The Great Gatsby's Downfall

It is Gatsby who destroys the Great Self
------so we should “beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past”

Life is blended up with dream and memory. Believe it or not, when people are trying to “run faster, stretch out [their] arms further” to chase their fantasy, one vital thing is always missing—the pure and the ingenuous heart they had when they were young. Jay Gatsby, or James Gats, the main character from one of the most renowned novel in the U.S. history: The Great Gatsby, is also not an exception. With a humble beginning, the young Gats decides to keep improving himself through hard work and careful plans to get him ahead, so that he is able to change his destiny fully and “be better to parents.” …show more content…
So, there he is, a hero of the American dream, Mr. Jay Gatsby, standing on his dock, having his grand mansion as his background, starring at the green light on the other side and reaching towards something. Gatsby reckons Tom Buchannan is widely recognized because of his “old rich” name. Hence, he is dissatisfied, thinking he has as much as he has and should have the same reputation. Therefore, he begins to make up his Platonic concept of himself. It is to a certain extent that everyone in New York knows the name of Jay Gatsby, but no one really gets to know his true identity and his real thoughts. Indeed, obviously, this tactic works well and he is surrounded by fame, glorious complements as well as thousands of grotesque guesses. Neglecting the essence of the dream when he was young, he is more attracted to the orgastic green light: the superficial aspect of upper class, and he is going crazier for it. He sees nothing about his original dream besides his altered fantasy. Along his path of reaching his altered dream, marrying Daisy becomes his final goal. From a certain time on, he sees Daisy not only as a nice girl, but something that has value. When he enters Daisy’s house, he feels overwhelmed, “I have never seen such beautiful house.” When he talks to Daisy, he says “her voice is full of money.” Later Nick Carraway comments, “it excited him, too, that many men had already loved Daisy—it increased her value in his eyes.” Does he really love Daisy or just the money she owns, the “beautiful” house she has and the status of being in the upper class? No, he is not. On the way of his dream, he is drawn into the endless hollowness. When he asks Nick to do something for him, the first thing comes across his mind is that he must offer Nick something in return, so he