The Great Gatsby

A detailed Summary of The Great Gatsby

In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the question arises of whether the American dream is possible or impossible. Jay Gatsby searches for this dream throughout his life and it ultimately leads to his death. The search started at a young age as we see when Gatsby's father shows Nick a copy of Hopalong Cassidy, which contains the resolutions made by James Gatz for his self-improvement. "Jimmy was bound to get ahead (182)." These are the words of his father even after James left his family behind because they were poor.

From boyhood to manhood we get our next look at Gatz and the development of his dream. The only thing that is known about Gatz's life on Dan Cody's yacht is what the narrator, Nick, tells us. It was at this time that he began to remake himself, changing his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby.

The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God-a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that-and he must be about his Father's business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception

The next change that occurs in Gatsby takes place in Louisville. As a young officer in the army, he meets Daisy Fay. From this meeting "... it is clear that the vague, inchoate dream alights on Daisy, and romantically transfigures her into a creature of Gatsby's imagination" (Miller 169). Daisy rejects Gatsby simply because she is rich and he is poor. This seems to do nothing but motivate Gatsby to become successful and eventually win her over.

Why did Daisy not leave Gatsby after she found out that he is rich and lives right across the bay from her in West Egg? The answer is not the money he had but the type of money he had. Gatsby's money was new money. He lived in West Egg, which represented "new money." Daisy came from a wealthy background, which represented "old money." She would be throwing her reputation away if she left Tom for Gatsby , and she is too greedy to let that happen. Gatsby does not realize it but Daisy is incapable of love because she is shallow and egotistical. "His own dream of wealth meant nothing in itself; he merely wanted to buy back the happiness he had lost-Daisy" (Kazin 151).

He learned early that detachment, disingenuousness, chicanery, and nerve often rendered even the most imposing circumstances malleable; especially under the protective mantle of his army lieutenancy he found himself capable of taking from the world almost anything he wanted, virtually without penalty. In taking Daisy, however, he allowed his detachment to slip, and once more he entered the world of time-of human ties, memories, and decay (180).

Gatsby soon becomes obsessed with his dream of finding Daisy and winning her heart. "Gatsby cannot distinguish time now from time past and future, nor right from wrong" (Stallman 159). He begins bootlegging in a string of drug stores, handling bonds from governmental bribes, and takes part in bigtime gambling. He loses sight of his moral character with his fascination of "the dream." These illegal activities allow Gatsby to acquire millions; hence, he sets up his mansion at West Egg across the bay from Daisy. There was a green light at the end of Daisy's dock that Gatsby could see. This green light may have been the smallest detail that Fitzgerald gives us but it seems to be the s

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1531
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English