The Great Gatsby Essay

The Great Gatsby Essay

In order to understand how to write good The Great Gatsby essay, students should know how this essay is examined and evaluated by a teacher:

• The «perfect» The Great Gatsby essay is written from scratch and presents valuable insight into the topic under investigation; it is logically informative, correct; all aspects of the topic are explored and full answers are given.
• The «good» The Great Gatsby essay does not address some of the questions but in overall it is well-written. It requires minor changes in essay format but the clarity of ideas and flow of arguments is consistent throughout the paper.
• The «satisfactory» The Great Gatsby essay is not written in accordance to instruction ad the topic is not fully developed, there is lack of logic in arguments, and significant deficiencies in essay format.

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The Great Gatsby Essay: Excerpt

The Great Gatsby can be considered as a critique and appreciation of the American Dream. Eternal, almost blind optimism combined with the hope that anything can be reinvented and changed. The character of Jay Gatsby can be considered these aspects of the American Dream personified. His success to move from a middle class background into a figure of great mystery and wealth is how many Americans imagined their lives when moving to the West. His consistent belief in the Dream, even with its obvious negative and damaging elements is unwaverable, and this is what can be considered as Gatsby's “Greatness” in the novel. It is through Gatsby's ongoing quest to rekindle his relationship with Daisy Buchanan that presents itself as the Dream for Gatsby, Daisy and success become synthesized. Though the flaws of Daisy are apparent to Nick and the reader, Daisy in the eyes of Gatsby is the ultimate embodiment of success of the Dream, Daisy and the Dream become intertwined. Using Daisy as a symbol thus emphasizes what makes Gatsby great. The novel's main themes of the separation of the wealthy, the nouveau-riche versus old inherited money comes into play within the characters, Tom and Daisy Buchanan versus Gatsby. Consistent restlessness of the “old” rich contrasted with Gatsby's “new” fresh enthusiasm for the lifestyle, and it is this difference that also emphasizes Gatsby as great. The destructive tendencies of new technology and modernism also come into play in the novel, the speeding up of lifestyle giving the American Dream a lack of purpose for many, giving it a destructive edge. This cynical, darker side of the Dream becomes apparent through the death of Myrtle Wilson, and thus the consequences for Gatsby for his belief in the Dream. Gatsby's underside also becomes apparent in the way he has made money, yet the reader and Nick are still able to believe in Gatsby, and even through his death the Dream transfers to Nick, showing that the eternal optimism of Gatsby is still present, the Dream can continue in the right hands.