Optimism In The Great Gatsby

To most high school student in America, The Great Gatsby is probably the most well-known American Literature unit. To many scholars, it is also one of the greatest classics of the twentieth-century. Published in 1925, The Great Gatsby, tells, through the eyes of Nick Carraway, a tale of a man named Jay Gatsby and his journey to steal back the girl of his dream, Daisy Buchanan, from her husband, Tom Buchanan. An ironic car accident at the end of novel in which Daisy murders Tom’s mistress destroys their relationship, and Gatsby dies heart broken, taking a false blame for Daisy, at the hand of George Wilson, who seeks revenge for the his wife, aka Tom’s mistress. The author of the novel is F. Scott Fitzgerald, an American author. Fitzgerald was …show more content…
Jay Gatsby, or James Gatz, is a purely self-made man; coming from a lowly origin, Gatsby overcomes every obstacle and rises to the highest social class in America. Although, the guy probably participated in some illegal activities in order to create his wealth. Regardless, the American Dream emphasizes hope and Gatsby is the symbol of optimism; he continues to hope, until his very last breath, for the green light (his American Dream) across the bay that has long faded. Gatsby’s American Dream is to marry the girl he loves, Daisy Buchanan, and repeat his past; all his lavish exhibitions are just to prove himself a worthy suitor. There are moments when his goals are within his grasp, but, just like George Wilson, “the poor son-of-a-bitch” is crushed to the ground by the Buchanans, “careless people [who] smash things and creatures … and let other people clean up the mess” (175, 179). Jay Gatsby dies as a nobody with unacknowledged accomplishment. A potential man, the face of the American Dream, in the end, miserably lose the game to the arrogant rich people. Thus is the fate of a dreamer living in a cruel reality. The American Dream is just a false hope that misleads Gatsby to his