American literature essay. Literary analysis of works and characters - Sykalo Evgen 2023
The Great Gatsby: American Illusion: Chasing Ghosts of Green
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The tragic pursuit of Jay Gatsby weaves a dramatic tapestry of the ephemeral nature of the American Dream in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. In order to win back Daisy Buchanan, a long-lost love, Gatsby must rise from obscurity to glittering prosperity, and in doing so, he becomes a symbol of the self-made man in this book. But Fitzgerald does a brilliant job of showing how Gatsby's American Dream is a mirage sparkling with unfulfilled ambitions and consumed by social restrictions, not the paradise of possibility depicted on national canvases. Through literary analysis, this essay will dissect the story, looking at how topic exploration, character development, and symbolism reveal the American Dream to be a tempting but ultimately unfulfilled promise.
The story of Gatsby represents the dangers of the American Dream in miniature. Instead of meeting him as a young Midwesterner named James Gatz, we meet him as mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby, whose pasts are made up. His lavish gatherings, brimming with revellers and champagne, are theatrical productions designed to entice Daisy rather than expressions of true happiness. The money that Gatsby has amassed through questionable ways represents the meaningless realization of the American Dream through consumerism devoid of moral foundation. His unrelenting pursuit of Daisy, symbolized by the famous green light across the harbor, exposes the toxic fixation that feeds the delusional hope of past reclamation and social ascent.
Fitzgerald carefully uses symbols to highlight how illusive Gatsby's goals are. The flashing green light at Daisy's dock's end represents Gatsby's desire for an idealized past that will always remain unattainable. A harsh reminder of the human cost of the unrelenting pursuit of the American Dream is seen in the Valley of Ashes, a devastated wasteland that borders West Egg. Looking down from a billboard above the valley, Doctor T.J. Eckleburg's eyes become detached observers of the characters' foolishness, suggesting the moral ambiguity and emptiness that lurk beneath the shiny facade of the American Dream.
The analysis of the American Dream is strengthened by thematic investigation. The difference between the "old money" of the Buchanans and the "new money" of Gatsby draws attention to the social prejudices that obstruct true social mobility. Daisy's wavering between Gatsby and Tom Buchanan highlights the brittleness of Gatsby's ideal, which is based more on sentimental nostalgia than common principles. Our narrator, Nick Carraway, serves as a moral compass, bemoaning the shallow materialism and moral deterioration that characterize the top classes of American society. In the end, Gatsby's terrible demise represents how the American Dream has failed to live up to the expectations of contentment and happiness.
Finally, Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is a potent critique of the fallacious character of the American Dream. By means of intricate character development, vivid symbolism, and perceptive thematic investigation, the novel unveils the perils associated with pursuing worldly prosperity and holding onto idealized histories. Gatsby's sad path serves as a warning, showing us that the American Dream may turn into a destructive chase after illusive phantoms that leaves a trail of destruction and disillusionment if it is embraced without ethical and emotional basis.