Is Gatsby great?

The American dream, this is what The Great Gatsby is all about. But what does The American Dream mean? Well, according to James Truslow Adams who coined the term in 1931 in his book The Epic of America: 

“The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” (Adams, 1931)

“In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.”

It sounds nice, doesn’t it? That is exactly what Jay Gatsby took a look at: the idea of having a lot of money and a high social status even though he was poor as a child. If we take a closer look at Gatsby’s life and the events which lives through the novel, many of those situations have been lived by Fitzgerald as well. The idea of thinking about a luxurious life and idolizing it, or the story of a man who falls in love with a well-to-do woman on war times. All things considered, the novel is clearly based on Fitzgerald’s life; it is the reflection of his own insights, feelings and beliefs. By creating Nick and Jay, he basically express his own personality but in both sides of the same coin. On the one hand, we have Nick, who has moved to a new place in which an exciting lifestyle is just beginning. On the other hand, Gatsby is the man who dreams about becoming rich (materialism) and also, he has fallen in love with a beautiful lady who symbolized everything he wished in an idealized perfection. An extraordinary gift for hope is what makes Gatsby great! Because he never gave up on the idea of love; he chose Daisy, and he continued choosing her over and over times without any pause or doubt.

There will always be a person in your life that you have had strong feelings for since the moment you

first met them, that was Daisy in Gatsby’s life. His love is definitely beyond what some others think love is all about. It is amazing to realize that everything that Gatsby has made and built is just because of one reason; winning back Daisy into his life. Over the whole novel, there is one thing which is always present: The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock across the bay which Gatsby is always observing and what Nick named as: “an enchanted object”. Moreover, that green light is a symbol of what Gatsby wants to achieve, the idea behind that green light is as simple as if he crosses that bay and get that green light he can get the girl and what he have been thinking of, his dream and desire.

Now, what comes to my mind is a little question, Is this true love or is it a matter of objectification?

In order to explain or clarify the concept of "objectification" here you can find a video about it. Enjoy!

References.

Adams, J. T. (1931). The Epic of America. United States.: Little, Brown and Company.

Fitzgerald, F. S. (1925). The Great Gatsby. Wildside Press LLC.

By Cindy Toro Fuenzalida