Gatsby Analysis

The Great Gatsby is told through the narration of Nick. As Nick describes characters in the book such as Gatsby, Jordan, Wolfshiem, and Daisy Buchanan, who depict the young privileged class in the 1920's. F. Scott Fitzgerald in this novel used the stereotypical behavior 1920's with the bootlegging liquor, lavished houses and cars. Fitzgerald in this novel focuses in on people between the ages of 20 and 30. Fitzgerald describes the "youth and mystery that wealth imprisons and preserves" (157). Which is the downfall of the American dream. The corrupt American dream in this novel will lead to death and to unhappiness or unfulfilling life.

Nick describes his time with the Buchanans, which is that everything as at their expenditure and whenever they got into trouble they could retreat into their wealth, which they are confined by. Nick explains, "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy...retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness" (188). Nick during his time with Tom and Daisy was surrounded by wealth and many material possessions. One mess made by the Buchanans was the death of Jay Gatsby. Gatsby death was undeserved by the hands of George Wilson. Fitzgerald is also sending a message here that the one true character Jay Gatsby was a self-made success. When Gatsby tries to win the heart of Daisy he is attempting the unattainable. Gatsby realizes at the end that the chase is more rewarding then the catch. Gatsby seemed to attain the American dream to the reader, but Gatsby's American dream was to capture the heart of Daisy, which ended up killing Gatsby at the end of the novel.

Jordan's American dream was to achieve fame after wealth. Jordan was a very good golf player. However, Jordan was accused of lying and cheating, which she did during a golf match. To reach her dream of fame it required her to deny the whole incident. The Dream was accomplished by in a corrupt and deceitful way. This is like Wolfshiem who is one of Gatsby's business partners and the man who had fixed the World Series, America's greatest pastime. Wolfshiem in this novel was known to take risks in doing so he destroyed the lives of many great baseball players and fellow gamblers for a big payoff for rigging the World Series. This is the corrupt American dream that is the biggest corrupt American dream in this novel.

Daisy Buchanan was not part of the rich young class, but joined when Tom and her got married.