The Great Gatsby Thesis Statement

Thesis Statement:
Even with immense wealth, Gatsby’s life is haunted by a lack of meaningful relationships along with a distorted view of Daisy and the rest of the world; these weaknesses make him a fragmented character, acting as an example of the disillusionment of many people aiming for the American Dream

Quote 1: “...the city rising up across the river in white heaps and sugar lumps all built with a wish out of non-olfactory money. The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world” (Fitzgerald 68).
Analysis: Nick’s description of how the city first appears upon entering is an accurate portrayal of how Gatsby perceives the world and the American dream. The city is a place promising opportunity and success, and that same idea is the foundation for how Gatsby approaches life. He wants prosperity and wealth and Daisy, and his enthusiasm to have these in his life barely staggers. In my painting, a city skyline as Gatsby’s crown represents how the attitude he has towards his goals is ambitious and confident, the typical city mindset.
Quote 2: “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us” (Fitzgerald 180).
Analysis of quote 4: Gatsby’s fantasies about the past are reflected onto the future in the way that he wants things to be better, which in his case means that he craves for things to go back to how they were. His optimism stems from memories of happier days, and manifests itself into motivation to bring those times back. Because of his naivete, Gatsby’s dreams are resilient and unaffected by the passage of time. Many people of the time period and in life in general will reach a point where they feel it is too late for them to have success or achieve their goals, while Gatsby never stops trying, even if he probably should, since his hope in the future is fueled by a past that doesn’t die until he does.

Quote 3: “A sudden emptiness seemed to flow now from the windows and the great doors, endowing with complete isolation the figure of the host who stood on the porch, his hand up in a formal gesture of farewell” ( Fitzgerald 57).
Analysis: Despite his gatherings being so popular, the atmosphere of cheer and champagne left with the party guests and Gatsby is left with nothing but a hollow home and heart.
Gatsby’s party coming to an end reveals his latent loneliness; he has a marvelous house and plenty of money, but once the party is over he can no longer hide how emotionally detached he is. Gatsby being surrounded by grey in my painting shows how even though he keeps himself surrounded by interesting people and expensive possessions, Gatsby is truly isolated from others. His life is lonesome and empty, and the luxury that he lives in can only temporarily ease that pain. This is a prime example of how working hard and getting rich do not necessarily lead to happiness and life satisfaction, and that the American dream is not all that it is made out to
be.

Quote 4: "There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams--not through her own fault but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion" (Fitzgerald 76).
Analysis: Gatsby’s obsession with the idea of Daisy makes for unrealistic expectations placed on the way she should act, which is one of the reasons that Gatsby’s rosy perception of her causes the failure of their relationship. Gatsby longs to go back to five years ago when their love was real and fresh and warm, and that desire not being fulfilled must have been disappointing. He thinks he needs to have the girl that he loved back in his life, but he refuses to even acknowledge that everything changes with time and that that goal isn’t totally realistic. The pink bar over Gatsby’s eyes in my painting is the rosy filter over how he views not only Daisy, but the world around him in general. As an optimist at heart he hopes for the best, but his hopeful perspective is crushed into gloom and, at least in Gatsby’s heart, there are some sober blue tears of disenchantment. The heartbreak of failed expectations and the relationship not working out in the end is shown with the cracked little hearts circling Gatsby’s head. This fits with the theme of the American dream in the way that Gatsby falls short of being truly happy because he strives to have his perfect vision of Daisy be true, but his efforts are in vain and he still lacks the love and companionship that he really needs. He has the means to buy whatever his heart desires because of the hard work he put in to get rich, but not everything can be bought with money and not all efforts will pay off.

Quote 5: “He looked around him wildly, as if the past were lurking here in the shadow of his house, just out of reach of his hand” (Fitzgerald 110).
Analysis: Gatsby’s concept of time is incredibly warped, making it difficult for him to live in the present and see how life really is. He holds the past in his heart, and his illusions about where the past exists make him think that he can hold it in his hands like a tangible and manipulable piece of matter. This is just another instance showing how distorted the world is through Gatsby’s eyes and is the most distinct cue to the reader that he genuinely does not comprehend what is real and what isn’t, and him being stuck in his own head goes beyond his relationship with time. His delusions extend to his relationship with Daisy and his “friends,” because his inability to let it go doesn’t allow for emotional growth, in turn making it exceedingly difficult to form any real relationships with people; his disconnection from those around him is shown with the desolate grey background in my picture, and the rose lens he looks through demonstrates the barrier between him and the rest of the world.