Jenny Doan

Period 2
4/13/13
The Great Gatsby
In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the characters attempt to achieve
the American Dream. The characters Gatsby, Nick, Tom, Daisy, and Mr. Wilson wants the
American Dream which deals with love and wealth. They went to the East Egg in search of
wealth and went to the West Egg for love, yet in the end, their love and wealth is corrupted. The
American Dream leaves everyone wanting more.
While Nick initially chases the American Dream, he eventually becomes disillusioned
and gives up. Nick tries to achieve the American Dream by moving to the East Egg to start an
investment to gain wealth. I bought a dozen volumes on banking and credit and investment
securities, and they stood on my shelf in red and gold like new money from the mint, promising
to unfold the shining secrets that only Midas and Morgan and Maecenas knew (8). Gatsby, who
is known as the Great Gatsby, is acknowledged by his wealth and status. He throws extravagant
parties where there is always a big turnout. Ironically, when he dies, his funeral consisted of four
people. By being by Gatsby's side and seeing his downfall, Nick realizes that the American
Dream is not worth all the collateral damage. On the last night, with my trunk packed and my
car sold to the grocer, I went over and looked at that huge incoherent failure of a house once
more (188).
Gatsby achieves the American Dream through his illegally obtained wealth, but loses it
all in the pursuit of love. He achieves the American Dream because he was a poor boy soldier,
but ended up living in a mansion where he threw big parties. The lights grow brighter as the
earth lurches away from the sun, and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music, and the
opera of voices pitches a key higher(42). Gatsby's motivation to get wealthy was because of
love. Although he had the wealth(new money), he didnt have the love from Daisy, who used
him just to get back at Tom for having an affair with Myrtle. In the end, Gatsby was not
successful because he did not receive what he initially wanted. As he lay in his house and didnt
move or breathe or speak, hour upon hour, it grew upon me that I was responsible, because no
one else was interested interested, I mean, with that intense personal interest to which
everyone has some vague right at the end (180).
As Daisy and Tom come from Old Money, they pursue extramarital love but are denied
by the death of their lovers. Daisy wants Toms love by having an affair with Gatsby. It clearly
shows that Daisy does not care for Gatsby because she goes back to her normal life after his
death. She and Tom had gone away early that afternoon, and taken baggage with them.(181)
Although, Daisy and Tom is wealthy, they are not truly in love with one another. They both go
out and have affairs with other people, but ended up back together in the end. Tom and Daisy
they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast
carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess
they had made (190).
George Wilson is a lifeless poor owner of an auto shop who loves and idealizes Myrtle,
but was devastated with the truth of Myrtle's affair with Tom. All George ever wanted was
Myrtle to love him. In order for that to happen, he needs something that he does not have:
wealth. He tried to lock up his lover, Myrtle so she would not escape to go be with another man.
Ive got my wife locked in up there, explained Wilson calmly. Shes going to stay there till the
day after to-morrow, and then were going to move away (98). In the end, he was left with
nothing. No wealth nor love. Wilson had no friend: there was not enough of him for his wife
(156).
In the novel, the characters Gatsby, Nick, Tom, Daisy, and Mr. Wilson wanted the
American Dream which dealt with love and wealth. The characters searched of wealth in the East
Egg and searched for love in the West Egg. In the end, their love and wealth were corrupted by
their wants of the American Dream. The American Dream left everyone in distraught and
wanting more.