Jay Gatsby: Shattered Dreams
F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is a tragic tale of love distorted by obsession. Finding himself in the city of New York, Jay Gatsby is a loyal and devoted man who is willing to cross oceans and build mansions for his one true love. His belief in realistic ideals and his perseverance greatly influence all the decisions he makes and ultimately direct the course of his life. Although his intentions are true, he sometimes has a crude way of getting his point across. When he makes his ideals heard, his actions are wasted on a thoughtless and shallow society. It is also Gatsby's ideals that blind him to reality.
When he first meets Daisy Buchanan, Gatsby has "committed himself to the following of a grail" (156). With extreme dedication, he stops at nothing to win her love back, after years of separation. Everything he has done, up to this point, has been directed toward winning Daisy's favor and having her back in his life.
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby
The Great GatsbyThe greatest example of this dedication is the mansion he has constructed, "a colossal affair by any standard...with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden" (9). Once a "penniless young man without a past" (156), he transforms himself into a self-made millionaire and builds an extravagant mansion, all for the love of Daisy Buchanan. He also strategically places the
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mansion across the lake from Daisy's house. From his window, Gatsby can see the blue colored lights of her house.
Starting from the first day that he meets her, Gatsby does everything within his power to please Daisy. Nothing has changed for Gatsby as far as his...