The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a tale of a man who pursued the idea of a woman, not the woman herself. Jay, once known as James Gatz, grew up poor but climbs up the ladder of success, a prime example of the potential of the American dream, and is able to afford a mansion on Long Island, New York. Gatsby “sprang from his Platonic conception of himself” (104) He fabricated a life that ignores his past poverty and parents because “his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all” (104). But Gatsby’s motivation for achieving the wealth he attains is the pursuit of another dream. Jay Gatsby, as he chooses to title himself, is a man running on the fumes of his past love affair with Daisy. Despite actually accomplishing his goals of recapturing Daisy’s love or at least her attention, he still cannot stop holding on to the nostalgia. But should one abandon their own sentimentalities for the sake of reality? …show more content…
Gatsby’s desperate attempt to preserve the memory of Daisy while the tangible person remained in a realm of existence shows his disconnect from reality. Did his perseverance through the five years they have been apart subtracted from his quality of life? The years of lonely preparation consumed Gatsby’s social life. Most of Gatsby’s guests at his elaborate parties were not even invited by him. Perhaps if he had abandoned his unrealistic ideals then he could have begun to participate in the other social interactions which had always surrounded