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The Greatness of Gatsby


            In the American classic, The Great Gatsby, Scotts Fitzgerald thrusts the reader into the roaring twenties where this novel introduces us to a one Jay Gatsby. His character is known on highest regards and his name is said with respect, but no one can fathom how he has gotten to be that high up on the social ladder. As the novel continues we see the history behind two lovers of two very different social statuses, Daisy, a rich flamboyant girl and Jay a poor, handsome soldier. With an old school thought that money marries into money, Daisy couldn't marry this soldier till he was wealthy enough to support her. So she falls in love with a Mr. Tom Buchanan who is rich enough to support her and a family in lavish comfort. But something happens within the next 5 years, out of the blue Gatsby becomes the richest, most popular man that any person could know and has the reputation to prove it. Looking through his past, the present and the regard he has for himself, we can see where this greatness comes from. Gatsby's greatness had come from his power to dream, and a vision of a life with his one true love-Daisy.
             Fitzgerald uses Jay Gatsby's past, and rejection to be with Daisy because of a lack of money, as a motivational explanation for his existence. He is able to turn his dreams into reality and now idolizes money, and through some mysterious dealings, he is able to obtain it. Gatsby comes into this huge fortune and shows it off because he wants to intimately reunite with Daisy, despite her marriage to Tom. Gatsby is willing to go to any lengths, even if it is illegal or morally unacceptable, to achieve his dreams. As the reader peers further into Jay Gatsby's past you find that a relationship with a character named Dan Cody, who exposes him to the wealth he desires. It is from Cody that Gatsby develops his appreciation for wealth. "To young Gatz, resting on his oars, looking up at the railed deck, that yacht represented all the beauty and glamour in the world" (106).


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