no more then a failure in settling down with Daisy. How can Gatsby be considered “great” when the one thing he pleased will never be his? Well Fitzgerald did not accomplish settling down with Daisy, but still he could be seen as a success as he held on to his hope and followed through until the end. All this hope was driven by one thing, his love of Daisy. Love, an important theme in The Great Gatsby, in Gatsby situation was also completely definite by…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    the great gatsby
    • 678 Words
    • 2 Pages

    the great gatsby

    Gatsby’s obsessive attachment for his dream to come true is his downfall and ultimately leads to his death. The Great Gatsby is book that explores a man who wants to make his unrealistic dream a reality. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses drama and imagination to draw the readers in. Gatsby’s dream is very unrealistic because it depends on other peoples actions, daisy’s love for tom, and because his dream would only work in a perfect world.…

    • 678 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Great Gatsby: The American Dream
    • 734 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Great Gatsby: The American Dream

    A critic once wrote that “the theme of Gatsby is the withering of the American dream.” In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby Jay Gatsby’s death alludes to the death of the ultimate American dream, self-made success. Gatsby’s failure of realizing who Daisy, his love, really is and the disintegration of his dream of her can also be translated to Fitzgerald’s view of the American dream. In addition to Gatsby’s death and the American dream, the “valley of ashes” is another facet, through which Fitzgerald reveals “the withering of American” society. Fitzgerald illustrates the 20s as an era of moral and social decay, greed, and the empty pursuit of pleasure.…

    • 734 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby
    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Great Gatsby

    There are many characteristics that identify Jay Gatsby as a tragic hero. Some of the characteristics of a tragic hero include greatness, a weakness or a flaw, an undeserved fate and a punishment exceeding the crime. Jay Gatsby encompasses all of these characteristics of a tragic hero. Although, the author tries to portray Gatsby as a perfect person, there are still some flaws that are noticeable. Gatsby's great life unwinds with the death of the tragic hero.…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby
    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Great Gatsby

    In The Great Gatsby, we are faced with many interpretations of the American Dream. The American Dream is often seen achievable in different ways than others. The rebellious, middle aged, wealthy individuals have already achieved their own interpretation of the American Dream. Whereas the working class, in The Valley of Ashes, is still trying to obtain the motivation to find their own American Dream. Throughout The Great Gatsby, one might find that the idea of the American Dream is good, but the process of obtaining the American Dream is corrupt.…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby
    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Great Gatsby

    In the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald the fate of Jay Gatsby is important in conveying the writer´s theme, which is the American Dream and its failure. Gatsby´s American Dream is Daisy. He builds up his whole life around her, and he is willing to do everything for her.…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby
    • 673 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Great Gatsby

    Cars are a symbol of power which has close ties with wealth. The American Dream was originally about finding happiness in the small things but by the 1920’s and 30’s the thirst for wealth tainted the American Dream causing many to believe that money would bring happiness. Through the desire to obtain wealth and “happiness” cars became significant. Cars were seen as a higher status and gave Americans a sense of freedom. Wealth, freedom, and power were the only things that the characters in The Great Gatsby cared about.…

    • 673 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Great Gatsby
    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Great Gatsby

    Craig McCaw who Pioneered Telecommunications once claimed, “the American Dream is all about what people will do if you allow them the open opportunity. .. they have the desire, the toughness, the willingness to work, and the education, and then they do something with it, and it is extraordinary to see.” This illustration is demonstrated in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Gatsby, the main character, achieved success and wealth, the American Dream, by planning and working hard. He came from nothing and gained extraordinary wealth. The driving force behind his dedication was his love interest, Daisy. He wanted Daisy to leave her husband ,Tom, and marry him. Unfortunately, Gatsby’s wealth and promise did not bring what he desired. Instead, American Idealism brought corruption and moral decay to his life and his true quest, Daisy’s love, never materialized.…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Great Gatsby
    • 1800 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The Great Gatsby

    The main characters in both F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and William Shakespeare's Macbeth appear stable and successful on the outside, but inside they are engaged in a constant struggle with their dreams. Gatsby tries to win back the girl of his dreams by becoming something he's not, a member of high society; while Macbeth believes the prediction of the witches that he will be king and spends his life trying to make it come true. Both characters are willing to risk everything in pursuit of their respective dreams, including committing crimes. Both are motivated to take these risks by a woman. And both inevitably suffer premature demises.…

    • 1800 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More