Wealth And Success In The Great Gatsby Essay Example

F. Scott Fitzgerald formulated a novel focusing on Jay Gatsby’s journey to success and all the hardships he went through to attain his wealth,along with the darkside that came with all of his success. Young James Gatz grew up in a poor family in North Dakota, and had always dreamt of becoming more successful than his father, along with having a good marriage. Gatz eventually achieved his dream of absurd wealth and had his ways of showing that he had earned an abundance of money. Gatz changed his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby in an attempt to leave his poor upbringing behind him. Gatsby’s  story of going from poor to rich is why he is a great archetype of the American Dream. However, Jay Gatzby, would soon see the darkside of living in the past and not accepting change. 

Gatsby always had his idea of what his American dream looked like, Jay Gatsby had always had a desire for money. It started after he met Dan Cody. Dan Cody was a wealthy man who first showed Gatsby what a luxurious lifestyle looks like, Gatsby fell in love with that lifestyle. Gatsby also dreamed of having a good marriage. He had a chance to attain this with Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby loved Daisy because he would say, “Her voice was full of money.” (Fitzgerald 120). Gatsby knew what he wanted in life and would do anything to get it. “Gatsby believed in the green light (American Dream), the orgastic future that recedes year by year before us. Tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther and one day—“ (Fitzgerald 180). This mindset is what arguably led to his success.

Gatsby found many ways to show that he had achieved  aspects of his American Dream. His prime way of showing off his wealth was through massive parties. “He would bear parties to and from the city between nine in the morning and long past midnight. His eight servants, including an extra gardener, toiled the next day with mops and scrubbing-brushes and hammers and garden-shears, repairing the ravages of the night before.” (Fitzgerald 39) Gatsby secretly only had one reason for throwing these huge parties, and that reason was to impress Daisy. To most people Gatsby seemed like the kind of person that would be a good role model. Nick Caraway was the only person who got to see Gatsby for who he truly was. Nick would learn things about Gatsby that not many others would notice.

Gatsby’s extravagant lifestyle was only a mask to his fraudulent come up. Nick would learn that Gatsby earned his wealth illegally. Gatsby said that he inherited his money but Nick figured out that Gatsby earned it by bootlegging alcohol. This fact completely tarnishes Gatsby rags to riches story because the  American dream is supposed to be about hard work and perseverance, rather than crime. Another negative side to Gatsby’s lavish lifestyle is that he never got the marriage he dreamed of. Daisy would choose Tom Buchanan because she saw Tom as the safer option. Gatsby would never move on from this and would chase after Daisy, this would ultimately lead to him getting shot and killed by George. Had Gatsby just moved on then he never would have been accused of having an affair with George's wife.

Gatsby is a great embodiment of the ups and downs of the American Dream and flaws behind it. Gatsby would live in the past most of his life and would never realize that, “His Dream was already behind him.” (Fitzgerald 180) This novel shows that no matter what happens you should always keep on moving forward and that the past has nothing good to offer. The story of Gatsby shows that living behind a mask your whole life has no good rewards to come.