The Great Gatsby Jay

5 Pages 1340 Words

The greatness of an individual can be defined in terms far beyond tangible accomplishments. In F.
Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby’s greatness comes from
his need to experience success and his will to achieve his dreams. Nick Carraway narrates the
story, and his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, is Gatsby’s love. Daisy, however, is married to Tom
Buchanan, a wealthy, arrogant womanizer who despises Gatsby. Gatsby feels the need to be
successful and wealthy, and his participation in a bootlegging operation allows him to acquire the
wealth and social status needed to attract Daisy. In his narration, Nick focuses on Gatsby’s
fixation of Daisy and how he longs for her presence in his life. Gatsby’s greatness comes from his
power to dream, his competence in turning dreams into reality, and his absolute love for Daisy.

In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby uses his dreams as motivation for his existence. Fitzgerald uses
wealth and social status to define Gatsby’s character, which is exemplified by his lavish parties
and the dignitaries who attend them. In his formative years, Gatsby was employed by a wealthy
yachtsman, Dan Cody. It is from Cody that Gatsby develops his appreciation for wealth. “To
young Gatz, resting on his oars, looking up at the railed deck, that yacht represented all the
beauty and glamour in the world” (Fitzgerald 106). Fitzgerald uses this quote to mark the point at
which Gatsby encounters wealth and power for the first time, and also, he uses it to symbolize
Gatsby’s social standing and economic status. By comparing Gatsby’s rowboat with the luxurious
yacht of Cody’s, Fitzgerald presents the idea that money and power translate into bigger and
better things. The event is symbolic in that it illustrates Gatsby’s perception that wealth is a
necessity. By saying that he was “looking up” to “all the beauty and glamour in the world,”
Fitzgerald make...