In the story “The Great Gatsby”, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses many literary devices to make the American Dream successful. There is many examples that could be used, but we are going to take the green light as an example. The green light symbolizes Gatsby’s hopes and dreams to have an amazing life with Daisy. A symbol would be the Valley of Ashes. The Valley of Ashes represents the terrible consequences with America’s obsession over wealth. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses all of these symbols and literary devices to illustrate the American Dream and make it successful.
In Fitzgerald’s novel, the characters associated with the American dream are described by the novel’s narrator, Nick. Using the quote, “It passed, and he began to talk excitedly to Daisy, denying everything, defending his name against accusations that had not been made…”, we see Tom as unfaithful and unhappy in his marriage with Daisy. Daisy had been being cheated on by Tom, but let it happen and continued to stay with him, even though he was not faithful to just her. Take us as an example, sometimes we tend to stay with a person whom we may love, just so that we do not look like we are in and out of a relationship, we do what Daisy has done because we do not want to mess up our reputation. Using the quote, “I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock…” we can comprehend that Gatsby is a person who tries to pursue dreams, when they have never come true. Again, we can use a life example, in some people now days try and never give up on doing what they love or what they want to do. If you want something so bad, then you are never going to stop fighting for it or trying to get it.
In the American Dream, all characters seek the pursuit, but sadly they do not all achieve it, or what they are hoping to receive from it. In the novel, all of the characters who took part in the American Dream, were not all happy with their lives. To stop right there for a second, we can compare this to some peoples lives we may know, or even ourselves. We go out every day, seeing people in nice cars, maybe living in some nice houses, but sometimes, not even the people who look the happiest, or look like they have a great life, do. We all try to jump and compare people to what they are doing, or what they are living their life as, before we speak to them and realize that it is not as great as it may seem. Tom and his Wife, Daisy, seemed like they lived a happy, amazing, healthy life, yet Tom was cheating on Daisy and she stayed with him. Tom’s family was extremely wealth, they had everything they needed and wanted. For them, money was a matter for reproach. They had fame, and everything anyone wished for, yet in the novel they are very unhappy as Daisy loved another man in whom, was Gatsby. We can compare this to our lives because some people stay in an unhealthy and unfaithful relationship with the fear of maybe hurting the other person, even though they ae cheating, or it looking to other people as we jump around too much.
A character who has the American Dream is Jay Gatsby. There is this quote in which states his love for Daisy. It says, “His heart beat faster and faster as Daisy’s white face came up to his own. He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So, he waited, listening a moment later to the turning fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. As his lips touch blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete.” Gatsby’s dream was and is to forever love Daisy, but at first when Daisy was with Tom and he continuously cheated on her, she only let it happen and did not leave him because she did not want to ruin her reputation or the wealthiness she had. However, he still is unable to pursue his dream with Daisy because as we stated before, she still does not want to mess up her reputation and does not want to contain a non-respectable position. Gatsby did end up becoming wealthy through criminal ways, and when the other had learned what happened, it changed their views of him and Daisy being together, due to them not wanting her to be with such a flawed man. For this paragraph we can compare it to our life because we might like someone and want to be in a relationship yet we have friends or family who have seen the things they have done in their past so that makes them not want us to be with the person in the fear of that persons reputation reflecting onto our lives and hurting us and our future.
In the novel, the whole point of the American Dream was to prove to anyone and everyone, that dreams can come true if you work hard enough to pursue those dreams. This Novel had a huge impact on my life, it shows me and other readers that no matter what state of dept you are in, no matter what you are struggling with or going through, that you can still make it. Life can and, definitely will get hard, you are always either going into a storm, in a storm, or coming out of a storm. F. Scott Fitzgerald shows that no matter how hard the storm may get, or how strong the winds may be, that you will always come out of that storm if you fight hard enough to.
