The greatest sorrow of a life lost is a life without knowledge and experience. Jay Gatsby’s life, of whom we have gathered here to pay our respects, does not belong in this judgment, but does ours, for we have missed out on truly knowing and understanding the countless layers and untold stories of this curious man.
First, let me confess, that I am saddened, though not surprised, that the commemoration of a such a man could possibly be so poor. Just a few days ago, may I remind you, his house was overflowed with party guests, and now not a single one cares in the slightest to show some gratitude. It seems that they have all died with him.
I had only recently connected with Gatsby when I was formally invited to one of his extravagant parties.
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This sailor, Mr Dan Cody, changed his life forever by teaching young and inexperienced James Gatz how to become The Great Gatsby. It was from Cody that he learnt the lifestyle of the wealthy and how to transform into a well presented gentleman of wealth, mystery and romance. During this time of success in Gatsby’s life, and in a time when many young men would have forgotten their poor parents, Jay continuously sent money home, to aid and support the people who he knew had worked terribly hard to raise him as a healthy and intelligent …show more content…
Gatsby fell madly in love, promising to return to her after the war, only to find that she had married Mr Tom Buchanan, an agressive and brutal man of great wealth. But little did she know, Gatsby’s love for Daisy had not flickered, and Gatsby was not one to give up.
That was what I admired most about Gatsby, his capacity for hope. He was so hopeful in his relationship with Daisy that he constructed his entire life around her. He threw these elaborate parties in hope that she would come to one, and he bought a mansion right across from her house, in hope that she would notice him. Gatsby had a romantic readiness that one could not possibly miss. This hope is what made Gatsby so great but it is, in fact, what brought him to his death. I have never met anyone with such an extraordinary gift, and it is likely I shall never
Gatsby exemplifies an individual who can not always get what he or she yearns for. He possesses more than millions of people have combined, yet is still not satisfied. There is only one thing that Gatsby is destined to have, and that is Daisy Buchanan’s unconditional love. Hence by the name, she is married to another man: Tom Buchanan. The madness begins before Daisy gets married when she shares a kiss of a lifetime with James Gatz. Gatsby allows himself to fall in love with her, and from that moment on, all of his life decisions and daily problems are stimulated by Daisy, and framed around her life. Some may consider Gatsby to be an extreme stalker or nutcase, but in reality Gatsby simply has faith in
…What Daisy? No, a bad lie got me out in the final, weren’t you watching?
Gatsby has everything that he could wish for, except of love. Gatsby tried everything he could to achieve Daisy, but failed to do so. Gatsby always thought that Daisy actually loved him and that he was very close to achieving her. One time Gatsby showed Daisy all of his luxuries in the house. Daisy was impressed by how rich and wealthy Gatsby has become as time passed. Daisy says “never seen so many shirts like these” (87). This quote shows how Daisy likes materialistic things. Gatsby worked hard on his dream unlike Tom. Tom Buchanan who is the husband of Daisy has no purpose and goal in his life except his affair with Myrtle. He never really loved Daisy. On the other hand when Gatsby showed all of his English shirts Daisy begins to cry and they plan their future plans of meeting each other. We can see how Daisy is attracted to Gatsby simply because of his wealth. She loves Gatsby but she loves his money more then she actually loves him. This goes to show how people’s mentality worked in the 1920’s. Daisy, Gatsby, and all other characters live a very superficial life. Gatsby wants to achieve Daisy by the means of fortune and how Daisy is attracted to Gatsby because of his wealth.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famed novel The Great Gatsby incorporates many dynamic characters and situations into the world of the Roaring Twenties. Given the title, many readers will argue over whether the main character, Jay Gatsby, a mysterious man who throws elaborate parties, was truly great or not. The true definition of great is one who is selfless, pure of any illegal actions, and who doesn’t lie. Gatsby rebelled against all of these characteristics. Gatsby was selfish, committed illegal actions and lied about his overall past. Using these three reasons, one can prove that Jay Gatsby was not as great as some believed him to be.
Gatsby seemed like an anti-social, cold, mysterious man. However, I know a very different man. I know a man whom since young has grew up in poverty as a poor farmer boy. He was an ordinary boy, but he had extraordinary ambitions, ambitions no man of his social stature would dare to even begin assuming. In an unexpected coincidence, while working as a fisher, he met with a Dan Cody, who took him in as a personal assistant. It was through Dan Cody that Mr. Gatsby learnt the ways of luxury and even further solidified his ambition. Before I first took up the job to work with Mr. Gatsby, I was desperate. Desperation … I still recall the days of uncertainty that questioned if I was able to feed my wife and 2 children each day. However, when I was down, so down I almost attempted suicide on the shores, Mr. Gatsby reached out, and turn my life around. Not only did he settle all my financial need, he educated me, gave me a stable job. The fact that I am able to read and speak fluently is a testament to his efforts, and to him I am eternally
Gatsby creates an identity for himself as a wealthy man, who lives a glamorous life by throwing huge parties, and is known by the most prestigious figures in New York. What the partygoers don’t realize is that the parties and his wealth is all in the hopes of rekindling with his love from the past, Daisy. In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald tells the story of a young man named Jay Gatsby, who came from nothing, and built up to be everything that he had hoped and dreamed of being. However, his one dream did not become a reality due to misfortunate events. All the money in the world couldn’t make Gatsby happy, as he died as his true self, not the identity he created for himself.
