The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Great Gatsby, acknowledged as a principal work of fiction during its time, contains in its thematic core the ideal of upward social and economic mobility, dubbed the American Dream. Evidence of this theme abounds throughout the novel, both in its explicit images and implicit significance. The former includes descriptions of luxurious objects and the actions and behaviors typically associated with them (i.e., tailored clothing, lavish parties, and ample leisure); these illustrations afford the reader a sensory experience of the novel's expression of the American Dream. However, the secondary and implicit depictions of this American ideal emerge as the reader analyses the characters' natures. Jay Gatsby embodies especially well the quest for the American Dream. Furthermore, his perspective of Daisy Buchanan, a character perpetually beyond his grasp, illustrates the blindness to which one may succumb in face of the Dream's allure.

An outward success of the American Dream, Gatsby's social and economic accomplishments confirm the possibility of achieving such a coveted ideal. Despite this, Gatsby is unsatisfied and will continue in this way until he recaptures the affection of Daisy, a sociable and enticing member of the privileged class. In fact, this romantic pursuit properly places Daisy in the center of Gatsby's relentless search for the American Dream. To Gatsby, she personifies the American Dream, the goal towards which his cumulative social and economic efforts will lead. In other words, it was for Daisy's acceptance and fondness that Gatsby obtained the characteristic symbols of the American Dream: social standing and much wealth. Throughout the novel, Daisy's affection for him serves as a barometer of success in his conquers of the American Dream. An eloquent illustration of this occurs during her initial visit to his residence; Gatsby 'revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes' (Fitzgerald, p. 86).

Through Gatsby's fixation on Daisy, the reader realizes that Gatsby is guilty of constructing an unobtainable ideal out of an imperfect human being. Said differently, Gatsby's mental representation of Daisy, filtered by five years of longing, has been distorted so that when it is compared against reality's counterpart, the two measure quite differently. This is most vividly expressed as the narrator declares, '[Gatsby] had committed himself to the following of a grail' (Fitzgerald, p. 142). Naturally, Gatsby's fascination with Daisy doubles as the author's commentary on society's similar and oftentimes myopic obsession with upward social and economic mobility. Society is the real life extension of Gatsby's preoccupation with the American Dream, as taken form in Daisy.

Gatsby's tilted perspective gives rise to naive explanations about Daisy's intentions and behaviors; he consistently rationalizes circumstances to favor his interpretation of her. Gatsby's response towards Daisy's hit-and-run accident is a dramatic illustration of his unswerving commitment towards this ideal. Even after Daisy commits murder, Gatsby remains unmoved in his emotions towards her. What's more, he assumes responsibility for her actions. Or consider the statement: ' Of course she might have loved him, just for a minute, when they were first married -- and loved me more even then, do you see?' (Fitzgerald, p. 133). Gatsby clings to this hope despite Daisy's professed loved her husband. Such explanations indicate how an individual's tenacious hold on an ideal can corrupt his rational faculties.

At one point, it appears Gatsby almost grasps this dichotomy when he states, ' Her voice is full of money' (Fitzgerald, p. 115). Regrettably, this is only a fleeting moment of clarity; it remains obscured by a firmly constructed schema -- a corruption of the American Dream. In fact, this moment exemplifies the subconscious hold on Gatsby's mania for the American Dream; it proves that an obsession's roots are not easily pulled during a moment's experience of lucidity.

Naturally, Gatsby's perception of Daisy plays a significant role in the novel in that it distorts the reader's image of her. Through Gatsby's description of her, Daisy is portrayed as an admirable woman; she is represented as a worthy recipient of unending devotion. She is described in various ways as otherworldly, pure, and innocent. This leads the reader towards a similar appraisal of her. Based on Gatsby's estimation, one expects Daisy to exhibit decorum, grace, acuity, and integrity. However, as the story develops, the reader is able to discern Gatsby's portrayal of her from her true nature. Whereas the reader eventually understands Daisy to be a superficial, selfish, and cruel woman, Gatsby is blinded to this reality by the high expectations he has placed upon her. In addition, while the reader perhaps experiences disappointment at the incongruence between Gatsby's description and Daisy's behaviors, Gatsby remains unaffected by and seemingly impervious to reality.