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Is The Great Gatsby Really Great

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The Great Gatsby, a novel by F.Scott Fitzgerald revolves around the main protagonist, Jay Gatsby, who comes from the Midwest and is striving toward the American Dream. The novel takes place in 1922, in which the American Dream brought reassurance to one due to the booming economy. At the beginning of the novel, all that one knows about Gatsby is through rumors since he is the center of every conversation; he is a mysterious character. For instance, some say that he is a German spy, an Oxford graduate, or a murderer. On the other hand, the narrator, Nick, argues that Gatsby is “great” despite the rumors that are going around. Within the novel, the reader begins to question whether Gatsby is truly “great” or not. But Gatsby is one of the characters who does not drastically change, instead, his motives push him harder to aspire to his goals that may seem unrealistic. Gatsby has a justification for every …show more content…
Nick’s description of Gatsby’s smile is to be reassuring and alluring: “It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of external reassurance”(48). In other words, Gatsby is wise and knowledgeable since he is able to relate with others and what they are going through. He wants them to become aware that they should remain hopeful despite the obstacles that they may encounter. Gatsby is representation of the American Dream since he went through the same course. The narrator also depicts Gatsby to be a “great” upper class man by using dialogue such as “approving eyes,” “tanned skin drawn attractively,” and “I could see nothing sinister about him”(50). In other words, Nick describes Jay Gatsby physical appearance as someone he admires because of Gatsby's ability to achieve his goals and being a self made man. Gatsby is “great” due to his success in life in which he did everything he could to achieve his ultimate

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