However, Gatsby’s life is ultimately taken away due to his burning desire for hope. His naivety in re-creating the ‘love’ he had with Daisy causes him to become a victim of his own wrong doing, the lies and the wealth all catch up to him in the end.
Secondly, the reason of the readers’ sympathy is Gatsby’s loneliness. Gatsby is perpetually enveloped by solitude. Despite the “Hotel de Ville” (11)mansion, the car and the luxuries that would overwhelm most people, Jay finds no sense of belonging amongst those objects. “ Gatsby, standing alone on the marble steps and looking from one group to another” (51) does not mingle with his guests. Even at his own party, surrounded by glamour and people, he is still alone. In fact, he is a stranger. Only handful of his guest knows what he actually looks like, to others, he is a mystery. Equally important, Gatsby enclose himself in isolation, “he [gives] a sudden intimation that he [is] content to be alone… he [is] trembling.”(25) He has a whole mansion to himself yet he chooses to stand outside and ponder. Perhaps he is trying to find a way to unlock himself from the life of solitude.
Jay Gatsby, the title character of The Great Gatsby, is really not all that the title might suggest. First of all, his real name is James Gatz. He changed it in an effort to leave behind his old life as a poor boy and create an entirely new identity. He is also a liar and a criminal, having accumulated his wealth and position by dishonest means. But he is still called ‘great,’ and in a sense he is. Gatsby is made great by his unfaltering hope, and his determination to live in a perfect world with Daisy and their perfect love. Gatsby has many visible flaws—his obvious lies, his mysterious way of avoiding straight answers. But they are shadowed over by his gentle smile and his visible hunger for an ideal future. The coarse and playful Jay
Gatsby has been at work for Daisy ever since he met her, but in the end Daisy always chose her husband and not her lover. He would always try to win her over with expensive things. This quote describes perfectly what Gatsby was doing, “ his goal is galvanized for him early on when was a poor young army lieutenant he is prevented from pursuing a relationship with Daisy.” Gatsby still trying his best efforts sent a love letter to Daisy on her wedding night. Daisy opened the letter, she loved it but knew she had to marry Tom. When Gatsby is killed, Daisy forgets all about him and moves on with her life. This quote describes Daisy and Gatsby 's relationship. “ Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her.” When Daisy finally is won over by Jay Gatsby he dies and Daisy immediately runs back to Tom just as she always has done in the past.
Gatsby’s claim to love Daisy is nothing more than wanting to complete his collection of the grand prize being a trophy wife. It became apparent to Nick that Gatsby wanted to repeat the past in order to win the award of a perfect woman. While reminiscing, Nick realizes Gatsby’s desire was that, “He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you.’ After she had obliterated four years with that sentence they could decide upon the more practical measures to be taken. One of them was that, after she was free, they were to go back to Louisville and be married from her house- just as if it were five years ago” (Fitzgerald 109). Gatsby’s relentless need to ‘get the girl’ blinds his ability to comprehend Daisy’s feelings of the situation. His want to shatter the Buchanan’s marriage
To everyone else, Gatsby was an “Oxford man,” as he called himself, mysterious, and extremely private about his personal life, and thus many rumors circulated around him. Nobody knew of the real Jay Gatsby, small town James Gatz, because he was simply unglamorous and uninteresting to the American public of the 1920s. Furthermore, everything that he did was for Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby tried to win her love back and failed, a nonsensical belief on his part; however, he pursued it anyway. It was his obsession with her ultimately led to his death since he would do anything to protect the girl that he loved even though she would not reciprocate his feelings completely or do the same for him. Jay Gatsby would be undoubtedly deserving of being called “great” had it not been for Daisy Buchanan who was like his
Jay Gatsby is not a lazy person, he cannot stop working until his dreams have been realized, he knows that he is destined for greatness, and to not seek out greatness would be a waste, as Nick says,“So he made the most of his time, he took what he could get, ravenously and unscrupulously”(Fitzgerald 149). Gatsby’s drive is everything to him since before he met Daisy, he has strived to become more than just some kid from nowhere. As a self-made millionaire, he can only afford to rely on himself and himself alone, as there may be no one else in this world who may believe in him. Opportunities to succeed present themselves to people every day, but only a few have the gifts needed to utilize these opportunities, one of whom, is Jay Gatsby, as Nick says, “he was only a young man, but he had a lot brain power here”(Fitzgerald 168). In life, humans are blessed with many things, arms, legs, a heart, one’s very soul, is a blessing. Although the one thing that holds weight over all else, the one thing that can never be taken away, is one’s mind. Knowledge is power, especially as one climbs higher into the social rankings of society. James Gatz did not just become Jay Gatsby overnight, he was built up over the course of many years of experiences, as Nick says,“My first impression, that he was a person of some undefined consequence,
Time tells us that success often comes with a price. Often money will create more problems than it can solve. The richness of a person’s soul can be hidden in the folds of money. Such is the case of Jay Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is constantly altering in the readers mind due to the various puzzling events that transpire in the novel creating a level of mystery.
The beginning of the book sees Gatsby as a status of wealth and fame. The reader is, through the first-hand account of the narrator Nick, allowed to have a glimpse into the lavish nature of Gatsby's parties. Fitzgerald uses irony in order to solidify the understanding of the reader as to the nature of Gatsby’s gathering. Referring to Gatsby’s invitation to Nick, it reads“The honor would be entirely Gatsby’s, it said, if I would