Jay Gatsby
If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. -Nick Carraway
Jay Gatsby, The Great Gatsby (2013)
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He is the American Dream. Quite simply, he looked toward a goal he couldn't reach. From his poor beginnings, he always had the dream for his success. Though out for his own wants, Jay Gatsby as a symbol appears to take the shape of the hopefuls who dream of making their life one of extravagance. |
Throughout the Novel...
"If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away." (2)
"[I]t was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again." (2)
"No — Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men." (2)
"Something in his leisurely movements and the secure position of his feet upon the lawn suggested that it was Mr. Gatsby himself, come out to determine what share was his of our local heavens." (20)
"We all turned and looked around for Gatsby. It was testimony to the romantic speculation he inspired that there were whispers about him from those who found little that it was necessary to whisper about in this world." (44)
"He smiled understandingly — much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced — or seemed to face — the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey." (48)
"I would have accepted without question the information that Gatsby sprang from the swamps of Louisiana or from the lower East Side of New York." (49)
"Then I turned back to Gatsby — and was startled at his expression. He looked — and this is said in all contempt for the babbled slander of his garden — as if he had “killed a man.” For a moment the set of his face could be described in just that fantastic way." (134)
"But he didn’t despise himself and it didn’t turn out as he had imagined. He had intended, probably, to take what he could and go — but now he found that he had committed himself to the following of a grail. He knew that Daisy was extraordinary, but he didn’t realize just how extraordinary a “nice” girl could be. She vanished into her rich house, into her rich, full life, leaving Gatsby — nothing. He felt married to her, that was all." (149)
"I have an idea that Gatsby himself didn’t believe it would come, and perhaps he no longer cared. If that was true he must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream." (161)
"[I]t was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again." (2)
"No — Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men." (2)
"Something in his leisurely movements and the secure position of his feet upon the lawn suggested that it was Mr. Gatsby himself, come out to determine what share was his of our local heavens." (20)
"We all turned and looked around for Gatsby. It was testimony to the romantic speculation he inspired that there were whispers about him from those who found little that it was necessary to whisper about in this world." (44)
"He smiled understandingly — much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced — or seemed to face — the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey." (48)
"I would have accepted without question the information that Gatsby sprang from the swamps of Louisiana or from the lower East Side of New York." (49)
"Then I turned back to Gatsby — and was startled at his expression. He looked — and this is said in all contempt for the babbled slander of his garden — as if he had “killed a man.” For a moment the set of his face could be described in just that fantastic way." (134)
"But he didn’t despise himself and it didn’t turn out as he had imagined. He had intended, probably, to take what he could and go — but now he found that he had committed himself to the following of a grail. He knew that Daisy was extraordinary, but he didn’t realize just how extraordinary a “nice” girl could be. She vanished into her rich house, into her rich, full life, leaving Gatsby — nothing. He felt married to her, that was all." (149)
"I have an idea that Gatsby himself didn’t believe it would come, and perhaps he no longer cared. If that was true he must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream." (161)
Relevance
Jay Gatsby. To begin, "Jay Gatsby" is a façade—a fictitious character used to be identified with success. Throughout the novel, Gatsby has been the character always in search of something. He was always trying to impress Daisy. In doing so, he went through the trouble to sell alcohol and make connections. His desire for money led him to want to prove his wealth. Through his house, his parties, and his other belongings, he wanted the recognition. The definition of the American Dream is hard to pinpoint. In general, Gatsby embodied those who started from the bottom. He seized the opportunity to make his life better. On the flip side, the novel displays his downfall. This is symbolic of a failed dream—one that is only admired from afar and is ultimately unreachable.
This can reveal Fitzgerald's view on the immigrants or those in the poor social class in attempt to gain riches. Those who come from the outside countries would want to seize the opportunity to become successful. The desire for money also reveals the materialistic value of the era. Gatsby always worked to try and succeed.
This can reveal Fitzgerald's view on the immigrants or those in the poor social class in attempt to gain riches. Those who come from the outside countries would want to seize the opportunity to become successful. The desire for money also reveals the materialistic value of the era. Gatsby always worked to try and succeed.
Reference (Pre-1925)
"Early to Bed, and early to rise, makes a Man healthy, wealthy, and wise."
"Industry pays debts."
(Poor Richard's Almanac, Benjamin Franklin, 1759)
Key connection: work and industry make success
"The prudent, penniless beginner in the world, labors for wages awhile, saves a surplus with which to buy tools or land, for himself; then labors on his own account another while, and at length hires another new beginner to help him. This…is free labor--the just and generous, and prosperous system, which opens the way for all." -Abraham Lincoln
"Industry pays debts."
(Poor Richard's Almanac, Benjamin Franklin, 1759)
Key connection: work and industry make success
"The prudent, penniless beginner in the world, labors for wages awhile, saves a surplus with which to buy tools or land, for himself; then labors on his own account another while, and at length hires another new beginner to help him. This…is free labor--the just and generous, and prosperous system, which opens the way for all." -Abraham Lincoln