Ollivia Perea

HA CPE3
22 February, 2014
Per. 01
Gatsby Essay
In The Great Gatsby (1925) F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays Jay Gatsby as a man with a
perverse American dream. Fitzgerald conveys this by presenting Gatsby as a rich man who
throws extravagant parties and drives priceless cars. The author identifies Gatsby as a hopeless
romantic. A man who wants to repeat the past and get his golden girl, known as Daisy Buchanan.
Fitzgerald does this because without the plot of a lost love and something worth fighting for the
book would be about rich people partying.
In the book Jay Gatsby is a wealthy man who throws parties for all of New York. Nick
Carraway realized this when he was personally invited to Gatsbys little party that evening.
People were not invited - they went there. They got into automobiles which bore them out Long
Island and somehow ended up at Gatsbys door. (45). Nick officially meets Gatsby at this party
and is surprised that such a young man would throw these parties for no reason. Nick soon comes
to discover that there is a reason, the reason is Daisy Buchanan.
Everything that Jay Gatsby has built himself up to be and all he has is for Daisy, his
golden girl. Gatsby and Daisy met before Gatsby left to war and were together for a month. In
that month Gatsby committed himself, all he did and all he would ever do to Daisy. The mansion,
the parties, the cars and shirts are all for her to realize he is no longer that poor boy that she
couldnt love. Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay The
modesty of the demand shook me. He waited five years and bought a mansion where he

dispensed starlight to casual moths so that he could come over some afternoon to a strangers
garden. (83). Nick is astonished by the simplicity of the request, he cant believe he did all this
just to have tea with Daisy.
After being with Daisy again, Gatsby believes his dream is almost complete. He goes to
have lunch with the Buchanans, Jordan, and Nick, where he meets Daisy and Toms daughter
Pammy Afterward he kept looking at the child with surprise. I dont think he had ever really
believed in its existence before.(123). By seeing Daisys daughter her realizes that he cant take
back everything that has happened within those five years. He struggles with this but his dream
is quickly restored when Daisy states her love for him in front of Tom on that hot summer day,
Ah, she cried, you look so cool...You always look so cool. (125). Gatsbys dream is
completely smashed to pieces when he demands Daisy to tell Tom she never loved him. This is
too much for Daisy Oh, you want too much!... I love you now - isnt that enough? I cant help
whats past...I did love him once - but I loved you too. (139-140). Its clear to Gatsby that even
if it were for a split second he was not Daisys only love as she was his.
Gatsbys vision of recreating the past and his American dream are gone forever when he
is killed by George Wilson. Even though it was George who pulled the trigger the blood is on
Toms hands. George finds out that Myrtle has another lover. That same night Myrtle, Toms
mistress, is hit by a yellow car. George thinks it was Tom but when he goes to confront him Tom
quickly points the finger to Gatsby. It turns out that Gatsby was not the driver of the car that
night, but it was Daisy driving. The ending of the book is the saddest irony, Nick buries Gatsby
with not one of his many guest to accompany him except for Gatsbys father. The large parties
full of interesting people were for nothing. Not one friend came out of all he did for New York
except for Nick. Gatsbys life was for Daisy until his last breath.