Causes Of Failure In The Great Gatsby

During the Roaring Twenties, the immense dream many people had was to have a great amount of money, live in an extravagant home, and drive a nice car. A handful of the characters in the novel tried so hard to achieve the American Dream, but failed at it. One of the main causes for failure is as simple as being unhappy. There are many reasons why each individual struggles to find happiness, whether it is with how they look or what they want but cannot have, but in the end it will not really matter. Jay Gatsby, a wealthy bootlegger and main character, is a very clear example, by showing the readers how hard he has worked and how much he has changed just to get Daisy’s attention and love, but nothing comes out of his effort he put into it. The characters in the novel are divided into two groups, East egg and West egg, which represents two completely different social classes. The one thing they both have in common is the American Dream they are trying to achieve is eventually going to be ruined by the harsh reality of life. By looking at the idea of the American Dream in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, we can see that failure is unavoidable if you are …show more content…
By trying to live like Tom, Myrtle becomes unsatisfied with her life, which can be recognized through her constant clothing changes which represent her unhappiness with herself. Everytime she changes her appearance, her personality seems to change as well: “With the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change. The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur” (30). While trying to achieve her dream of becoming someone she was not, she unfortunately falls victim to it and everything she did to try and achieve it was all for