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Gisselle Pasillas

Vargas- Ortiz

English 1302

19 April 2017

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is now a part of popular culture, thanks to numerous proms and

the most recent movie release but it is also and should remain forever a part of the literary canon,

being a still relevant and important piece of classic literature. The Great Gatsby has taught its

readers that no matter how hard you try, you cannot relive the past. Most people believe that The

Great Gatsby is great love story but in reality, there is so many other central themes that have

made the book a classic for such a large amount of time.

Throughout the whole, the story it talks about new and old money. The people with old

money hated on those with new money. Those who were considered old money, were from

families that had made their fortune years before then and most of the people had inherited the

money. These people were used to a careless way of living. Unlike those who inherited their

money other is that era took advantage and found wealth most building an empire from

bootlegging. Tom Buchanan and Daisy were part of the old money category. Both characters

never had to work for all the things they own because most of their belongings were part of

inheritance. On the other hand, Gatsby fell into the new money category. The novel takes place

in the 1920s an era in which the market was growing and happened to be during the time of

prohibition. In the authors own words The parties were bigger, the pace was faster, the shows

were broader, the buildings were higher, the morals were loser and the liquor was cheaper
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(Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby)Because of prohibition the sale of alcoholic beverages wasnt

allowed. Gatsby made all his money through the sale of alcohol. For that reason, there was a

separation between old and new money.

Why did Gatsby go through all this trouble, you might ask? Throughout the story, we

learn about the love between Gatsby and Daisy. Daisy was always fond by money and nothing

else. We soon learned about the young love that Gatsby and Daisy shared, a love so powerful for

each other. Gatsby looked at Daisy the way every girl wanted to be looked at. Although they had

this thing called love, it didnt mean theyd have a happy ending. Gatsby disappeared into the

first world war, Daisy knowing that he loved her. Daisy was left very devastated while she

waited and waited for Gatsby to come back but unfortunately, he never did. Daisy soon met Tom

Buchanan and soon married him while still being in love with Gatsby. Daisy soon receives a

letter from Gatsby right before her wedding with Tom Buchanan. Although we never know what

the letter says we do know that it was far too late for Gatsby to confess his love for her. The letter

changed the way Daisy acted and felt drastically. Daisy read the letter while holding liquor in

one hand although Daisy didnt drink. Daisy also had some pearls that we assume were a

wedding gift from Tom that she soon wanted to return after reading the letter. Regardless of the

fact that she still loved Gatsby and knowing the truth about Gatsbys feelings she still went

through with marrying Tom Buchanan for all the wrong reasons. Money overpowered love for

Daisy. Daisy only married Tom Buchanan because of his wealth. Years later when Gatsby came

back and built his success it was all too late, Daisy had already started a whole life with Tom

Buchanan.

Gatsby strongly believed that no matter what he did that he could win Daisy back. Cant

repeat the past?Why of course you can! .He developed a whole lot of wealth for Daisy. Gatsby
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tried and tried so hard to relive the past but couldnt succeed. Gatsby threw parties hoping that

Daisy would show up at one so they can fall back in love. Everything Gatsby did was for Daisy.

Gatsby truly loved Daisy and did everything in his power to relive what they had in the past.

Gatsby admired everything about Daisy, I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity and her

flaming self-respect. And its these things Id believe in, even if the whole world indulged in wild

suspicious that she wasnt all she should be. I love her and that is the beginning of everything.

He believed that if he worked hard enough that money would allow him to have the American

Dream with Daisy. The American Dream was the dream that everybody wanted to have, to be

wealthy and well off after being grown to be poor. We learn that Gatsby didnt always have the

wealth he ended up having. Gatsby worked and worked so he can show Daisy that they can live

the American Dream together. The green light symbolizes the American Dream in the way of

Gatsbys hopes and dreams for a life with Daisy. Little by little it was as if Gatsby was right but

Daisy just lead him on. Daisy was in love with the idea of everything Gatsby did for her but not

in love with him. Money changed Daisy and many others in the novel. These people turned into

careless people that play with other emotions without hesitation. The love that Daisy

supposedly had for Gatsby was just a metaphor on how it wasnt real. Neither Daisy nor Tom

Buchanan loved each other, the marriage was full of lies and cheating. They had more than

enough money and not even that made them happy. It turned them into selfish people who only

cared about themselves. Gatsby believing in the American Dream, that was so controversial

because it was corrupted by the way that the morals of America were no longer a thing.

Everybodys morals were all over the place and it was all about the money. Although Gatsby had

the wealth, it just wasnt enough for Daisy anymore. By this time, Daisy had turned into a selfish

playing woman. She gave Gatsby hopes that she continued loving him and that she would leave
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Tom for him. Daisy played with every emotion that Gatsby had inside of him. Not once did

Daisy think about anybodys feelings but herself. Gatsby thought he had it all again and that he

will finally have what he had in the past. No matter what, you cant relive the past and that was

something that Gatsby couldnt understand. They were all caught up in the wealth that it

separated the rich and the poor by a lot. Money didnt and still doesnt buy happiness. Although

it seemed that all characters strongly believed that it did. Money brought problems into

relationships such as cheating and lies. The poor wanted it just as bad that Myrtle Wilson cheated

on her husband George Wilson in order to have some type of wealth. George Wilson truly loved

his wife Myrtle and worked hard to keep her happy but that wasnt enough for her. Thats

another example how even those that werent as fortunate had their morals so messed up. At the

end it caused Myrtle her life, for what? Tom Buchanan had the wealth and the girl but still had to

cheat on Daisy with someone of less money. Tom had it all and still wasnt satisfied. Nobody

was ever satisfied with what they had that they just had to go find more drama into their lives.

All of them including Gatsby were selfish and only thought about themselves.

In conclusion, all the parties, the people, the liquor, the houses, and many other things

was all for nothing. People were so caught up in the wealth that they let their whole life slip right

beneath their eyes. Gatsbys eagerness to have Daisy caused him his life because of the whole

mess he got himself into. The Great Gatsby has truly shown its readers that no matter how hard

you try, you cant relive the past. Money will not buy you happiness nor love. The whole theme

and life lesson is what has made The Great Gatsby a classic novel and why it will continue to be.

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.