Love: an illusion in American Novel

Subject  > Literature Research Papers  > North American

Life is the embodiment of one's dreams incorporated with one's successes, most importantly, love. For some people their dreams are solely based on, love. However, for some love can be an unattainable dream. At times, people's romantic dreams of love and happiness are impossible to obtain. When this occurs, romantic dreams represent a vision of life at which reality ends and illusion begins. The attempt to capture a romantic dream is the theme in many novels. Such is the case in two works of literature, Edith Wharton 's Age of Innocence and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Newland Archer, the main character in Age of Innocence, is a married man who wants to acquire happiness and love ...

... I'll say I was" (Fitzgerald, 151). Even though Gatsby knew what would be the consequence of this statement, his devoted love to Daisy, was enough to make him state this dangerous statement. Gatsby was Vera 10 willing to sacarfice himself for the woman he loved. Gatsby biggest mistake was his undying love for Daisy, because she was selfish and did not deserve it. His dream has come to an end but Gatsby cannot accept that it is over he continues to insist that Daisy may still come to him, though it is apparent that she will stay with Tom. Gatsby's death thus seems almost inevitable, given that a dreamer cannot exist without his dreams; through

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