The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald - 1572 Words

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, describes the story of those living within American society during the early 20th century. The idea of the American Dream became prominent during this time, often interpreted differently by each member of the society. According to James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book The Epic of America, the American Dream â€Å"is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement†¦ a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or†¦show more content†¦His sole objective in life is to win back Daisy no matter what risks he had to take. When Gatsby finally meets Daisy after a long five years, Gatsby knows that â€Å"there must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams - not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion†(95). Even though Gatsby can see that Daisy was not exactly what he had hoped for, Daisy herself is still â€Å"his dream.† To Gatsby, it did not matter who Daisy actually was or what she looked like. Gatsby’s devotion shows that his goal in life is to be with Daisy once again. However, in order to fulfill a dream, it is insufficient to solely define it; hope is required as well. Hope is the emotion that starts every dream and aspiration, and drives us to continue to believe that we can achieve our dreams. Gatsby in this case has always been hopeful in pursuing his dream of reuniting with Daisy. The reason Gatsby strived to be wealthy and changed his own name was all because of Daisy. Nick, the narrator in the story, realizes the incredulous amount of hope that Gatsby has, and describes Gatsby as if â€Å"there was something gorgeous about him†¦ some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life†¦ an extraordinary gift for hope†¦ it is what preyed on Gatsby† (2). Gatsby’s