When we look at the character Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, is F. Scott Fitzgerald really showing us a man of greatness? To determine if Jay Gatsby is really a great person we need to look at what people consider a great person is. The English language dictionary tells us the meaning of great is a person who has achieved distinction and honor in some field. Some describe a great person as someone that will do what is right even if doing the wrong things is easier. Some say a great person is a person of integrity and values, or someone who helps others. However, there are some who see people as great because of their wealth and the things they possess. If we measure a person’s greatness by their fortune, then we can say Jay Gatsby is a great man. Fitzgerald describes Gatsby as a rich, powerful
…show more content…
Gatsby believes if he has money, he can attain greatness. Because the story takes place during the time of prohibition we find that Gatsby makes a fortune selling liquor illegally so he can have a mansion full of lavish objects. He believes the more expensive items he owns the more people will like him. This way of thinking shows that Gatsby works hard to give an appearance of being a higher class than he really belongs in. While Gatsby was away fighting in the Great War we find that Daisy has met and married another man, Tom Buchanan. Gatsby thinks that he needs to have money so that he can give Daisy anything she wants. He believes that money can buy him happiness. We can see this through his house, clothes, and also through Daisy. Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy, to win her love, is his American Dream. Scott Andrews, founder of Aspire Now and a motivational speaker says, “greatness comes from loving others when love is not given first.” In other words people like Adolph Hitler were not great because they failed to love others first.
Gatsby believes if he has money, he can attain greatness. Because the story takes place during the time of prohibition we find that Gatsby makes a fortune selling liquor illegally so he can have a mansion full of lavish objects. He believes the more expensive items he owns the more people will like him. This way of thinking shows that Gatsby works hard to give an appearance of being a higher class than he really belongs in. While Gatsby was away fighting in the Great War we find that Daisy has met and married another man, Tom Buchanan. Gatsby thinks that he needs to have money so that he can give Daisy anything she wants. He believes that money can buy him happiness. We can see this through his house, clothes, and also through Daisy. Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy, to win her love, is his American Dream. Scott Andrews, founder of Aspire Now and a motivational speaker says, “greatness comes from loving others when love is not given first.” In other words people like Adolph Hitler were not great because they failed to love others first.