The Great Gatsby “The Millionaire’s Pile of Ashes”

As the title infers, Jay Gatsby is nothing short of great. Gatsby has created his own society, a lonely and pseudo-upper class. This new class was built by Gatsby in order to help him cope with his own insecurities, especially the fact that he was not wealthy. His visions of becoming a “Dan Cody” have thoroughly encompassed his everyday life. His obsession with Daisy, and the fact that he believes that she left him because of his lower-class status, make him an ultimately mysterious man. Nobody knows how he became rich, nor do they know the motives behind his parties. Gatsby’s modus operandi is unknown to the West Egg society, making him a unique spectacle for all to behold. Tom Buchanan is Gatsby’s main enemy, his �

East and west are expansively used in this novel to contrast certain types of people and their mannerisms. Fitzgerald seems to be implying that a person’s behavioral characteristics are due to their environment. In the novel, the east is used to represent an evil area, much like the Valley of Ashes. The valley fully represents the evil and waste of the eastern United States. The valley is described as, “…a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat…,” (27) demonstrating how the bleakness contrasts with the beautiful fields of wheat in the west. This west being described embodies all that is good in the world, a pure innocence that is quickly lost by all pursuing the ‘American Dream.’ Nick, Tom, Daisy, and Myrtle, all hailing from the west (were good at one time), have moved east, signifying their loss of the original good they possessed. It is interesting to find that Gatsby, claiming to hail from San Francisco, considers this the Midwest. Gatsby is utterly confused by the question of his birthplace, signifying his confusion with the question of good and evil. He doesn’t really know what lies between, there seems to be no grey area for him. Gatsby seems not to recognize people who are ‘partially’ evil as having cruel intentions. This quasi-evil includes all characters in this story, including Gatsby himself. Analysis of Gatsby’s behavior reveals this misunderstanding. Gatsby has engaged in illegal activities in order to acquire his wealth, and indirectly, Daisy. Despite these evil activities, Gatsby does not include himself among other ‘evil’ people such as Tom. The act of Gatsby stealing Daisy can also be seen as an evil deed, yet again, he does not include himself in the adulterer ‘category’ in which he places Tom. Gatsby is obviously confused with not only east and west, but good and evil as well.

Fitzgerald ultimately proves that people will behave in ridiculous ways in order to achieve their goals and become secure with their position in life. Gatsby is a prime example of the consequences, since he ends up dead because he had finally achieved his dream. Nick is a complex character who analyzes Gatsby’s pursuit and possibly changes his life to make sure he doesn’t make similar mistakes. Tom’s dream includes having a mistress, and this causes the death of her as well as the distancing of him from his wife. Ultimately all parties in this novel are injured in some way by their unr

Some topics in this essay:
Dream’ Fitzgerald, Dream Fitzgerald’s, Gatsby Nick, Gatsby Tom, World War, Jay Gatsby, Daisy Gatsby, Valley Ashes, Tom Gatsby, Midwest Gatsby, upper class, ‘american dream’, gatsby tom, novel nick, tom daisy, social status, throughout novel, worth sacrificing, illegal activities, achieved dream,